The 5^th Sunday After Epiphany

SERMON

Text: Matthew 7:24-29

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

In Christ Jesus, Whose words reveal to us absolute truth upon which we can build our lives, dear fellow redeemed:

I am sure you have all seen them—pictures of homes in ruins along the beaches of the Carolinas or Florida after a major hurricane. Perhaps you have even seen television news clips of beautiful homes in California, perched high up on hillsides with fantastic views, crashing down when the rains come and turn those hillsides into mud. The illustration that our Savior chose to use when ending His “Sermon on the Mount” is certainly easily understood. There are places where the wise ought not build their homes, but the foolish never seem to learn.

My dear friends, Jesus was not addressing these words just to general contractors and those planning to build new homes. Rather, He is talking to all of us and urging us to consider how best to build our lives. We earlier confessed in the Nicene Creed that the Triune God is our Maker, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. He is concerned about our welfare, both in this world and in the world to come. He does not want us to be “foolish,” but rather to be “wise” so that our lives will be blessed and so that they will be a blessing. Consequently, I ask you this morning: ARE YOU BUILDING UPON THE ROCK OF CHRIST OR THE SAND OF MAN?

I.

Are you doing so, first of all, in your personal spiritual life? What does it mean to build your personal spiritual life upon the rock of Christ? It means, first of all, that you listen to and apply biblical principles in your life. We confessional Lutherans view the Bible as God’s inspired and inerrant word. That means we believe that the Bible is true in all its parts and the authority we are to follow in all matters of doctrine and life. However, having that confession and applying that confession are two entirely different things. General knowledge of Bible doctrine, however, is declining in our society, and I am afraid it is among us also. Are you one of those individuals who reveres the Bible, but then has to blow dust off his own copy? Do you have time to read the Free Press each morning over coffee, but don’t have time for personal devotions? Do you have time to read one of the news or sports magazines in the evening, while your children read a best selling novel, but you can’t seem to find time for family devotions? If so, you are not building upon the rock of Christ, but rather upon the sands of man! Don’t be a fool! The thoughts within your mind and heart control and determine your words and actions. If your mind is filled with the thoughts of mere men, rather than those of God you are building upon the sand of man. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to inform and strengthen you—to shape your personal spiritual outlook.

I heard several months ago that President Bush has for many years now read through his Bible each year. I read this week that even on his inauguration day two weeks ago, he took time to do his daily Bible reading. My dear friends, if President Bush has time to put daily Bible reading into his schedule, should we not be able to do the same. Let us build upon the rock of Christ!

Secondly, to build your personal spiritual life upon the rock of Christ, you must bear in mind the truths of your salvation and apply them regularly in your life. Those truths begin with the frank confession of your personal sins. Unfortunately, sin can become something very comfortable in our lives at times. We know sin is destructive, but it is easier to point sin out in the lives of others than to apply God’s holy law to ourselves. It is easier to excuse sin in our lives, than to root it out and send Satan packing. When such thinking occurs we are building on sand, not upon the rock of Christ. The Scriptures urge us to repent and to turn to our Savior. Repentance is a change of heart and mind—a desire to halt sin in our lives and to live only to the glory of our Savior! When we do turn to our Savior God in repentance, the precious gospel message assures us of His love and forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When we daily humble ourselves before God through a confession of our sin, and when we continue to remind ourselves of His abiding love, then we are building our personal spiritual lives upon the rock of Christ!

II.

ARE YOU BUILDING UPON THE ROCK OF CHRIST OR THE SAND OF MAN, secondly, in your public daily life? We are living in a world, which tends to separate men’s spiritual lives from their daily lives. It is as if people believe that on Sundays they are to believe and live in one way, while on the others days they are to believe and live in another way. Such thinking is nonsense. Our personal spiritual lives are to guide our public daily lives! If yours does not, you are building upon the sand of man, not the rock of Christ! How do you and I build our public daily lives on the rock of Christ? We do so by living lives of personal integrity. That means that wherever we find ourselves, in whatever line of work we are engaged, or whether we find ourselves among friends, strangers, or enemies—we strive to be honest and fair.

My dear friends, the Bible has much to say about our public daily lives. If you are an employee, for instance, God tells you, “Be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ” (Ephesians 6:5-6). In other words, if you as an employee are going to build your public daily life on the rock of Christ, you will strive to be a good and faithful employee. You will listen to your boss, work hard at all times—not just when he or she is watching, and do so out of a love for God. If you are an employer, on the other hand, God says this, “You, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:9). In other words, employers are to treat their employees as if they were God Himself. Would you mistreat, threaten, or abuse God? Of course not, and so, therefore, do not do that to your employees.

What is your reputation? God is interested in your reputation, even if you are not, for it is through your reputation that God brings you many blessings! If you have a reputation for good and honest work, rest assured that you are building upon the rock of Christ and the Lord will open doors of opportunity for you. If you are lazy and a good-for-nothing, don’t blame God if you go hungry at times! You are the one building on sand. The rock of Christ is available for you! Repent of your sins and amend your lazy life! Are you one who is known for blistering people’s ears with foul language? If so, you are building upon sand and at the same time defaming the name of Christ! Repent of your sins and ask your Savior for the strength to clean up your foul mouth! Then you will be building on the rock of Christ!

So, my dear friends, what will it be? Will you build upon the rock of Christ or the sand of man? You build your daily public life one block at a time, day after day, in the place of your choosing! Your God has entrusted you with your talents and abilities and instructed you to use them wisely. Will you be wise, or will you be a fool?

III.

Yes, ARE YOU BUILDING UPON THE ROCK OF CHRIST OR THE SAND OF MAN, finally, in your private family life? There is an old country song, a love ballad of sorts, entitled, “Behind Closed Doors.” Much of our private family lives goes on behind closed doors? Upon what are you building that life—the rock of Christ or the sand of man?

Many couples today begin their lives together building upon the sand of man, for they ignore God’s desire for marriage and simply live together. This is wrong and this is foolish. There are many reasons advanced for living together, but they all rest in the thoughts of man. Listening to some individuals, you would get the impression that God thought up marriage to torture mankind, but let us not blame God for the devastation we at times make of marriage. God, who created marriage and who creates us, knows that we have a need for both intimacy and security—needs which He knew would be best met through an institution where one man and one woman commit themselves to each other unconditionally for life. The fact that our sin prevents intimacy and destroys security at times does not change that. Do you know that 40% of all couples living together prior to marriage will break up short of marriage, and that couples living together before marriage are 50% more likely to divorce after they marry? Do you know that the chances for children to be abused are much higher in a live-in situation than within a marriage? So much for the sand of man! My dear friends, we must build upon the rock of Christ!

Now, it is true that merely having a marriage license does not mean marital partners are building upon the rock of Christ. I have seen live-in arrangements where partners treat each other better than do many married couples, but that still does not justify avoiding the will of God. My dear friends, build upon the rock of Christ in your marriages. Husbands—love your wives, not selfishly, but sacrificially. You are in charge of the emotional welfare of your wife. You need to make sure that she feels loved, rather than used. That takes time and that takes tenderness. That means swallowing pride at times and asking for forgiveness and suggestions. It means exerting ourselves and doing things that need to be done, even when we are tired and even when we would rather not! Building on the rock of Christ takes time and dedication. If, however, you choose to intimidate; if you choose to raise your voice and fist—let it be known that you are building on sand and your relationship will slide down into the canyon just like the houses in California! Wives—respect your husbands and honor them, even when at times they are unrespectable! I am not suggesting that you condone sin, but securing a loving husband who provides for your needs is not accomplished by nagging, screaming, or withholding sexual favors. Peter encourages wives to win their husbands “without a word” by “chaste conduct accompanied by fear” (1 Peter 3:1-2). The “fear” mentioned in that passage, by the way, is not fear in the sense of being afraid of one’s husband, but rather in the sense of a respect both for one’s husband and one’s God.

Children, are you building upon the rock of Christ or the sand of man? The Scriptures tell you to “obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). God has placed your parents over you to guide you and help you develop into mature and responsible adults, who are willing to serve their Lord and follow His ways. When you talk back to your parents, or refuse to obey them, you are building upon sand, not upon the rock of Christ. Listen to your parents! Learn to do your chores with a happy heart and you will be building a solid foundation for your lives. Parents, “Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Abusing your children or neglecting them is to build your family life upon the sand. Instructing them by word and example takes time and is not always easy, but it is necessary and will bear good fruit over time.

My dear friends, ARE YOU BUILDING UPON THE ROCK OF CHRIST OR THE SAND OF MAN? Your answer to that question will determine in large part whether or not you will experience God’s blessing here on earth. It will determine entirely whether you will be with God throughout eternity. Don’t be a fool, but rather strive ever to be wise! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting