1. Matthew 7:24-29. Jesus wraps up the sermon on the mount w/ a pretty nice ending.
2. This is such a great way to end a sermon. Basically, Jesus has been preaching for 30 minutes or so and he comes to his invitation, his conclusion. And to end his msg., Jesus says, “alright, that was my sermon, those of you who do what I say are smart, those of you who don’t are stupid, let’s pray”. It’s awesome. I think I’m going to start ending my messages that way. Powerful ending to a powerful series of messages and Matthew tells us that when he was done preaching the people were what? Amazed. Stunned. B/c He spoke like one who had authority – b/c He did. He came from heaven and it was obvious that He did!
3. And let’s look at this parable for a minute. B/c Jesus again polarizes the options – breaks his audience down into two camps. Wise and Foolish. Smart and stupid. Those who hear and do…and those who hear and don’t do. He’s not talking about believers v. non-believers or Christians v. non-Christians - that’s what we usually do. churched v. unchurched. Jesus doesn’t go there. He’s doesn’t lump all church-goers into the same boat, or all the people who check the box that say “I believe there is a God.” Or even the people who call themselves Christians. He says there are two camps here today –those who hear and do and those who hear and don’t do. A simple, straightforward, non-confusing delineation. Either you do what I say or you don’t. Two camps, two consequences.
4. Did anyone see the article this week in Newsweek magazine about Gay Marriage? Their cover article is about gay marriage and grossly misrepresented the Bible, Jesus’ teaching, Paul’s teaching, the Christian view point. But it doesn’t freak me out; I don’t expect Newsweek to properly represent Jesus. But it was interesting b/c in the article and particularly the Editor’s notes on it, they drew a line, just like Jesus does here, divided people up into two groups. Essentially the same two groups.
5. Religious conservatives –those who believe the Bible is accurate and try to live by it and those representing the rational, normal world who don’t. In one of the paragraphs, the Editor condemns churches who don’t accept openly gay pastors. He says, they “declared that their opposition to the ordination and the marriage of gays was irrevocably rooted in the Bible—which they regard as the ‘final authority and unchangeable standard for the Christian faith and life.' " To which the Editor adds, This conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. We’re no longer worried about the kind of fundamentalism that flies planes into buildings, just the kind that believes the Bible is God’s Word.
6. But I think what’s clear here is that the world agrees with Jesus about one thing; there are two groups. They just disagree with what group you should be in. They think J. is wrong and that we’re stupid, but they at least agree that there are only two options. (and this isn’t about the gay debate –I’ve really got no dog in that fight and I’m not sure Jesus does. But, if we’re going to follow Jesus, we can’t practice homosexuality, no more than we can commit adultery or lust or be greedy.) But Jesus’ point, his challenge, isn’t about what you say you believe, he doesn’t challenge us to have an opinion on cultural or political issues…his concluding point in the greatest message ever preached is – Do what I say. Not think what I think or believe what I believe, or even agree with me, but He takes it a step further and speaks to us where the rubber meets the road – our lives. And He says there are two types of people listening to me right now…those who do what I say and those who don’t. The question is; which one are you?
7. B/c again, as I’ve tried to make clear so many times in this series, following Jesus is about doing what He says. Living like He called us to live. You hear it, then you do it. As our billboard says, “Live the life”!
1) When I read in Ephesians 5 that I’m supposed to love my wife as Christ loves the church, do I? I’m supposed to submit to my husband’s authority, do I? Or am I doing marriage my way?
2) When I read that I’ve got to stop lusting, do I? When I read that I can’t be drunk, am I?
3) When I read in 1 Peter 4:10 that I’m supposed to use my gifts to serve others, do I? Or am I still sitting on the sidelines?
4) That I can’t be greedy but I have to be generous and willing to give what I have away…not, have I heard that sermon, but do I do that!
5) Do I thank God in all circumstances? Do I love, do I forgive, do I put others first?
8. I know you don’t want me to keep going, but these are the real questions of Christianity. And for most of us, the problem isn’t that we don’t know; it’s that we don’t do. Our problem is that instead of giving Jesus our lives, we’re bringing Him our “buts”. I know the Bible says this, BUT, I want to do that. I know you said to forgive, BUT, I don’t feel like forgiving. I know you said Love Always hopes, BUT I’ve given up hope in that person. I know you said not to have sex outside of marriage, BUT we love each other. I know I’m supposed to serve, but I don’t have time. I just want you to understand that you can’t get through a narrow gate with a big butt. If small is the gate and big is the “BUT”, you’re not getting through. As Christ-followers, we can’t bring Jesus excuses, we have to give Him obedience! (In Luke 9, Jesus calls people to follow Him, and one guy says “but first, bury my father”…But First, say good-bye. As one great preacher said, “nobody goes “But first” into the kingdom of God.”
9. James gives us essentially the same challenge in James 1:22-25. Anybody notice that when you go by a mirror, you try to look your best? It’s funny b/c you’re looking so that you can know how you look, but almost instinctively you walk by a mirror or a window and you pose. (act out- walking like this, then you see the mirror and you’re like…yeah, I look good.) Cry room – reflective glass. My wife says people come by all the time checking themselves out.
10. James says, don’t just look into the mirror, the Word, to feel better about yourself. Dig deep enough until you find what needs fixed in you and you work on it. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. How many people are sitting in churches all over America right now listening to sermons, shaking hands, dressing nice, trying to make people think they’re doing OK, keeping up appearances. Feeling good about themselves spiritually, but James says you’re fooling yourself. Unless you’re listening to Jesus and doing what He says, you’re fooling yourself.
11. For both Jesus and James the challenge isn’t for the people at Newsweek or the people advocating Gay marriage or the next President, or for my alcoholic in-law…it’s for us – those of us who are listening and are reading and are going to church. This challenge is an internal challenge for the people of God to be the people who do what God says. No matter what the world says or how I feel about it or how it affects me. I hear, I do.
12. I had a little fun with that coordinating conjunction earlier, there is a time in the Bible where somebody used that conjunction in exactly the right way. (Luke 5:1-5a (only the first part of the verse). I want you to notice that what Jesus is asking Peter to do doesn’t make sense – esp. to Peter. It’s not something he wants to do – he’s been doing it all night, he’s tired, he doesn’t feel like trying anymore. And he explains that to Jesus. He tells Jesus why He thinks His plan won’t work, but then he says this. Luke 5:5b. BUT, b/c you say so, I will…
13. My kids love this story and it’s so cute b/c the kids abbreviated this phrase. And a lot of times when we ask them to do something, instead of saying yes, Dad or yes, Mom, they’ll say B.Y.S.S.I.W – B/c you say so I will. And we kind of know, maybe they were in the middle of something else, or they really don’t feel like doing what we asked, but…BYSSIW. “I don’t think you realize that you’re interrupting Lego time, but BYSSIW.
14. What if we became BYSSIW people? People who take Jesus at His word and w/out question, w/out excuse, w/out delay, simply do what He says. B/c He not only wrote the book on life, He created life. B/c He’s God and we’re not, b/c He knows best and we don’t, b/c He loves us more than we could ever love ourselves…we take our fears, our concerns, our excuses, our circumstances, anything that’s keeping us from following Him and we lay them down at His feet and let Him know; B/c you say so, I will.
15. For Peter, that kind of faith meant the biggest catch of fish in his life. The nets ripped, they had to get another boat. And He fell on his face and worshiped Jesus b/c He was right. He was God. He knew. The promise from Jesus in Matthew 7 is that if you build your life on Jesus; you hear His words and you put them into practice, you build your life on what He says… you won’t crash! The bottom will never fall out, b/c you’re in His hands and those hands don’t move. Nothing can snatch you out of them. And no matter how hard Satan tries to take you down, (1 Pet. 5:6) if you humble yourself under God’s almighty hand, he will lift you up.
16. The one thing that’s for sure – the storms of life are going to come. Either way. It doesn’t matter if you follow Jesus or not, whether you’re a pagan or you’re the preacher, life is tough and the tough times are going to come. It’s going to rain hard, you’ll get flooded with problems, the winds are going to blow. Just b/c you build your house on the rock, doesn’t mean you won’t get hit and hit hard. The difference is, will your house stand? When the day of testing comes will your life come crashing down or will you be able to say along with the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:37-39 That in all these things we are more than conquerors! that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
17. What are you building your life on? If it’s anything other than obedience to Jesus, it’s sand. It’s going to wash away. And you’re going to crash. I know that pain and that’s why I do what I do. What’s your foundation? 1. Money. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul? 2. Education. You can get all the education you want, but if you don’t follow Jesus you’re going to be a smart fool. W/ a lot of student loans. 3. Career. You work so hard to get ahead, but what do you really get? 4. Another person. What happens when that person that you’ve built your world around, leaves, dies, or stops fulfilling you?
18. Don’t waste your life! Don’t waste your life building on something that can’t fulfill you emotionally or spiritually and in the end can never save you.
19. Money can’t do that. Another person can’t do that. A career can’t save you. Salvation is found in no one else – there is no other Name under heaven give to men by which we must be saved…it’s either Jesus or its sand. As John says in 1 John 2:17, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
20. Do you want to live? Do you want a real life? A life that has meaning, purpose, security, hope, joy…a life that can weather any storm? Then you’re going to have to build on Jesus. You’re going to have to take his words and put them into practice – do the will of God!
21. Some of you are suffering loss right now. Up until now, you haven’t built your life on Jesus and you’re paying the price. And like so many people, b/c your life is built on sand, you’re busy patching cracks, fixing leaks, sureing up your foundation, filling sand bags to keep the water out. So often in our lives, all we’re doing is plug holes, fixing problems, treating symptoms, chasing leaks. Jesus’ invitation is to rebuild. Start over. To stop construction on a life that doesn’t work and rebuild a life that does! We want to help you do that.
22. But it takes time to lay a foundation. To study the truth and firmly establish your beliefs, develop habits, commitments, to eliminate sin, to build Christian relationships and accountability into your life. It doesn’t just happen. It takes time, effort and energy. You make a choice. You make a decision. You make a commitment. And that’s what Jesus is calling us to today. To make a commitment to follow Him.
23. Lord’s Supper. As we eat and drink the emblems that represent His body and His blood, we’re committing to follow Him. The Bible warns us against doing this in an unworthy manner and challenges us to examine ourselves to make sure we’re willing to follow Jesus.
