Part 22 - Wise & Foolish Men

INTRODUCTION

Matthew 7:24 – 29 Wise and Foolish Man

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Last week – Mere Professing.

• Is there a commitment with you to God?
• Or do you just believe in God?

“All who believe in Christ Jesus are saved” should have been translated, “All who are committed to Christ Jesus are saved.”

Even the devils “believe” and tremble.

Where is your commitment?

Who or what have you made Lord of your life?

Jesus after speaking to us in the sermon last week, saying that mere professing did not mean relationship, tells us in the last days MANY will cry “Lord, Lord”.

And Jesus will have to reply to them, “Away with you, for I do not know you.”

We have discussed the difference between knowing “of” someone, and actually having a relationship with someone.

There are those who battle with knowing the difference in society today.

Many stalkers have formulated in their own thinking that they actually have a relationship with the ones they are stalking.

Like so, many today think they have a relationship with the one they are professing.

Jesus tells us to know the difference.

Do you merely believe in Jesus, or are you committed to Jesus Christ?

We closed last week with “Depart from me, you who do evil.”

We begin this week with Jesus saying to us, “THEREFORE”,

1. EVERYONE WHO HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE
1. Commitment to Christ is our Salvation

i. Jesus wants relationship NOT religion.

ii. Jesus wants to be the Lord of your life.

iii. Unless we belong to the Kingdom, we cannot lay claim to the benefits and blessings and promises, etc…

iv. But when we make the decision in our hearts to surrender our lives to Him, we become citizens of the Kingdom of God. And Jesus becomes Lord, and our perfect Father.

2. Salvation is a FREE gift which comes by FAITH

i. Salvation is FREE, to believe costs little, but to be committed costs everything.

ii. Because of God’s Grace, our Faith in the Lord is what saves us. Not words, nor deeds. We cannot speak ourselves into heaven, nor can we buy or work our way there.

iii. Our Faith in Him alone.

3. FAITH comes by hearing the Word of God

i. Romans 10:17 “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”

ii. Luke 7:50 “Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you;”

iii. Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—“

iv. 1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

4. We are given a measure of Faith – a seed

i. Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

2. BUT ONE MUST DO MORE THAN JUST HEAR
1. Those who hear AND (lit. DO THEM)
2. NO OTHER FOUNDATION

i. Galatians 1:6-10 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

3. How to win friends and influence others

i. Not by being a follower of Christ

ii. There is no other foundation but Christ and His Word.

4. He is like a wise man

i. The one who makes Jesus Christ and His Word their foundation, not by merely professing Jesus, but by hearing AND DOING.

5. Being doers of the Word

i. James 1:21 – 27 “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does

ii. Get rid of moral filth and evil that is everywhere in the world.

iii. Humbly accept the seed of faith (the Word) planted within you.

iv. DO not just hear the Word and deceive yourselves.

1. Many cried Lord, Lord, they were deceived.

2. Do what the Word says, and you will be BLESSED in what you do!

3. THEN COMES THE STORM
1. Rain came down

i. Things happen in life, storms come.

1. Sometimes it’s chastising from God.

a. The Lord Chastises His own because He loves them.

2. Sometimes it’s attacks from the enemy.

a. Jesus was attacked, so are we.

3. Sometimes it’s neither, things happen.

Matthew 5:45

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

2. Streams rose

i. You want to live near the water, but the danger of flood would be even more so in a storm with heavy rain.

3. Winds blew & beat against the House

4. Yet, it did not fall, because its foundation was the rock

i. Things in life happen. Whether it is chastisement, attack from the devil or a naturally occurring event, things happen.

ii. If our foundation is the Lord, our Rock, then when these things come in our lives, we will stand! They will not destroy us!

5. Christ Jesus is the rock

4. BUT, EVERYONE WHO HEARS BUT DOES NOT DO
1. He is a foolish man

2. Deceiving himself

3. James 1:21-22 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

4. Those who merely hear the Word and don’t live it are deceiving themselves. How are they deceived? Because they think they are in a relationship with God because they hear the Word.

5. Faith does come by hearing, but we must DO what we hear or else that faith is worthless.

6. James 2:17 faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

7. James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

5. THEN COMES THE STORM
1. While the sun shines both houses look the same

i. But when the storm comes, you will know which was built upon the Rock.

2. Rain came down, streams rose, winds blew & beat against the house

6. AND IT FELL WITH A GREAT CRASH
1. Because it was not founded on Jesus Christ, the Rock

2. Why a great crash?

i. Everyone is watching the Godly man

1. But most are not truly God’s men.

2. So they fall because Christ was not their foundation.

3. And because they claimed Christ for so long and fell, those who were watching want everyone to know.

4. The News reports beliefs before tragedy all the time!

a. Pastors son kills 5 in mall shooting

b. Pastor so and so stole funds

c. Church leader caused accident

d. Priest molestations

e. Etc…

ii. Everyone who is not a doer, wants the doer to fall

1. Because it gives them excuse

2. In the end, there will be no excuse though

iii. Those who do not make Jesus their foundation usually can not be distinguished by others until adversity comes, THEN, by their fruit you will recognize them.

iv. Those who are not doers will make sure everyone hears when someone claiming to be a Christ follower falls.

7. OUR FAITH IN CHRIST, OUR FOUNDATION IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO WITHSTAND THE STORMS WHEN THEY COME

CONCLUSION

You can make Christ your foundation today by simply;

† Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord, confessing your sin to Him.

† Repent, or turn away from that sin.

† Read and listen to God’s Word, praying to Him.

† Be a DOER of the Word. Don’t just hear it and think you have a relationship with the Lord.

† Make your Faith ALIVE with ACTION!