Learning to listen
Listening To Our Lord
Matthew 7:21-27
Introduction
In a fickle world of politics, electorates, and cabinet ministers, we need to ask who is our leader. Whose influence are we under? In Matthew 7:21-27, we are called to follow Christ. This is our theme for today: Listening to our Lord. To do this, we need to first…
Respecting Our Lord
Jesus is Lord
The New Testament affirms that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the king of the universe; he is the ruler of the world; he is the head of the church. In remarkable way, Jesus brings this out in today’s passage. Look at vs.22-23, and v24. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name… that every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Affirming our Lord
It is relatively easy to say Jesus is Lord, but do we mean it? In Matthew 7:22, Jesus said: “Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord… we prophesised in your name; we cast out demons in your name; we performed miracles in your name.” Jesus said, however, that this is no vindication that we are his true followers.
Affirming Jesus as Lord means that we listen to him, and do what he says. Imagine a teacher saying to a pupil, “Take this to the Principal,” and the child says, “When I’m in the mood, or when I feel led.” At work, your boss says, “Will you begin this project and you say, “Maybe tomorrow or when I am convicted about it?” This is how we sometimes respond to our Lord.
Obeying our Lord
If Jesus is Lord then we should obey him. We don’t have to wait for conviction. We don’t even have to understand the command. Jesus is Lord, and when he speaks, we should obey. In John 13:13, Jesus said, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am.” He then said in v17, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” He said in John 14:23, “Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and abide with them.” This leads to a further point…
Responding To Our Lord
A tale of two houses
To encourage us to follow him as Lord, Jesus tells a story in Matthew 7:24-27 about two men who built houses. Nothing is said about the quality of the houses. They appear to be the same. One, however, is built on a firm foundation, and the other is built on sand. When the storms came, the house built on rock stood firm, whereas the house built on sand collapsed.
The foundation of obedience
Notice that the foundation in this illustration is not the Word of God. The foundation in this illustration is not our faith in Christ. The foundation in this illustration is not even Christ himself. In this illustration, the foundation on which we build our lives is obedience to Christ. God’s blessing does not come by merely reflecting on his word or by talking about his word. God’s blessing comes as we put his word into practice. James 1:22-24 says, “Do not merely listen to the word… Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like those who look in a mirror, go away, and forget what they see.”
Building on a solid foundation
This illustration about building on a solid foundation is appropriate because we are all building our lives. The question is how are we building, and on what foundation. In seeking to answer this, we should not measure our growth by attendance at meetings, by the accumulation of theological knowledge, or even by the amount of time we spend in prayer. We assess our growth by our response to the Lordship of Christ. Messages from God’s word (like this) are ineffective unless they change lives. 1 Samuel 15:22 says: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” To obey is better than religious service. To obey is better than theological knowledge. To obey is better than lively worship. Our belief system, our theology, and our worship should lead to following Christ.
We need to follow someone. Who will it be? Is this a wise option? Is it not wise to follow the one who made us, the one who loves us and cares for us, and the one who wants the best for us? If we do this, it should lead from respecting our Lord, and responding to our Lord to…
Rejoicing In Our Lord
The main application
The main application in this message is not whether we attend church, hear sermons, or even talk about sermons. The main application in this message is not whether we make a profession of faith. The main application in this message is not whether we believe in the Lordship of Christ. The main application is this: are we respecting our Lord, responding to our Lord, and rejoicing in our Lord? In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Joy in following the Lord
There is great joy in following Christ. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 1 John 5:3 says, “These commands are not a burden.” God’s commands are not like doing chores! Psalm 19:7-11 says, “God’s ways are perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant; giving light to the eyes… in keeping them there is great reward.”
Living under his Lordship
If we hear God’s Word, our house will look impressive like other houses. Our house will stand when the sun is shining. When the storms come, however, the house we have built will fall to pieces. If on the other hand we obey God’s Word, our house will stand firm in the greatest storm that life can throw at us.
Bernard Cartledge