Building by Being a Doer of the Word
Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 principles to help us build in a way that is wise
I. Understand the Crux of the Matter – Acting on the Word of God
Matthew 7:24 - Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:26 - Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
A. The context of the Sermon on the Mount
1. The presentation of a new King
Matthew 1:1 - The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham…
2. The characteristics of a new kingdom
Matthew 5:1-5 - When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:20 - For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
B. The position of our passage
II. Choose to Build Your Life on the Rock
A. The rock of Christ Himself
“We can see at least five reasons why the Sermon on the Mount is important. First, it shows the absolute necessity of the new birth. Its standards are much too high and demanding to be met by human power. Only those who partake of God’s own nature through Jesus Christ can fulfill such demands... Second, the sermon intends to drive the listener to Jesus Christ as man’s only hope of meeting God’s standards. If man cannot live up to the divine standard, he needs a supernatural power to enable him. The proper response to the sermon leads to Christ. Third, the sermon gives God’s pattern for happiness and for true success. It reveals the standards, the objectives, and the motivations that, with God’s help, will fulfill what God has designed man to be. Here we find the way of joy, peace, and contentment. Fourth, the sermon is perhaps the greatest scriptural resource for witnessing, for reaching others for Christ. A Christian who personifies these principles of Jesus will be a spiritual magnet, attracting others to the Lord who empowers him to live as he does. The life obedient to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount is the church’s greatest tool for evangelism. Fifth, the life obedient to the maxims of this proclamation is the only life that is pleasing to God. That is the believer’s highest reason for following Jesus’ teaching—it pleases God.” (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. 1985. Matthew Vol. 1, p. 135. Chicago: Moody Press)
Psalm 40:1-3 - I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.
Colossians 1:13-14 - For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
B. The rock of God’s Word
Matthew 7:24 - Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:26 - Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
James 1:22-25 - But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Hebrews 10:24-25 - …and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
III. Be Prepared When the Rains Begin to Fall
A. The rain of temptation
B. The rain of trial
C. The rain of death
D. The rain of final judgment
Matthew 7:27 - The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.
Matthew 7:25 - And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
- How would you respond this morning if you were asked to write a 5-10 minute reader’s digest condensed version of your life?
- to talk about when you were born, where you were born, how many brothers and sisters you had and where you fell in the birth order, whether you liked school or didn’t like school, whether your parents stayed together or divorced, whether you lived in one place or moved all over the place…
- just flying over your life story pointing out the high spots and the low spots so someone else could understand you…
- how do you think that account would read?...
- can you start to picture it in your mind?...
- those of you who have received some sort of more formal counseling or discipleship or mentoring training at our church might recognize that assignment…
- that’s the way I and others often begin our counseling relationship with people from our community we don’t know…
- when someone from outside our church is struggling in some way and would like to sit down and speak with a person here about that…we ask them to complete some forms that give us basic information about their history and their current concerns…
- we call that a personal data inventory and it asks their age, their family history, their religious history, any previous counseling they have had, etc…
- completing those forms, for a variety of reasons, is a prerequisite to being placed on our waiting list…[which we wish we didn’t have, but that’s another story]…
- then when we have the opportunity to finally sit down with the person, we’ve already read their written information…but I know at least for me, I ask folks to begin by taking 5-10 minutes and give me a reader’s digest condensed version of their life…
- and I explain that the reason is – although I’ve read about the reason they’ve come to talk to us…
- I’ve learned over the years that if I don’t first have some kind of a clear backdrop – invariably I’ll get the specific picture we’re trying to paint skewed…
- conversely, if I have at least a bit of an established canvas, the painting often becomes clearer and more focused…
- here’s what’s amazing about that – a significant number of people say on their forms that they are Christians…but then tell their entire life story without ever mentioning the name…of Jesus…
- now I’m not saying that when that occurs, we say – “gotcha”…
- we’re not asking trick questions…nor are we going to jump to quick conclusions especially when so many people we have the privilege of speaking to are suffering significantly in some way…
- but that does describe the way some and perhaps many people choose to live…at least on a practical daily basis…their relationship with Christ, if it exists at all…have very little to do with the way they think, speak, live each and every day…
- in fact, Jesus is sort of like that leftover in a little Tupperware container in the very back of your refrigerator…basically forgotten and having little or no influence on anything else in the fridge…
- we’ve probably all had that experience, haven’t we…where we find something in the very back we long ago forgot?
- wouldn’t it be terrible if a person who hears this message today essentially had that relationship with the Lord…at least in terms of the way things work themselves out each and every day?...
- you know what would be worse – what if by accident some morning the person had reason to reach back and open the little Tupperware container…and Jesus wasn’t there at all?...
- with that in mind, let me invite you to open your Bible to Matthew chapter 7…page 5 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you…
- our church’s theme this year is Being Careful How We Build
- we’re at a point in our history where there are a lot of 2 x 4’s flying around…
- and we are very thankful for that…to be in a position to construct another duplex out at Bethany Farms for our Men’s Restoration Ministry and potentially double the size of that program…we love that possibility because the need is so great and the opportunities are so rich…
- there’s some other exciting potential developments in that ministry that we can’t yet share…but the Lord is on the move and we couldn’t be happier or more thankful to watch what He is doing…
- we’re a few months away from the renovation beginning at FE for our school and children’s ministries…and that project will achieve a number of goals but none more important that enhanced security at that location…
- and when we see yet another tragic and wicked school shooting…our desire is to do everything in our power to keep our children safe…
- I can’t say enough to thank the men and women who are constantly encouraging us to focus on this area and if takes additional building to make that happen, then bring it on…
- and of course the construction is proceeding rapidly down at the Northend Community Center site…this week the foundations were poured for both the Family Promise and the Car Works buildings…and because they are wood frame construction they are going to pop up like mushrooms…
- but I had the opportunity to walk through the community center itself after not being there for a couple of weeks and I was amazed at everything our contractors have been able to achieve…
- and we want to be sure that all of our activity is tethered tightly to the gospel…that’s why many of us have been reading Tim Keller’s book Center Church together…
- for the first several Sundays of 2018 we even based our morning messages on that book and I appreciate the many comments we’ve received about how helpful and encouraging this material has been…it stretches us…but in a good way…
- and I’m glad to have a church family that likes to read…
- there’s a reason why right at the entrance to FE there’s a ministry resource center which is both a library and a bookstore…
- there’s a reason why upstairs in the NCC there’s going to be a beautiful library…
- it’s because Christianity is a thinking person’s religion…
- we value what the apostle Paul said in…Romans 12:1–2 - Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
- and since God’s Word is so clear that we are to be careful how we build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ…we want to do that in a thoughtful, deliberative way…
- now, this morning we’re beginning a brand new series that will take us right up to Easter morning…and that is Building Stories from the Master Teacher…
- our Lord often used the building metaphor in His teaching ministry…and we’d like to spend the next several weeks looking at some of those key passages…
- you know, while we love all of the Word of God…we especially like studying the words and works of Jesus…because the Scripture is clear that the entire Bible points to Him…
- plus He was just such a provocative teacher…in fact the passage we’ll study this morning ends with everyone being amazed by what He said…
- Matthew 7 is the end of what is traditionally known as the Sermon on the Mount…it started back in chapter 5 and is the first discourse, or sermon from the Lord recorded by Matthew…
- what we’re going to be studying at the very end is essentially the invitation…you’ll see that very clearly…
- to set it all in its context – let’s begin at verse 1…read Matthew 7:1-29…
- we’re talking this am about Building by Being a Doer of the Word…and with the time we have remaining, let’s look for 3 principles to help us build in a way that is wise.
I. Understand the Crux of the Matter – Acting on the Word of God
- there’s much we could say, and should say about this overall passage because the Sermon on the Mount is so rich and deep…but the main point is very easy to see, isn’t it…what is the essential difference between a person who is wise and a person who is foolish?...
- Matthew 7:24 - Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- Matthew 7:26 - Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
- that’s also the essential difference between the person who has walked through the narrow gate (v. 13) and the one who hasn’t…
- and between the person who is like a tree bearing good fruit (v. 18) and the one who isn’t…
- and the one who not only says Lord, Lord but also does the will of the Father (v. 21) and the one who doesn’t…
- the crux of the matter is – wise people don’t have Jesus in a small Tupperware container in the forgotten back corner of the refrigerator of their lives…wise people have learned how to not only hear, but act on the Word of God…
- now, I assume that I’m talking to the kind of people who are already thinking about personal application…asking the essential question…am I a wise or a foolish builder based on what Jesus is teaching in this passage?....
- now let’s, as my son the Bear likes to say, back up the truck…what is….
A. The context of the Sermon
- Matthew is presenting Jesus to a primarily Jewish audience as the promised King…
1. The presentation of a new king
- the OT is the story of the first king…a man named Adam, who was placed in a perfect garden and told to rule over creation in obedience to our loving Creator…
- theologians like to say that Adam was a “dominion haver” – remember he was to glorify and represent God by ruling over the birds, and the fish, and even over his own heart…
- well, how well did that go?...he disobeyed God and failed as a king…
- and the OT tells the sad story in many ways of men and women longing for a path to righteousness and a Person who could make that possible…
- then we open the pages of Matthew and we have the geneaology of a king…Matthew 1:1 - The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
- then we read of His miraculous birth which fulfills OT prophecy after prophecy about the promised Messiah…
- but then He’s taken into the wilderness…to be tempted…
- well, if the first king could not withstand temptation in a perfect garden…how is the second king going to do after being starved in the wilderness?...
- what’s the answer to that?...with perfect righteousness…because this king is the Son of God…
- and please think about the leadership vacuum that so often exists in our world today…don’t you long deeply for a righteous king?....
- then He begins teaching in chapter 5 and everyone’s mouths drop open…
2. The characteristics of a new kingdom
- Matthew 5:1–2 - When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
- 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.
- and you continue to listen and think – I’d sure love to live in a kingdom like that…
- you might to take time this afternoon or sometime this week and read the Sermon on the Mount in its entirety…and if you do that you’ll see the repetitive theme of righteousness…like…
- Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
- Matthew 5:20 - For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
- but the more you read verses like this…coupled with Christ’s emphasis that this kingdom is not first and foremost an external entity as it is an internal reality…and you say – oh oh – I remember what happened to the fist king – Adam…and I know I’m living under His curse…
- I’m not naturally “poor in spirit”….
- I don’t naturally mourn over my sin…
- I’m not naturally gentle…
- and that’s the point of the Sermon…you need a righteousness that is not your own…it comes through repenting and placing your faith in the new King…
- you don’t conjure up righteousness on your own merit…you receive it as a free gift…
B. The position of our passage
- now it’s invitation time…
- men and women are being encouraged to admit their need and place their faith and trust in Christ…
- to not just hear what the Lord has said, but to act on it…
- and then to begin a lifestyle based on the righteousness that only comes in and through Him…to build in a way that is wise by continuing to act on the truth He has proclaimed…
- so if that’s the crux of the matter, what’s the upshot?...
II. Choose to Build Your Life on the Rock.
- you know, having lived here 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of watching many of the homes around our campuses be built…
- and I don’t want to frighten anyone – but a few of the homebuilders, let’s just say – used some rather interesting foundation systems in order to save money…
- you can’t necessarily tell just by looking at the home from the road…but it’s a different foundation for sure…
- and that’s what Jesus is encouraging us to consider…build your life on…
A. The rock of Christ Himself
- John MacArthur said this about this passage…We can see at least five reasons why the Sermon on the Mount is important. First, it shows the absolute necessity of the new birth. Its standards are much too high and demanding to be met by human power. Only those who partake of God’s own nature through Jesus Christ can fulfill such demands...
- Second, the sermon intends to drive the listener to Jesus Christ as man’s only hope of meeting God’s standards. If man cannot live up to the divine standard, he needs a supernatural power to enable him. The proper response to the sermon leads to Christ.
- Third, the sermon gives God’s pattern for happiness and for true success. It reveals the standards, the objectives, and the motivations that, with God’s help, will fulfill what God has designed man to be. Here we find the way of joy, peace, and contentment.
- Fourth, the sermon is perhaps the greatest scriptural resource for witnessing, for reaching others for Christ. A Christian who personifies these principles of Jesus will be a spiritual magnet, attracting others to the Lord who empowers him to live as he does. The life obedient to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount is the church’s greatest tool for evangelism.
- Fifth, the life obedient to the maxims of this proclamation is the only life that is pleasing to God. That is the believer’s highest reason for following Jesus’ teaching—it pleases God. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. 1985. Matthew Vol. 1, p. 135. Chicago: Moody Press)
- you know, one of the great delights I have as a pastor is to watch men and women choose to trust Christ as Savior and Lord and live their lives practically on the beauty and power of that foundation…
- let’s just pick an important demographic group in our church family to illustrate that…those in our church family who are single…
- we just finished our Biblical Counseling Training Conference…where we were blessed beyond belief to have over 2100 people from 49 different states and 25 foreign countries…
- much of the serving that occurred on all levels in order to make that effort possible was done by single men and women…some who have never been married, some who have experienced divorce, or some who are widows or widowers…
- and that’s true by the way, not only for that conference – but you could look at any of our ministries – our school, VOH, just walk through all of them…it’s amazing how often the engine of those efforts includes single men and women in our church family…
- well, how did they get to that place of being such joyful, productive servants of God?...
- one answer is – by refusing to build their lives of the sand of what our culture says about men and women like them…
- our world has all sorts of messages about what singles should do, and what singles should want, and how singles should think about themselves, and relate to others…
- and much of that is not just sand…it’s quicksand…
- but here’s what many of our singles have said…I prefer to build my life on the rock of Jesus Christ, thank you very much…
- I find my joy and my identity first and foremost in Him…in fact, in the most technical sense, they’re married…did you know that there really is no such
- they would say with the Psalmist…Psalm 40:1–3 - I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.
- see, for them, Jesus isn’t in the little Tupperware container at the back of the fridge…
- He’s not the one they would forget to even mention if they were telling their life story…
- He’s their gracious king…who is building out His kingdom plan and purposes on the basis of righteousness He gave to them…
- those are men and women who are wise…
- Can I just pause and ask you – is that true of you?...has there been a definite time in your life where you recognized that you needed a new Savior and a new King?...
- the apostle Paul described the process like this…Colossians 1:13–14 - For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
- by the way – if you have questions about all of that – one way to have them answered is to join us at the new Intro to Faith Class that just started at FE (you can attend there regardless of the campus you attend)…
- you know, this explains many of our church’s efforts…to invite others to build their lives on the rock of Jesus Christ…
- and as more and more people do that…the kingdom conditions described in this sermon become more of a reality…
- here’s one example of that…racial reconciliation…the kind of peace and harmony and righteousness that is described in these verses…
- we had an exciting development on that front a couple of weeks ago…and we’ll have a more formal announcement about this later…but I’m sure you know that the Hanna Center will be one of our collaborative partners…
- well, we had one last office suite upstairs next to Big Brothers Big Sisters and our Biblical Counseling Ministry and Church Staff that was not yet spoken for
- I’m happy that we finalized an agreement with the Latino Center for Health and Education…a fine group of enthusiastic, young, energetic, Hispanic leaders in our town…they will be moving into that last space…
- and as we work and serve together in all sorts of ways – at the appropriate time and in the appropriate fashion…we’re going to have the opportunity to invite many people from many different ethnicities and ages and economic backgrounds to build our lives on the rock…
- as I was walking around the building the other day – I also just paused and thanked the Lord for the financial generosity and sacrifice of so many people who are making all of this happen…
- let me tell you about some exciting upcoming events…on March 23rd…a Friday, we’re going to host a lunch for all the construction workers…if you’d like to participate in that in some way…please touch base with Bill Rogers or contact our church office…
- then on Saturday morning the 24th, we’re planning to have an all hands on deck clean up of the entire building…we’ve also invited the staff and board members of our various collaborative partners to join us for that endeavor…
- then at 3:00 in the afternoon of Sunday the 24th, we’re going to offer a sneak peek tour for anyone from our church family who would like to walk through…
- I think you’ll be amazed to think and dream about all the new gospel opportunities we’re going to have…
- you’ll probably also be amazed at the size of all of it…
- and to think that we’re on track for it to be entirely debt free in less than three years…
- but I realize that’s because of the incredible sacrifice and generosity of so many men and women in our church family…
- thank you for caring that every person in our town have the opportunity to carefully consider whether they are building their life on the rock of Jesus Christ…
- by the way – we have another great opportunity to do that coming up – [develop the passion play and the value/importance of inviting others…]
- now, the Lord also pointed us to…
B. The rock of God’s Word
- Matthew 7:24 - Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- Matthew 7:26 - Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
- wise people are doers of the Word, in reference to trusting Christ…and in reference to living for Christ…
- and we see that theme throughout the Word of God, don’t we?...
- James 1:22–25 - But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
- can I ask you this – how would you rank yourself on that particular point – in the power of Christ…on the basis of His righteousness, not just hearing the Word but acting upon it?...[scale of 1 – 10]…is it possible that you need to take steps this year in that particular area to be more careful how you build?...
- can I ask you to think about that from the perspective of church attendance…
- I was speaking to a group of church leaders in Rochester, MN recently and they told me about a study that has recently been done which suggests the average evangelical Christian attends church 1.6 times per month…and the expectation is that the number will soon be 1.2 times per month…
- is there a direct relationship between exposing yourself and your family to the Word of God, and people who are also trying to apply the Word practically to their lives every day…and whether or not you’re going to be the kind of person who is building wisely?...
- and also this – do we have a responsibility to stimulate one another in this way?...
- Hebrews 10:24–25 - and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
- see, we all might want to ask ourselves – how much evidence is there that we really care that our friends and neighbors are building their lives upon the rock of Christ and His Word?...
- you know, most of us were horrified to learn that a police officer waited outside the school in Florida while the mass murderer was inside killing innocent children…
- what about your friends and co-workers and neighbors who have never heard a clear, compelling presentation of Christ…
- or people who say they know the Lord but don’t seem to have much interest in hearing and acting on the Word each and every day?...
- is it any less cowardly for us to hunker down outside and wait for someone else to show up and do something?...
- that explains why so many people are signing up for Serve 18 – and why we would encourage you to do the same…
- well, where does all of this leave us?...
III. Be Prepared When the Rains Begin to Fall.
- the houses very well may have looked identical on a sunny day…the one built by the wise person and the one by the foolish man…the sun just shining brightly on both…
- what’s the problem with that?...the sun doesn’t always shine…and if you don’t have some raindrops on your windshield right now – just wait a while…
A. The rain of temptation
- being skilled at acting on the Word will serve you well when your lusts are raging in the opposite direction on obeying your King…
B. The rain of trial
- you need to be sure your foundation is on the rock when someone disappoints you or things don’t go your way…
C. The rain of death
- we’ve had some very stark reminders of the brevity of life recently…including the funeral this week of one of our dear members, Mike Wilson who died in a snowmobiling accident…
- Mike went from being an owner of a crane company and a servant in our children’s ministries…to being in the presence of our Savior in an instant…
- praise the Lord he had built his life upon the rock…
D. The rain of final judgment
- that’s really the point of this invitation….
- make your calling and election sure…
- don’t be like the bad tree of verse 17
- don’t be like the one who says Lord, Lord but hears from Him – depart from me…because I never knew you…
Matthew 7:27 - The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.
- you know, we had an interesting example of this recently in the funeral services for evangelist Billy Graham…
- and you or I might not have always agreed with everything he did especially in light of who he sometimes partnered with…
- but there’s no question about the clarity and simplicity of the gospel message he proclaimed…
- and the uprightness of the way the Lord allowed him to live…
- and the fact that his family was invited to have his body lie in state in our nation’s capital…something that rarely has happened in this country’s history…
- Matthew 7:25 - And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
