MAtthew 7 15-29 2008
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 7: 15-29
June 1, 2008
“Foundations of Faith – Rock and Sand?”
Intro: “Beware of the dog,” “Watch your step,” “Danger, Thin Ice,” “Dangerous crossing,” “Caution! Proceed at your own risk.” These are all warning signs given to protect us. We may not always heed these signs, but we like to be warned about impending dangers. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks these words to the crowd and to us. “Watch out!” More than any other warning we hear, we must heed this warning. “Watch out!” If we ignore this warning we risk our eternal salvation that was bought for us by Christ on the cross. Watch out for false prophets – watch out for false preachers.
The very foundation of our faith is at stake. Following Jesus’ words of warning He tells the story of two houses. It is a tale of two houses that look the same but have different foundations. One house is built on sand. The other house is built on rock. One stands solid, the other falls to the ground. What Jesus is saying is that if we listen to, and follow false preachers we are like a person that builds his spiritual house on a foundation of sand. It is a house that will be destroyed. If we listen and follow Christ’s words, our spiritual house will be built on a foundation of rock. This house will stand forever. This is a simple story and it is easy to understand. However, it is harder to apply it to our lives. After all, right now, who are the false preachers we need to “Watch Out for? How do we know who they are? What should we look for? Jesus tells us these things as well.
First, they come in sheep’s clothing. What does He mean? Well, obviously He isn’t saying that they will be wearing wool suits, though they might. What he is saying is that they may be members of the church, not some outside organization. They may appear to be Christian, look like Christians and may even sound like Christians. They may be leaders in the church, leading people in worship, wearing clerical robes and have shirts with collars. Anyway, you cannot tell a false preacher by how he looks. So we really need to watch out. Or actually we need to listen very closely.
False preachers and teachers often use religious words and speak in Half Truths, sometimes knowingly and sometimes because they don’t know better. So what is a half truth? A half-truth comes in several forms, and is a deceptive statement, that includes some element of truth. The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true except for one part. How about some examples? "You should not trust Peter with your children. I once saw him smack a child with his open hand." In this example the statement would be technically true, but the other half of the story is that Peter was actually slapping the child on the back, because he was choking. Another good example is the story of the blind men describing an elephant based on their perception of the different parts. I bet you can come up with some examples of half truths based on your own expereince…half tuths that you have even used.
In the church, False preachers tell half truths. They talk about God’s will, His commandments, and what people must do to earn His approval. They talk about “spiritual principles” – one that we often hear is that if you give God (or that TV ministry) a certain amount of money, say 5,000 dollars, God in return will pay of all your debts. You need to give to God to get from God. If you give to God, He must give back to you. People that listen and believe in such things build their spiritual houses on a foundation of sand.
False preachers sometimes say things that are totally untrue, things that God has not said. The biggest lie of all is their focus on what a person must do to be saved. They don’t focus on Jesus Christ alone, and His death for sin, and forgiveness preached in His name as the basis of our salvation. They often say that God has done His part in our salvation, now we must do our part. Now I ask you, what part of your salvation do you want to be responsible for? What if you fail, what then? We must always look to God in Christ Jesus as having done all the work of our salvation. Anyone who listens and follows these lies builds his spiritual house on a foundation of sand.
Unfortunately, and all to often, we are attracted to what false preachers preach. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to death.” We are sinfully bold enough to think that we can work our way to Heaven by doing good and following God’s commandments. Our arrogance leads us to believe that we can contribute in some way (even making a decision for Christ) to our own salvation. We want to believe preachers when they say that God wants us to be materially rich and that if we give to Him, He will give back to us. Part of our heart wants to follow them. That is our nature according to the flesh. Our natural choice is to build our spiritual house on a foundation of sand.
How do we “Watch Out” and guard ourselves from false preachers and the weakness of our own sinful natures? First, we can tell who the false teachers are by what their preaching leaves out. We have to listen for what is missing. False preachers don’t preach Christ and Him crucified for our sins. They don’t preach that it is through Christ alone that our sins have been forgiven. They don’t point to the cross and it is not central to their teaching. Some false preachers will mention Jesus Christ, but only as an after thought. It’s like Jesus was the ticket to get saved, but now it’s our job to stay in God’s saving grace. I once watched TV evangelist Benny Hinn for a couple hours. He spent a lot of time talking about Holy Ghost power. Not once did he mention Jesus Christ and how God has reconciled people to Him by forgiving their sins. We do not deny the glory and honor given to the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Chost always leads us to Jesus Christ, through whom we are saved. False preachers neglect to preach, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.” They do not preach that we can be sure of our salvation. Jesus said, He that believes and is baptized will be saved. This is God’s promise to you. Believe it. Trust his Word. God will not break His promise to you. God’s grace, your faith and your baptism are foundations of rock.
Conclusion: Two houses that look the same on the outside but have different foundations. One is founded on rock. One is founded on sand. Many churches look the same on the outside, beautiful, pristine and holy. Their foundations are made up of what is preached inside. Take a good look at the person wearing the collar or robe. Listen to what he is saying.
Sometimes false preachers are not preachers at all, at least in the normal sense of the word. False preachers, false teachers, come to us in many forms. We hear their voices on T.V., on the radio, at the movies, from news anchorman to late night talk show hosts, from actors to singers and song writers. Everybody has a voice. Everybody has an opinion. These days it seems that just about everybody is their own self appointed prophet and guru of their own personal truth.
This is where I get to the part about graduation. “Watch Out” “Beware of the dog,” “Watch your step,” “Danger, Thin Ice,” “Dangerous crossing,” “Caution! Proceed at your own risk.” Our eight graders have been given a wonderful gift. For the past years you have been taught hear at our school. The foundation of your education has been centered on Jesus Christ. You have learned what He has done for you. He lived for you. He died on the cross for you. Because He did, your sins are forgiven. You have hearc His voice and taught His ways. You have been given a sure foundation for life and faith. From now on, the ground gets a little more shaky, no, it gets a lot more shaky. As great as our area schools are, you will no longer hear much about Jesus in your daily lives. Prayer will not be a part of your class schedule, unless you schedule it yourself. There will be no chapel services. Jesus will probably on be mentioned as a swear word. While you will learn a great many things, many of them true, you will be taught things that are lies. As I said before, listen very well. False preachers are everywhere. Judge what you hear against the Word of God, against the words of Jesus Christ. Above all else, listen to Him. When you do, you will be like a person that builds his house on a Rock. That Rock is Jesus Christ.
In Matt. 16, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus replies, “Blessed are you Simon (Peter) for this was not revealed to by man, but by my father in Heaven….and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not come over it.” Jesus is the rock. He is the firm foundation. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (3:11), “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. Christ is our foundation. Amen.