The Big finish
Matthew 7:21-29
Matthew 7:21–29 (NLT)
21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter."
22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
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.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching,
29 for He taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Just knowing is not enough!
21 “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 who is in heaven."
· This verse is for believers!
o You might be getting in the gate, but are you going to get all God has for you?
· Simply saying “Jesus” is lord is not enough.
· That is the beginning, but not the how.
· We have to not only believe it, but live it out.
· Even Satan knows who Jesus is.
James 2:19 (NIV)
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
· Simple religious knowledge is not enough.
· Do you walk the walk that you talk?
· Jesus is calling us to a higher standard of living.
o To be gracious
o To be loving
o To be merciful
o To forgive
o To not point the finger
o To live by the standard He gave us in the Sermon on the Mount!
Questions for you to think about:
Are you Desiring God's will for your life?
Are you Discovering God's will for your life?
Are you trying to Do God's will for your life? (What He teaches)
Are you Excited about what God's will has for your life?
Now Jesus addresses the non-believers!
22 "Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "
· The final Judgment day is coming.
· The day we will all stand before a Holy, Sovereign God.
· And Many will think they knew Him, but they didn’t.
· And Jesus will be the Judge of all men.
Acts 17:30–31 (NLT)
30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him.
31 For He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead.”
Romans 2:16 (NLT)
16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
· Many will know they're doomed, but many will be led astray.
· Just like the Pharisees.
· Many will speak about Jesus with their lips, but not have Him in their heart.
· Please get in the word, get to know who God is.
o I see so many that know of Him, but don’t know Him personally.
o That talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk.
o That say the right things, but do another.
2 Timothy 4:1–4 (NLT)
1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when He comes to set up His Kingdom:
2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
· Your works won’t save you.
· Your money won’t save you.
· Your charity won’t save you.
· Nothing will save you except Jesus.
o You need Jesus to truly change.
o You need Jesus to prepare a place for you.
o You need Jesus to let you in.
o You need Jesus to deliver you.
Only Emanuel (God is with us) can save you, nothing you can do will save you from the pain that awaits you in hell!
Hearing is not enough; you have to put it in to practice!
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."
Some day our faith will be put on trial, and this is what we will be judged by! Did you put what Jesus talked about into practice??
· Did you try to forgive?
· Did you try and not point the finger?
· Did you try and not gossip?
· Did you try and not hate?
· Did you try to be a good neighbor?
· Did you try and live by the Golden rule?
God doesn’t expect perfection, but He does demand that we try every single day by His word and teaching!
The wise and the foolish!
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.”
I see a couple things in these verses.
1. We can choose to be wise or foolish, and
2. Trials will come, and we can’t stop them, but we can be prepared.
Trials will happen!
· Jesus uses a storm to make this clear.
· Have you ever been able to stop a storm?
· He says the rains came, the water rose, and the winds blew
· We can relate to this is Kansas.
o We know if it ain’t tied down you will probably lose it
o Tornadoes will come.
o We have floods all the time.
· We know it’s going to happen.
o So we prepare for them.
o We tie down.
o We build shelters.
o We batten down the hatch.
· Why don’t we move?
o Because we know we are ready.
o We’re prepared for it.
o We expect it.
o And we aren’t caught off guard.
Jesus uses the wise vs foolish to help us understand why we must follow His teaching.
Wise Vs Foolish
Wise
|
Foolish
|
Humble
|
Arrogant
|
Applies Jesus' teaching
|
Hears Jesus' teaching
|
Plans ahead
|
Lives for the moment
|
Seeks God's will
|
Lives by his own rules
|
Heeds advice
|
Never listens
|
Suffers justly
|
Suffers more than he has to
|
And Jesus uses this to help us understand we can’t get away from suffering (trials), but we can prepare for it!
He uses a house to explain what we are supposed to do, and the foundation that we build on is crucial!
Why the foundation?
· Anything you build is only as good as the foundation you build it on.
· A car
· A plane
· A house
· A relationship
There is nothing stronger than the foundation you build it on.
So, what does a wise man build his spiritual house on?
· We build it on Jesus and His teaching
· Think of your walk with Jesus like a house
o We have to start with a good foundation
o This is Jesus first teaching, He starts with a foundation of setting the record straight
o Lust = adultery
o Hate = murder
o Gossip = murder
o Love your enemy
· Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is the game changer of your life; it is where the Holy Spirit will always guide you.
A foundation is only as good as the materials you use to build it with
· The foolish builds on sand
o Doesn’t apply Jesus' teaching
o Isn’t living for heaven
o Looks to quick fixes, not long term growth
o Wants to feel good all the time, not find the sin in their lives
o Wont use the bible as a mirror
o And when the storms come, the house is destroyed
§ Their lives are torn apart
§ It all looked good on the outside, but cant hold up to the pressures of big storms
· The wise builds on Rock
o Applies the teaching of Jesus
o Lives for heaven
o Knows the change Jesus brings is slow (a marathon not a sprint)
o Looks at their lives in the light of Jesus, knows they need work
o Looks in the sometimes painful mirror of the bible and works daily to overcome sin
o And when the storms come they stand firm
o The outside might get a little tattered, but the foundation of JESUS anchors them down!
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