2-18-07 message by Pastor Rich Doebler
There are lots of formulas for success floating around out there. All kinds of books on how to win, how to excel, how to be your best, or how to succeed (Amazon.com lists over 400,000 hits for "success"). Pick up any magazine in the supermarket checkout line, and you'll find something on how to be successful.
But Jesus said if you want to achieve something of lasting significance, if you want to live a life that will stand up to the storms of life, then you've got to build it on a solid foundation.
Jesus said you need a good foundation. Where you build is more important than what you build. We tend to think that our life will be successful based on what we're putting into the building:
Use high-quality materials and excellent craftsmanship, and you'll get a good, solid construction. But even the best workers using superb materials will fail if they build in the wrong place.
The most important part of the building is the part you cannot see. The foundation is beneath the ground, out of sight. But it provides the stability necessary to hold everything else together. Without a solid, firm foundation, the building is vulnerable to be twisted and bent and ruined by harsh conditions. Wind, rain, and floods can damage a building that isn't firmly anchored to a foundation.
Luke 6:46-49 (NIV) - 46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Jesus had a problem with his disciples (including many more than just the Twelve): They were happy to follow him around. His words were engaging; his stories were compelling. The people loved it when he challenged the religious status quo. They were eager to see his miracles—sensational works like no other. They were thrilled when he fed the multitudes—a miracle PLUS a meal. In other words, many of Jesus' disciples were following him for the wrong reasons!
So Jesus challenged them: What do you think you're doing? You can't be serious! If you were really serious, you wouldn't be saying one thing with your lips while doing another with your lives. If you say I am your master, then why do you act like you are the master of your life? Who's really in charge? If you say I'm the boss, then you've got to stop being your own boss.
If we are not doing what he says—not living out his words, putting them into practice in our lives—then he really isn't our Lord. "Believing" with your head isn't enough! What you really, truly believe is shown by what you DO. If your faith doesn't lead to action, then it isn't worth anything.
Do you want to live a life that's worth living? Do you want to experience God's best for your life? Then you have to trust Jesus as Lord. You must build on the foundation of Jesus' words and life.
If we call him "Lord," we ought to know what "Lord" means. It wasn't just another term referring to God. In ancient times when the Bible was written, the word was used for certain people who had authority over others.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary: 1. a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. 2. a person who exercises authority from property rights; an owner of land, houses, etc. 3. a person who is a leader or has great influence...
Greek word kurios signified "having power" or "authority." In the NT the noun is translated as ‘Lord,' ‘master,' ‘owner,' and ‘Sir.' [Vine's]
Calling Jesus "Lord" means to do what he says. How you treat Jesus reveals more about what he is to you than what you call him. Words can be empty and hollow—words can be meaningless. Words of commitment mean nothing at all without the commitment to back them up.
If I write you a check for $1 million, it might look like a really big deal. Seeing words like that on the piece of paper might impress some people. But if you know me, you know the words on the paper would be meaningless. It doesn't matter what you write on the check unless you've got something in the bank to back it up. You've got to have the goods if you want to deliver. If you call Jesus "Lord" without the commitment to follow him as Lord, then your words mean nothing. Your spiritual bank account is empty. You could be arrested for check fraud.
In the musical "My Fair Lady" Eliza Doolittle sings: "Words! Words! I'm so sick of words! I get words all day through...If you're in love, Show me! ...Don't talk of love lasting through time. Make me no undying vow. Show me now! Sing me no song! Read me no rhyme! Don't waste my time, Show me! Don't talk of June, Don't talk of fall! Don't talk at all! Show me! Never do I ever want to hear another word. There isn't one I haven't heard."
Why is it so important that our words be backed up by action? Because life is difficult. You will face hard times. And you're going to need something more than good intentions and nice sounding words to get through those tough times.
Notice that Jesus didn't say IF the storm comes. He said WHEN the storm comes. Being a Christian is not some sort of insurance policy that guarantees that everything in life will go the way you want it to go.
We live in a world that has been broken by sin. The Bible says we all have sinned. When sin came into the world, it unleashed a whole series of consequences. Sin brought death into the world, and the world has been decaying ever since!
No wonder things don't always go right! It's hard to find much hope in a decaying world. No wonder so much of life is a struggle...that we have to deal with problems and heartaches...that we will encounter setbacks and failures...that there will be accidents and illness...that loving relationships sometimes become strained and unravel...
Job 5:7 (NIV) - "Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward."
Maybe you've seen some of the storms of life this last week. Maybe you've recently come face to face with disappointment or disillusionment. Maybe some blow sent you reeling, and you've been staggering as a result. Maybe you're just barely hanging on this morning.
I want you to know that we can expect such things in this life. Jesus said: "In this world you will have trouble." John 16:33 (NIV) There will be storms in this life. But the good news is that we can be prepared for the troubles that come. We can come out on top on the other side if we have a firm foundation. So how do we prepare? How do we build our foundation on the rock?
1. Come to Jesus.
Five years ago, Leonardo Diaz, a Colombian hiker, decided to try some mountain climbing with friends, aiming to reach the summit of a volcano in the Andes. When a blizzard engulfed them on the second day of the climb, Diaz lost sight of his friends and became separated from them. As a novice climber, he soon began to run out of rations and suffer from the bitter cold.
Diaz had a cell phone in his backpack, but he couldn't use it because his pre-paid minutes had already expired. With no way to call for help, he knew he wouldn't make it. He was going to die. Then, as he lay collapsed in the snow, his cell phone rang. It was a telemarketer! She was calling from Bogotá to see if he wanted to buy more minutes for his phone! "We just wanted to remind you that your cell phone is out of minutes."
The operators got word to a rescue party about his location. They could tell from the sound of his voice that hypothermia had already begun to set in, so they called him every 30 minutes to keep him awake and to maintain his hope of survival. Seven hours later, rescuers arrived. What ordinarily might have been perceived as a nuisance call saved his life.
So many react to God's call as though it were an inconvenience. An interruption. "Don't bother me just now, I'm busy! I've got things to do." So many treat God as though he were an unwanted telemarketer. [Source: Margarita Martinez, "Courtesy Call That Saved a Dying Climber on the Andes."]
The truth is, we can't live without Jesus. Because if we're not in a storm yet, we will be soon. We can't live life to its fullest and its most meaningful without coming to Jesus.
Come close to Jesus: You can't hold Jesus at arms' length and then expect him to lift you up in his arms when you fall. You can't keep your distance from Jesus when things are going well but want him close when you're in a storm.
Some people want Jesus—but they just don't want him too close. They want him available somewhere not too far away in case they run into some kind of problem, but they don't want him running their life. They want him in case of emergency, but not for every day kinds of stuff.
C.S. Lewis: "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.'"
Come humbly: When you come to Jesus, you must come with an open heart, ready to receive. You cannot come with an independent spirit or an attitude of pride. You cannot come arrogantly: Here I am, God. I'm here to help you with this great task! When you come to Jesus, you must come with humility, acknowledging your deep sense of need and utter dependence upon him.
John Piper: "The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won't enlist you unless you are healthy and Jesus won't enlist you unless you are sick. What is God looking for in the world? Assistants? No. The gospel is not a help wanted ad. It is a help available ad. God is not looking for people to work for him but people who let him work mightily in and through them."
2. Listen to Jesus. Listen to what he says.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the kids at church was wearing a T-Shirt with words that said, "Your mouth may be moving, but I'm not listening." Now that's not an easy message to read—especially if you're a preacher. When I move my mouth, I want people to listen. I don't want them to pretend like they're listening. I don't want them to look like they're paying attention when they're really thinking about what they're going to eat for lunch in a little while.
Jesus came to show us God's grace and love and to give his life for our sins. He also showed us a better way to live, not only by the way he lived, but by the words he said.
Jesus wanted people to come—not just to chase after miracles but to hear the truth. He said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32, NIV). His words were words of life. Jesus said: "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63, NIV).
To build a solid foundation that will withstand the storms of life, you must hear and know the words of Jesus. God's truth provides a rock-solid, unshakable foundation that can help you survive when winds of troubles blow, when disappointments rise like a flood, when you're hit with a tragedy or overwhelmed by some terrible injustice. Our hope and confidence can be strong if we build on the truth of Jesus' words. His promises can hold us steady in the face of devastating adversity.
The area in Palestine where Jesus ministered was dry most of the year but it could receive many sudden downpours during rare rainy seasons. There are lots of areas that look perfectly safe to build on—and might be for years. But then, once or twice in a generation, the rains come and those areas are transformed into a raging torrent of water—a flash flood. The people who heard Jesus' words knew how the floods could come suddenly, washing away everything in its path. They knew it was extremely shortsighted to build on sand. Better to find the solid ground, the high rock.
The sad thing is that so many build on sand instead of the Rock. They build on the sand of this world's ways. They build on the sand of their own abilities. They build on the sand of their own cleverness.
Jesus says we should come to him and hear his words. If you build the foundation for your life on the solid Rock—God's truth, you will make it through the raging torrents of trouble.
Build on the Rock, on God's truth. Jesus said "I am...the truth" (John 14:6, NIV). John said that Jesus was God's "Word became flesh" (John 1:14, NIV). Let's listen to him.
3. Obey Jesus. Do what he says (put his words into practice).
William Barclay [Daily Study Bible] noted a couple of reasons why the foolish builder did what he did.
(1) He was lazy. He wanted to take the easy way. He didn't want the trouble of digging down deep and anchoring to the rock. The sand seemed to offer an easier solution.
Doesn't that sound like us a lot of the time? We love convenience. We enjoy the easy way. But taking shortcuts or the easy way will lead to a ruined life!
(2) He was short-sighted. He couldn't see the long-range dangers of what might happen. And so he never thought to prepare for something that didn't occur to him.
There is another reason why some are hesitant to do what Jesus says.
(3) They are afraid. Some don't want to get too religious because they think God is a kill-joy. They think becoming "religious" would require them to give up everything they do for fun. They can't imagine Jesus having a good time or telling a joke, so they can't imagine that he would be okay with them having a good time.
The truth is, Jesus was extremely popular with all the party people of his day. They loved having him at their parties. The tax collectors, the sinners, the prostitutes, all felt like he treated them with respect. It was the religious people who got their nose bent out of shape because he would hang out with the riff-raff of society.
You can do what Jesus says without worrying whether or not he's going to make life miserable for you. Jesus isn't going to ruin your life; he's going to save it. He came to give life—he came to give abundant life so you could live it to the full. He wants you to experience the joy of a fulfilled, meaningful life.
There have been times I've had to tell my kids: "It's not my goal in life to make you miserable. Despite what you think, the rules I make are ultimately for your good—not for your discomfort." Any father who cares about his kids enough to set some boundaries, knows that his intentions may be misunderstood.
In the same way, God is sometimes misunderstood. When we ignore what he says, we will always pay a price. There are consequences for going our own way instead of going his way.
Henry Blackaby (who wrote Experiencing God) tells about the first funeral he ever conducted as a young minister. It was for a beautiful three-year-old, the first child born to a couple in his church, and the first grandchild in their extended family. Unfortunately, she was spoiled. While visiting the little girl's home one day, Blackaby noticed how she loved to tease her parents and ignore their instructions. When they told her to come, she went. When they said, "sit down," she stood up. Her parents laughed, finding her behavior cute.
One day their front gate was inadvertently left open. The parents saw their child escaping out of the yard and heading toward the road. To their horror, a car was racing down the street. As she ran out between two parked cars, they both screamed at her to stop and turn back. She paused for a second, looked back at her parents, then gleefully laughed as she turned and ran directly into the path of the oncoming car. The parents rushed their little girl to the hospital, but she died from her injuries.
Blackaby said the experience was a profound lesson for him. He realized he must teach people not only to hear God's voice but also immediately to obey his voice when they hear it. It is life. [Henry Blackaby, Hearing God's Voice (Broadman & Holman, 2002)]
When we learn to do what Jesus says, we are building a foundation that will last a lifetime. We are preparing ahead of time for the storms that will come later on. You don't want to wait until you see the clouds on the horizon before you start digging your foundation. It's too late then.
But what if you're facing a storm right now? What if you haven't prepared? What if you never really knew what it meant to come to Jesus, to hear his words, to do what he says? Is there any hope for you? How do you make it through the storm if you have no foundation?
God can still rescue us when we're being swept away by the flood. His grace is still sufficient to cover all our past mistakes and sins. There is still hope for the future. With God's help you can make it through the storm.
The difference is that those with a solid foundation will come through the storm without being swept away. Their faith and their future will still be intact. Those without a foundation can be rescued if they call out to God, but they pay a price for not being prepared.