Solid Ground

Introduction

Last week we got in deep with the teaching of Matthew 7:21-23 as Jesus tells his disciples that not everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus is actually a follower of Jesus.

Once again, I want you to think of the setting: a mountainside, multitudes of people, most there out of curiosity, some skeptical, and probably even fewer were the dedicated followers of Jesus. For 99% of this message, Jesus has as His target audience His disciples - those truly following Him. His secondary audience has been everyone else, because not only do the disciples need to understand that being a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven looks very different that being a citizen in any earthly kingdom, but all those that are not disciples should know that the citizens of the Kingdom of God are very different than they are.

But now, in these three verses, 21-23, Jesus directs His words to not only His disciples, but now he has come to a message specifically for those that are not His disciples. The message is: “Not everyone that calls me ‘Lord,’ no matter how passionate about they are, no matter what kind of words they speak, and no matter what kind of works they do, not everyone that calls me ‘Lord’ is actually a disciple. There will be many (v.33) that call me Lord that will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven because we never had a relationship.

The question is, what are you truly interested in? Are you truly interested in your relationship with Him and in His glory? Or are you interested in keeping up the works that you are doing? There is a need for self examination if you realize that your motivation to read your Bible is simply to have read your Bible. Why do you come to church? Is it because you have a sense that you must come to the church services, or is it because you desire to grow your relationship with God and give Him glory by being an active part of the Body of Christ?

Why do you worship, why do you sing? Is it because it makes you feel good, because you get chills when a song hits just right? Or is it to give Him glory and to edify those around you? We must not mistake the by-products of religious practice as proof positive of salvation.

There are those so caught up in particular Christian organizations and denominations or churches or movements. There are those who believe that because they have an interest in the KJV only movement, or reformed theology, or being a Baptist, or narrowing it down to being a particular type of Baptist, or part of a particular church or college that they must be saved.

There are preachers that I have heard that preach the same messages over and over. There are preachers that seem to have one thing that they harp on constantly. They preach, not just sometimes, but often, about “Why I am a Baptist, and why I’ll always be a Baptist,” and how glad they were to have been saved in a Baptist church or because of the influence of a Baptist church. Preachers that when asked the question, “What would you be if you were not a Baptist?” and they answer, “I’d be ashamed, that’s what I’d be. Ha, ha, ha!”

Or they harp on a particular Bible translation or style of worship or some other lesser doctrine. And to all that I say, “Who cares.”

In the grand scheme of things, Baptist doesn’t mean a thing. “But Mike, aren’t you a Baptist preacher?” I sure am, but that is not my identity. My identity rests in Jesus. Do I believe that basic Baptist doctrine is right, of course, but that is not my identity. And I’ll tell you something else, your identity shouldn’t rest on that either. This church, though it is named Good News Baptist Church, this church’s identity is not in the word Baptist. Our mission statement tells you our identity. We exist to make disciples of Christ that impact the world. Why? because that is the calling we have directly from Jesus Himself.

I will tell you this. Most of you probably do not know why you are Baptist. None of my kids know why they are Baptists yet. If you were to ask them “What is a Baptist?” they would probably give you general descriptions of what a Christian is, and I would much rather them know that than the 7 Baptist distinctives. You know why? Because the 7 Baptist distinctives will not make them better Christians, having a close relationship with Jesus will.

Some of y’all didn’t know that there were 7 Baptist distinctives. Now you do. “Well, shouldn’t we learn what those are?” Yes, and we will. But honestly, that is not nearly as important as teaching people to be disciples that make disciples, and that is what we are focusing on now and for the near future.

Too many people will look at God one day and say, “But I was a Baptist!” And God will say, “I don’t know you.”

And today, we get to the very end Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It has taken a long while, but we are here. Let’s read together Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 KJV 1900

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The Solid Ground

In the first part of Jesus’ conclusion to His Sermon, Jesus has warned against the belief that the Christian life is easy. There is no such thing as Burger King Christianity where we can have it our way. Jesus says that if we are to follow Him and truly be His disciples, we are to go through the narrow gate and the difficult path. That is where we will find Him, and that is where we will find true satisfaction and peace and joy in our Christian walk.

Then, he warns against false prophet and the dangers of being deceived by appearances. These false prophets look the part, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. He tells us to judge them by their fruit and to not listen to their voices. Just because someone seems Christian, does not mean they are Christian. Do these people that profess being a Christian and following God actually walk the narrow path? If not, they are teaching the wrong thing.

Next, Jesus says that we are not to assume that everyone that says “Lord, Lord” to Jesus is actually a part of the kingdom of Heaven. This is a warning to disciples to be discerning, but also a warning to those who have deceived themselves into believing that they are Christians because of what they say, how they feel, or what they do. Christianity is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ by being born again.

Two Men and Two Houses

And now, we come to the final application. In these verses that we have just read we find two men and two houses. There are some similarities between both the men and the houses.

The first similarity that we find in these men is that, on the surface, they have the same desires. Both men want to build a house. They both wanted a place where they could take shelter, house their families, live at ease and enjoy themselves.

Since Jesus does not give us any differences in the two houses except for one, let us then say that both these men had the same design in mind for their houses. The ideas for their houses were identical. And this brings us to the similarities of the houses.

They are built in the same fashion. They look the same. Windows, doors, hallways, all is the same design. By looking at the way Jesus describes the storm, we can also safely assume that the houses are in the same location. This parable is related to us again in the book of Luke, and there we see that the houses were beside a stream. These were riverside houses.

The houses look the same, they are in the same location, and just by looking at them you can’t tell the differences. But there are subtle differences. You find these differences both in the men and in the houses.

Lets look at the passage in Luke 6:46-49.

Luke 6:46–49 KJV 1900

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Let’s look at the differences between the men. Though their desires for a house were the same, the difference that we see between the wise man and the foolish man is their mentality. The mentalities of the wise man and the foolish man are exact opposites.

The Foolish Man vs. The Wise Man

1. The foolish man is in a hurry. Foolish people are always in a hurry to get things done. Everything needs to get done now, no time to wait.

Isaiah 28:16 KJV 1900

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: He that believeth shall not make haste.

But the foolish man has no time to wait. So he takes shortcuts and looks for quick results. He says, “I must have my house now, so there is no time to lay the foundation, let’s start building!”

The wise man, on the other hand, takes the time to dig deep until he finds stone. He lays his foundation on the rock.

2. The foolish man doesn’t listen to instruction. The wise man is anxious to know how to build his house the right way, so he listens to instruction and is teachable. He learns the importance of the foundation and takes his time to dig deep.

The foolish man, however, cannot be bothered by receiving instruction. He knows how to do it, or so he thinks, and not only does he not search out instruction, but when offered advice, will not hear it because “he already knows what to do.” He is unteachable.

3. The foolish man does not consider possibilities. He does not plan for the future. He lives for himself, right now. Will the stream rise in a heavy rain? What will happen if I do not have a foundation? Is it possible that this beautiful stream will turn violent and flood? If so, is my building plan strong enough to withstand the rising waters and torrential downpour? No, these thoughts have never crossed his mind.

The wise man, however, has considered these things. So he lays his foundation on solid rock.

And as we look at these things, we see the main difference, really, the only difference in the houses is that one has a firm foundation, and the other has no foundation. One is built on a rock, the other on sand.

The Result

The result is that both houses have a different fate. Luke 6:48-49

Luke 6:48–49 KJV 1900

48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

The foolish man’s house did not last; it immediately fell. The house of the wise man lasted and endured because of its foundation.

The Application

Jesus here is talking to believers as His primary audience. And there are things that we as believers need to learn from this.

The spiritual application here is important. There are two types of Christians. Those that listen and obey Jesus’ words, and those that listen and do not obey.

The wise man, the wise disciple of Jesus Christ who listens to His words and obeys them has a sturdy house. He has studied God’s word, not out of command, but to better know and be able to glorify his Lord. He prays and does attend church every time he can because he loves God and wants to be in communication with Him and active in His body. He follows and obeys God’s commands because as his love for Jesus grows, so does his love for others. That love for God is expressed in his hunger and thirst and quest for righteousness as the love for others is expressed in his righteous treatment of them.

The true disciple has as his supreme desire to know Jesus more and experience Jesus in his life. His motto becomes the words of Paul to the Philippian church in Philippians 3:10

Philippians 3:10 KJV 1900

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.

The true disciple of Jesus has as his goal to really know Jesus and experience His power in his life. But he is willing to fellowship in Jesus’ sufferings to do this, in fact, he longs for it. He desires that his life will be made conformable to Jesus in his death. That he will truly die to self, and life for Christ on a daily basis. He longs for the narrow and difficult path because supreme desire is to know Jesus and give him glory.

The foolish man, the foolish Christian is one that lives for himself. On the surface, he wants the same things as the true disciple of Jesus. He wants to build a house, and he wants to have the same things. There is a desire for peace and enjoyment. He sees that to build a house with certain specifications and in a certain way brings peace and satisfaction and fulfillment and happiness. Sure, he likes the idea of knowing Jesus, and the prospect of having his power, the power of Jesus’ resurrection present in his life is very appealing. But he does not want to have anything to do with being associated with Jesus’ sufferings or dying to self. He is not willing to do what the wise man does.

The wise man, before ever putting up a single beam, begins to dig deep. Not the foolish Christian. He is in a hurry to get the satisfaction. He is in a hurry to be happy and to feel comfortable and to have a roof over his head. He wants comfort and consolation that comes with a strong relationship with Jesus. He wants the byproducts of Christianity, but is not willing to actually be an active follower of Jesus.

You’ll find this type of Christian often in the same company as true disciples, at least for a while. They model their houses, they model their lives after what they see in others. They decorate it on the outside, throw the same color paint on it. It all looks the same, but something is different. There is no foundation. But when he is done building his house, this poor Christian feels safe. He has discovered some benefits and blessings of Christianity, and pursues them, not with the mentality of glorifying God, but with the mentality of “What more can I get out of this?”

But the Christian who lives for himself is not safe, because self interest is no foundation at all.

The foundation of the wise man has been on Jesus and on His word, studying and putting it into practice. But the foolish man has no time to be confronted with the harsher truths of the Bible. He cherry picks verses. He is well acquainted with verses that tell of God’s love and mercy and grace. He is interested in every verse that can help him have a sense of comfort, or joy, or peace, so he picks and chooses what he reads.

He does not like the passages that make him feel uncomfortable. He does not like to be confronted by the Bible, and much less likes the accountability of fellow believers. The trouble with him is that even though the idea of knowing God is nice, he does not have the desire to know God. He wants God’s blessings, but does not want God to lead his life. He does not want to be like Christ, he simply wants to be comfortable.

So the result is this.

Eventually, the storms of life come. There are trials of our faith. Our texts says that upon both of these men, the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew. God allows trials of our faith to come and sometimes send those tests our way.

Some of these things are inevitable as they are the regular storms of life. Age advances, health and strength fade away. Illness comes along. Friends turn away, people disappoint. Loved ones pass away. Financial insecurity arises. All these things are a part of life. The sunny days are nice, but life is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes these things come as storms and floods, but what will happen to you when they do come?

If you have been wise, you can rest in the security of Jesus as your shelter and your comfort. But if you have just been living for yourself, if you have been pursuing the blessings without pursuing the one from whom all blessings flow, then you will find that the house you have built on the sand is collapsing all around you. It stood fine while everything was fine.

While you had a job, everything was ok. While you had your health, everything was fine. While everyone got along with you, things were doing good. Those Bible verses about Jesus being a sun and a shield were so uplifting when everything was going alright. But what about when you get that call that the biopsy is cancer? What happens when your best friend stabs you in the back? What happens when you walk into work and HR is there to meet you with a pink slip?

Will your world collapse? Will you be angry with God? Will you fall? Will there still be peace, and joy, and contentment, and fulfillment?

Before we close, I’d like you to look at a couple more verses with me. Psalm 37:37

Psalm 37:37 KJV 1900

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: For the end of that man is peace.

What is the end of the perfect man? And this is not talking about a sinless man, but a righteous man. One who is actively following after God. What is his end? Peace.

Even in times of trouble. Look at verses 39-40

Psalm 37:39–40 KJV 1900

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, because they trust in him.

The Lord is their strength. He is there salvation when there is evil happening all around them. They trust in Him, which means they obey and follow Him.

But the foolish Christian is not so. He trusts in himself to make himself happy. And for a while it works, but his end is not peace. When the storms of life come, his end is a great ruin, a great fall, a great loss.

Ultimately, there are a few reason why we should listen to Jesus’ words and put them into practice.

1. He is the authority. He is the law-giver. He is God. Look at Matthew 7:28-29

Matthew 7:28–29 KJV 1900

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

All those times Jesus said, “You have heard that it has been said..., but I say unto you...” Jesus was asserting his authority as law giver, not just interpreter, and the only person who could give laws was God. He asserts His authority once more in the previous verses when he says that those that listen to His words, His sayings.

2. Because if Jesus has the authority to teach us these things and command them (which He does), then we have the obligation to obey them. Anything else is sin. “But Mike, you said that the important thing is the spirit of the law, not necessarily obeying the letter of the law.” And this is true. But we the spirit of the law will lead us to obeying the letter of the law. And if we obey the letter without regard to the spirit, we sin. So if our spirit is in the wrong place, then even our obedience is sin, and if we do not obey, then we are sinning as well.

When we say that discipleship is a narrow road, I think that even with that analogy we do not understand the concept of how narrow it is. In reality, following Jesus is living life on a knife’s edge. We will talk more about this in the Life Group time, and I hope you will stay for it as this will drive the concept of needing to be empowered by the Holy Spirit home.

3. Because only by listening and obeying Him can we truly stand against the storms of life and the attacks of the devil.

Invitation

There are several ways to apply these verses. We have already discussed the application of other verses, like Matthew 7:1 in view of final judgment. And since we had focused on that a great deal, I felt like God was directing to this application we have seen today.

Are you the foolish builder or the wise builder?

I am going to ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.

How many would say, “Mike, I know I am a Christian, but to be honest, I am living only for myself. The house may seem nice. It may look like everyone else’s, but there is no foundation. My life revolves around what I want, not about what God wants for me. Would you pray for me?”

[Saved/not saved application]

Life Groups

What is God doing in your life right now/recently?

What, if anything, stood out to you? Are there any questions or comments?

1. Based on all we have seen in the Sermon on the Mount, how would you describe the difference between true and false discipleship?

2. What could be some examples of 'works' that may mislead us into thinking we are true disciples?

3. What are some practical steps we can take to build a firm foundation on Christ in our lives?

4. How can we evaluate if we are building our lives on the rock or on sand?

5. Following Jesus, being an authentic disciple is more than just walking a narrow path. Matthew 7:24-27 calls us to obedience, but we have studied that simple obedience is not enough. The motivation behind our obedience, the spirit of our obedience is being judged as well. So I cannot just do, but I also must be.

Discipleship is a knife’s edge path with deep ditches of sinfulness on each side. If I disobey, then I have fallen into sin. But if I obey with the wrong motive, then I also fall into sin. The only motivation acceptable for obedience is my love for God and love for others. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

But I can’t drum up love for God and love for others. This means that every step I take along this discipleship pathway must be guided, directed, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Every day. I can never be on autopilot. If I do things mechanically, I am in the wrong. If I do things dispassionately, I am in the wrong. If I do things because I feel obligated to do those things, I am in the wrong. If, just to be on the safe side, I do not do anything, for fear of being in the wrong, I am in the wrong.

You might say, that is a lot to worry about, but if I fear and have anxiety over all these things, I am in the wrong too! The ONLY way to be a true disciple is to be led by the Holy Spirit - every single step of every single day.

This is a most sobering thought.

The End

I will end this Life Group the way I ended the very first sermon introducing the Sermon on the Mount - by reading a quote from D. Martin Lloyd-Jones.

“If only all of us were living the Sermon on the Mount, men would know that there is dynamic in the Christian gospel; they would know that this is a live thing; they would not go looking for anything else. They would say, `Here it is.' And if you read the history of the Church you will find it has always been when men and women have taken this Sermon seriously and faced themselves in the light of it, that true revival has come. And when the world sees the truly Christian man, it not only feels condemned, it is drawn, it is attracted. Then let us carefully study this Sermon that claims to show what we ought to be. Let us consider it that we may see what we can be. For it not only states the demand; it points to the supply, to the source of power. God give us grace to face the Sermon on the Mount seriously and honestly and prayerfully fully until we become living examples of it, and exemplifiers of its glorious teaching.”

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Kindle Locations 217-223). Kindle Edition.