21“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. 22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” 28Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:21 - 29 (NRSVA)
Do you ever cringe when someone says, “I’ve got some good news and bad news”? There are plenty of versions of that:
• Bad news is that gasoline is up to a gazillion dollars a teaspoon; the good news is – walking is still free, and your neighbors will be on the front porch as you walk by to wave to you, because they can’t afford to turn on the air conditioner inside; bad news, good/bad news.
The text before us has that good news/bad news ring to it as well. First,
THE BAD NEWS;
THERE IS A PENALTY FOR DISOBEYING GOD.
When Jesus said not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, He was pointing to the fact that there are judgments that are serious.
Natural Judgments
Who could deny that there are judgments in nature? You touch the fire and you will feel pain. If you step in a hole you might break your ankle. If you jump out of an airplane without a parachute your next meeting won’t be a scheduled committee meeting, but one-on-one with the ground floor!
Eternal Judgments
It is the same with God’s judgment that Jesus announced – when you ignore the basic law that God has given to man, there will be punishment. God has even laid-out in detail what that law is (Exodus 20) and the scope of penalty for disobedience:
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NRSVA)
Two Views about the Bad News
As a rule people who try to deal with the bad news in a natural, or human way fall into two classes…those who deny it outright, and those who try to deny it by self-deception.
Outright denial is so evident today in the lifestyles of people that it almost leaps off the front pages. Note that it is the denial of God’s right to say who is fit for His Kingdom that makes one unfit for Heaven; it’s not any particular brand of sin. Homosexual behavior is no worse than cheating on your taxes (thou shalt not steal), or cheating on your spouse (thou shalt not commit adultery). All of those (and more) are sinful behaviors which are the symptoms of the sin of denying our Maker and Creator. It is the person who states, it’s my life, and I’ll live the way I want to live, who denies that we are created by God, for God. We are (as the Scripture says) bought with a price, we are not independent from God.
Now not everybody denies God’s prior claim in an outright fashion; most of us aren’t that bold. Rather we do what is legendarily reported to be W.C. Fields’ last feeble bit of humor. It seems Fields was on his deathbed in the hospital reading a Bible. That’s not strange in a deathbed scene, but he was an atheist. An acquaintance walked in the hospital room and said, Fields…I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff, and here, you’re reading a Bible; what are you doing? Said the old wag, Lookin’ for loopholes, my friend…lookin’ for loopholes!
The chief loophole we often leap into is the safety net of relativity. Relatively-speaking most of us are at least not much worse than our neighbors. We have joined the church roll, served here and there, taught a Sunday School class, and (when totally purpose-driven by Rick Warren, himself) even served in the nursery! Land-sakes, we’ve even given close to a tithe!
Now the problem with all that “relativity-salvation” is that we are assuming that because we look like a Christian, talk like a believer and walk in the building the required number of times a year to own a burial plot that we’re saved!
Nothing could be further from the truth. Our founder, Mr. Wesley addressed that thinking in a sermon. When it comes to knowing the right doctrines, giving money, attending a good church and even reading your Bible or serving the Kingdom, these are helps to holiness….not holiness itself. He said to let your holiness be holiness of the heart. That’s not all internal; it means let God have your heart – your inner-self, the part of you that governs everything you do. That way, whatever you do will be controlled by God.
THE GOOD NEWS;
IS THAT THERE IS GOOD NEWS!
Listen again to the words of Jesus:
24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
If the bad news is a result of crossing the line of sin, that presupposes a way back across the line. Jesus said to put into action His words. The words, of course, is that sermon he preached that day on the mountainside. Matthew said he taught in an authoritative way…one who knew what he was talking about.
Now, this doesn’t suggest we just go back and do the things in the sermon…live the Golden Rule, pray, don’t judge others, be a good spouse, keep your anger under control, give your money….these are all good, but they don’t make you a Christian….they’re a sign that you truly have surrendered control of your heart, your life, to God.
Check out the first few words of the Mount Sermon; Jesus said Blessed are; he didn’t say Blessed will you be! You don’t do things to become a Christian…you do them because you are a believer.
Jesus said the difference between one who has given God his all, and the one who hasn’t will be like the difference between a wise man who builds his house on the rock-solid foundation and one who slaps it together on the beach.
It’s not difficult to see the difference a good foundation can make – after the storm; but, after the storm is too late. In life, the greatest storm, or test, is the end of life. My friend, if the foundation isn’t built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, you will not pass that test!
Are you willing to take a good hard look at your own foundation?
