The Foolishness Of Christ Series

The Foolishness Of Christ

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” - Matthew 7:24-27

UNDERSTAND – there are a lot of things that you could attempt to build your life on (IN FACT – our world will encourage you and is counting on you to build your life on them)…

acquiring possessions (having a bunch of stuff),

experiencing pleasure (good times, party and rock and roll),

and gaining power and prestige (through success, position, recognition).

BUT LISTEN – there is only one thing (one solid foundation) that is guaranteed to stand up against the floods, wind, and rain of this life. There is only one solid rock, Christ!

ON APRIL 22nd we at The Grove began a journey…

THE MOST – important journey any of us will ever take… The journey of a lifetime.

A journey that is to be our perpetual (constant and foremost) pursuit as long as we breathe air on this planet.

A journey to KNOW BETTER the One… who:

• put on flesh/made know the Father

• existed in the beginning/who is and was and is still to come

• sits on heaven’s throne/parts rivers, calms storms, slays giants, conquers problems, defeats powerful enemies, AND…

• multiplies whatever we GIVE to Him…

YES – we are on a journey to embrace Paul’s cry in Philippians 3 as our own:

7But whatever was to my profit… QUESTION – what is of value or profit to you? What do you really think matters?

I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ…

MAN - do you sense the passion in those words… “I want to know Christ”

• there’s nothing GREATER/when compared to it – everything else is garbage

• even if I have to suffer for it…

I want to know and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

QUESTION: Do you want to:

• know who you ‘really’ are?

• get out of the boat/walk on water?

• Finally and fully overcome… fear, doubt, sin and worry?

• become a new creation?

• live bold lives?

• pray bold prayers?

• take huge risks?

• live the life you were created to live?

UNDERSTAND – there is but one path… ‘knowing Christ.’

NOW so far in this journey WE – have looked at:

• The person of Christ…

• The passions of Christ

• The emotions of Christ

• The miracles of Christ…

AND EACH WEEK – we have taken the King of Glory out of the box of our current understanding and came to know Him better… IF – you were here for those messages continue to chew and meditate on them… AND IF – you missed any, I encourage you to check them out on our website.

THIS MORNING – in our effort to know better THE ONE – we have chosen to follow and have given our lives to… We are going to talk about ‘The Foolishness Of Christ.”

AND – I want to set the stage for this conversation by doing 2 things…

FIRST – I want to look at an event in the life of David…

AND SECOND – I want to read some God breathed words that Paul put on paper 2000 years to the church in Corinth.

OKAY… 2 Samuel Kings chapter 6…

• David has just been crowned king

• He has defeated the Philistines and recaptured the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelt between the Cherubim.

• It’s a big deal

• The King is jacked up to the max

• Thousands of Israel’s leaders and hundreds of priests and musicians are in this procession.

• Think of it as an inaugural parade full of pomp and circumstance.

13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the LORD had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.