40.DAY 2013 AUGUST 5 • SINKHOLE MATTHEW 7:24-27 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. (ESV) 2 TIMOTHY 4:3-5 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. In conclusion. Jesus ends his Great Sermon with a parable of contrast between wise and foolish builders. The symmetry of the story suggests that the two houses are the same; same blueprint, same building materials. The crucial difference is the foundation. Wise disciples build on rock. Fair weather Christians build on sand. Earlier this year a man was resting on his bed in his Florida home when suddenly the earth opened up and swallowed his entire bedroom. The poor man went down screaming and was never seen again. His house was built on top of a sinkhole. This sad story reminds us of the words of Jesus. All who hear ‘these words’ of his and do not practise them are building their lives on sinking sand. Who on earth would be so foolish as to build a house in the middle of the Kallang River? Only a fool, of course, along with all who hear but ignore the teachings of Jesus. Sadly, most Christians today have marginalised Jesus and his teaching. We have replaced the biblical Christ with a sweet Jesus who comforts us but never confronts us and has no real authority to challenge our self-centred living. We have traded the Sermon on the Mount for the Gospel of self-esteem and self-improvement. Be happy, healthy, wealthy and wise, and go to heaven when you die. We call this Christian-living. But it has more in common with New Age spirituality, where there are no moral standards and the only absolute is me. We are building our lives on top of a sinkhole. If we do not return to the rock-solid teachings of Jesus, we will not survive the storms of the end time or the Final Judgment. So then, are we saved by works in the end? No. We are saved by grace. But in the End, we are judged by works. This is the best-kept secret in the Protestant Church: the final judgment is according to works. (MATTHEW 16:27; JOHN 5:28-29; ROMANS 2:5-6; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:10; REVELATION 20:13; 22:12) LIVE THE SERMON Building inspection continues today. How do we know when we are building on sand? Search your heart in relation to each of the following indicators. 1. We are building on sand when: • We accept Jesus as our sweet personal Saviour but not as our Sovereign Lord. • We treat Jesus as an invisible guest who makes no demands on our lives; as a silent listener who never confronts or questions us. • We embrace Jesus’ absolute grace but ignore his absolute demands. • We explain away the hard truths of the Sermon on the Mount and make the exceptions the rule. • We hide behind a brand of grace and a form of faith that do not produce the fruit and the deeds of the Sermon on the Mount. • We allow our culture, rather than Jesus, to set the standard of right-living. • We lower the standard instead of exercising the discipline required to achieve the standard. 2. What else? Continue this exercise. Write your own examples of how people build on sand instead of solid rock: 3. Review all of the above examples. Repent of any that apply to you. Pray with compassion for others who appear to be building on sinking sand. Don’t judge. ___________________________ 40.DAY MORNING PRAYER • Daily July 1 to August 9 • 6.30am to 8.30am • Kum Yan Methodist Church • 1 Queen Street, Bras Basah MRT Station Exit A
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 02:17:31 +0000
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