Читать книгу Standing on the Promises or Sitting on the Premises? - James W. Moore - Страница 10

Building on the Rock

MATTHEW 7:21, 24-27

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. . . . Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall."

Some years ago, in a small town in Central Europe, a visitor saw something that fascinated him—something that seemed very strange to him. He noticed all the native villagers performing the same highly unusual ritual. As they passed by a certain ordinary looking wall, they would nod casually in the direction of the wall, then make the sign of the cross as they walked on by.

Some would be walking briskly, others more slowly, but they all did the same thing. They would nod at the wall and make the sign of the cross as they passed by. When the visitor asked why they did this, no one knew. "We've always done that," they said. "It's a tradition, a time-honored ritual in our village. Everybody does it! Always have!"

The visitor's curiosity got the best of him and he began chipping away at the layers of whitewash and dirt that covered the wall until, underneath the grime, he discovered a magnificent mural of Mary and the baby Jesus! Generations before, the townspeople had had a beautiful reason for bowing and making the sign of the cross at that place. It had been an altar of prayer in the heart of the village.

But succeeding generations didn't know that. They had only learned the ritual. They continued to go through the motions without knowing the reason behind them. They performed the practice, but it had absolutely no meaning for them and made no impact on their lives at all. That's an appropriate parable for many people today, in their approach to religion, isn't it?

Their faith experience is not much more than a vague nod in God's direction. They casually perform some of the rituals of faith, but they don't really know why. And the rituals have become so routine, so casual, so matterof-fact, that there is no power, no strength, no inspiration in them at all—a little nod here, a token gesture there, but no depth, no spirit, no life!

But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows us dramatically that this kind of shallow, nonchalant approach to faith won't work. There are storms ahead—the rains of trouble will fall, the floods of stress will come, the winds of challenge will lash against us. Shaky, unstable, wavering, casual routine faith won't hold together. The storms of life will rip it apart and smash it to the ground. We need a strong and stable house of faith, built on a rocksolid foundation!

Here's how Jesus put it. He said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' [i.e., not everyone who makes a casual nod in my direction] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. . . . Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock."

Now, what is this rock-solid foundation that Jesus is talking about? What are the promises? Well, this is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, and he is obviously referring to what he has just taught in the preceding chapters. As a matter of fact, he says that: "Hear these words and do them, and you will be wise and strong, but if you hear these words and don't do them, you will be foolish and weak."

Now, when we go back and read through the Sermon on the Mount carefully, we discover several recurring and dominant themes. Let me underscore three of them.

First, There Is Rock- Solid Commitment

All through the Sermon on the Mount, there is the call to commitment: "Be peacemakers"; "Let your light shine"; "Enter the narrow gate."

Let me ask you: Do you have a rock-solid commitment? How would you rate your commitment to Christ? On a scale of one to ten, with ten being absolutely terrific and one being very poor, how would you rate your commitment to God and the church?

Do you really put God first in your life? Do you really love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are you really committed to God's kingdom, and to the doing of God's will? Are you really committed to living daily in the Spirit of Christ? Do you really love that person next to you right now as much as you love yourself? Are you wholeheartedly committed to supporting and upholding the church with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out vividly that a commitment built on shaky, shifting sands will not work. A rock-solid commitment is needed. An unflinching, unwavering commitment to Christ is what we must have to stand against the treacherous storms of life.

Some years ago, I received a call one morning from some dear friends. "We've just received the results of Mom's tests," they said. "It's bad news—real bad. She has six months to a year to live, and we want you to come and tell her the situation." She was fifty-seven years old. She was at home, and when I got there, she was seated by the window in the den, watching her granddaughter playing in the backyard. As I sat down with her, I was trying to figure out how to say it, how to tell her. And the following conversation took place.

"Well, Jim," she said, "It looks like you drew the short straw. I know you've come to give me the bad news."

"Well," I answered, "I do have the results of your tests."

"How long do I have?" she asked.

"Now, you know it's hard to be precise on these things, but the doctors say six months to a year."

"I'm not surprised," she said. "That's about what I expected."

We were quiet for a moment, and then I asked, "How do you feel inside right now?"

She said, "When I look out there and see my granddaughter, I feel like crying." And I told her I felt like crying too, and we did cry a little, but then she went on, "Jim, I'm not afraid. All my life I've gone to Sunday school and church. I'm a believer! I'm committed to Christ with every fiber of my being. Christ has been my Savior in this life. He will be my Savior in the life to come. I believe that with all my heart, and I'm committed to him heart and soul!"

Now, let me ask you: Are you committed to Christ like that? Is your commitment that strong? That woman had built her life on the solid rock of commitment. She trusted God's promises, and when the storm came, that rock-solid commitment served her well.

Second, There Is Rock- Solid Trust

This, too, is a prominent theme in the Sermon on the Mount: "Don't be anxious. Don't be fretful. Don't be afraid. Just seek first God's Kingdom and righteousness. Let God rule in your life. Trust God, and things will fall in place for you." What a promise!

The artist Rembrandt once painted a canvas titled "Storm on the Sea of Galilee." It's a remarkable work of art for two reasons.

1. After all, it's a Rembrandt, a priceless masterpiece, a portrayal so real you can almost feel the spray of the waves and the movement of the boat.

2. But this painting is striking for another unique reason. As you study the detail, you notice something unusual: There are fourteen men on the boat. Now, wait a minute—weren't there twelve disciples? You count again, and yes—there are thirteen men, plus Jesus, on the boat—a total of fourteen.

Gradually, your eyes focus on one particular figure. He is holding on for dear life. Suddenly, you recognize the face. It's the face of Rembrandt! The artist has painted himself into the scene. He is experiencing the storm, and it's frightful—but the good news is: Jesus is there! Jesus is in the boat with him. Jesus will save him from the fury of the storm!

The Apostle Paul expressed it like this: "I am ready for anything, for Christ is with me and he is my strength." Do you have that kind of faith? Do you know that kind of trust?

William McElvaney once described an interesting happening during the communion service in his church one Sunday morning. It was a small church, and the congregation had been instructed to pass the elements down the pew, with each person saying the words of administration to the next: "John, this is the body of our Lord given for you; John, this is the blood of our Lord shed for you."

But on this day, one man in the congregation who was not especially liturgically minded turned to his neighbor, handed him the bread, and promptly forgot what he was supposed to say. He just went blank. After a brief but agonizing pause, he finally blurted out these words: "Harvey—Hang in there!"

I've seen a number of different liturgies for the Lord's Supper over the years, and I don't really think the words "Harvey, hang in there" are in any of them. But the truth is that I can't think of any better words to say when we are remembering Christ's gift to us, his presence with us, his care over us. What better words could you say than those—"hang in there!" You can "hang in there" with rock-solid commitment, and rock-solid trust, and he will see you through. You can count on that! It's a divine promise.

Third, There Is Rock- Solid Love

Jesus calls for love in a powerful way in the Sermon on the Mount: "Love your enemies . . . pray for those who persecute you . . . be perfectly loving, as God is."

John and Margie were married back in 1941. Both of them were rugged people, raised on the farmlands of America. Together, they had big dreams, high hopes of becoming the most successful farmers in the United States.

However, four years after they were married, and after two children were born, Margie was struck down with polio. She spent the rest of her life in an iron lung. Still so young—they were just in their twenties—their life dreams were shattered. There was no one to keep the house going, no one to raise the children, no one to be a real partner with John, no one to share his bed.

John had to give up his lifelong dream of farming and devote his life to taking care of Margie and the children. Many years later, when John and Margie celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary, someone asked John how he had done it all those years. John answered simply, "I'm a Christian, and we try to keep our promises. And besides, I love her."

A few years later, after Margie died, their son asked John how he had done it all those years. Again, John's answer was simple: "I never thought about doing anything else. You just do it, and God helps you."

(Thanks to Don Shelby for this illustration.)

You know where John learned that kind of sacrificial love, don't you? He learned it at the church. He learned it in the Scriptures. He learned it in the Sermon on the Mount. He learned it at Golgotha. He learned it from Jesus, the King of Love.

If you and I will just do it—just build our lives on rocksolid commitment, on rock-solid trust, on rock-solid love—then God promises to help us. God promises to be with us and give us strength. God promises to hold us together, to enable us to withstand the treacherous, dangerous storms of life. God will be our firm foundation. That's a promise on which we can stand, tall and secure and confident.