Wed Bible Study 7/22/2020

Intro

Final new section of the sermon on the mount

Wrap-up will be next with with Bryant

Build Your House on the Rock

Slideshow: Stable v. Unstable foundations

Slide 1: Unstable foundation, what are some warning signs of a spiritually unstable foundation?

Anger, lust, unfaithfulness, oaths, seeking revenge, hating those who hate you (Matthew 5:21-42)

Seeking praise of people (Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:16)

Hoarding earthly treasure (Matthew 6:19)

Condemning others for their sin (Matthew 7:1)

Slide 2: Stable foundation, what are some of the clues that our faith is built on a rock?

Comfort in God’s assurance (Matthew 6:34)

Treating others with kindness (Matthew 6:12)

Loving those that make it hard to love them (Matthew 5:44)

Trustworthiness (Matthew 5:37)

Pure in heart (Matthew 5:8)

This relates a lot to our “fruits” that we discussed last week

Slide 3: It’s unclear from the appearance of a house, how healthy its foundation is.

Firm Foundation

So of course, a reasonable follow up question to this is, what exactly is the firm foundation?

Our firm foundation is, of course, Jesus and His teachings and His sacrifice and His arbitration of our new covenant.

It should be noted here, that there are only two options, we are either securely building our house on that foundation, or we are not.

In his book on discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it really well. “Jesus knows only one possibility: simple surrender and obedience, not interpreting it or applying it, but doing and obeying it… There is only one other possibility, that of failing to do it.”

It’s important to remember for all the grace that Jesus offers, and with all the lost souls that he searches after, He said quite plainly in Matthew 7:13-14 that

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

“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. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Christianity is open to all who seek it, remember Matthew 7:7-8

Matthew 7:7–8 ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

But Christianity is also exclusive. Not that anyone is turned away from submission to Christ, but that only those who submit themselves to Christ are promised the rewards of Christ.

John 14:1–14 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

We only build our house on the firm foundation when we commit ourselves in active obedience to Christ’s will, active obedience that begins in baptism and is to continue in every interaction we have with others, with every prayer and every stressful, scary, or difficult situation where we choose to put faith in God instead of in ourselves.

The Authority of Christ

Finally, we see that this sermon is coming to a close when we see that Jesus finished His sayings, and the crowds were astonished.

It wasn’t just that they were astonished at His words, even though there was plenty there to be astonished about.

They were astonished that He said these things on His own authority. Which was a bold move! Jesus wasn’t simply explaining the word of God, or relaying a message.

No where in here do we see a “Thus saith the Lord!” pronouncement like we often see when prophets relay messages from God.

Instead, back in Chapter 5 we see 6 times where Jesus says “you have heard that it was said...” followed by “But I say to you...”

Essentially, Jesus says to them “God has told you this… but I tell you this!”

Were Jesus just a normal man, he’d be doing what we might call a sign of co-mission, adding to the word of God that which is does not say!

But as Jesus said in the section we read from John, the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father, He can speak on the Father’s authority directly, which is not a thing a teacher of the day would do!

He cited no source for the additions he made, no greater rabbi, no prophet, simply His own word.

Go and Do

It’s because of Jesus’s authority that we know He is the firm foundation. And we know that we can build our house there by going and doing what He has told us. We discussed wayyy back at the beginning of this study, whether what’s laid out here is some high moral standard that no human could reach or if it’s practical steps a Christian should take in every day life. Here at the end of this study I submit that it’s both. This is a high standard, impossibly high even. But Jesus Christ did the unthinkable, leaving paradise to live a simple life and die and undeserved and cruel death so that we could do the impossible! Praise God that when we fail, we still have grace through Christ, but that shouldn’t stop us from seeking the narrow gate and building our house on the rock.