The Boulder or the Beach
Griffith Baptist Church – 4/8/08
A.M. Service
Text: Matthew 7:24-29
The Introduction
Did you know that the United States is #1 in the world? Yes, the U.S. is #1 in the World in violent crime, divorce, teen pregnancies (industrial world), abortions, illegal drug use, and illiteracy (industrial world). We have a record to be proud of and I am sure it comes from the sure foundation we have worked so hard to maintain. Source unknown
You see where poor foundations lead.
Here Christ ends His Sermon on the Mount with a story.
Stories of two men with the same circumstances and the same opportunities, but the results are polar opposites.
Transition Statement: We first need to take a look at who is speaking and what these men hear and do with what they have heard.
Body
1. The Voice Heard – 24, 26
Well-known Broadway producer Jed Harris once became convinced he was losing his hearing. He visited a specialist, who pulled out a gold watch and asked ’Can you hear this ticking?"
’Of course," Harris replied.
The specialist walked to the door and asked the question again.
Harris concentrated and said, ’Yes, I can hear it clearly."
Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time. A third time Harris said he could hear the ticking.
’Mr. Harris," the doctor concluded, ’there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen."
Today in the Word, June 9, 1992
A. Both men hear the same voice, the voice of Jesus Christ
B. They have the same commandments that speak to them
C. The wise man obeys what he hears
i. Doing the Word produces blessing, not just keeping it - Luke 11:28 – But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
a. Isaiah 48:17-18 – 17Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. 18“If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
b. The greater blessings God gives us follows obedience
c. All else is just nominal living, just getting by with the bare blessings
ii. It is how we exhibit our love for God - John 14:15 – If ye love me, keep my commandments.
D. The foolish man rejects what he hears
i. Galatians 6:7-8 - 7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
ii. Instruction minus application equals failure.
iii. It is like paying thousands of dollars, spending thousands of hours, and devoting over a decade to become a highly-skilled, highly paid doctor and than go to work for a fast food joint flipping hamburgers for the rest of your life. It doesn’t make much sense. FOOLISHNESS!!
iv. Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Transition Statement: This portion of Scripture also tells us about the house that is built by each man.
2. The House Built – 24, 26
A. The house looks the same
B. The materials used are the same
C. The architect is the same
D. The difference is not in the structure itself but in the foundation
E. The foundation of the wise man’s house – a rock (boulder)
i. Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 3:11 - For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
ii. The Word of God – 1 Peter 1:23 - Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
a. Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
F. The foundation of the foolish man’s house – the sand (beach)
i. Religion – man working his way to God, man’s way
ii. The world – a day that starts off full will end up empty. Nothing to offer when done
iii. Success – money, fame, respect will be in this life only and will stop at the grave.
Transition Statement: Now that each man has built his home, a storm whips up in a frenzy and heads right for their pride and joy. What happens to these homes happens to lives all the time.
3. The Hurricane Experienced – 25, 27
There is nothing like a good strong storm to make a person appreciate a good strong shelter. We would never want our physical homes to be cheaply built and have insufficient protection, so why do we do that with our spiritual lives?
A. Both men experienced the storm, and it was fierce
B. The wise man was secure
i. His house was well maintained
ii. His house was anchored to solid ground
C. The foolish man was blown away
i. His house was not kept up with
ii. His house was built on the shifting sand of life
iii. Lack of preparation meant certain defeat
iv. He was preoccupied with the unimportant - Luke 9:57-62
Transition Statement: Last, we have a hope given. There are only two kinds of hope given here; a true hope and a false hope.
4. The Hope Given - 25
Several years ago, I read about James Lewis Pettigru. His life was so exemplary that after his death the community erected a tombstone inscribed with these words:
UNAWED BY OPINION, UNSEDUCED BY FLATTERY, UNDISMAYED BY DISASTER, HE CONFRONTED LIFE WITH COURAGE, AND DEATH WITH CHRISTIAN HOPE.
Our Daily Bread, May 29, 1995
A. The wise have a true hope that endures
i. A crown of life - James 1:12 – Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
ii. Exaltation by Christ at His coming - 1 Peter 1:7 – That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
iii. Likened to an indestructible mountain - Psalms 125:1 – They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
iv. Promise of the tree of life - Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
B. The foolish have a false hope that fails
i. Nothing to show for eternity
ii. Very little spiritual power, if any
iii. Subject to disappointment
iv. Above all, have been fooled by the great deceiver, Satan
Concluding Statement: Psalms 61:2-4 - 2From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the shelter of thy wings.
Conclusion:
What do you continue to build with and build on in your life?
You cannot trust your wisdom.
Quite frankly, you cannot trust your gut instinct very much because it is attached to much to your emotions and desires, and they are tainted by sin.
Life goes by quickly. How are you prepared?
