Obedience to God’s Word
Luke 6:46-49
September 16, 2007
Sermon series: Following Christ
Introduction
Today’s message is fourth in our series on Following Christ. In the past last weeks, God place before us that following Him means:
1. Live for Christ
• Place Christ above all others
• Sacrifice our personal goals and desire for the sakes of Christ
• Lay our possession to Him
• Devoted to Him
2. Cost us something
• It cost our personal “comfort zone”
• It cost our personal priorites
• It cost our personal relationships
3. Trusting Christ through life storms
• Under His divine direction
• Following Him doesn’t mean we’re free from storms of life
• Storms of life teaches us to be dependent
• In the Storm we saw divine dominion
Now, this afternoon I have question for you to consider. I want you to deal with it honestly – do you honestly obey the words of the Lord? Do you consider that obedience to Christ is at very foundation of Christian life?
How do you demonstrate your obedience to God? Many people think they are demonstrating obedience to God by helping others occasionally, avoiding temptation, and attending church. But there is much more to obedience. True obedience to God means doing what God says, when He says, how He says, as long as He says, until what He says is accomplished.
Observation
1. As Jesus come at the end of His sermon on the mount, He drives homes the necessity of obeying what He has taught. He ask the crowds, “why do you called me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I tell you?” (v.46a)
2. Then Jesus Christ shows to them what it is like to be obedience to His words (v.47)
3. Jesus Christ tells a parable. This parable has two distinct people doing identical activities.
• First, two main people are both builders (vv.48-49)
• Second, both of them face a storm of rain and winds ad floods.
However, there’s a significance differences between them.
• The first builder “hears” and “act” on the words of Jesus (v.47)
• The second, “hears” the words but “does not act on them.” (49)
So, it say here that what really important in life is not what we “hear”; it is what we do with what we hear.
The outcome of the first builder is that his house stand firm when the flood bursts against it. The second foolishly build his house without foundation not only fell, but great was its fall.
In the parable the foundation is obedience to Christ’s teaching.
Hear, now, what the Son of God teaches us in these four verses of Scripture.
I. Obeying Christ is doing what He says (v.46)
While he walked and preached in this world, the Son of God himself had many followers who were his disciples in word only, many who pretended to honor him by calling him Lord, but were yet rebels and refused to obey him.
Many profess Christ but there are very far away from what Christ requires of them. They have just a intellectual accent. They don’t have genuine faith. Genuine faith submit to the Lordship of Jesus.
Don’t make a mistake that I am talking about Lordship salvation. That’s not my point. What I am pointing at is that if we have a genuine faith in Christ, the faith that saves results in good works, result in OBEDIENCE to Christ command.
It has always been a painful fact, throughout the history of the church, that multitudes profess faith in Christ who do not know him. Multitudes wear his name and use it, who do not follow him.
If we call Him Lord, we prove it by doing what He tells us to do in His word. True obedience is not an option for some who want to be committed to Him. The Lord doesn’t want partial obedience. The Lord wants our complete obedience.
To illustrate this point, let’s take the example of Noah.
When we read the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9, we see a clear picture of complete obedience. God call Noah to an extraordinary task – something that seemed both impossible and illogical – and Noah complied without asking questions. It took Noah years to complete the task.
Noah obeyed God even in spite of what other people thought of him. Noah was a man who chose to walk with God in the midst of the corrupt society. So corrupt that God chose to destroy them.
The life of Noah teaches us that: When God tells us something to do, we must not focus on the things or persons who try to distract us from doing it. Noah didn’t listen to his critics instead he focus on God. He chose to be absolutely obedient to God.
You see, what’s really important in life is not what we hear; it’s what we do with what we hear.
Those who don’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ have good cause to question whether they are truly Christians. God knows our thoughts, our motives, and our desires. If we name Jesus Christ our Lord, we must enthrone Him as Lord of our lives, even down to the thought level.
Take note Jesus Christ warn those who “call Him Lord,” not to those who do not. Take heed that warning of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ warning is addressed to all of us. If we say, “I know you Lord.” But Jesus would say, “Examine your heart”! Do you make some excuses? Are you justifying yourself by thinking, “Everybody’s doing it.”?
(Matthew 15:8-9) "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. {9} But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
II. Obeying Christ is the foundation of life (vv.47-48)
The first builder in this parable not only hears the words of Christ but he acts on what he hears. He anchors his house to the bedrock. The foundation was so strong that when the storm and the flood hit his house, it stood firm because it was well built on this sure foundation.
The house represents our lives. We’re all building a house. The question is, are we building it on the sure foundation of obedience to Jesus Christ?
Romans 9:33, "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
To build a house takes a lot of preparations. We will have to consider budgetary requirements; the kind of design; skill masonry; good architect. All of these, or much more we have to consider in building a house. But if we built our house on not sure foundation, we’re wasting our time and money. A great lost!
Same way, if we built the house of your life without the obedience to Jesus Christ, it’s like wasting your money on a house without sure foundation.
But the house that is built upon the Rock Christ Jesus is stable and secure. Floods of heresies, streams of adversity, winds of troubles, temptations, and trials beat vehemently upon the house, but cannot shake it!
No matter how severe the storm, you can weather it if you’ve built your life on a firm foundation. Regardless of whether that storm is a tragic accident, the death of a loved one, a sudden financial reversal, or an assault of an enemy, you can make through the storm. When the rain stops and the sun parts the clouds, you’ll be there still standing.
(Isaiah 28:16) "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
But a person who professes to be following Christ, but who is not walking in obedience, will be wiped out when trials hits his life. And, he will be ruined when stand before God at the judgment day.
Trials of life test us whether we are obeying Christ or we just a fair-weather followers of Christ.
III. Those who do not obey will face destruction
Notice how our Lord describes the foundation of the one who merely professes but does not have faith in him. His house built upon the shifting sands of the earth.
• Emotionalism
• Excitement
• Intellectualism
• Tradition
• Decisionism
The flood will hit and their spiritual house will come crashing down. Those who want to go inside his new house just want to enjoy the comfort it provided.
Application
The great sermon Christ preached has not been preserved simply it is a literary masterpiece. It is here to be acted upon. We are to step into it, makes its truths our own, and in doing so, discover the lessons for us.
How sure you that your life is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ? Is the house you’re building eternally reliable? Can you say with confidence that there is nothing that will make it collapse? Are you laying a foundation that will allow you to ride out any storm, no matter how torrential?
What can we do to make sure our house is built on sure foundation?
First, Listen to His words. Study God’s words. Meditate on every word you read. The word of God tells us how we relate to one another and to God. The more we study His words, the more that our mind is filled with His thoughts and thereby we glorify Him.
Second, act with what you hear. In other words, you apply scripture to your life. If you have read, “judge not and you will not be judge,” what you will do?
It is my prayer that you will not only lay the sure foundation but to continue on to build a life of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
