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warning. Within 2 years of the devastating storm people were once again building on the sand of the shoreline. My grandfather tried to advise them not to build expensive homes in the very place where they had been swept away. But few listened. A couple of years later another hurricane hit and many of those houses were destroyed. It's amazing how foolish we people can be. How well do we listen to words of warning? Can you remember words that you wish you had listened to and followed? Is God cruel to warn us about hell? Is a mother cruel for spanking her child for running out into the street or into the deep water? A disobedient child can die.
Luke 6:46 reminds us that it's easy to call Jesus "Lord". It's not so easy to do what He says! But is He really Lord if we don't do what He says. Jesus said that many people are foolish enough to think that they are in God's kingdom when they're not. Who will enter God's kingdom? Only the one who does His will. Doing His will is doing what he says. Some will not only call Him "Lord, Lord". They will also be able to point to: prophecies they have made in His name; driving out of demons in His name; performing miracles in His name. If people use the name of Jesus to do special things, does that prove that they are in His kingdom? As we get closer to the end we will hear more and more false prophecies from counterfeit prophets, and see more and more miracles performed in Jesus' name by people who don't even know Him. We must learn to be discerning. Mark 13:5-6, 21-23 Notice the many warnings: "Watch out...You must be on your guard...So be on your guard...Be on your guard! Be alert!...Therefore keep watch....What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch!"
How can we tell that they didn't know Him? Jesus will say plainly, "I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!" They didn't
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do the good they claimed. They did evil! How do we get to really know the Lord? We begin to know Him at the new birth, but we need to continue learning about Him through Bible studies, prayer and meeting together. We prove that we know Him by doing what He has taught us to do in the Bible. How can we discern now whether preachers/teachers know Him or not? Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them". Since they are messengers, their fruit is their message. If their message is not firmly based on the Word of God, we know they are false teachers.
Jesus tells the parable of the wise & foolish builders. How can we identify which people are wise and which are foolish? Is it enough to call Him "Lord" and sound religious? Jesus gives us the answer: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?" What is the definition of a wise man? Luke 6:47 3 things: 1) He comes to Me; 2) He hears My words; 3) He puts them into practice. Sometimes we think it's enough to come. It's no good to come if we don't really listen. And it's no good to listen if we don't do something about what we hear. The question is: Do we put His words into practice?
What is the picture of a wise man's work? Luke 6:48 2 things: 1) He dug deep; 2) He laid the foundation on a rock. He didn't take the easy way out. He worked hard and put all his heart into building a strong house. How do we dig deep? We study His Word and then follow what it says. Who is the Rock? Jesus is the Rock. How do we lay the foundation on the Rock? (the house is our life) We take Jesus as our Savior and then make Him central in our life. What is most important in our lives? That's our foundation.
What was the result of the wise man's efforts? The flood came; the torrent struck the house but could not shake it because it was well built. Storms test houses and lives. What kind of
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house. Luke 6:49 says, "The moment the torrent struck the house"! When the rain, the flood and the tidal wave came, there was nothing to hold the house and it collapsed. "Its destruction was complete." If we build on the false teachings of men, or on our own ability or power, we will ultimately experience that complete destruction - not only for ourselves, but for everyone else who has found shelter in "our house" or our ministry. We cannot afford to be careless builders.
My grandfather saw the foolishness of men who refused to listen and act on words of warning. They insisted on pleasing themselves, doing their own thing the fast and easy way. Some lost their lives; others lost valuable property. But far more serious is the blunder of those who build their lives on false teaching or false teachers, only to find them swept away into eternal night when Jesus says the terrible words, " I never knew you. Depart from Me." Will we build our lives on Jesus Christ? Will we come to Him, hear His words and then put them into practice as the wise man did? May God help us to do this with what we have studied from the Sermon on the Mount.
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storms hit our houses that we build (our lives)? Floods of disappointment, evil, sorrow, abuse, hatred, financial & material needs, false doctrines. Will we stand true because we are solidly based on a real vital relationship with Christ the Rock? Mark 13:13 If we are, we will be doing what He says - doing the Father's will - in our lives.
How is the foolish man described? Matt. 7:26-27 2 things: The first is just like the wise man: 1) He hears My words; but 2) He does not put them into practice. Many people hear the Bible on a regular basis, but just hearing will not qualify us for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. If we think that way, we are called fools by Jesus. The Pharisees were fools because although they were experts in the Law they didn't really apply it to their lives. They ended up crucifying Jesus because they didn't love the Father or His Son. Going through the motions will not be enough.
What is the picture of a foolish man's work? 2 things: 1) He didn't dig at all; 2) He built his house on the ground (or sand) without a foundation. It was the fast and easy way to build. His house was probably built long before the other one. Some people want power from God the easy way. They want to just call out to get whatever gift God may have for them. But when we seek a quick fix, there are also demons ready to give us gifts. That's why these people Jesus talked about could do miracles, etc. They did them by the power of demons. Jesus' way is never the easy way. He expects us to diligently study our Bibles, live out what He teaches us and serve Him faithfully. He will empower us as we are willing to die to ourselves and pay the price of true discipleship.
What was the result of the foolish man's carelessness? He got a quick house, but he also got a quick destruction of his
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