Category: Sermon on the Mount

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If There Is No God

DECEMBER 17

MATTHEW 7:26_shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.

Why do we make foolish decisions? Because we make them. For goodness sake, where do we come up with the idea we know what is best for ourselves? We’re sinful people born with a sinful nature. When left to ourselves we make foolish decisions.

Psalm 14:1(KJV) “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Someone made a foolish decision to make that statement!

If there is no God we are all doomed.

Destined to build life on sandy soil.

No hope.

No secure life built on the Rock.

No becoming salt and light in our dark world.

No hearts filled with genuine, unconditional, compassionate love.

No true wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. 

Most of all, no hope of eternal life.

The One True God gives us:

Psalm 16:9 (KJV), “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

Psalm 31:24 (KJV), “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”

Psalm 38:15 (KJV), “For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”

There is nothing sandy about soil filled with hope!

PRAYER

God of Hope, All my hope is in You! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ is true and eternal—He gives me hope!

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He Knows Storms Are Coming

DECEMBER 16

MATTHEW 7:26_shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.

Psalm 127:1 (KJV) “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” 

Vain is empty and useless—it is foolish. God will never instruct you to build your house on sandy soil. He knows the storms are coming.

Some storms come by God’s design. He designs them to help build your life on the security of the Rock. Everyone has weaknesses. God desires to turn them into strengths. Because He knows individual weaknesses, He knows what is required to strengthen them.

To strengthen the weak requires some type of pressure. Weakness does not have the ability to strengthen itself. An outside force is required. The pressure from a force generally brings pain. If you’ve ever done any kind of strength training you understand—not pleasant at the time, but necessary for a positive result.

You can design your own storms—usually when you try to escape the pain from the God-designed storms. The combination of your storms with God’s storms causes far more pressure than your life needs.

PRAYER

Eternal God, Please strengthen my weaknesses. Help me be grateful for Your designed storms and keep me from designing my own. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ’s storms are good for me—I will learn patience!

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How You Become Foolish

DECEMBER 15

MATTHEW 7:26_shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.

Sandy soil is no substitute for rock. The foundation of your life must be rock solid! There is nothing solid about sand. It slides right through your fingers. A gust of wind can toss it away. 

The only way to live out the salty-lit-up life is to live out the teachings of Jesus. Anything else, and I do mean anything, is sandy soil. 

Proverbs 24:10 (KJV), “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” You will lack courage and lose heart if you choose to face life’s storms from the world’s standards. Jesus calls this foolish. A foolish person is someone who makes poor decisions. 

Romans chapter 1 (KJV) says it well, “21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

Sounds to me like foolish people do not glorify God because they are not grateful, but imagine themselves to be wise.

That’s how you become foolish—thinking you’re wise—no need for God.

PRAYER

Wise God, Please give me a grateful heart which glorifies who You are. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

 Christ wants me to make courageous decisions—I will!

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In a Tight Spot

DECEMBER 14

MATTHEW 7:26_And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not…

In Mark chapter 8 (KJV) Jesus feeds over four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish.  “8 So they [the people] did eat, and were filled: and they [the disciples] took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.”

Later, when Jesus was wearied of the Pharisees’ nagging, He enters a boat with His disciples, “14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.”

Jesus begins to teach the disciples about the character of the Pharisees. The disciples thought He was fussing at them for forgetting the bread. “17 And when Jesus knew it [that the disciples were nervous], he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?”

We feel like criticizing the disciples. They not only had witnessed the miracle of feeding over four thousand, and previously witnessed Him feeding over five thousand, but—Jesus used them to pass out the bread!

Let’s not be too hasty to criticize. In a tight spot, we quickly tend to side with anxiety over the power of our Rock.

PRAYER

Righteous Lord, Help me remember Your greatness and power every day. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ wants us to remember His power—I will!

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The Foundation Is Vital

DECEMBER 13

MATTHEW 7:25_and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

The only thing that saves the house from this type of beating is its foundation. Of course good construction is important, but the foundation is vital. As in the study of the branch and the vine when the vine was the source, now the foundation is the source.

 In either lesson Jesus is still the Source.

This life-house stands strong because of its rock-solid foundation. Psalm 11:3 (KJV), “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous [salty-lit-up disciples] do?”

 If you’re not building upon the Rock, you contribute to the decline of the nation. Salty-lit-up disciples help a country stand against the evils that beat against it.

Psalm 92 (KJV) lets us see why we should be solid in the Rock, “13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” 

When you stand strong against the storms of life, you shed light on God’s righteousness—you preserve His ways.

PRAYER

God of All, Help me show the world Your goodness. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ can use my life to show His righteousness—Oh yes!