The
Greatest Sermon in History Part 22
A Firm Foundation
by Greg Hanson
Sunrise Wesleyan Church
July 25, 2004
Main Passage:
Matthew 7:24-29 (NLT)
831 years ago (in August
of 1173), Bonnano Pisano began work on his most famous project. Pisano
was an Italian architect who was given the task of constructing a
separately standing bell tower for a local Cathedral. This tower was to
contain eight stories and be 185 feet tall. So he organized a team of
builders and began work on the project. After the third floor was
built, though, they ran into a bit of difficulty. They discovered that
the soil was much softer than they had anticipated and the foundation
for the tower was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure. And
sure enough, before long the whole structure began to tilt… and tilt…
and tilt. Until finally the architect and the builders realized that
nothing could be done to make the tower straight again.
Anyone know what tower I’m talking about?
PARTICIPATION
(The Leaning Tower of Pisa)
(Personally, I would have preferred a Leaning Tower of Pizza.)
When the problems emerged, construction was halted and nothing was done
with the tower for nearly a century. Then they added four more floors,
took another break of about 70 years, and finally added the top floor
in 1372, two centuries after construction began. They tried to
compensate for the tilt. The upper levels were built at an angle to try
to make the top of the tower look straight. But nothing worked.
Mussolini even tried to straighten it by pouring cement in its
foundation, but that only resulted in the tower sinking even further
into the soft soil. In 1990, the tower was closed to the public due to
safety concerns. By that time it was leaning so far that it could
topple at any moment, so some reconstruction was done to reduce to
angle of the lean. After putting in 25 million dollars and taking out
110 tons of dirt, they were able to reduce the 6 degree 13-foot tilt by
about 44 centimeters and it finally reopened in 2001.
But the problem still remains. They reduced the lean to the angle it
was 300 years ago, but the tower continues to tilt and it will continue
to get worse. One day, experts say, it will fall over. Why? What was
the problem? Bad design? Poor workmanship? An inferior grade of marble?
No. The problem was what was underneath. The sandy soil on which the
city of Pisa was built was just not stable enough to support a monument
of this size. The tower wasn’t built on a firm foundation.
Jesus talked about the importance of building on a firm foundation. In
His case, He was talking about how you and I need to build our lives on
the firm foundation of His teaching. Listen…
Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys
me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the
rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat
against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But
anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person
who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the
winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
This morning, we’re going to take a look at these verses at the end of
Matthew 7, and then we’re going to take a look back at the Greatest
Sermon in History… the Sermon on the Mount. So first, let me give you
the Blueprint for building on a Firm Foundation…
A Blueprint for Building on a Firm Foundation:
1. Learn the
Teachings of Jesus
Jesus said…
Matthew 7:24 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching…”
We seem to return to this every once in a while… the importance of
learning the Bible and understanding what Jesus tells us in His Word.
You and I need to understand that the teachings of Jesus are just as
relevant today as they were when they were first spoken. He speaks to
the issues of our day as powerfully as He spoke to the issues of first
century Palestine. No one else has ever come close to the wisdom and
practicality of His Words. Upon His teachings, governments have formed
and laws have been based. Moral values for entire societies have been
founded on His teaching. Even in communities today that reject Him, His
teaching has had an evident effect. And as His teaching is taken out of
the classroom and is pushed to the margins of society, the
repercussions are obvious and are disastrous.
“The world is bad enough with the Bible; what would it be without it!”
~ Benjamin Franklin
No one else has ever spoken with the insight and logic of Jesus, and
you and I need to recognize that today. We need to be careful not to
neglect His Word, but to make it a priority to read it regularly… daily.
Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)
He will be the sure foundation for your
times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge…
The Bible is packed full of good stuff. But don’t just take my word for
it. Check out these words from other respected leaders…
“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the Book widens and deepens with our
years.”
~ Charles Spurgeon
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college
education.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
“I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more
valuable than a college course without the Bible. Everyone who has a
thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated, and no
other learning or culture, no matter how extensive or elegant, can form
a proper substitute.”
~ Dr. William Lyon Phelps, professor at Yale University
Read the Bible. Hear the teachings of Jesus. Listen to what He has to
say to you today. But that’s not enough. We need to do more than just
learn the teachings of Jesus. We need to…
2. Practice the
Teachings of Jesus
Jesus said…
Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys
me is wise…”
We don’t gain wisdom by gaining knowledge; we gain wisdom by applying
knowledge. We need to hear what He has to say, and then we need to put
it into practice. A friend of mine once told me that the Bible isn’t
worth the paper it’s written on unless it’s applied to your everyday
life. And I believe that’s true.
Jesus didn’t die so you could be informed; He died so you could be
transformed.
His Word is meant to be put into practice. Otherwise, what good is it?
Let me give you a tool you can use as you read the Bible... three
questions you can ask yourself as you work your way through different
passages.
Say? How can I summarize this
passage in my own words?
Mean? What is God saying to me
through this passage?
Apply? What action should I take
in response to God’s Word?
Say-Mean-Apply. Remember those three words and use them to guide you
through the Bible.
James 1:22 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
I was watching one of the Newsmagazine shows on TV this week and saw
two actors interviewed together. Somehow they got into discussing the
Bible and started arguing about their interpretation of different
passages. They both proudly boasted about how much the read the Bible
and respect the teaching of Jesus. But looking at some of the content
in the movies they’ve made, I’ve got to wonder how much the words they
read truly impact their lives. They can talk theology, but if that’s
all it means to them they’re missing the point.
“To listen with no plan to act, to read with no interest to respond is
to miss the whole point of Christ’s teaching… Divine truth is given not
to satisfy idle curiosity, but to change lives, not to lull us to sleep
in church, but to equip us for today and prepare us for eternity.”
~ Joey Nelson
And John Ruskin offers some good advice…
Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some part
of the Bible clearly, and make it your daily business to obey it in all
that you do understand.
~ John Ruskin (1819-1900)
So you’ve got to learn to the teachings of Jesus, practice them, and
you need to trust them.
3. Trust the
Teachings of Jesus
Matthew 7:24-25 (NLT)
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys
me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the
rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat
against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock.”
Make your foundation Jesus Christ and His Teachings. Trust that
foundation. Resolve to weather the storm on that foundation of Jesus
Christ and you will not be disappointed.
Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)
Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to
trust the LORD means safety.
Storms will come, make no mistake about it. The question is, will those
storms destroy you or will your foundation hold fast? Will the storms
even be good for you?
James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble
comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith
is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for
when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character
and ready for anything.
How is this possible? How can a storm actually help you grow?
For two years, scientists sequestered themselves in an artificial
environment called Biosphere 2. Inside their self-sustaining community,
the Biospeherians created a number of mini-environments, including a
desert, rain forest, even an ocean. Nearly every weather condition
could be simulated except one: wind. And over time, the effects of
their windless environment became apparent. A number of trees bent over
and even snapped. Without the stress of the wind to strengthen their
wood, the trunks grew weak and could not hold up their own weight. The
wind beating against a tree can either blow it over, or if the
foundation is firm the wind can help it grow stronger.
An earthquake hit California in 1983 measuring 8.2 on the Richter
Scale. Several houses were shaken off of their foundation by as much as
six or seven inches, causing the buildings to collapse. But houses that
were bolted to their foundation withstood the Quake. The houses that
were not bolted may have been perfectly good houses, but they could not
stand up to the earthquake. The houses that were bolted to their
foundation became one with their foundation, and were able to stand.
You and I need to base our lives not only on the teachings of Jesus but
in a relationship with Him as well. We need to establish our very
identity in who He is and what He has done for us.
Gregory Elder tells a funny story about the importance of a strong
foundation. He writes,
“Growing up on the Atlantic Coast, I spent long hours working on
intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath my hands. One
year, for several days in a row, I was accosted by bullies who smashed
my creations. Finally I tried an experiment: I placed cinder blocks,
rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of my castles. Then I built
the sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. When the local toughs appeared
(and I disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match.”
~ Gregory P. Elder, Del Mar, California. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 2.
With Jesus and His teachings as the foundation for your life, the big
bad bullies will have no chance against you. You need to know that. You
need to trust that. The storms may come and threaten you, you may even
feel like you’re under siege, but the storms will pass and you will be
left standing. You will endure.
Proverbs 10:25 (NLT)
Disaster strikes like a cyclone, whirling
the wicked away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.
Trust in that foundation. Trust in Jesus. Jesus said that if you build
your life on His teachings it’s like building your life on a rock-solid
foundation. If you ignore Him and His teachings, you’re building your
life on a foundation of sand. Think about the differences…
Sand - Shifting…Sliding…Sinking
Rock - Stationary…Strong…Secure
Which foundation do you choose? Decide today.
Now, let’s switch gears.
The last couple of verses of Matthew 7 say…
Matthew 7:28-29 (NLT)
After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real
authority--quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
So as we finish up this 22-part series which began in January and has
taken us through three of the most powerful chapters in the entire
Bible, I’d like us to take a look back at what we’ve covered. The
crowds were amazed at the teachings of Jesus then, and those teachings
are still amazing today. So let me conclude this series as we began it…
reading these teachings straight through. You can put your notes away
and just listen to the words of Jesus in the Greatest Sermon in
History… the Sermon in the Mount.
READ THE SERMON ON THE
MOUNT:
Matthew
5-7 (NLT)
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