The Invitation
Matthew 7:24-29
Jesus wouldn’t make a very good Baptist preacher
-first of all, His so-called “Sermon on the Mount” has more than 3 points
-and the points He does have don’t alliterate or rhyme
-His conclusion is weak, at best
-and He fails to give an invitation...He doesn’t beg and plead with people
to join the church—I mean, how can you judge the success of a sermon
if you don’t see how many people you can get to come down front?
--no, Jesus simply tells one of His stories, then gets up and leaves
---He would not impress a search committee and He sure wouldn’t
make the cut in a seminary preaching class
One of the few preachers I admire is a Methodist—he was the Dean of the
Chapel at
-I’ve heard Will Willimon speak on six different occasions and every time
he finishes with a powerful story and makes a provocative statement or
asks a jaw-dropping question
--then, because he’s not a Baptist and isn’t expected to give an
invitation, he just turns around and walks off the platform...leaving
us with an uneasy silence except for his last words still ringing in
our hearts
-I’m so jealous of Methodists! I wish I could do that!
--I’ve always wondered why Willimon’s method is so effective—where
he learned his little trick
-this week, I realized it’s not a trick...and he learned it from Jesus
Read Matthew 7:24-27
And the very next verse says the crowds were amazed at Jesus’ teaching
What’s Jesus’ point in telling that story?
-have you ever left on a Sunday morning thinking, “I really needed to
hear that.”?
--well, Jesus is saying, “That’s not the response I’m going for here. I
want you to worship, to hear a sermon, and then to leave thinking, “I
really need to do that!”
Earlier, for our Scripture reading, we reviewed the entire conclusion
-there were 2 paths, 2 gates, 2 trees, and 2 foundations
--what’s Jesus saying? there are 2 kinds of people...there are those
who enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow road...who
bear good fruit and who are known by Him
---then there are those who enter through the wide gate and walk
the broad road...those who bear bad fruit, those whom He does
not know
Jesus wraps up the greatest sermon ever by saying, “Look the world is full
of hearers. Those who want to follow Me are going to translate My words
into action.”
-make sure you don’t get confused here—Jesus is not suggesting that
you and I try to work for God’s love and forgiveness
--salvation is by God’s grace working through our faith in Him
---but that grace must produce a radically changed life—how you
live, how you think, how you’re motivated, how you speak
---it is a new life that springs from love and forgiveness that’s
already been received
-we only have to go back to v. 22 as proof that Jesus isn’t creating a new
religion full of rules and regulations
--Read Matthew 7:22
---they are the most religious people in town, yet they were banished
from Christ’s presence because He did not know them
--so we are certain it’s not about being good enough
Jesus begins his parable by describing a wise man
-doesn't necessarily appear so sensible at the beginning
--he’s pouring all this money and effort into something that no one is
ever going to notice
---with what he put into the foundation, this guy could have had a hot
tub, hardwood floors, and a home theater system
--but Jesus says he is wise...and it’s because he understands that a
foundation is truly an investment
---as with every investment, there are short-term costs
*If you save for retirement, it might mean vacationing in Branson, not the
*If you invest in maintaining your sexual purity, you’re going to miss out on
all the “fun and excitement” that some of your friends talk about
*If you are devoted to your marriage and family, you won’t date anymore,
you’ll surrender some independence, you won’t play as much golf, you
might even make decisions that hurt your career advancement
*If you tithe and give generously, you’ll likely drive your old car a few more
years
*If you invest the time and energy into practicing spiritual disciplines, you
won’t have as much time to “veg” in front of the TV or play video games
*If you take on a responsibility here at church, it will reduce the amount of
“me” time that you’ll have
True, there are costs—there is always a short-term price to pay for doing
what’s right...but doing what’s right always produces a long-term benefit
*Sure, you might be sick of Branson, but you will have some much-needed
financial stability later in life
*There’s nothing exciting about sexual purity, but you don’t have to worry
about complicating a relationship, contracting/passing a STD, pregnancy,
or a skewed focus
*Yes, your golf game may not be as sharp as it could be, but adding a
couple of strokes to your handicap is nothing compared to a family’s
friendship, support, and intimacy
*Of course, if you wrote your check to the bank each month instead
of FBC, you could be driving a very nice, new car...new cars are totally
cool, but giving generously enables you take part in building God’s
kingdom, in reaching the world with the gospel, of making a difference in
the life of someone who is hungry, hurting, or lost
*There’s nothing glamorous about practicing spiritual disciplines such as
prayer, fasting, and fellowship, but they are essential to deepening your
walk with God
*Working with children at church can be a headache (literally), but when
you consider that you are actually investing your life in the life of the next
missionary or doctor or electrician or teacher...suddenly, a headache
seems like a small price to pay for touching the next generation
On the other hand, Jesus also describes a foolish man
-instead of building on the rock, this guy opts for the sand
--maybe because it was less work...cheaper...or had a better view
-perhaps because this is a guy who knows the power of image
--no one's gonna' see the foundation, right?
---I'll put my money where people will notice it
----Brazilian cherry hardwood floors
----cathedral ceilings
----private bathroom for every bedroom
----granite countertops
Let's look at those examples from this guy's perspective:
-set aside money for retirement
--Why save now? There's plenty of time! I want a bigger house.
-sexual purity
--Why say no? I want him to love me.
-marriage/family
--Why? This promotion is all I've worked for.
--Why? I need time to relax with the guys.
-tithing
--Why give? I want a new car.
-spiritual disciplines
--they're not as exciting as conferences, camps, and retreats
--I’ll just wait for the next revival
-serve at church?
--You’ll have to get someone else to do it.
The foolish man continually asks: “What’s in it for me now?”
Jesus implies that every single one of us is just like one of those two guys
-to this point we have each built our lives on rock or sand
--perhaps we’ve not really thought about it or considered the
implications of our choices
---because just like in construction, few ever give much thought to
the importance of the foundation
--but if you’ve ever had foundation problems with your house, you know
that they create more than an inconvenience—they can actually
threaten the entire structure—you could lose everything
-and in the same way, we rarely consider the long-term consequences of
our daily choices...it’s too easy and too tempting just to think about the
here and now and give very little thought to the impact on tomorrow
--Jesus gives us reason to pause and examine the foundation we’ve
chosen for our own lives—rock or sand
Am I laying a foundation on peer pressure?
-on what’s socially acceptable?
-on what’s easy?
-on what will make me look good?
Evidently, at the start, everything is peachy for both of these homeowners
-sure, the foolish man who cut corners on his foundation was able to
splurge on some extras that have made him the envy of the neighbors
--but essentially everything is going well...smooth sailing...not a cloud
in the—wait...what is that just above the horizon?
---the foolish man says, “Nah, it’s just a little wisp of a cloud.
Nothing to get excited about.”
---but when you’re not looking, he gives a worried glance over his
shoulder at that wisp that’s quickly escalating into a towering
thunderhead
-the wise man sees the same cloud formation—he’s not exactly thrilled at
the prospects of a storm, either, to be honest...but it’s not unexpected
--living near the water like this has its inherent risks
Isn’t life the same way?
-what begins as a wispy little cloud...
--a routine doctor’s appointment
--another trip to the city
--a ringing phone
--a few minor chest pains while you’re mowing
-and without warning that wispy little cloud has turned into an all-out storm
Everything is wonderful as long as the sun shines
-we can fool ourselves by thinking "I'll get ready when the time comes."
--far too often we don't get that chance
-a few years ago a couple was walking in one of those large storm
culverts in
--it was completely safe...the culvert was dry and sun was shining
---tragically, the couple didn’t know there was a horrific storm in the
mountains...and the wall of water came so violently that they
never had a chance
----both were swept away and lost their lives
Here’s something you absolutely must get hold of
-look at the
descriptions of the storms à Read v. 25a...then v. 27a
This is the same storm!!!
-the foundation of the house doesn’t affect the storm
--faithful Christians have miscarriages
--faithful Christians get cancer
--faithful Christians watch their parents and children divorce
--faithful Christians are laid-off
-being a Christian does not make you exempt from storms
--in fact, Bible says that Christians who live out their faith will suffer
more in the short run
---the difference, however, isn't the storm, but the effect of the storm
There were two men, two houses built on two foundations and the storm
produces two results—it’s pretty simple...and pretty devastating
-the house built on rock stood
-the house built on sand collapsed
--think about it...Jesus is finishing the greatest sermon ever and
His last words are: ...and it fell with a great crash
The Message: James 1:22-24 à Don’t
fool yourself into thinking that you
are a listener when
you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear
and out the
other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act
are like those who glance in the mirror, walk
away, and two minutes later
have no idea who they are, what they look like.
You can be in this room every Sunday morning of your life...but if the only
thing happening is some good music, a passable sermon, and then you
return to your regularly scheduled life and nothing changes...then your life
is built on sand and one day—much sooner than you expect—it’s all going
to crash hard
-Jesus is looking for students who will put His words into practice in the
hallway tomorrow morning
--on what will you build the foundation of your life?
-He is looking for women who will put His words into practice at the office
--on what will you build the foundation of your life?
-He is looking for men who will put His words into practice at home
--on what will you build the foundation of your life?
-and He is looking for a church...a church who will put His words into
practice not only when we are gathered here and on our best behavior
...but who will put His words into practice out there...everyday...
--on what will we build the foundation of this church?
Have you been focused on the short-term benefits of living your way?
-the fun, the popularity
-the excitement, the independence
-the pride of accomplishment
--but have you ever even imagined the long-term costs?
---or do you figure they're such long way down road, why worry now?
The good news is that God is willing to give you another chance—you are
not beyond the point of no return
-you can rebuild today if you will turn to Him
Jesus' first recorded command, even before the Sermon on the Mount, is
found in Mark 1:15 à Repent
and believe the good news!
-that's the true foundation...those are the first words we must obey
--once we've trusted Christ to forgive us and give us new life, we then
are enabled to live totally sold out for Him...the Sermon on the
Mount shows us what that looks like
July 1976...Israeli commandos conducted a daring raid on the airport at
-in 15 minutes, 7 kidnappers killed, 103 Jewish hostages freed
--tragically, 3 Jewish hostages were killed
-commandos entered and yelled in Hebrew, "Get down! Crawl!"
--Jewish hostages understood and obeyed
-kidnappers, who did not speak Hebrew, were left standing
--rescuers shot them
---2 hostages hesitated and they paid with their lives
---one young man was on the floor and actually stood up
-they all heard the same words, those who obeyed were saved
Notice vv. 28-29...often overlooked because they are Matthew’s
commentary on the crowd’s reaction rather than Jesus’ words
-pay attention to one word: authority
--you see, this isn’t James’ invitation or First Baptist’s invitation...this is
Jesus calling to each one of us, “Follow Me.”
---how you respond—the choice—is now left up to you