The Wise Builder
Website Editor • July 15, 2020
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." - Matthew 7:24-29
From Pastor Lance Shumake's message on Matthew 7:24-29:
For the past 23 weeks, our church has been going verse by verse through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. We have studied every Beatitude, every teaching, every verse.
He tells us, "everyone who hears these words of mine
and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Jesus wraps up His sermon with eternity in mind. If we build our lives on the right foundation, they will stand the test of time. If we fill our hearts and minds with Jesus' instruction and we do the work He's asking of us, we anchor ourselves to the solid rock that is our Lord Jesus Christ -- now and forever.
In this, Jesus calls us to not only a better destination, but also a better journey. Our lives should look different than the world around us; we are called to a higher righteousness and a higher obedience. Our lives may not all look the same, but if build them on the right foundation, they will be united in giving glory to God. Lives with this purpose are eternal.
So, how can we be like the wise builder?
We can hear and do
the will of God.
Jesus makes it clear that obedience follows heart change. If we are only hearing the word of God and not living it out, we must check ourselves (see: "The Narrow Path" sermon from last week). James 1:22 says it well, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Not all who think they belong to God are truly His.
We can dig deep and build well.
There are no shortcuts to walking on the Narrow Path that God calls us to. To walk with Him is to obey Him and seek Him daily. Jesus is after our hearts and His desire is for our hearts to long for Him more than anything else. To dig deep and build well is to study His Word, to talk with Him, and to seek His kingdom above anything else.
We can remain confident when storms come.
If we are not firmly anchored in the truths of God's Word, we are more likely to lose confidence when trials come. When we acknowledge that God is in control no matter the circumstance, we are unshakeable.
We can find assurance in obedience.
1 John 2:3-6 says, "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says He abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked."
Jesus wants us to know with absolute certainty the path we are on. The way we can be sure of that is by how well we obey. Certainly, there is none among us who obeys perfectly. But, we must examine if our lives show progress in the direction of Christlikeness.
Are you growing in likeness to Him, or not?
….Are you poor in spirit? Do you mourn? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Are you merciful? Are you pure in heart? Are you a peacemaker? Are you being persecuted?
….Are you saltier than the world around you? Are you being a light in a dark world? Are you avoiding anger and lust? Do you let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no? Do you turn the other cheek? Do you love your enemies?
…Do you give and pray right way? Are you storing up your treasure in heaven? Are you seeking His kingdom? Are you choosing trust over worry?
…Are you going to the Father with all of your needs? Are you treating other people as yourself?
…Are you walking the path that leads to life? Are you discerning and judging others fairly? Is there fruit in your life?
….Do you hear the word of the Lord and obey it?
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Let us be a church of wise builders.
Watch this sermon, here.
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
