Build on the Rock

In Luke chapter 6 Jesus asked the people why they call him Lord, Lord, Lord, you're showing your mind authority. I submit to your kingship. I acknowledge that you are sovereign over me.

So Jesus is, why do you say that I'm your Lord when you don't do what I tell you to do. That's really one of the bottom-line basics of what Jesus taught his obey infected at the core of the great commission Jesus told the disciples to go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all the command as we continued on jerseys groceries from the gospel of Luke you will see the important implications of Jesus teaching in Luke's version of the conclusion of the sermon on the Mount. He recalls that Jesus asked the question why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say and we're still focusing on this problem of making a profession of faith in Christ. That is not a true one to refresh our memories of the full impact of these words let me go back for a moment, to the fuller version that we find in Matthew chapter 7 where before Jesus introduces the parable of the foundation on the rock. He says in verse 21. Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name and then I will declare to them, I never knew you depart for me, you who practice lawlessness. Now some of you may recall that when we looked at this text in Matthew years ago I pointed out the unusual character by which Jesus is addressed. He says many many will come to him, presumably on the day of judgment then not only call him Lord, but will repeat the title calling him, Lord, Lord, and on that occasion that I expounded this text in Matthew.

I went through about 50 thing references in all of Scripture that included the literary form, colloquial form of addressing a person by repeating their name Abram Abraham, Moses, Moses, Absalom, Absalom and Martha, Martha, Saul, Saul, and through all of those texts to illustrate for you that the phenomenon before us is one in which the person is claiming not only to be an acquaintance of the person is addressing, but rather has an intermittent personal relationship with that other person. So when Jesus said they're going to come and call me Lord, Lord, they're not going to simply be claiming a passing acquaintance with Jesus but they're going to be saying I have a deep personal affection for you. I know you Jesus intimately. I've taken you as my Savior and Jesus says to those on that occasion. Excuse me, I don't believe I know you all you say you went to church. You were a pastor you were missionary you were a member of the session or the deacons. You are a tither of, but I don't know you, please leave depart from me, you workers of lawlessness is a why I call this the scariest passage in the New Testament where Jesus says that they're all kinds of people he's talking about church members later he's talking about people who've made a public profession of faith in him. People who say I know Jesus but as I said then outside now in the final analysis is not going to be. Do you know Jesus.

The question is going to be the say no you are, you know, by him. And Jesus says it's going to happen, that this people will honor him with their lips while their hearts are far from them. And Jesus later said that the five if you love me then, keep my commandments.

The past for the fruit is obedience. Anyone can say that they love Jesus but the proof of the pudding is in obedience. If you love me, keep my commandments. And if you don't keep my commandments. Please leave your workers of lawlessness and of disobedience, and so will put to the question form. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, you don't do the things which I tell you to do so when you say Lord that you're saying your mind authority.

I submit to your kingship. I acknowledge that you are sovereign over me and that whatsoever you command me. I am under obligation to do so, Jesus is. Why do you say that I'm your Lord when you don't do what I tell you to do a follows up the question with this brief parable about the building. He said whoever comes to me. Here's my saying and does them, I will show you whom he is like before. Again, I mentioned the phenomenon in the Greek language of the distinction between the verb to hear a cooling and the verb to obey, which is poop a cool way, which we would come into the English language.

Since I it's hyper hearing the difference between hearing and obeying is hearing and really hearing what Jesus would say he who has ears TE year, let him hear. Because if you can really hear me, you will obey me and the person who comes to me, Jesus says, and really hears me he will not only hear my sayings, he will do them and that person he says I will show you whom he is like.

He's like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. Now if you're familiar with the typography of this radio you will know that that land is substantially desert and what you find throughout Palestine or an innumerable number of why these W a DI don't know what Waddy is.

Let me say okay set the theme somebody didn't put their hand up on the call on them to get the definite I Waddy in Israel is a dry Gulch. It's like what they call out in the American West, and Arroyo where it is an empty creek bed that is only filled with water under extraordinary circumstances of rainfall and in Israel. There are two rainy systems. The former rains in the latter rain but for most of the year. There is little or no rainfall as the arid conditions of desert prevail. But when the rains come and when it rains hard all the rain is drained into the water heats and gathered there and so the streams become like new nieces automates where the water comes rushing down the Waddy as Jesus used the term vehemently and the power of that water coming down the Waddy is something you don't want to get caught in either in Israel in the Waddy or and Arroyo in Phoenix or in Los Angeles when the torrential rains come because that moving water destroys everything in its path, but is not to show you what it's like for the one who hears my words and who will base them. He's like a man who builds a house, but he takes care before he builds this elegant structure.

To date, deeply, to go down to the level of rock and there when he hits the rock he builds his foundation and then on top of that solid foundation. The house is built, and if you build a house like that all of the Waddy tour enteral rushing water when it comes and vehemently beats against the house.

The house is strong enough to withstand it and to remain intact and secure that Jesus goes on to say that he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth or on the sand without a foundation against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell in the ruin of that house was great. You see the contrast, the second house may be palatial in its grandeur, but it's built on St. it has no firm foundation and it looked beautiful for a season until the floodwaters come in now in the stream beats vehemently against that house, it's not like the house begins the creek and to grown and Celine is a lose a few singles now at the first flood that house instantly tops it collapses, it has no strength to withstand negative forces against it and it crumbles.

And Jesus says the ruin of that house was great. You know the Bible says a lot about foundations.

The building metaphor of foundations comes all the way through sacred Scripture back in the Psalms we read that if the foundations are shaken. How can the righteous live at the foundations are shaken. How can the buildings stand. Now we hear frequently the idea that Jesus is the foundation of the church. The church is one foundation we saying is Jesus Christ our Lord. Well that's not exactly the way in which the scriptures describe the church building. Rather, we are told that there is no foundation that can be laid except that which is laid in Christ Jesus. But as we saw earlier in the service and the introit to believe the general image of Jesus is not that he's the foundation but that the foundation is laid in him and that he is the chief cornerstone. The stone that the builders rejected, we are told, has become the chief cornerstone of the church will what is the foundation of the church. Again, according to the Scriptures, the foundation of the church of the prophets and the apostles's let me show you how that works in sacred Scripture. If I can turn just for a moment to the book of acts we read in chapter 2, verse 42, after 3000 people had been added to the church and they continued steadfastly in what they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. This is a glimpse of life in the primitive Christian church after Pentecost in Jerusalem that the people of God gathered together on Sunday and they steadfastly continued in the apostles doctrine.

What does that mean that at the heart of the gathering of the early church on the Lord's day was a devout attending to the preaching of the word of God because the study of apostolic doctrine, beloved is the study of the word of God because where you find the apostolic doctrine is in sacred Scripture. Now if the apostles and the prophets are the foundation of the church, we find that foundation in sacred Scripture. Let me give you one more example of that. The end of the New Testament in the book of the Revelation where we read of the new Jerusalem in chapter 21 the comes down from heaven, where John was shown the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her life like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. She had a great and high wall with 12 gates, and 12 angels at the gates the names written on them, and then in verse 14 now the wall of the city. This is the heavenly Jerusalem. The comes down the wall of the city had 12 foundations which is 1/12, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb in the heavenly city in the city of God foundation is built on the apostles. That's why the early church came together to devote themselves to the study of the doctrines of the apostles and that's why we're here this morning to be instructed by the apostolic word because if were going to live as faithful Christians we have to be rooted and grounded in the apostolic word to be grounded in the word of God is to dig the foundation of your life down to bedrock where you take that word, and you embrace that word and you are able to stand against anything the world of the flesh and the devil froze out to, but if you don't have that foundation. The foundation in the apostolic word when you're building your house on sand and when the storm comes, what you will experience dear friends, is ruin. Here is where the drug cutting time in the application of what Jesus is teaching here is when I asked you to finish the sermon for yourself by searching your own heart and searching your own soul and answer this question.

What if I built my life on one of my building right now my life upon what's the bottom line of my life. What's the big idea of my life. What is the core of who I am and what I'm trying to accomplish. One of my building, but more importantly, when my building on my building a house of cards or my building a life rooted and grounded in Christ and in his word, submitting myself to his authority. Now I'm asking you to answer that question for yourself. Now I know if you're professing Christian your bias and your temptation will be disabled. Of course I'm building my life on Christ course I have a strong foundation. Of course I'm doing that in here, so I know from my fruit and for my obedience to see how this follows after what Jesus was saying last week were known by their fruits, not fire verbal professions and again what we do will not get us into the kingdom of God, only trust in Christ can get you there, but the test of whether your trust is real the test of whether your faith is sincere.

The test of whether your justification is authentic is in your fruit and your obedience or your lack of you know we live in a country were still over 95% of people say they believe in God and so I say we have a nation that embraces hypothetical theism. And yet, practically speaking, we live as if there is no God. If you found out tonight that there is no God. How would your life change you one of those people who hypothetically affirms the existence of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But for all practical purposes, you live as if there were no go will. That's how a person who was a lawless person lives is no fear of God in them. I don't care what comes out of their mouth and carefully keep their promises because her house is built on sand.

If you build your house on the word of God and you build your house on Jesus Christ. Everlasting rock even a tsunami cannot rule your life. Well, that should cause us to stop and think shouldn't are we building their lives on obedience to God's truth or are we fooling ourselves and just claiming to be living by the truth.

Our study of the gospel of Luke has brought us to the end of chapter 6 today and will continue the sermon series by Dr. RC Sproul next Sunday. I do hope you'll join us if you haven't requested our resource offer. We do hope to hear from you. It's RC's commentary on the Gospel of Luke contacted us today with a donation of any amount and will be happy to provide you with a digital download of it is nearly 600 pages of insight into every passage or offices are closed on this Lord's day, but you can give your gift and make a request online and Renewing Your Mind.org. Your generous donations allow us to continue producing teaching material like you've heard today and is having an impact around the world. I'd like for you to hear what Slavic had to say. Back in 2003 when I was a church member in very legalistic church in Ukraine because of that fact.

I was fighting with Jessica depression at 10, but in God's providence.

There was one book that I found in the church's library in the basement, preserved by God for me and that book was chosen by God. RC still it has changed my life forever. I have never heard biblical reformed theology before so I moved to America and started to grow under licking you ministries teaching. I was so hungry I wanted to know biblical God and then resistible desire started to grow in me and I said to myself I want my Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine to steer the crystal so I started to translate video messages of Dr. scroll into Russian language on weekly basis and send it to Ukraine. I want my Christiansen Ukraine to know who God is.

I just can't let my Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine to live in a theological darkness. Thank you Ligonier ministries for not only have you transformed my life that you are transforming the lives of Christians in Ukraine today Slavic's testimony certainly timely as an attendant. Another reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world, especially in those places where the church is suffering. Thank you for joining us today and I hope you make plans to be with us again next Sunday for another sermon from the gospel of Luke by Dr. RC Sproul