WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:07.910 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. This is 1 00:00:07.942 --> 00:00:10.550 where you can find audio from Sunday morning, messages and 2 00:00:10.582 --> 00:00:13.414 more. Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss 3 00:00:13.454 --> 00:00:15.914 future episodes. And thanks for listening. 4 00:00:22.054 --> 00:00:24.846 Well, good morning. If you have your 5 00:00:24.870 --> 00:00:27.622 bible, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join me 6 00:00:27.718 --> 00:00:30.550 in Matthew, chapter seven here in just a little 7 00:00:30.582 --> 00:00:33.484 bit. We'll start with verse 24. 8 00:00:33.590 --> 00:00:36.480 well, we are back from the beach. We had opportunity this past week 9 00:00:36.512 --> 00:00:39.450 to get away on vacation. and 10 00:00:39.482 --> 00:00:42.260 it was needed, and it was good, to be 11 00:00:42.292 --> 00:00:45.120 gone, to be able to spend some time with Aaron and the kids 12 00:00:45.232 --> 00:00:47.376 and celebrate Aaron's birthday was 13 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:50.370 wonderful. I'm going to say probably, like, for 14 00:00:50.402 --> 00:00:52.870 me, and I know, like, this makes me sound, 15 00:00:53.284 --> 00:00:55.860 older, old, older. Both of 16 00:00:55.892 --> 00:00:58.860 those. But I got to listen to some good books, right? 17 00:00:58.892 --> 00:01:01.836 Like, that was an exciting day. I got to eat a lot 18 00:01:01.860 --> 00:01:04.170 of really good seafood. But here's the 19 00:01:04.202 --> 00:01:06.894 realization. And I don't know that I even 20 00:01:07.234 --> 00:01:10.030 admitted, this to my family, but they will 21 00:01:10.094 --> 00:01:12.542 probably be able to say that they recognize 22 00:01:12.630 --> 00:01:15.630 this about me. All right. I 23 00:01:15.654 --> 00:01:18.654 have now turned into a 24 00:01:18.686 --> 00:01:21.310 certain type of individual on the 25 00:01:21.334 --> 00:01:23.918 beach. Maybe you're this 26 00:01:23.958 --> 00:01:26.662 individual, maybe you're not this 27 00:01:26.710 --> 00:01:29.496 individual. I used to notice 28 00:01:29.592 --> 00:01:31.708 this individual on the beach 29 00:01:32.408 --> 00:01:34.628 and would pass judgment on them, 30 00:01:35.168 --> 00:01:37.508 maybe even laugh a little bit at them 31 00:01:37.928 --> 00:01:40.328 as I walked by with my 32 00:01:40.368 --> 00:01:42.704 bright red, sunburnt 33 00:01:42.736 --> 00:01:45.588 shoulders. I am now 34 00:01:45.968 --> 00:01:48.428 under the tent with a shirt on. Guy. 35 00:01:48.808 --> 00:01:51.632 That's just a good spot to be. You 36 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:54.304 know, it's like I'm just here. I'm in the 37 00:01:54.336 --> 00:01:57.296 shade. I want to take a nap. That's who I am. But 38 00:01:57.312 --> 00:01:59.716 it was good to be at the beach. Good, to be. 39 00:01:59.834 --> 00:02:02.688 Good to be back along with you guys as we continue on 40 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:05.522 with our summer series, this 41 00:02:05.562 --> 00:02:08.138 morning, as we look at these stories 42 00:02:08.290 --> 00:02:10.650 that Jesus told called 43 00:02:10.786 --> 00:02:13.706 parables, that's what we see them in the Bible. They're called parables. 44 00:02:13.794 --> 00:02:16.706 We think of them as these 45 00:02:16.754 --> 00:02:19.642 stories that Jesus tells to prove a point, to teach 46 00:02:19.682 --> 00:02:22.474 something in these moments. Now, normally, when Jesus tells these 47 00:02:22.498 --> 00:02:25.330 stories, when he teaches these parables, 48 00:02:25.466 --> 00:02:28.114 he does so because something that 49 00:02:28.178 --> 00:02:30.958 someone said sparks a 50 00:02:30.990 --> 00:02:33.782 thought or even. And there's some 51 00:02:33.822 --> 00:02:36.562 occasions where someone thinks something, 52 00:02:37.222 --> 00:02:39.682 and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, 53 00:02:40.022 --> 00:02:42.910 addresses it and does so in 54 00:02:42.926 --> 00:02:45.082 the form of a parable. 55 00:02:45.782 --> 00:02:48.534 But this parable this morning that we're gonna look at, 56 00:02:48.558 --> 00:02:51.260 it's, the parable of the wise and 57 00:02:51.356 --> 00:02:54.108 the foolish builder, the parable of the 58 00:02:54.140 --> 00:02:57.004 house built on the rock, it comes a little 59 00:02:57.028 --> 00:02:59.892 bit differently then. Someone has 60 00:02:59.932 --> 00:03:02.352 said something or someone has asked a question. 61 00:03:02.852 --> 00:03:05.844 You see this parable? Jesus tells, and he tells 62 00:03:05.868 --> 00:03:08.660 it at the end of the sermon on the mount. This 63 00:03:08.676 --> 00:03:10.632 is important that we understand 64 00:03:11.332 --> 00:03:14.324 this context in which Jesus tells this parable. 65 00:03:14.428 --> 00:03:17.356 One of the things that is very important whenever we 66 00:03:17.404 --> 00:03:19.718 read our Bible is to understand the, 67 00:03:19.718 --> 00:03:22.582 context in which the passage that we are 68 00:03:22.614 --> 00:03:25.500 reading, to understand where it's been set, what has 69 00:03:25.548 --> 00:03:28.452 led to this moment, and then even times, what comes 70 00:03:28.604 --> 00:03:31.354 after this, moment. So Jesus 71 00:03:31.410 --> 00:03:34.106 tells this parable as 72 00:03:34.146 --> 00:03:37.042 his last teaching point in the 73 00:03:37.074 --> 00:03:39.946 sermon on the mount, his longest 74 00:03:40.066 --> 00:03:42.898 sermon that we see recorded 75 00:03:43.002 --> 00:03:45.762 in scripture. And when we 76 00:03:45.834 --> 00:03:48.690 see this, most of the time when Jesus teaches, 77 00:03:48.738 --> 00:03:51.602 Jesus teaches on, like, one topic or a couple 78 00:03:51.634 --> 00:03:54.206 of topics, but this one, he's covered a 79 00:03:54.646 --> 00:03:57.518 range of topics. And if you'll just look down, these 80 00:03:57.542 --> 00:04:00.502 aren't on the screen, but if you just look down, you'll see the very 81 00:04:00.614 --> 00:04:03.438 end of it. In Matthew 728 82 00:04:03.502 --> 00:04:06.470 and 29, it says this. And when Jesus 83 00:04:06.598 --> 00:04:09.270 finished these sayings, the 84 00:04:09.318 --> 00:04:11.870 crowds were astonished at his 85 00:04:11.918 --> 00:04:14.814 teaching, for he was teaching them 86 00:04:14.950 --> 00:04:17.910 as one who had authority, not 87 00:04:17.958 --> 00:04:20.562 as their scribes. So in 88 00:04:20.594 --> 00:04:23.506 this teaching time that Jesus has 89 00:04:23.546 --> 00:04:26.410 had with this group of people 90 00:04:26.498 --> 00:04:29.370 outside of the city, many 91 00:04:29.418 --> 00:04:32.026 have gathered to hear him. They 92 00:04:32.106 --> 00:04:34.898 recognize that not 93 00:04:34.962 --> 00:04:37.850 just what he is saying is 94 00:04:37.898 --> 00:04:40.538 powerful, but they 95 00:04:40.642 --> 00:04:43.290 recognize that the person 96 00:04:43.458 --> 00:04:46.298 who is teaching that 97 00:04:46.362 --> 00:04:49.066 with his very words, he 98 00:04:49.106 --> 00:04:51.754 carries authority. And it's 99 00:04:51.810 --> 00:04:54.086 authority that's different 100 00:04:54.866 --> 00:04:57.050 than simple intellectual 101 00:04:57.138 --> 00:04:59.402 authority, as what they would know with their 102 00:04:59.434 --> 00:05:02.258 scribes, that this authority of 103 00:05:02.322 --> 00:05:04.686 Jesus was different 104 00:05:05.066 --> 00:05:07.926 than anything that they were accustomed to. 105 00:05:08.346 --> 00:05:11.138 Now, the sermon on the mount starts in 106 00:05:11.162 --> 00:05:13.938 Matthew five and goes all the way through here, the end 107 00:05:13.962 --> 00:05:16.506 of chapter seven. And there's, like I said, there's lots of 108 00:05:16.546 --> 00:05:19.352 topics that Jesus connects and threads 109 00:05:19.384 --> 00:05:21.796 through as he's doing this teaching. 110 00:05:22.176 --> 00:05:24.168 He begins by talking about the 111 00:05:24.192 --> 00:05:27.104 beatitudes. If you don't know what the beatitudes are, those are 112 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.088 those blessed statements that Jesus gives as 113 00:05:30.112 --> 00:05:32.960 he defines what it means, both in the context 114 00:05:33.008 --> 00:05:35.904 where he finds himself and in our context of what it 115 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.352 truly means to be blessed and to be blessed by 116 00:05:38.384 --> 00:05:41.168 God. Jesus covers topics such 117 00:05:41.192 --> 00:05:44.156 as anger, lust, divorce, 118 00:05:44.876 --> 00:05:47.576 oaths, in your word, retaliation. 119 00:05:48.356 --> 00:05:51.036 Jesus talks about giving. Jesus 120 00:05:51.076 --> 00:05:54.052 talks about praying. He talks about fasting. He talks about 121 00:05:54.124 --> 00:05:56.948 anxiety. Lots of topics 122 00:05:57.012 --> 00:05:59.924 that were very relevant then 123 00:06:00.020 --> 00:06:02.536 and still very relevant today. 124 00:06:03.236 --> 00:06:05.776 And there's other topics mixed in there. 125 00:06:06.596 --> 00:06:09.484 And then at the very end, and the last 126 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:12.474 thing that Jesus is going to say to this 127 00:06:12.530 --> 00:06:15.346 crowd, he closes with this 128 00:06:15.386 --> 00:06:17.946 parable. And so let's look at it starting in verse 129 00:06:17.986 --> 00:06:20.046 24, read through 27. 130 00:06:20.866 --> 00:06:23.566 Jesus says, everyone then 131 00:06:24.266 --> 00:06:26.850 who hears these words of 132 00:06:26.898 --> 00:06:29.486 mine and does them 133 00:06:30.266 --> 00:06:33.194 will be like a wise man who built his house 134 00:06:33.250 --> 00:06:36.250 on the rock. And the rain fell, 135 00:06:36.298 --> 00:06:39.224 and the floods came, and the winds blew 136 00:06:39.410 --> 00:06:42.396 and beat on that house, but it did 137 00:06:42.436 --> 00:06:45.348 not fall because it had been founded 138 00:06:45.372 --> 00:06:48.068 on the rock. Verse 26. 139 00:06:48.132 --> 00:06:51.020 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does 140 00:06:51.068 --> 00:06:53.748 not do them will be like a 141 00:06:53.772 --> 00:06:56.748 foolish man who built his house on 142 00:06:56.772 --> 00:06:59.724 the sand. And the rain fell, and 143 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:02.692 the floods came, and the wind blew and 144 00:07:02.724 --> 00:07:05.480 beat against that house, and it 145 00:07:05.528 --> 00:07:08.472 fell, and great was 146 00:07:08.504 --> 00:07:10.436 the fall of it. 147 00:07:11.536 --> 00:07:14.416 Jesus begins and lets these people 148 00:07:14.496 --> 00:07:17.272 know the point of the story at the 149 00:07:17.304 --> 00:07:19.968 very beginning. Everyone 150 00:07:20.112 --> 00:07:22.680 who hears these words of mine 151 00:07:22.808 --> 00:07:25.384 and does them, jesus 152 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:28.272 establishes from the very beginning that 153 00:07:28.304 --> 00:07:30.796 there's some importance, there's value, 154 00:07:31.666 --> 00:07:34.650 and to knowing his expectation, to 155 00:07:34.698 --> 00:07:37.570 knowing his heart, to knowing these things that 156 00:07:37.618 --> 00:07:40.298 Jesus has just taught them and then 157 00:07:40.402 --> 00:07:42.726 put them into place. 158 00:07:43.466 --> 00:07:45.922 And the people have sat there 159 00:07:46.034 --> 00:07:48.586 probably for hours, and they've 160 00:07:48.626 --> 00:07:51.042 listened. They've been 161 00:07:51.074 --> 00:07:53.866 intrigued. Their minds 162 00:07:53.906 --> 00:07:56.762 have been captured. But 163 00:07:56.794 --> 00:07:59.370 what Jesus makes very clear for 164 00:07:59.418 --> 00:08:02.312 them is that, they're going to 165 00:08:02.344 --> 00:08:03.676 have to make a decision 166 00:08:05.176 --> 00:08:07.116 when Jesus concludes. 167 00:08:08.136 --> 00:08:11.064 And they go back to their homes, they go back to their jobs, they go back 168 00:08:11.080 --> 00:08:13.968 to their families, they go back to their day 169 00:08:14.072 --> 00:08:16.956 to day, their routine of life. 170 00:08:18.016 --> 00:08:20.316 What are they going to do 171 00:08:20.856 --> 00:08:23.196 with that which they've just heard? 172 00:08:24.416 --> 00:08:26.704 Jesus says, everyone who 173 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:29.090 hears these words of 174 00:08:29.138 --> 00:08:32.086 mine and does them, 175 00:08:33.426 --> 00:08:35.886 these people have to make a decision 176 00:08:37.066 --> 00:08:39.738 of what their mind has heard 177 00:08:39.882 --> 00:08:41.406 and wrestled with. 178 00:08:42.586 --> 00:08:45.066 Is it going to change who they 179 00:08:45.106 --> 00:08:48.082 are? Is it going to change what they 180 00:08:48.114 --> 00:08:51.066 do? You and I, right? We make this decision 181 00:08:51.146 --> 00:08:54.066 all the time. We cut on the news one 182 00:08:54.106 --> 00:08:57.030 morning. They say a new study 183 00:08:57.198 --> 00:09:00.198 found about whatever food you really, 184 00:09:00.262 --> 00:09:03.086 really like. And, you know, 185 00:09:03.126 --> 00:09:06.078 like, you're hoping, like, they find. They are 186 00:09:06.102 --> 00:09:08.782 going to tell us that, like, eating a candy 187 00:09:08.814 --> 00:09:11.534 bar every day is going to make me skinny. You know, 188 00:09:11.630 --> 00:09:14.506 like. And then we hear the news report, 189 00:09:14.926 --> 00:09:17.782 and that food that we love, they tell us it's not good 190 00:09:17.814 --> 00:09:20.814 for us. They show us the science. They show us 191 00:09:20.830 --> 00:09:23.422 the evidence. They show us with people with 192 00:09:23.454 --> 00:09:26.318 abbreviations before and after their name that 193 00:09:26.342 --> 00:09:29.278 we know are smarter than we are. But yet you and 194 00:09:29.302 --> 00:09:32.294 I have to make a decision of what are we going 195 00:09:32.310 --> 00:09:35.222 to do with this. Maybe it's 196 00:09:35.254 --> 00:09:38.198 not that complex. You're riding 197 00:09:38.222 --> 00:09:41.078 down the road. We were driving back from. From Beaufort 198 00:09:41.102 --> 00:09:43.598 yesterday. We like to stay off of the 199 00:09:43.622 --> 00:09:46.310 interstate. We like the small towns and the small 200 00:09:46.398 --> 00:09:49.342 roads. And there are those signs that come up every 201 00:09:49.374 --> 00:09:52.326 so often, often that say speed limit. 202 00:09:53.986 --> 00:09:56.962 And you got to make a choice. What 203 00:09:56.994 --> 00:09:59.914 are you going to do when you pass 204 00:09:59.970 --> 00:10:02.818 that sign? What are you going to do when you see 205 00:10:02.842 --> 00:10:05.330 the yellow sign with a curve that has the 206 00:10:05.418 --> 00:10:07.446 recommended speed at the bottom? 207 00:10:08.226 --> 00:10:11.178 Are you going to make the choice to obey, or are you going 208 00:10:11.202 --> 00:10:13.246 to do something different? 209 00:10:14.746 --> 00:10:16.086 You go to the doctor. 210 00:10:17.806 --> 00:10:20.710 You sit down with a doctor, and maybe your 211 00:10:20.758 --> 00:10:23.226 story is a lot like my story. 212 00:10:23.806 --> 00:10:26.286 You know, bo, you need to start doing 213 00:10:26.446 --> 00:10:29.374 1234 XYZ. 214 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:32.286 Right? And I 215 00:10:32.326 --> 00:10:35.166 believe them that I need 216 00:10:35.206 --> 00:10:38.182 to, but I've got to make the 217 00:10:38.214 --> 00:10:40.906 choice. Am I going to? 218 00:10:42.086 --> 00:10:44.986 Jesus sits down with this group of people, 219 00:10:45.956 --> 00:10:48.580 and he lays out a 220 00:10:48.628 --> 00:10:50.736 scenario before them 221 00:10:51.636 --> 00:10:53.856 that would have been common to them. 222 00:10:54.676 --> 00:10:57.300 A scenario that they would have been aware 223 00:10:57.348 --> 00:11:00.324 of, a, scenario that they would have 224 00:11:00.420 --> 00:11:03.292 thought through, a, scenario that 225 00:11:03.348 --> 00:11:05.868 many of them probably have 226 00:11:05.916 --> 00:11:08.668 faced. And he 227 00:11:08.716 --> 00:11:11.476 lays that out as the example of 228 00:11:11.540 --> 00:11:14.276 what you should do with the words 229 00:11:14.380 --> 00:11:16.864 that you've just heard from Jesus. 230 00:11:18.074 --> 00:11:20.810 He says, there's two builders. There's 231 00:11:20.842 --> 00:11:23.194 not contracting companies. There's two 232 00:11:23.234 --> 00:11:25.842 builders. One builder is 233 00:11:25.938 --> 00:11:28.258 wise, one builder is 234 00:11:28.346 --> 00:11:30.978 foolish. I think it's interesting to 235 00:11:31.066 --> 00:11:33.594 note that when you read this and you understand the 236 00:11:33.634 --> 00:11:36.386 context in which it is read, that these 237 00:11:36.450 --> 00:11:39.202 individuals, the definition of who they 238 00:11:39.258 --> 00:11:42.114 are, and this is going to be important later, the definition 239 00:11:42.154 --> 00:11:45.050 of who they are is not solely based on what 240 00:11:45.082 --> 00:11:48.066 they've done, but what they've brought to the table as they've faced the 241 00:11:48.090 --> 00:11:50.768 situation. You see, what they will do will 242 00:11:50.816 --> 00:11:53.536 reveal who they truly are and who 243 00:11:53.560 --> 00:11:56.432 they've truly been. But you've got two builders, 244 00:11:56.528 --> 00:11:59.400 a wise builder and a foolish builder. 245 00:11:59.592 --> 00:12:02.488 The wise builder is going to build himself a house. 246 00:12:02.616 --> 00:12:05.286 The foolish builder is going to build himself, a 247 00:12:05.310 --> 00:12:08.206 house. We're not giving the details of the 248 00:12:08.230 --> 00:12:11.194 house. We're not giving the specifics of the house. 249 00:12:11.694 --> 00:12:14.194 But for the most part, during the time of Christ, 250 00:12:15.304 --> 00:12:17.656 there was a lot of similarity between the 251 00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:19.844 houses that were built. 252 00:12:20.464 --> 00:12:23.256 The difference that they do point out, we don't know how 253 00:12:23.280 --> 00:12:26.120 many rooms or the square footage, but the difference that we 254 00:12:26.152 --> 00:12:28.524 know is the foundation. 255 00:12:29.464 --> 00:12:32.328 You see, the wise builder built his house on the foundation 256 00:12:32.376 --> 00:12:34.728 of the rock, and the foolish builder 257 00:12:34.816 --> 00:12:37.536 built their house on the foundation 258 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:40.410 of, sand. The wise on the 259 00:12:40.442 --> 00:12:41.978 rock, the foolish on the sand. 260 00:12:42.106 --> 00:12:45.002 So what would it have meant to work and to build 261 00:12:45.058 --> 00:12:47.954 your house on the rock? Well, it was a lot of hard 262 00:12:47.994 --> 00:12:50.842 work. See, when we think of desert and we think 263 00:12:50.858 --> 00:12:53.854 of sand, at least in my mind, 264 00:12:54.354 --> 00:12:56.834 oftentimes, I think to places 265 00:12:56.874 --> 00:12:59.682 like I was at the beach, we think of 266 00:12:59.698 --> 00:13:02.290 that deep, fluffy, 267 00:13:02.482 --> 00:13:05.314 white sand where you've got to dig and dig 268 00:13:05.354 --> 00:13:08.252 and dig and dig and dig. And the ground doesn't ever really get hard, and 269 00:13:08.298 --> 00:13:11.080 you just keep digging. But that's not what we're dealing 270 00:13:11.112 --> 00:13:13.464 with here. When we look at this part of the 271 00:13:13.504 --> 00:13:16.284 world and what the desert would be like, 272 00:13:16.704 --> 00:13:19.128 you see, their sand was not big 273 00:13:19.176 --> 00:13:21.084 mounds of sand dunes. 274 00:13:21.784 --> 00:13:24.752 Their sand would have been so hard, it would have 275 00:13:24.768 --> 00:13:27.464 been very similar to the tile floor that we 276 00:13:27.504 --> 00:13:30.496 have here in the auditorium. But 277 00:13:30.520 --> 00:13:33.240 to dig down, to get to the 278 00:13:33.312 --> 00:13:36.120 rock that was there, the 279 00:13:36.152 --> 00:13:39.074 limestone that would have been there, would have taken a lot of 280 00:13:39.114 --> 00:13:41.866 time, a lot of effort, and a lot of 281 00:13:41.930 --> 00:13:43.890 energy, a lot of 282 00:13:43.962 --> 00:13:46.810 expenses to dig down 283 00:13:46.922 --> 00:13:49.834 deep enough to get to the point to where 284 00:13:49.954 --> 00:13:52.258 your house could have this firm 285 00:13:52.306 --> 00:13:55.194 foundation that obviously would 286 00:13:55.234 --> 00:13:57.842 be needed in order for your house 287 00:13:57.978 --> 00:14:00.466 to stand. But it's a 288 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.234 commitment. It's 289 00:14:03.274 --> 00:14:05.854 hard work. It's going to 290 00:14:05.894 --> 00:14:08.694 cost in order to 291 00:14:08.734 --> 00:14:11.394 build on that type of foundation. 292 00:14:12.094 --> 00:14:14.834 But the foolish built on the sand. 293 00:14:15.854 --> 00:14:18.430 Again, don't think of sand the way that we think of 294 00:14:18.462 --> 00:14:21.422 sand around here. Think of 295 00:14:21.438 --> 00:14:24.074 the tile floor that's beneath your feet. 296 00:14:24.814 --> 00:14:27.574 Oh, I mean, that's pretty 297 00:14:27.614 --> 00:14:30.406 hard. It's 298 00:14:30.470 --> 00:14:33.222 solid. It seems like you 299 00:14:33.238 --> 00:14:35.838 can set a post on it. 300 00:14:36.006 --> 00:14:38.966 You can place a rock on it and then lift up, 301 00:14:38.990 --> 00:14:41.674 and it's not going anywhere. 302 00:14:42.334 --> 00:14:44.434 And you've watched someone else 303 00:14:45.214 --> 00:14:47.902 dig and dig and dig for 304 00:14:47.958 --> 00:14:50.234 days, for weeks, 305 00:14:50.654 --> 00:14:53.382 or for months in order to have 306 00:14:53.438 --> 00:14:55.714 one spot where they can set their foundation. 307 00:14:56.534 --> 00:14:58.674 And yet you're looking at where you're at, 308 00:14:59.634 --> 00:15:02.618 and you say, well, I don't have to spend that time. I 309 00:15:02.626 --> 00:15:05.494 don't have to spend that effort. I don't have to spend that money. 310 00:15:06.234 --> 00:15:09.170 It's not going to cost me. It's going to be 311 00:15:09.242 --> 00:15:12.066 easier for me if I 312 00:15:12.090 --> 00:15:14.978 just build my house here on this 313 00:15:15.026 --> 00:15:17.134 nice, good, 314 00:15:17.754 --> 00:15:20.054 hard sand. 315 00:15:21.394 --> 00:15:24.234 So one man digs down. One 316 00:15:24.274 --> 00:15:27.126 man doesn't. The man who digs is the 317 00:15:27.150 --> 00:15:29.806 wise man. The man who doesn't is the 318 00:15:29.830 --> 00:15:32.318 foolish. And then a storm 319 00:15:32.366 --> 00:15:35.354 comes. A storm comes. 320 00:15:36.014 --> 00:15:38.926 I think it's significant that 321 00:15:38.950 --> 00:15:41.834 there's two builders, there's two houses, there's one storm. 322 00:15:43.614 --> 00:15:46.606 Two individuals have built 323 00:15:46.670 --> 00:15:49.654 structures and will face the 324 00:15:49.694 --> 00:15:52.304 same circumstances now 325 00:15:52.494 --> 00:15:55.460 in their life. The Bible says that 326 00:15:55.492 --> 00:15:58.476 the rain fell. You know, we 327 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.500 have the beauty of having our phones, or, 328 00:16:01.532 --> 00:16:04.180 like, our meteorologists for us, 329 00:16:04.212 --> 00:16:07.196 right? Like, we can come on a radar, on an app on our 330 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:10.180 phone and see where the storm's coming. We can. We can get 331 00:16:10.212 --> 00:16:13.116 on Facebook, and follow, like, the 332 00:16:13.140 --> 00:16:16.124 South Carolina weatherman, like, he's a big deal. Right? Like, 333 00:16:16.204 --> 00:16:19.022 I don't know him. I want to know him. like, we can follow this. Like we 334 00:16:19.038 --> 00:16:21.998 can know. We got a pretty good idea. We were at 335 00:16:22.006 --> 00:16:24.870 the beach this past week and Aaron would constantly check 336 00:16:24.902 --> 00:16:27.646 back us or her garden back here and say, oh, good, 337 00:16:27.750 --> 00:16:30.694 it rained today, but it's not going to rain here, right? 338 00:16:30.734 --> 00:16:33.558 Like, we're good on the beach and nice and dry, 339 00:16:33.606 --> 00:16:36.342 but it is pouring down rain in Lexington, so it's exactly what the 340 00:16:36.358 --> 00:16:39.238 bradberries need. Right? So we can see 341 00:16:39.286 --> 00:16:42.014 these things, but. But when the rain would come 342 00:16:42.094 --> 00:16:44.822 here, these storms would come over 343 00:16:44.918 --> 00:16:47.416 the mountains and very 344 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.032 quickly. So in a moment's 345 00:16:50.088 --> 00:16:53.024 notice, you go from 346 00:16:53.184 --> 00:16:55.856 blue clear skies to 347 00:16:55.920 --> 00:16:57.992 rain falling in bucket 348 00:16:58.048 --> 00:17:00.880 loads on you. But 349 00:17:00.912 --> 00:17:03.776 then it says that the floods came. And 350 00:17:03.800 --> 00:17:05.964 this is why it's important for us to understand 351 00:17:06.544 --> 00:17:09.240 the ground also that we're 352 00:17:09.272 --> 00:17:11.828 dealing with here. It says that the floods came. 353 00:17:12.016 --> 00:17:14.700 And if you go to the beach and you take a 354 00:17:14.732 --> 00:17:17.724 bucket of water and you pour it 355 00:17:17.764 --> 00:17:20.204 onto the sand, like it compacts the 356 00:17:20.244 --> 00:17:23.028 sand a little bit, right? But for the most 357 00:17:23.076 --> 00:17:25.844 part, that sand absorbs the 358 00:17:25.884 --> 00:17:28.588 water that's there. And if you come back in a few 359 00:17:28.636 --> 00:17:31.556 moments, you can barely tell what you poured 360 00:17:31.620 --> 00:17:34.572 out right there in that moment. But that's not what we're 361 00:17:34.668 --> 00:17:37.580 dealing with here. You see the consistency 362 00:17:37.652 --> 00:17:40.364 of this sand, of this, of this floor, 363 00:17:40.444 --> 00:17:43.276 of the desert of which Jesus would have been when 364 00:17:43.300 --> 00:17:46.146 the water would have fallen, it would have mixed with 365 00:17:46.170 --> 00:17:48.842 this fine powder. My father, in 366 00:17:48.858 --> 00:17:51.706 law was deployed in this part of the world with 367 00:17:51.730 --> 00:17:54.586 the military, and he said, you gotta think 368 00:17:54.610 --> 00:17:57.602 of this sand not as sand, like we know, 369 00:17:57.698 --> 00:18:00.554 but almost like the consistency of a 370 00:18:00.594 --> 00:18:03.442 flower. So you 371 00:18:03.458 --> 00:18:06.410 take that flower, you add some water to it, you keep 372 00:18:06.442 --> 00:18:09.242 adding more and more water to it. And what 373 00:18:09.298 --> 00:18:12.010 used to be sand in that field, what we would think 374 00:18:12.042 --> 00:18:14.660 of now turns more into like, 375 00:18:14.852 --> 00:18:17.452 wet pottery clay. It's 376 00:18:17.508 --> 00:18:20.276 thick. Once you get on it, 377 00:18:20.380 --> 00:18:22.424 it's difficult to work with. 378 00:18:23.084 --> 00:18:26.044 And within there, it's now not absorbing, 379 00:18:26.124 --> 00:18:28.652 but it's literally creating a 380 00:18:28.708 --> 00:18:31.624 sludge around you and the ground itself 381 00:18:32.604 --> 00:18:34.224 will feel like it moves. 382 00:18:35.324 --> 00:18:38.244 And as the floods came, the 383 00:18:38.284 --> 00:18:40.704 dried riverbeds that would have been around 384 00:18:41.464 --> 00:18:44.004 had the big cracks that run through them 385 00:18:44.744 --> 00:18:47.312 would have turned into raging 386 00:18:47.368 --> 00:18:50.088 rivers. Not just something 387 00:18:50.176 --> 00:18:52.856 that has water that's built up in 388 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.872 it, but literally where you can see 389 00:18:55.928 --> 00:18:58.928 almost the effects of rapids have 390 00:18:58.976 --> 00:19:01.624 torn down through a little bit 391 00:19:01.664 --> 00:19:04.256 different than just a regular Sunday 392 00:19:04.360 --> 00:19:07.136 afternoon rainstorm in the 393 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:09.984 south. And then it says, 394 00:19:10.964 --> 00:19:13.876 and the winds blew. And 395 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:16.268 the winds blew. So you've 396 00:19:16.316 --> 00:19:18.900 had the attack from the 397 00:19:18.932 --> 00:19:21.544 top, you've had attack 398 00:19:21.964 --> 00:19:24.780 from underneath. And we don't know 399 00:19:24.812 --> 00:19:27.464 how hard the winds blew. 400 00:19:28.324 --> 00:19:30.748 We don't know if it was the straw that 401 00:19:30.796 --> 00:19:33.744 broke or the mighty force, 402 00:19:34.304 --> 00:19:37.000 the m momentum that pushed against that 403 00:19:37.032 --> 00:19:39.808 house. But the end 404 00:19:39.856 --> 00:19:42.364 results were the house 405 00:19:42.664 --> 00:19:45.004 on the rock stood, 406 00:19:46.144 --> 00:19:48.376 and the house on the 407 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.964 sand collapsed. 408 00:19:52.984 --> 00:19:55.084 We can come to the end of this parable 409 00:19:55.824 --> 00:19:58.284 and ask ourselves a question, 410 00:19:59.064 --> 00:20:01.524 a question that I've asked myself 411 00:20:02.004 --> 00:20:04.884 many times. Bo, 412 00:20:05.004 --> 00:20:07.324 are we doing the right 413 00:20:07.404 --> 00:20:10.164 things? We can 414 00:20:10.204 --> 00:20:13.124 look back at Jesus Sermon on the mount of 415 00:20:13.164 --> 00:20:16.116 what we've just seen and look through all the topics that are 416 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:19.036 there. We can have great moments 417 00:20:19.100 --> 00:20:21.144 of heart examination. 418 00:20:21.844 --> 00:20:24.744 Do I reflect as a person 419 00:20:25.324 --> 00:20:28.184 the standard that Jesus is communicating? 420 00:20:28.874 --> 00:20:31.354 Does my life mirror 421 00:20:31.514 --> 00:20:34.098 the standard that he has laid out 422 00:20:34.146 --> 00:20:36.914 before us? Do I think? Do I 423 00:20:36.954 --> 00:20:39.754 believe? Do I respond? Do I react? Do 424 00:20:39.794 --> 00:20:42.730 I speak? Do I give? Do I live in 425 00:20:42.802 --> 00:20:45.254 all of these ways? 426 00:20:46.394 --> 00:20:49.290 And I'm not saying that if we do this as a 427 00:20:49.402 --> 00:20:51.866 self examination, that that's 428 00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:53.574 incorrect or wrong, 429 00:20:55.334 --> 00:20:57.822 but what I would argue with us this 430 00:20:57.878 --> 00:21:00.414 morning is that it's 431 00:21:00.454 --> 00:21:03.270 incomplete. If I 432 00:21:03.302 --> 00:21:06.230 get to the end of the sermon 433 00:21:06.262 --> 00:21:08.980 on the mount and I, look at this 434 00:21:09.036 --> 00:21:12.036 parable between the 435 00:21:12.084 --> 00:21:14.372 rich, I'm sorry, the wise 436 00:21:14.532 --> 00:21:16.772 builder and the foolish 437 00:21:16.852 --> 00:21:19.628 builder, and my only 438 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:22.562 conclusion is, am 439 00:21:22.602 --> 00:21:25.002 I doing all of the right 440 00:21:25.082 --> 00:21:27.794 things? Then my 441 00:21:27.858 --> 00:21:30.782 conclusion is incomplete. 442 00:21:31.562 --> 00:21:34.266 And here's why. When 443 00:21:34.314 --> 00:21:37.266 Jesus is teaching through the sermon on the mount, I 444 00:21:37.274 --> 00:21:39.942 want you to jump back to verse 21, 445 00:21:40.322 --> 00:21:41.502 chapter seven. 446 00:21:44.602 --> 00:21:47.598 Jesus is given a warning of 447 00:21:47.630 --> 00:21:48.882 false prophets 448 00:21:50.342 --> 00:21:52.838 who come in sheep's clothing in verse 449 00:21:52.950 --> 00:21:55.766 15, but inwardly 450 00:21:55.814 --> 00:21:58.678 are wolves. He 451 00:21:58.710 --> 00:22:01.382 says, you can see these people by their 452 00:22:01.422 --> 00:22:03.982 fruit, by who they 453 00:22:04.022 --> 00:22:06.774 are. We're not just looking at 454 00:22:06.798 --> 00:22:09.782 their actions. We're looking at the core of 455 00:22:09.822 --> 00:22:12.198 the individual. And then look at verse 456 00:22:12.230 --> 00:22:13.002 21. 457 00:22:15.122 --> 00:22:17.602 Jesus says, not everyone who says to 458 00:22:17.642 --> 00:22:20.530 me, lord, lord, will 459 00:22:20.586 --> 00:22:23.582 enter the kingdom of heaven, 460 00:22:24.842 --> 00:22:27.754 but the one who does the will 461 00:22:27.938 --> 00:22:30.314 of my father who is in 462 00:22:30.338 --> 00:22:32.938 heaven on that 463 00:22:33.010 --> 00:22:35.602 day, many will say to 464 00:22:35.642 --> 00:22:38.138 me, Lord, Lord, 465 00:22:38.290 --> 00:22:41.204 did we not prophesy in 466 00:22:41.228 --> 00:22:43.988 your name and cast 467 00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:46.752 out demons in your name 468 00:22:47.732 --> 00:22:50.468 and do mighty works in 469 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.432 your name? 470 00:22:52.972 --> 00:22:55.692 And then I will declare 471 00:22:55.772 --> 00:22:58.512 to them, I 472 00:22:58.892 --> 00:23:00.912 never knew you 473 00:23:01.852 --> 00:23:04.804 depart from me, you 474 00:23:04.868 --> 00:23:07.612 workers lawlessness. 475 00:23:11.312 --> 00:23:13.292 Then Jesus tells the parable, 476 00:23:16.312 --> 00:23:19.212 that last verse, 477 00:23:20.712 --> 00:23:22.052 verse 23, 478 00:23:23.432 --> 00:23:25.872 you've got individuals standing before 479 00:23:25.952 --> 00:23:28.680 Jesus saying, but 480 00:23:28.736 --> 00:23:31.688 look at all that we 481 00:23:31.840 --> 00:23:32.852 have done. 482 00:23:34.912 --> 00:23:37.816 But Jesus, on that 483 00:23:37.864 --> 00:23:40.612 day in judgment, 484 00:23:41.952 --> 00:23:44.944 will look at them and declare 485 00:23:45.008 --> 00:23:47.728 to them, but I 486 00:23:47.800 --> 00:23:50.092 never knew you. 487 00:23:51.272 --> 00:23:53.872 I told you that I listened to a couple of books, 488 00:23:54.032 --> 00:23:56.520 actually, in the process of finishing one while you're at the 489 00:23:56.536 --> 00:23:59.388 beach. Right now, the book that I'm listening to right now 490 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:02.218 is a book called Atomic Habits. and I know there's 491 00:24:02.250 --> 00:24:05.208 probably a lot of you, that have read 492 00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:08.234 the book that I'm listening to. or maybe you've listened to 493 00:24:08.258 --> 00:24:11.112 it as well. and you probably got lots of thoughts on 494 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:13.992 them, and I would love to talk about those. It's written by a guy named James 495 00:24:14.040 --> 00:24:16.512 clear, and I do want to say this. 496 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:19.368 Disclaimer number one, I just said, I haven't finished the book yet, 497 00:24:19.408 --> 00:24:21.914 so, don't ruin the ending for me. 498 00:24:22.020 --> 00:24:24.838 second, I don't know if this guy is a follower of 499 00:24:24.886 --> 00:24:27.774 Jesus or not. but something that he said 500 00:24:28.154 --> 00:24:31.024 at, the very beginning of the book, I think, is 501 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:33.928 extremely important because it speaks to 502 00:24:33.952 --> 00:24:36.928 the condition of humanity who's 503 00:24:36.992 --> 00:24:38.836 made in the image of their creator. 504 00:24:40.336 --> 00:24:42.864 It speaks to our condition, 505 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.984 of who we are and being 506 00:24:46.040 --> 00:24:49.018 made in the image of our creator that connects us, to 507 00:24:49.042 --> 00:24:51.048 Matthew seven. and he said this, and I'm 508 00:24:51.072 --> 00:24:53.960 paraphrasing, he says, when 509 00:24:54.008 --> 00:24:56.952 creating positive habits, and that's how he describes 510 00:24:56.984 --> 00:24:59.132 it, when creating positive 511 00:24:59.252 --> 00:25:02.158 habits, what you do comes from who 512 00:25:02.190 --> 00:25:05.126 you are. What you do comes 513 00:25:05.174 --> 00:25:07.646 from who you are. And he said, 514 00:25:07.694 --> 00:25:10.566 oftentimes we think that who you are comes 515 00:25:10.654 --> 00:25:13.494 from what you do, and that keeps us in a 516 00:25:13.518 --> 00:25:16.422 cycle of unproductive behavior. So here's this 517 00:25:16.502 --> 00:25:19.184 example that he gives. He, says, there's two people, 518 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:22.098 and they both smoke, and 519 00:25:22.114 --> 00:25:23.630 so they're going to quit smoking. 520 00:25:24.850 --> 00:25:27.746 They roughly smoke about the same amount 521 00:25:27.778 --> 00:25:30.066 of cigarettes a day. They roughly have been 522 00:25:30.098 --> 00:25:33.072 smoking, the same amount of time. And they've 523 00:25:33.096 --> 00:25:36.088 decided, this isn't good for my body and this is something I want 524 00:25:36.104 --> 00:25:38.976 to quit doing. And so one day 525 00:25:39.008 --> 00:25:41.960 at work, someone comes up to 526 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:44.792 one of them and offers them a 527 00:25:44.816 --> 00:25:47.092 cigarette, and that person 528 00:25:47.156 --> 00:25:49.260 gives what I thought would have been a great 529 00:25:49.300 --> 00:25:51.924 response. They say, no, thank 530 00:25:51.972 --> 00:25:54.804 you, I'm trying to quit 531 00:25:54.932 --> 00:25:57.780 smoking. What he says here 532 00:25:57.820 --> 00:26:00.612 is that in that moment, what that person 533 00:26:00.756 --> 00:26:03.052 does is they still 534 00:26:03.156 --> 00:26:06.004 identify themselves and 535 00:26:06.052 --> 00:26:08.124 identify with being a 536 00:26:08.172 --> 00:26:10.956 smoker. And he says, as long as that's 537 00:26:10.988 --> 00:26:13.960 the mindset, it will be harder for 538 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.920 that person to break that habit 539 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:19.800 that they desire. But the 540 00:26:19.840 --> 00:26:22.672 other person, remember, same amount of time they've 541 00:26:22.696 --> 00:26:25.616 stopped smoking, the same amount of time, like, they've got. They've got the 542 00:26:25.648 --> 00:26:28.160 same struggle that they're carrying. With this, 543 00:26:28.280 --> 00:26:31.088 someone walks up to them and says, 544 00:26:31.184 --> 00:26:33.592 would you like a cigarette? And their 545 00:26:33.656 --> 00:26:36.580 response is, no, thank you. I don't smoke. 546 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:39.996 What they've now done in that 547 00:26:40.068 --> 00:26:43.060 moment is they've attached their 548 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:46.108 identity to who they 549 00:26:46.164 --> 00:26:49.052 are, who they would like to be. And he 550 00:26:49.076 --> 00:26:51.676 said, scientifically speaking, if you track 551 00:26:51.748 --> 00:26:54.628 through that person, because of what they 552 00:26:54.684 --> 00:26:57.676 identify as, will be 553 00:26:57.748 --> 00:27:00.676 more likely to quit 554 00:27:00.708 --> 00:27:03.588 smoking. And here's what stood out to 555 00:27:03.604 --> 00:27:04.160 me. 556 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:08.202 How you view 557 00:27:08.266 --> 00:27:11.058 yourself or 558 00:27:11.114 --> 00:27:13.510 where you find your identity 559 00:27:14.850 --> 00:27:17.498 or in whom you find 560 00:27:17.634 --> 00:27:20.390 your identity matters. 561 00:27:22.170 --> 00:27:23.870 The foolish builder 562 00:27:25.530 --> 00:27:28.506 says, this house is the 563 00:27:28.538 --> 00:27:29.790 most important thing. 564 00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:34.334 This house is what I'm going 565 00:27:34.342 --> 00:27:36.850 to invest everything into. 566 00:27:37.630 --> 00:27:40.406 I want to make sure it's got the rooms. I want to make sure 567 00:27:40.478 --> 00:27:43.086 that it's got the walls. I'm going to make sure that it's got 568 00:27:43.158 --> 00:27:45.862 everything that it needs to do. 569 00:27:45.966 --> 00:27:48.862 And they pour all of their time, their 570 00:27:48.926 --> 00:27:51.438 energy, and their effort into the 571 00:27:51.454 --> 00:27:54.406 house. But 572 00:27:54.438 --> 00:27:57.212 the wise builder, the 573 00:27:57.236 --> 00:27:59.948 wise builder says, you know 574 00:27:59.964 --> 00:28:02.200 what, man? That house, 575 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:06.148 it's important. It's important 576 00:28:06.204 --> 00:28:09.116 for my wife, it's important for my 577 00:28:09.148 --> 00:28:12.060 kids. If this house is 578 00:28:12.100 --> 00:28:14.880 built well, it will provide 579 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:18.396 generationally of what it needs to provide and 580 00:28:18.428 --> 00:28:21.116 take care of. There's great 581 00:28:21.188 --> 00:28:23.884 value in doing all of the 582 00:28:23.932 --> 00:28:26.680 things that needs to be done 583 00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:30.106 for this house. But 584 00:28:30.138 --> 00:28:32.656 the wise builder says, but the 585 00:28:32.688 --> 00:28:35.580 foundation that I put it on 586 00:28:36.760 --> 00:28:39.020 is the most important 587 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:42.456 thing that, I could do. 588 00:28:43.836 --> 00:28:46.668 The wise builder says, the 589 00:28:46.732 --> 00:28:49.696 rock of what's here, 590 00:28:50.836 --> 00:28:53.456 the foundation that all of this 591 00:28:54.076 --> 00:28:56.596 will be built on is the most 592 00:28:56.636 --> 00:28:59.476 important. Let's connect this with 593 00:28:59.516 --> 00:29:01.816 Jesus in judgment. 594 00:29:04.276 --> 00:29:07.180 In judgment, we will 595 00:29:07.228 --> 00:29:09.228 all stand before 596 00:29:09.412 --> 00:29:12.180 Jesus. And 597 00:29:12.228 --> 00:29:15.228 in judgment, there's m going to 598 00:29:15.252 --> 00:29:17.396 be people who are in 599 00:29:17.436 --> 00:29:19.976 lines that 600 00:29:20.096 --> 00:29:22.676 stretch and stretch 601 00:29:23.296 --> 00:29:26.064 and stretch, and 602 00:29:26.120 --> 00:29:29.024 they're going to stand 603 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:30.636 before Jesus, 604 00:29:32.016 --> 00:29:34.592 and they're going to say, look at it, 605 00:29:34.624 --> 00:29:37.136 Jesus. Look at the 606 00:29:37.176 --> 00:29:39.356 house that I've built. 607 00:29:39.976 --> 00:29:42.756 Look at the work that I've done. 608 00:29:43.336 --> 00:29:45.724 Look at the rules that I have 609 00:29:45.780 --> 00:29:48.644 followed. Look at what all 610 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:51.696 I've accomplished. And Jesus, 611 00:29:52.076 --> 00:29:54.644 I did all of 612 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:57.376 this for you. 613 00:29:59.516 --> 00:30:01.296 And his response 614 00:30:02.556 --> 00:30:05.340 will be, depart from 615 00:30:05.388 --> 00:30:07.836 me. I never knew 616 00:30:07.876 --> 00:30:08.456 you. 617 00:30:11.856 --> 00:30:13.396 How do you see yourself? 618 00:30:16.096 --> 00:30:17.796 Jesus is bringing 619 00:30:19.056 --> 00:30:21.512 these individuals on a 620 00:30:21.544 --> 00:30:24.136 journey of what a 621 00:30:24.176 --> 00:30:26.872 life surrendered 622 00:30:27.024 --> 00:30:29.596 to Christ looks like. 623 00:30:30.536 --> 00:30:33.144 I'm not saying that what Jesus 624 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:36.048 says doesn't matter. It doesn't count that 625 00:30:36.072 --> 00:30:38.960 the standards of God's word aren't important. 626 00:30:39.128 --> 00:30:41.872 I'm saying the exact opposite of 627 00:30:41.904 --> 00:30:44.418 that. But the 628 00:30:44.482 --> 00:30:47.418 foundation of where 629 00:30:47.442 --> 00:30:50.098 it comes from is 630 00:30:50.122 --> 00:30:52.938 important. You see, the 631 00:30:52.962 --> 00:30:55.642 foolish builder who was his 632 00:30:55.674 --> 00:30:58.486 foundation himself. 633 00:30:59.986 --> 00:31:00.332 Himself. M 634 00:31:03.546 --> 00:31:06.458 how do you see yourself? Do 635 00:31:06.482 --> 00:31:08.326 you see yourself as a person 636 00:31:09.226 --> 00:31:12.162 that says, jesus, look 637 00:31:12.194 --> 00:31:14.982 at all I do for you. 638 00:31:14.932 --> 00:31:17.340 Or do you see 639 00:31:17.388 --> 00:31:19.932 yourself as someone who 640 00:31:19.964 --> 00:31:22.736 says, Jesus, 641 00:31:23.836 --> 00:31:26.416 look at all that you've 642 00:31:26.716 --> 00:31:28.056 done for me. 643 00:31:29.636 --> 00:31:32.412 And so all that I 644 00:31:32.444 --> 00:31:34.536 do for you 645 00:31:35.676 --> 00:31:38.500 comes from who I am 646 00:31:38.668 --> 00:31:39.616 in you. 647 00:31:41.596 --> 00:31:43.576 You see, we can fall into 648 00:31:44.596 --> 00:31:46.692 patterns of 649 00:31:46.764 --> 00:31:49.576 religious good enoughs. 650 00:31:51.396 --> 00:31:54.212 And Jesus says, but it's 651 00:31:54.244 --> 00:31:56.900 about this. Do 652 00:31:56.948 --> 00:31:58.996 you know 653 00:31:59.496 --> 00:32:00.236 me? 654 00:32:03.656 --> 00:32:06.336 This is a message that I think rings 655 00:32:06.456 --> 00:32:07.436 truest. 656 00:32:09.296 --> 00:32:12.272 Not in the world that 657 00:32:12.304 --> 00:32:15.272 we find ourselves, but 658 00:32:15.304 --> 00:32:18.136 in the congregations in which 659 00:32:18.176 --> 00:32:19.876 we gather on a Sunday morning. 660 00:32:21.056 --> 00:32:23.236 You see, we can wake up every day 661 00:32:24.076 --> 00:32:26.500 and figure out our 662 00:32:26.548 --> 00:32:29.476 religious punch list of works 663 00:32:29.516 --> 00:32:30.416 that we do. 664 00:32:32.636 --> 00:32:35.484 And this. Is it 665 00:32:35.540 --> 00:32:37.860 founded on the 666 00:32:37.908 --> 00:32:40.204 rock? Is it 667 00:32:40.260 --> 00:32:42.896 founded on Christ? 668 00:32:44.156 --> 00:32:47.028 Do I know him? And does 669 00:32:47.052 --> 00:32:49.996 he know me? Would you pray with me, 670 00:32:56.056 --> 00:32:58.076 God, I thank you for your word, 671 00:33:03.056 --> 00:33:03.576 Jesus. 672 00:33:03.616 --> 00:33:06.280 My prayer for us 673 00:33:06.328 --> 00:33:09.264 today is the 674 00:33:09.320 --> 00:33:11.676 examination of who we are. 675 00:33:13.216 --> 00:33:15.824 Not just an examination 676 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:17.276 of what we do, 677 00:33:18.816 --> 00:33:21.512 but, Lord, in the examination of who we 678 00:33:21.544 --> 00:33:22.876 are in Christ. 679 00:33:24.376 --> 00:33:27.176 And, Lord, through the power of 680 00:33:27.216 --> 00:33:30.152 your spirit, would you convict 681 00:33:30.224 --> 00:33:33.024 us? Lord, are we the foolish 682 00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:36.112 man building our house on the 683 00:33:36.144 --> 00:33:38.760 sand, setting up for ourselves the 684 00:33:38.808 --> 00:33:41.616 kingdom in which we determine the works which 685 00:33:41.656 --> 00:33:44.600 we choose to do? Lord, are we the 686 00:33:44.648 --> 00:33:47.432 wise man who built his house on 687 00:33:47.464 --> 00:33:49.894 the rock and in that time, in 688 00:33:49.990 --> 00:33:52.790 judgment? Lord, when we stand, it's not 689 00:33:52.838 --> 00:33:55.758 looking around and saying, but it had this type of walls and 690 00:33:55.782 --> 00:33:58.742 these type of doors and this type of beams, 691 00:33:58.814 --> 00:34:01.598 Lord, but it is looking and saying, no, no, no. It's 692 00:34:01.662 --> 00:34:04.414 built on Christ. It's who he is. 693 00:34:04.510 --> 00:34:07.118 It's in the wonderful work of the 694 00:34:07.142 --> 00:34:09.646 cross. It's in the power of the 695 00:34:09.686 --> 00:34:12.606 resurrection. It's in the filling of the Holy 696 00:34:12.686 --> 00:34:15.630 spirit. It's walking in obedience with 697 00:34:15.678 --> 00:34:18.358 you as you work in us, as you 698 00:34:18.422 --> 00:34:21.240 change us, as you challenge us, Lord, to 699 00:34:21.288 --> 00:34:24.264 be more and more who we are. Yes, it is 700 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:27.168 about not just not committing sin, but it's 701 00:34:27.192 --> 00:34:30.144 about hating the sin that's in our lives, 702 00:34:30.240 --> 00:34:33.216 because we know that that sin cost you 703 00:34:33.256 --> 00:34:36.112 your life, Jesus, and it's God is not what 704 00:34:36.144 --> 00:34:37.636 you desire for us, 705 00:34:40.176 --> 00:34:42.856 God. So for so 706 00:34:42.936 --> 00:34:45.792 long, so many of 707 00:34:45.864 --> 00:34:46.476 us, 708 00:34:50.216 --> 00:34:51.836 I've walked that line. 709 00:34:53.816 --> 00:34:56.576 When Jesus, look at the 710 00:34:56.616 --> 00:34:58.956 boxes that I check, 711 00:35:00.936 --> 00:35:03.816 Jesus, I do this for you. I do this for you. I do this 712 00:35:03.856 --> 00:35:05.676 for you. I do this for you, 713 00:35:09.016 --> 00:35:10.956 Lord, your words 714 00:35:12.336 --> 00:35:13.676 in this sermon, 715 00:35:16.126 --> 00:35:18.066 when our identity is found 716 00:35:19.726 --> 00:35:21.466 in the things that we do, 717 00:35:25.046 --> 00:35:27.386 your words to us will be depart. 718 00:35:28.926 --> 00:35:30.866 I never knew 719 00:35:31.206 --> 00:35:33.998 you so, God, I 720 00:35:34.022 --> 00:35:36.686 pray. I pray that our 721 00:35:36.726 --> 00:35:39.198 identity would be found in you and in you 722 00:35:39.222 --> 00:35:42.182 alone. I pray that our identity would 723 00:35:42.214 --> 00:35:45.072 be found and that we were sinners who not 724 00:35:45.134 --> 00:35:48.084 needed to do better, but we were sinners who needed to 725 00:35:48.100 --> 00:35:50.972 be saved by the grace of God, by the work 726 00:35:51.004 --> 00:35:53.972 of the cross, that at the cross is found 727 00:35:54.044 --> 00:35:56.780 forgiveness at the cross is found hope. 728 00:35:56.908 --> 00:35:59.900 The cross has found grace, Lord, that through the work 729 00:35:59.948 --> 00:36:02.676 of the cross, Lord, we are brought into a 730 00:36:02.716 --> 00:36:05.524 relationship with our creator, Lord, our 731 00:36:05.580 --> 00:36:08.436 sin is paid for and we're joined with 732 00:36:08.476 --> 00:36:10.916 you, God. We are made sons and 733 00:36:10.956 --> 00:36:13.484 daughters of the living 734 00:36:13.540 --> 00:36:16.284 God. And Lord, in the power 735 00:36:16.380 --> 00:36:19.380 of the resurrection. We will 736 00:36:19.428 --> 00:36:22.252 live here on this earth. We will live for all of 737 00:36:22.284 --> 00:36:25.188 eternity because of who Christ 738 00:36:25.252 --> 00:36:27.732 is, as he overcome death in the 739 00:36:27.764 --> 00:36:30.660 grave and we can walk in the new 740 00:36:30.708 --> 00:36:33.492 life, which is Christ. And that 741 00:36:33.524 --> 00:36:35.696 God, you give us your holy spirit. 742 00:36:37.316 --> 00:36:39.796 And so that God, when we are obedient to 743 00:36:39.836 --> 00:36:42.348 you because of our relationship with 744 00:36:42.372 --> 00:36:45.294 you, Lord, it is evidence of the Holy 745 00:36:45.350 --> 00:36:47.506 Spirit at work within us, 746 00:36:48.486 --> 00:36:50.466 which is why we come here 747 00:36:51.806 --> 00:36:53.626 and sing about your goodness 748 00:36:54.606 --> 00:36:56.506 and sing about your greatness. 749 00:36:57.646 --> 00:37:00.502 We don't come in here and 750 00:37:00.534 --> 00:37:02.786 sing about how good and how great we are. 751 00:37:04.006 --> 00:37:06.726 So, God, I thank you that 752 00:37:06.766 --> 00:37:09.370 everything good, everything 753 00:37:09.458 --> 00:37:12.082 perfect is from 754 00:37:12.114 --> 00:37:14.886 above. It's from you 755 00:37:16.066 --> 00:37:18.366 and God. If there's anyone here today 756 00:37:20.506 --> 00:37:23.466 and they're standing on anything other than 757 00:37:23.506 --> 00:37:26.362 Christ, Lord, I 758 00:37:26.394 --> 00:37:29.178 pray that today would be the 759 00:37:29.202 --> 00:37:32.126 day that they're taken off of their feet 760 00:37:32.746 --> 00:37:34.486 and they're brought to their knees. 761 00:37:35.706 --> 00:37:38.622 And then on their knees they see their 762 00:37:38.654 --> 00:37:41.506 savior, Jesus. 763 00:37:42.846 --> 00:37:45.586 In your name we pray. Amen. 764 00:37:49.406 --> 00:37:52.134 Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back 765 00:37:52.190 --> 00:37:55.006 next week for another episode. In the meantime, 766 00:37:55.126 --> 00:37:58.046 you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or 767 00:37:58.086 --> 00:38:00.470 by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook, 768 00:38:00.598 --> 00:38:01.646 Instagram and Twitter.