OR 29-05-05
Mt. 7:24-29
The Church’s one Foundation
Story: From 1173 to 1350, the bell tower of a wonderful Cathedral was built -in an area known today as the “Field of Miracles”.
The Tower was built just 2 metres above sea level.
And even before it was finished - this masterpiece of medieval architecture began to topple - shaken by earthquakes and sinking slowly into the unstable soil.
In 1991, the top hung just 16 feet over the base - and it was felt as if it would soon topple. So it was closed for repairs, which lasted a decade and cost US$25 million dollars.
And even in 1997 it still had a lean of 5.2 metres from the vertical.
Of course, we all know the name of the city where that Cathedral is - Pisa.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an important reminder to us of how vital it is to get the foundations right
And Jesus, in our Gospel reading this morning challenges us, by asking on what foundations are we building our lives
Story: In a sermon at Northfield, USA the famous 19th Century Evangelist D.L. Moody said,
"We want more Christians like the Irishman who, when asked if he had trembled during a recent severe storm when he was standing out upon a rocky projection, said,
"Yes, my legs sure trembled, but the rock didn’t and because my feet were on the rock I felt safe."
Is Jesus and his teaching that sure rock on which we build our lives – or are we building our lives upon sand?
We live in a society where many people think: “It doesn’t matter what you believe, so long as you are sincere.”
But that argument reminds me of Edward Smith, the Captain of the Titanic and Bruce Ismay the owner who sincerely believed their ship was unsinkable and so didn’t bother to have the full compliment of the necessary lifeboats (though they were within the regualattions of the then Board of Trade). In fact they were so confident that the White Star Line boasted that "even God couldn’t sink the ship"
He was wrong - sincerely wrong - tragically wrong but his sincere intentions did not avert the tragedy.
Michael Green in his Commentary on Matthew says this:
“ In our post-modern, relativistic and plural culture how can Christians justify this exclusivity - which seems to be so arrogant. It is not that we are defending Christianity and saying it is better than anything else….
I could never claim ultimacy for Christianity as a system. I do claim it for Jesus Christ. In him, God has broken - with blinding light - into our darkness. In Him God has provided for sinners a way back to himself. (Michael Green: The Message of Matthew p.110)
In other words, what we can claim is that the only true foundation for our lives is Jesus Christ and his teaching.
This means that we need to allow Christ to reach the very core of our being. We simply need to hear the word of God and do it.
We are called in this parable to build our lives on a sure foundation – Jesus and his teaching.
We are called to hear the word of God and allow it to change our lives.
It is not enough just to listen. Jesus calls us to be disciples – and this is 24/7
So what are the areas in our lives in which we can make Jesus a sure foundation.
Throughout the Old and New Testament, we read of men and women of God being commended because they obey what God has called them to do.
Our Gospel passage comes at the end of one of the most famous of Jesus’ sermons – the Sermon on the Mount – which bridges Mt Chapter 5 to Chapter 7.
It has rightly been called a Christian manifesto because it sets out what it means to be a follower of Jesus
So let us take a look at some of the key elements of that sermon.
2.1 The first key element in the Sermon on the Mount is addressed in the famous Beatitudes. How do we live our lives
You will recall that Jesus said:
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth
6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for thee shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:3-12)
I don’t think we can gainsay any of that !
2.2 The second key element in the Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus talks about us being salt and light. How do people see us
We are called to be salt and light in the society in which we live. If we are going to reach people with the Gospel – they will only be attracted to Christ when they see something in the way we live that they want.
The challenge is – is our life a channel through which the goodness of God to be seen lived in the world
2.3 The third key element in the Sermon on the Mount is how do we react to God’s law.
Story: I have been on a Christian chat line this week, where most of the Christians contributing think that some of the 10 commandments are optional – and what really counts is loving God and one another.
But keeping God’s laws is loving God. Jesus came to fulfil the penalty of God’s righteous law and not abolish it.
So being a Christian is not a licence to sin.
Nor do we have to KEEP the law not to avoid punishment . Instead we KEEP the law because we love God and we want to do what pleases him.
It is as simple as that!
4. The Fourth element in the Sermon on the Mount relates to how do we get on with God and others
This is perhaps summed up most succinctly in the Lord’s prayer – dealing with our relationship to God and our neighbours around us
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be Your Name
Your Kingdom come
Your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those
who have sinned against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For the kingdom, the power and
the glory are yours
Now and for ever. Amen (Mt 6:9-14)
Perhaps one of the most revolutionary teachings of all is Jesus ‘ command to forgive all who have sinned against us.
A tall order sometimes.
Yet the lack of forgiveness is one of the greatest curses in life.
5. And the fifth element of the Sermon on the Mount turns on the place of Jesus in the life of a disciple.
Is he the one on whom we build our faith or not?
Story: On a snowy winter’s day in 1941, SS Gruppenführer Hans Wolf received orders that he was to search the house of his own pastor Martin Kirchschläger.
Kirchschläger was a Lutheran pastor closely connected to the Confessing Church.
Wolf came to Kirchschläger to tell him that he would be returning in 2-3 hours to look for evidence that would send Kirchschläger and his family to the concentration camps.
Martin and Inge Kirschschläger had time therefore to go through their house and burn all the incriminating documents so that when Wolf and his men returned two to three hours later they found nothing
Wolf’s loyalty to Jesus Christ was greater than his loyalty to the Nazi State.
And for us today, the challenge of the Parable of the Wise and Foolish builders is just that – to whom or to what will I give my loyalty.
For that choice will affect the foundations on which I will build my life?
