Build on the Rock
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Illustration: The Millennial Tower in San Fransisco was billed as a high-end, luxurious condo community with breathtaking views of the city and the bay. Each unit costs a minimum 1.5 to 10 million dollars. But soon after its completion and its wealthy owners began to move in, a serious problem developed. It began to sink and lean. The builders, inspectors, and engineers blamed one another. Currently, the cost to fix it is estimated at between 200 and 500 million dollars.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Jesus uses the physical truth of building on the right foundation as an illustration of a powerful spiritual truth.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
What Jesus teaches is contrary to what the world promotes.
The world suggests that there are many ways to living life.
You can be religious, or you can have no religious beliefs.
Cultural belief: all religions are basically the same.
You can be
That what you belief may be important to you—but truth is relative. Truth can be anything we want it to be.
Not so with Jesus! With Jesus, there are only two way:
Matthew 7:13
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The way of Jesus is the less attractive way—it is the hard way. It is the way of faith—a total trust and reliance on Jesus—His grace and mercy.
It is more that words, its action—it is faith that guides our decisions, our attitudes, and our activities.
To really drive home this truth, Jesus made this very sobering observation:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
TRUTH: An oral confession of Jesus as Lord does not always indicate a repentant heart.
What did Jesus mean by doing the will of the Father?
The will of the Father is genuine repentance.
The will of the Father is a motivation to love God and love others.
The will of the Father is to live by faith (complete trust in God).
So often we are motivated by what we see: the dramatic, the “mighty works.” These are not proofs of the Father’s will since they can come from sources other than God, including demons and human effort.
Prophecy, exorcism, and miracles can be counterfeited. These demonstrative activities are no substitute for obedience and a personal relationship with Jesus.
TRUTH: Jesus addressed the spiritual reality that greater numbers profess Christ than actually follow him.
QUESTION: Are you really following Christ?
How do we avoid building our beliefs on the wrong foundation?
Hear the words of Christ.
Read and study God’s Word (Observation and Interpretation).
Reflect on what God’s Word means in the operation of your life (Application).
Repent (change direction).
Do the words of Christ.
Live out the truth in love.
Avoid legalism.
Avoid hypocrisy.
Disciples who build their lives on the bedrock of Jesus and his message of the kingdom of heaven are truly wise, regardless of the shifting cultural or religious fashions.