Standing Firm by Building on the Right Foundation
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We’ve been talking about standing firm and learning lessons from the life of Daniel.
Review
Today, I want to look at Standing Firm by Building on the Right Foundation.
Houses lean… levees failed…people’s live collapse
We are going to look at a passage where Jesus is preaching what we call the Sermon on the Mount. This whole sermon is about what Jesus wants his followers to do… how to act so to speak. He teaching to show mercy, to be salt and light, to treat people like you want to be treated, to forgive...
He is going through all kinds of great teaching and then he says...
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
TO STAND FIRM, YOU CAN’T FAKE IT
TO STAND FIRM, YOU CAN’T FAKE IT
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Not everyone who claims to be a Christian… really is and they won’t go to haven. You can’t fake it.
Two types of Fakers: Those who talk it but don’t live it & Those who try to live it on their own power.
Too Many People Talk the Talk but Don’t Walk the Walk.
Too Many People Talk the Talk but Don’t Walk the Walk.
Don’t tell anyone you are a Christian and live like the devil… that’s trying to fake it.
The guy Scott and I witnessed to… Keith Shamrock knocked a guy out in 23 sec.
Too Many People Walk the Walk in Their Own Power
Too Many People Walk the Walk in Their Own Power
These folks do a lot of good stuff. They show up every time the doors are open but they are trying to be good enough for the Lord. Nothing we can do is good enough for God… That’s why He sent Jesus to dies for your sins and for my sins.
God is not just concerned with what you do, He is also concerned with your motives.
Jesus said to both groups
23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Jesus says that he never knew them. They were fakers… not back sliders.
Here is what happens. Jesus describes this later in Matthew.
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
He will separate the Fakers from the True Believers. The Fakers will be cast down to hell while the true believers go to heaven.
Movie Hell & Back - The man could smell burning flesh… another attacked on his way to hell.
We all need to make sure we are not fakers.
WISE PEOPLE BUILD THEIR LIFE ON THE ROCK, FAKERS BUILD THEIR LIFE ON SAND
WISE PEOPLE BUILD THEIR LIFE ON THE ROCK, FAKERS BUILD THEIR LIFE ON SAND
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
FAKERS BUILD THIER LIVES ON SAND JUST LIKE THE FOOLISH BUILDER.
FAKERS BUILD THIER LIVES ON SAND JUST LIKE THE FOOLISH BUILDER.
When we don’t obey Jesus we are like the foolish builder who built his house on sand and when the storms came in, the house was washed away because it was not built on a firm foundation.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it washes away.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it washes away.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it Blows Away.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it Blows Away.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it will not hold up under weight.
You can’t stand firm on Sand because it will not hold up under weight.
You can’t build a building on the sand for these and probably many other reasons, but if you try, the building will not last. Jesus is saying here that if you and I build our life on sand, we will not be able to stand when the storms come.
In our lives, sand Might be: Career; popularity; good looks; family; social status; friends; relationships; money;
If our lives are built on these things, when the storms of life come, we will fall.
It seems obvious that we should not build a building or our life on the sand… right? Then,
Why do we Build our lives on the Sand?
Why do we Build our lives on the Sand?
Building a good foundation for a big building takes a lot of time and effort. Dynomite… drive pilings...
In or lives, while we are putting in all this effort to base our lives on a good foundation our fiends are having a beach party. They are grilling, drinking, going places while you study or prepare for a test. We think, life is supposed to be easy, so I want to go to the beach.
We don’t want to stand out and more be required of us so we just try to blend in at work.
After all, what’s wrong with going with the flow, enjoying life, not a worry in the world.
Write this down…
STORMS WILL COME.
STORMS WILL COME.
Have you ever seen a hurricane season like this one? One right after the other. Thank God that none have hit us. There have been two major earthquakes during the same time as well.
Storms happen all the time on our world.
Storms of life also occur all the time.
27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
For those who based their lives on the Sand, their will struggle and collapse.
A WISE PERSON, THE ONE WHO STANDS FIRM, BUILDS HIS LIFE ON THE ROCK.
A WISE PERSON, THE ONE WHO STANDS FIRM, BUILDS HIS LIFE ON THE ROCK.
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
If you build your life on the rock, not sand, you are like the builder who built his house on the rock. You will stand form when storms come.
Buildings built on Rock don’t wash away.
Buildings built on Rock don’t wash away.
Buildings built on Rock don’t blow away.
Buildings built on Rock don’t blow away.
A Foundation Built on Rock will provide a building with a Firm Foundation.
A Foundation Built on Rock will provide a building with a Firm Foundation.
We have to base our lives on the Rock - Jesus
In Genesis he is called the Rock of Israel.
David Called him His Rock and His Redeemer
Isaiah said he is the eternal rock
Jesus said he is the rock the church will be build upon.
HOW DO WE BUILD OUR LIFE ON THE ROCK?
HOW DO WE BUILD OUR LIFE ON THE ROCK?
We must Accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of our Lives
We must Accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of our Lives
Let me explain.
God loves you and created you have a relationship with Him.
God loves you and created you have a relationship with Him.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
We have to realize that
Our Sin keeps us from having a personal relationship with God.
Our Sin keeps us from having a personal relationship with God.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
We can only have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
We can only have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Jesus is the only way. You will never be good enough on your own, but he makes you good enough when he becomes your savior.
After his death, he rose from the dead. Simon Greenleaf - more evidence to support the resurrection than any other conviction ...
You can know all of this, but still miss out… still be building your life on the sand.
You have to personally respond by trusting in Jesus Christ as YOUR Savior and Lord.
You have to personally respond by trusting in Jesus Christ as YOUR Savior and Lord.
How do we do that?
We respond by Receiving Christ
We respond by Receiving Christ
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
This means we repent
19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
We do this by faith.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
1 Turn from Your way of Living.
1 Turn from Your way of Living.
2 Invite Jesus to come into your life and trust him to forgive you of your sins.
2 Invite Jesus to come into your life and trust him to forgive you of your sins.
3 Allow God to Direct your life.
3 Allow God to Direct your life.
That’s the first step. Then we have to build a life on the Rock of our Faith in Christ Jesus. In New Orleans we have to drive pilings… so let’s look at some pilings of life we can drive to base our life on.
Quiet Time
Quiet Time
Set aside a time with the Lord every day. Jesus spent time with the Father often through out the day.
Read the Bible
Read the Bible
Read it every day… like crossing a lake in a motor boat
Study the Bible
Study the Bible
Like looking under the water in a glass bottom boat… you begin to understand the scriptures.
Memorize the Bible
Memorize the Bible
Stores scripture in you mind and heart for the HS to use.
Witness to Others
Witness to Others
Serve
Serve
Worship Services
Worship Services
Connect Groups
Connect Groups
If we build like this, we will stand firm… just like Daniel… no matter what.
It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus.
Some of you don’t have a relationship with Jesus
Some of you would like a relationship with Jesus
Some have a relationship with Jesus.
Which one of these are you.
Prayer
Dear God, I know my sin has separated me from you. Thank you that Jesus dies in my place. I ask Jesus to forgive my sin and to come into my life. Please begin to direct my life. Thank you for giving me eternal life. In Jesus Name Amen.
Others of you need to begin driving those pilings. QT, Bible Reading, Study, Witnessing, Memorizing Scripture, Applying Scripture, Serving, regular worship.