Last week, I returned to Iraq by, as everybody does, by plane. I hate to fly. I guess that’s why I’m in an aviation unit.
On this trip, I began to analyze my total dislike of flying. I once said that I didn’t mind flying, it was the landing and take-off that I hated. But that is not true—imagining that my plane is going to nose dive from 30000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, is no better than a nose dive at 300 feet.
About halfway through the flight, I realized that I didn’t mind flying. I like it. Flying gets you halfway around the world in an expedient manner. I like to go to different countries—this is my fourth, although I haven’t seen much of Iraq or Kuwait. I don’t even mind the trip—I got a lot of sleep on both trips, and the trip convinced Monica to allow me to get an IPOD.
I figured out that what I really hate about flying is Turbulence.
The plane could be flying along, no problem, then all of a sudden, wham!—turbulence. The pilot turns on the “fasten seat belt sign”, and you sit down.
While thinking about this, I discovered some interesting things about turbulence. First, I pray more than I do otherwise.
I remember when we first came out here, I prayed—”God you led me to the Army, at least you can let me get on the ground and do something.”
Second, did you ever notice that the turbulence gets greater during mealtimes? I’m not the only one to think about this either. While I sat, eating my $600 “Lunchable”, I thought about the fact that every airplane disaster movie I ever saw, the airplanes went down, was attacked, or exploded, while the passengers were eating a meal.
Third, I noticed how similar our reactions are to airplane turbulence and to life.
If life is smooth, it’s all good. No worries. No problems. Eat drink and be merry.
But then all of a sudden—we encounter turbulence.
A wife calls and tells her husband she doesn’t love him anymore.
A child gets into trouble at school.
A bank account gets overdrawn.
There is a sudden illness in a family.
When we encounter turbulence. We suddenly pray more, and we strap yourself in for a wild ride.
In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches us how to withstand the impact of turbulence in our lives.
Jesus wants us to grow to a point in our life, that when the turbulence does come that we are not only able to endure the pressures, but that we are able to stand in the aisle as the turbulence hits—no seat belt, but just standing planted on a firm surface.
Matthew 7, is found on page 855 in the Red Bibles under your chair—we are looking at verses 24-26
We see in this passage a tiny portion of the greatest sermon ever preached, by the greatest preacher ever to preach. This is what Christians for centuries have called the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus walks up to a hill side and sits down.
He begins by preaching what has been called the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5. In chapter 6, Jesus gives a model prayer and teaches the people about prayer.
In chapter 7, he begins to talk about the narrow way of Christianity and knowing true followers by their fruits. He shares with them that it is more important what is done do with our faith than what is said about our faith.
Verse 22 of chapter 7, says;
22? 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??‘ ?23? And ?then I will declare to them, ‘?I never knew you; ?depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!?‘
(Mt 7:22-23, NKJV)
It is not enough to say that you are a Christian. It is not enough to say that you go to Chapel, you go to a local Baptist church, you may go to a Methodist church, or a Catholic Mass. What truly matters is what you are doing with your faith. Are you going to be obedient or not?
When we think about obedience, we have a tendency to shy away and avoid that subject. Talking about obedience may make us be compelled to do something that we don’t really want to do. Talking about obedience pushes out of our comfort zone. Talking about obedience leads us to be uncomfortable with the everyday status quo of our personal Christianity.
Jesus concludes his sermon on the mount with an explanation of why it is so important that we obey him.
He makes this comparison;
24? “?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: ?25? 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.
?26? “?But 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: ?27? and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.?” (Mt 7:24-26, NKJV)
Jesus explains the difference between obedience and disobedience is the same difference as building a house on rocks versus building a house on sand.
When you build your life on sand the storms of life will batter it until it falls.
When you build your life on rock the storms of life will batter it and it will stand. No matter what happens. No mater what is thrown at you—you will stand—firmly.
This foundation is so important that when we build our lives on God’s principles and by God’s designs it will withstand the wind, the rain—the turbulence that occurs so frequently in our lives.
When we are obedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are anchoring ourselves to a firm foundation.
When I was younger I remember taking a deck of cards and building a little house on the coffee table. It wouldn’t take long before my brother would kick the table and the house would fall. But if I build the house on the floor, it would stand.
The table would shift, the floor would not.
Too many times in our lives we place our faith in things that shift. We place our faith and our obedience to our jobs, to our social status, to our families, or to our own selfishness. These things will shift and shake. They move according to the winds of time and change.
But God’s law stands forever—it doesn’t shift. His principles are firm and still. That is where we should place our trust and our obedience.
We must be diligent in our obedience. We need to be people that are so obedient to him that we are following him with every decision that we make. This obedience occurs during trials as wellas during those peaceful times.
If we are building our house on a rock, we need to be continually consulting the designs that God has prepared for us.
Going back to the flight illustration, do you wait to learn to fly until you hit the turbulence—or do you prepare before hand? One of the comforting words that came to mind while I was praying for a safe flight, this last trip—these pilots has many hours of experience and training to fly these big jets, so they know how to fly in any situation.
Most of us, when it get into a bind—it is then that we begin to pray, study the Bible, go to church—which is a good place to start, but we need to be people that prepare ourselves before the turbulence hits.
We need to be people that are different. We need to be people that are devoted to Christ, no matter what is going on around us. We live in a sinful world. Satan and the powers of this world are constantly looking for ways to add turbulence to our life—to hit us where we will fall. We need to be ready to stand in any circumstance.
When we are disobedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves up for a fall.
Jesus is giving good practical advice. If we have not built our lives on a firm foundation, when the turbulence comes—and it will come, you will not be ready you will fall, it is that simple.
Any builder would tell you, that you must have a good foundation. We have specific building codes that make sure that we have good foundations, strong walls, and strong roofs. It makes good sense.
So then, why does it feel like a threat if Jesus says “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” (Mt 7:26, NKJV) We need to be just as obedient in our personal spiritual walk as we are to our building codes.
When I was pastoring, I pastored a little church in Union, SC. We were thirty minutes from the nearest gas station or grocery store; out in the middle of nowhere. The parsonage was built in the twenties. When it was built, it was built by the members who were all farmers. The building stood fairly well for over 70 years. Over time, the ground underneath began to erode. The house was built on a hill and the winds came and the rains came, and slowly the house was beginning to fall because it was not built on a firm foundation.
I began to spot cracks in the wall, as the ground eroded underneath. The men of the church had to raise the house up on a brace so it would not fall. Do you have to go into your life and periodically prop it up on a brace because you haven’t prepared in the past?
If you are filling your life completely focusing on yourself, your needs, and your desires, you are building your life on sand. There are many things in this life that can catch our attention—jobs, finances, status, sex, even our families…but these things do not create a good foundation. In fact, all of these are perishable—the foundation that you build in Christ is not perishable, it is eternal.
Jesus is teaching us that if we refuse to obey his commandments, we will eventually crack and fall, just like my little house.
So how do we build on this foundation? Where do we start?
In order for us to be obedient, we need to know what to obey. The Bible says
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, ??and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for ??instruction in righteousness, ?that the man of God may be complete, ??thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16-17, NKJV)
In order to be obedient we must first start by reading the word of God—the Bible. We must pour our lives into what the scripture teaches us. As we study, as we pray, God will begin to give us instructions on how we should live;
How we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
How we should pray for our enemies.
How we should give to those in need.
How we should share with others the wonderful story of grace.
Then, we must do it. Knowing what to do is not obedience. Doing what he says is obedience.
So I challenge you tonight, to build your life on a foundation that won’t shift in the sand, but has been built on the rock of your salvation.
Some of you have never before thought about the foundation of your life. You have never given a thought to what you are building your life on. Jesus wants to give you a strong foundation, one that won’t shift in the storms or in the turbulence.
He loves you enough that he died in your place. Why did he die? Because of the sin that is in all of our lives. The sin that separates us from God. The penalty for this sin is death, and Jesus paid it. Tonight, you can begin to build your life on this foundation by accepting him as your Lord—you become the servant, and savior—he becomes the salvation for you.
After the worship or during this week, you can come by and talk with me more about building this foundation, beginning with your true faith in him.
Let us pray.
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This sermon was preached at FOB Speicher Iraq in March, 2006.
All Scripture Marked NKJV: The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 .Nashville: Thomas Nelson.