What Makes Up Your Foundation?

Good morning and welcome to CCC both here in person and those joining us online via our livestream and also to those who will see this message on youtube later this week.

We will finish up our Sermon on the Mount: Are you in or out? sermon series today. I pray you realize God’s movement in your live, His conviction in your life, His encouragement in your life and more importantly I pray you have responded accordingly to God.

Our text today is rather long and in fact I had scheduled it for 2 separate messages however God led me to preach it all today as it is all one message

Turn to

Matthew 7:13-29

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Matthew 7:13–29 CSB

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. “Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

We are going to break this down into 5 truths. 4 of those truths and the entire sermon on the mount can be accomplished in the 5th truth of this passage and closing of the sermon on the mount.

Truth 1: The Narrow Gate vs 13-14

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Make no mistake about it there is but 1 way to heaven and that is Jesus. He is the narrow gate. He says so himself

John 14:6

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“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Again in

John 8:24

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“Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.””

You can see from just these two scriptures and there are many, many more pointing to the fact Jesus is the only way to salvation and heaven.

The world and satan claim there are many ways to heaven

Good works

Being a good person

Tithing or giving money to charities or directly to the poor

Ministries

Volunteering to help in community

Saying hail marys

Going to church

Wearing jewelry that has a cross or a fish or something Christian on it

Being cool with Jesus

The list is really limitless as it seems everyday the world creates a new falsehood in how to get to heaven.

Jesus is the only way the only gate into heaven. He is the narrow gate.

Truth 2 The Difficult Road Vs 14

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When you study scripture this teaching is so very clear but so many Christians miss it. Of course non-Christians miss it because they do not have the Holy Spirit so the Word to them is foolishness.

Difficult is the road.

Living from Christ is hard. Jesus himself warns you of that. Turn to

John 16:33

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“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.””

The world and even some Christians hear verses like John 16:33 and believe because Jesus has in fact overcome the world that Christians will have no problems.

They skip right over the first half of the verse and cling to the second part. The problem is the second part is only powerful because of the first part!

They believe that following Jesus is easy....confess + believe = saved. Which is true. but they think that once you accept Jesus it is all easy sailing from there.

Jesus just told you the road would be difficult.....you WILL have suffering in this world. Not might. Not could. WILL.

Let’s go a little deeper

Luke 14:25-33

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“Now great crowds were traveling with him. So he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

You can’t have any allegiance other than Jesus to get to heaven.

That is what Jesus is talking about here.

You have to be willing to put Jesus ahead of everything...

Parents

Spouse and Kids

family

friends

job

hobbies

bank account

car

house

EVERYTHING

So many times these good things keep someone from following Jesus.

They keep someone from growing in Jesus

I would love to do this or that but I can’t because......

Now let me be clear we are not talking church but Jesus.

However many times Jesus calls you to serve in church or ministry and you don’t because your true loyalty lies elsewhere.

I can’t be in the Word because my kid had a late ballgame last night

I will start a devotion time after lake season

My spouse or parents are sick I just can’t be in the Word as I have too much to do

My church needs me, they need volunteers, the kids who come need taught but I just can’t find time despite God clearly laying it on my heart to help.

Jesus is saying count the cost.

Put God 1st and that makes the road so very difficult for humans and one reason so many will hear away from me I never knew you

Following Jesus is hard.

It takes a complete change in you

2 Corinthians 5:17

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

You have to be a new creature in Christ…

notice this doesn’t say you should be a new creature

It doesn’t say you could be a new creature

It doesn’t say try to be a new creature

No it says if anyone is in Christ, they ARE a new creature.

Truth 3: Be a fruit inspector vs 15-20

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Fruit here comes from the Greek word Kar-pos. It is the same word used in Galatians 5:22 when speaking of the fruit of the Spirit.

This word means both tangible things Fruit, acts, deeds and actions and intangible thoughts beliefs lifestyles

Jesus says you have to be on guard against false prophets

How will you identify false prophets…their fruit

Where do they stand on Jesus

Is their fruit worldly like in Galatians 5:19-21 or Spiritual like in Galatians 5:22 .

Spiritual fruit can only be produced by the Holy Spirit.

One must be saved to have the Holy Spirit

Discern everything you read and see and hear is it of God or not of God

Look for Spiritual fruit always.

Truth 4: Fake Christians vs 21-23

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You must ask God and other true Christians to inspect your fruit

If you try to inspect your own fruit you will end up lying to yourself and being deceived.

Notice in vs 21-23 these are people who claimed to believe

they claimed to be Christians

They are clearly doing church things, religious things in the name of Jesus prophesy, driving out demons, many miracles

They seem to be doing all the right things but notice when they came to enter heaven and said but we did all of these things in your name.......

They pointed to their works instead of their relationship.

They pointed to their church membership instead of their relationship

They pointed to their ministry instead of their relationship

They pointed to their religion instead of their relationship

Jesus doesn’t care about what you have done are doing or will do He cares about your heart and knowing you because if you know Him your thoughts and beliefs and words and actions will change because you know Him

Difficult road because you are human.

You want to keep score

You want to be recognized and applauded for your good works

You want to compare what and how you do things to what and how others do them, making yourself out to be better usually

You do good works to impress Jesus not doing good works because of meeting and knowing Jesus

What fruit will one see if they know Jesus

Matthew 3:2

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“and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!””

The Greek word translated repent means to think differently, reconsider

I have heard repent described as you meet Jesus, you realize you are a sinner condemned to the second death and eternal separation from God in hell

You realize Jesus paid your price, died in your place, made a way to reconciliation to God.

You accept that free gift of salvation and you turn and walk the opposite way

You turn and walk the opposite way because the way you were walking was leading you to hell

You met Jesus

accepted Jesus

and turn and walk His way not your way

Repent is a change in who controls your heart.....before Christ the path you were walking was controlled by satan the world and what you thought was you

After Jesus the path you walk is controlled by God through the power of Jesus and indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Have God check your heart regularly. Have other true believers check your fruits regularly

By the way other true believers can’t check your fruit if you are never together. Community

Community is a word and truth that God has been laying on my heart recently.

satan wants you to live and die in isolation

God wants you to live and thrive in true Christian Community!!!!!!

Seek God daily in study and prayer and worship

Seek other true Christians and true Christian community as much as possible.....make it a priority in your life

Truth 5 Your Life Must Be Founded in God’s Word vs 24-29

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We see therefore again.....therefore whoever hears these words of mine and acts on them.

It is not enough to hear only

It is not enough to hear and just believe

James 2:19

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“You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.”

Even the demons believe and shudder......that is more than most who claim to be Christian

When was the last time you encountered a truth of God....came face to face with Jesus and shuddered out of awe and respect and love????

James 1:22-27

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“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Be doers of the Word…hear and act

If you hear without action you deceive yourself

The people in Matthew 7 had worthless religion

They heard....they believed....but then they tried to earn salvation with their works

They looked after the orphans and widows but were not unstained from the world because their hearts were wrong

Just like false prophets they had the wrong heart

You have heard the foundation laid out for you by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. We have spent weeks in this series and I have tried my best to get out of the way and allow the Holy Spirit to lay the foundation of Jesus in your lives.

Maybe you just needed your foundation shured up a little bit or maybe it needed shured up a lot

Maybe you have no foundation because you don’t have Jesus

I beg you…I urge you respond to God. Make the Word of God your foundation. The foundation affects everything built upon it.

If your foundation is good, the Word of God, your life will stand the test of judgement.......not because of you or anything you have done but because of Jesus and your heart relationship with Him

If your foundation is not good you will not stand the test of judgement and will hear away from me I never knew you.

I ask you today what is your foundation?

Hearing and acting on the Word of God out of gratefulness and love for what Jesus did for you on the cross

or

hearing but keeping your heart stained by the world because your heart is far from Jesus and built upon the wrong foundation?!?!?!?!

As this song plays and the girls sing get with Jesus ask Him to show you your foundation and respond accordingly.

If you are honest with yourself this altar will be filled as we all fall short in truly making God the foundation of our lives. It is time to get real. It is time to move. It is time to act. It is time to surrender to Jesus and allow HIM to be your foundation.

Come.

FOR NOTES SHEET ONLY

What is YOUR foundation?

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