IS YOUR FOUNDATION SURE? (July 30 2023)
Text: Matthew 7:21-29
Matthew 7:21-29 "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. (22) On 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?' (23) Then 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. (25) The 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. (26) And 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. (27) The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!" (28) Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, (29) for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (NRSV).
Perhaps one of the most scariest passages of scripture in the Bible is Matthew 7:21-23. Why is this passage of scripture so scary? It is scary because it reminds us that without Jesus there is no way to get to heaven.
You cannot just use Jesus’s Name and be saved! Acts 2:21 says that “Anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved”. Salvation is not a taxi cab ride where the Lord drives the taxi and we sit idly in the back seat till we get to heaven. No! Jesus calls us to be His disciples who pick up our crosses and follow in His footsteps as His disciples! (Luke 9:23 -35). Jesus called us to discipleship not idleness! Calling on Jesus to be our savior means that we must make Him Lord of all in our lives or He cannot be Lord at all!
A person might indeed be a charismatic person. He or she might indeed be an influential person. He or she might be a good person in character. He or she might even perform what William Barclay “heathen miracles”, and unless he or she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then he or she is not saved. There is a huge difference between knowing the Name of Jesus and knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior! That is certainly why Jesus said… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23: NIV).
Is Jesus a visitor to our hearts like it is a hotel or the Lord of our hearts and lives? Our fruits will give us away won’t they? What does all this have to do with builders and foundations? The one word answer for that is “Obedience”! Jesus tells us that obedience is important to following the spiritual building code on a firm foundation rather than sinking sand!
We know from today’s text that there are two builders, two foundations and two results.
TWO BUILDERS
Aren’t we all builders when it comes to our spiritual lives?
Are we building according to God’s will or our own? “We can be calm if we are building in God’s will can’t we? Or, are we like the preacher who pounded on wood shouting and pounding at the weak part of his sermon”? (Dr. David Jeremiah. The Handwriting on the Wall. Nashville: W Publishiong Gropup, p. 2019, p. 31). “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain” (Psalm 127:1). The point is that God does not want us to build in vain!
Does God will for us to build wisely or foolishly?
Obviously, God wants us to build wisely. Why in the world would God want us to fail? When we obey God’s word, and the words of the Word made flesh---our Lord Jesus Christ, then what is built will stand.
“A Florida resident built his house according to the state building code. Then, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew tested his work. Hurricane Andrew destroyed thousands of homes in South Florida. Yet in an area where the wreckage looked like a war zone, one house remained standing, still firmly anchored to its foundation. When a reporter asked the homeowner why his house had not been blown away, he replied, “I built this house myself. I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2” x 6” roof trusses, I used 2” x 6” roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane—and it did". How about the work of your spiritual house? Was it built according to the foundation of God’s Word?
Which type of builder are you?
Wise or foolish? Do we listen? “Are we just hearers of God’s Word only or do we put it into practice (James 1:22 -23)?” Does our obedience matter? That seems like a stupid question! Being a doer of God's word means that we are obedient and that we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who is our Savior.
TWO FOUNDATIONS
What does a faulty foundation look like? Does the Leaning Tower of Pisa come to mind? It is 185 feet tall and it was closed for several years because of it potential hazard. Across the years engineers have done things to stabilize it. The tower was literally built on an unstable foundation that became evident during its construction. Lots of work has been done to make the tower more stable and sound for at least another two hundred years.
https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/will-leaning-tower-of-pisa-fall.htm
Even though it might be considered safe now would you feel very confident taking a tour inside?
Does this parable serve as a warning about choosing the right foundation? Of course it does! This parable also reminds us that our work will will be tested!
1) Denial: Imagine spending a great deal of time, money, and energy only to find that you were building in vain, because all of the ways you have been building were not in God’s will! Wouldn’t that conclusion tell us that we need to build things God’s way if we want them to last?
2) Flip side conclusions: Much like our old records or cassettes, there is a flip side. “[T]he other side of the story may be that we almost always place ourselves as the wise person with the strong foundation.“ (Jerry L. Schmalenberger. The Parables of Jesus and Their Flip Side. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing, 2001, p. 17). What is the flip side of this parable? Jesus told us the wisdom is in being obedient.
3) Beacon builders: We often associate beacons with lighthouses that warn others of dangerous spots don’t we? As Christian builders shouldn’t we warn other builders about dangerous and poor choices of foundations? After all are we not called to be the keepers of our brothers and sisters (Genesis 4:9)?
If we know the bridge is out, then is it not incumbent upon us to warn others? Would you let a friend drive drunk? If you answered that one with a “yes” which is only logical that you did, then why would we not warn someone about the “sinking sand” foundation that they are building on?
One of our members who has recently finished her race in God’s kingdom here on earth just recently went her home in heaven. The reason that I mention that is because Nancy was part of a team in her thirty years of working for the director of the Department of Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Services that helped their clients to understand how addiction was a terrible and unstable foundation.
TWO RESULTS
What are the two possible results?
1) Wise or foolish?: Wise or foolish right? That is the simple answer. There is no doubt that Jesus place the saying about those who say “Lord, Lord” near the parable about obedience about how to build your house on the solid rock of the teachings of Jesus opposed to following the ways of the world and its “sinking sand foundations”!
2) Temporal or eternal?: Isn’t Jesus’s warning that “lip service” and ultimate disobedience has ultimate eternal consequences? What good is it to have eloquent words and an empty and hollow witness?
Why does our obedience matter to others?
1) Stormy weather: Jesus never promised us a rose garden existence. God lets it rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. and the unjust. God lets the sun shine on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45). That means that both the evil and the good encounter storms.
2) God-given strength: If God gives strength to His children, and He does, then it makes logical sense to say that God offers that same strength to others who can willingly receive or open reject it. As Christians, we are not strong in and of ourselves. As Christians we are strong because of who we are in Jesus Christ and how Jesus abides in us. We can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
3) Life and death: Is it not possible that our lifestyle evangelism could influence others to obey the teachings of Jesus so that it could even save them from Hell?
Have you ever heard of Dr. Clarence Jordan? He was very well educated man who earned a B.S, from the University of Georgia as a well a PhD,. in New Testament Greek. He was very well known for two things ----his popular Bible translation known as the “Cotton Patch Version” and his work in tearing down some of the man-made racial walls in agriculture.
He was a pioneer in building Christian community across racially segregated lines in the 1960’s. He established what famously became known as the “Koinonia Farms to help poor southerners, both black and white. He had opponents who tried to stop him.
“Koinonia perched itself on the American landscape as a mundane call to obedience – and the church responded poorly.
Jordan once asked his brother, Robert (who became a state senator and a justice on the state Supreme Court), to be Koinonia’s attorney.
“I can’t do that. You know my aspirations. I might lose my job, my house, everything I’ve got.”
Clarence said, “We might lose everything, too.”
“It’s different for you,” Robert responded.
“Why? You and I joined the church the same Sunday as boys. The preacher asked, ‘Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?’ What did you say?”
Robert replied, “I follow Jesus – up to a point.”
Clarence: “Could that point by any chance be the cross?”
“I follow him to the cross, but not on the cross. I’m not getting myself crucified.”
“Then I don’t believe you are a disciple. You’re an admirer of Jesus. You ought to go back to that church you belong to, and tell them you’re an admirer, not a disciple.”
Robert: “Well now, if everyone like me did that, we wouldn’t have a church would we?”
Later, Robert saw the light, became a disciple himself, and boasted that his brother was “the greatest Christian I have ever known.”
https://heroesfoundfaithful.blogspot.com/2010/11/true-saints-never-dwell-in-splendid.html
There is a really good chance that we can conclude that Clarence's obedience may have influenced his brother and saved his soul.
