The Building Project

Luke 6:46-49

          Every good sermon should end with a practical lesson that we can apply to our lives. Our Lord’s sermon is no exception. As Jesus wrapped up His “Sermon on the Plain” he left his listeners, and ultimately His followers, with the knowledge to better theirs and our lives. The question is and has always been, are we going to heed His teachings or are we going to continue to do things our way. That has been the dilemma since the garden and will continue to be until Christ returns to judge both the living and the dead.

          Turn with me if you would to Luke 6:46 and we will look at the conclusion to our Lord’s sermon.

          "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."   

          Before we look at the conclusion of this sermon, let’s review what we have already studied. In the first part Jesus made a prophetic declaration that those who suffer for His sake in this world will receive eternal blessings in the next. But, to those who oppose God in this world, they will suffer the consequences of their disobedience for eternity. Jesus asked us to change our attitudes and to make sure that we are careful who we chose as our teachers because we will eventually become like them, possibly to our own demise.

          In the second part we looked at how our words and actions reveal who we are. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, so to speak, and the fruit we bear is the true measure of what is really in our hearts. We cannot get around the fact that we are much more transparent than we would like to be and that eventually we will be found out not only by God, but by those around us.

          This brings us to the final part of the sermon. The part where we could say, the rubber hits the road. In essence Jesus is saying, ‘If you believe what I just taught you, what are you going to do about it”.

           "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?” That is a good question, and one that we had better be able to answer. In His sermon Jesus talked about false prophets and hypocrites and does not want His followers to fall into the same trap.

          The word for Lord in Greek is Kyrie. This is the word used to translate the word Yahweh from the Hebrew to Greek in the LXX. How on earth could a person confess Jesus as Lord and then not do what He tells them to do. “Sorry God, but I think you’ve got it wrong this time, I’ll take it from here.” That does not compute, but we do it every day.

          We override what God has revealed to us as His will because we don’t trust Him with our lives. We may trust him with our salvation and we may acknowledge that all things come from Him, but while we are still living on this earth, we will continue to fight to do our will over the will of the Father. That is nothing short of self destruction and the consequences may be deadly.

          In the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus preceded this teaching with this warning, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

                   That is some scary stuff. Do you believe what Jesus said? Do you believe that there are those in the church today who confess Jesus as their Lord but have no intention to do His will? Do you think that hypocrites and false prophets are going to have a place in God’s kingdom? Do you think that those who flaunt their sin as if it was a virtue will be welcomed at the wedding feast? 

          Unfortunately it doesn’t matter what we think, the only thing that matters is what God says. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Now before you start to get up and head for the door, let’s go back and look at who Jesus is talking to here. At the beginning of the sermon, in the 20^th verse we read, “And [Jesus] lifted up his eyes on His  disciples and said:”       Brothers and sisters, all I can say is that for those of us who fall short everyday, we are in good company.  

            “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” 

            Jesus ends this sermon with another parable and as we will see, he also leaves us with a clear choice to make.

          The first man takes the time and makes the effort to carefully put a firm foundation under his house. Digging all the way to the rock and building the foundation from there. This will ensure the stability of the house under almost any adverse conditions.

          The historical background for this parable came from Palestine. During the dry season the river bottoms would be dry and it was very tempting to build a house on the soft sand. Little effort was required and the construction was fast. The problem was that eventually the rainy season would roll around and the rivers would begin to fill up. It kind of reminds me of New Orleans. Build a city below sea level and some day it will be under the sea. That’s a no brainer. 

          Anyway, the person who took the time to build his house on a firm foundation would eventually reap the benefits. Initially there was a lot of hard work to do. Days of digging would have to take place to get down to the rock and the cost would be a lot more because of the extra material. In the end, his house would not give way to the rising waters but would hold fast to that which it was built on.

          So what is Jesus saying? First of all, the man represents all who come to Christ and listens to Him. He takes what he has learned to heart and then puts what he has learned into practice. Because he trusts in Jesus, he does whatever Jesus commands.

          Secondly, what ever life may throw at that person, they will be able to handle it because they have the foundation to overcome all adversity. The trials do not stop coming when we confess Jesus as Lord, in fact for many the trials become more pronounced. The point is that we have the strength to resist the stress and toil of this world if we trust in the person of Jesus Christ. This includes following all of His commandments, not just the ones we like.

 “But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

          The other builder is the one that took the easy way out and built on the sand. The digging was easy and the foundation shallow. As soon as the fall rains fell and the river started to rise, this mans house was knocked off its foundation and lost forever.  This man represents all those who follow their own sinful desires and refuse to listen to Christ’s words. They do not put their trust in Him and as a result do not completely obey Him.

          What we see here is a person with no spiritual roots because they have ignored the teachings of Jesus. He is warning them of the consequences of their decision. The teachings of Jesus Christ are not to be taken lightly. They are there for a reason and ignoring them is a recipe for disaster.

          When I worked for Boise Cascade in a paper mill years ago there were warning signs everywhere. I knew they were there to protect me but broke or bent the rules whenever I thought it would make the job easier or faster. I never got caught at it, but others weren’t as lucky.

          After the paper comes out of the driers it goes through what is called a calendar stack. This stack is made up of several solid steel rolls from 24 to 18 inches in diameter that are piled up on top of each other. The bottom roll drove the rest and so every roll turned a different direction as it climbed the stack. The paper went through the stack like a snake and where the two rolls came together on the intake side there was a pinch point that was called a nip. This was a dangerous spot and guards were put up to make sure no one went into that area.

          I left the mill once because of a strike and a friend of mine took my place on the machines. He was working behind the stack cleaning paper one day and did not follow the rules. He reached in behind the guard to get some paper and accidentally touched the nip. In less than one second it was all over. He had been pulled through the stack and at the age of 18 his life was over.

          There are consequences when we decide not to obey the rules. They are not there to make our lives difficult; they are there to make our lives full and rewarding. Just like my friend, breaking the rules can lead to a disastrous end. The difference being that the consequences of not obeying Christ are eternal.

          Did you happen to notice that Jesus does not give us any other options? We are all builders and everyone is going to build one kind of house or the other. We are either going to build our lives on Christ or we are going to build our lives on our own. One leads to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation.

          “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

            Jesus has presented his case, showing that His teachings are true and that He is the source of all authority. The reader is now left with the choice; do I follow Christ and do what He tells me to do or do I follow my own desires and live life for myself?

          When we see what is at stake, the decision should be a simple one. Build a home with a good solid foundation in Christ and have it last forever or, build a home on our understanding and have it last till we are done on this earth. Consider the options and the choice becomes clear, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, period.

          Leon Morris wrote that, “When the final test comes at judgment day it is the foundation on which our lives are built that matters.” St. Paul put it this way, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 

          These are some very comforting words and St. Paul is telling us that as long as our foundation is Christ, salvation is guaranteed. But why go through the fire if you don’t have to. If we run the good race now and fight the good fight, the rewards will be great. Why take the chance that our foundation won’t hold?

          As Christian we are to look beyond this world and what it represents, to a kingdom prepared for us by God Himself. This is one building project that must be done right. You have been given the tools; the ability and the resources, there are no excuses.

          My hope is built on nothing less,

          Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

          I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

          But wholly lean on Jesus name.

          When darkness seems to hide His face,

          I rest on His unchanging grace;

          In every high and storming gail,

          My anchor holds within the veil.

          His oath, His covenant, His blood,

          Support me in the whelming flood;

          When all around my soul gives way,

          He then is all my hope and stay.

          When He shall come with trumpet sound,

          Oh, may I then in Him be found;

          Dressed in His righteousness alone,

          Faultless to stand before the throne.

          On Christ, the solid Rock I stand,

          All other ground is sinking sand,