WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.220 All right, let's read together from the New Testament. 00:00:04.179 --> 00:00:07.060 One last look at the Sermon on the Mount together. 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:14.179 We're reading Matthew 7 tonight, verses 24 to 29. 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:16.800 ! 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:19.580 Everyone then who hears these words of mine, Jesus says, 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:23.820 and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:29.820 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.920 But it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:38.560 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:42.079 will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 00:00:42.620 --> 00:00:48.140 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, 00:00:48.260 --> 00:00:50.980 and it fell, and great was the fall of it. 00:00:51.879 --> 00:00:56.939 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 00:00:56.939 --> 00:01:02.280 for he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:03.979 This is God's holy word. 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:09.959 Well, if you have a Bible, please open it at Matthew chapter 7, 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:15.719 and these verses that Corey read for us a little earlier. 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:20.900 One of our next-door neighbors is a country music fan. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:29.700 And on occasions, he loves to blare his music out across the back garden. 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.519 There is no escape. 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:41.039 Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and my neighbor's particular favorite, George Jones. 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:47.360 Now, there's one song by George Jones that he plays more frequently than any other. 00:01:48.020 --> 00:01:51.920 I almost know all the words and can sing along. 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:54.940 And it's a song that's simply called Choices. 00:01:56.020 --> 00:02:01.860 I won't sing it, you'll be glad to know, but I've had choices since the day that I was born. 00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:05.300 There were voices that told me right from wrong. 00:02:05.299 --> 00:02:12.960 If I had listened, no, I wouldn't be here today, living and dying with the choices I made. 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:21.039 And here in the closing verses of Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is drawing his famous sermon on the mount to a close, 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:27.280 and he does so by presenting his listeners and us with a series of choices. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:42.360 There is, as we saw last week with Ryan, a choice of paths, the start choice, two possibilities, two ways, two gates, two roads, one broad, one narrow, one leading to life, the other to death. 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:45.960 And we're all on one road or the other. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:55.920 And there are two trees in verses 15 to 20 bearing two types of fruit, representing two influences or voices that will shape our lives. 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:59.559 Only one bears good fruit, the other bad. 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:04.119 One brings life and health, the other disease and death. 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:13.859 And tonight we turn to look at a third contrast, one of the most well-known of the stories or parables of Jesus. 00:03:14.779 --> 00:03:17.959 A parable of the wise and foolish builders. 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:22.779 The house on the rock and the house on the sand. 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:28.419 And it brings Jesus' sermon really to a dramatic conclusion. 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:32.120 And it's again a story that presents us with a choice. 00:03:33.180 --> 00:03:36.199 Where are we building our lives? 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:42.219 On what kind of foundation are we choosing to build? 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:50.639 And these concluding words of Jesus really comprise a serious and solemn appeal. 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:58.219 Listening or hearing the teaching of Jesus means that we're all faced with a choice. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.500 Are we going to embrace His teaching or not? 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:07.400 And are we going to embrace Him or not? 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:14.080 Let me share three things from our text this evening that I want us to see. 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.259 First of all, let's look at the story that Jesus tells. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:19.579 The story Jesus tells. 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:20.540 It's a famous story. 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:24.759 We've been brought up in church and Sunday school and whatever. 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:26.459 We know this story well. 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:28.959 Two men who each build a house. 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:32.960 And Jesus designates one of them as wise and the other foolish. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:41.079 And the way that the story is told is as a comparison between these two houses that they construct. 00:04:42.599 --> 00:04:48.339 And I think we might be led to imagine that the houses they built might have had many similarities. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.659 Perhaps they used a similar design. 00:04:51.359 --> 00:04:53.120 Maybe they used the same kind of materials. 00:04:53.899 --> 00:04:57.859 We might deduce that they were constructed in a similar location. 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:00.800 And probably in a riverbed or a wadi. 00:05:01.400 --> 00:05:04.860 Certainly both buildings endure the same climatic conditions. 00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:06.080 The rain falls. 00:05:06.220 --> 00:05:07.080 The floods rise. 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.400 The winds blow upon both houses. 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:13.680 And the language in both parts of the story is almost identical. 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:16.199 Except for one thing. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:19.960 There's this one crucial difference. 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:27.159 For after the storm has passed, one of the houses is perhaps battered and weather-beaten. 00:05:28.099 --> 00:05:30.959 But nonetheless it remains stable and standing. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:35.719 The other house, however, is in a very different condition. 00:05:36.539 --> 00:05:39.179 It is just a pile of rubble. 00:05:39.539 --> 00:05:40.779 It's utterly destroyed. 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:45.839 The words used here mean something catastrophic has happened to it. 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:49.299 It suffers a great collapse. 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:54.039 And so what is the explanation of this very different outcome? 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.219 After all, these houses perhaps look much the same. 00:05:57.299 --> 00:05:59.379 They may have been made of that same material. 00:05:59.739 --> 00:06:01.719 They both face the same elements. 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:03.659 The rain, the floods, and the winds. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.039 So how is it that one collapsed and the other remained standing? 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:12.219 And the answer, of course, is to be found in the different foundations 00:06:12.219 --> 00:06:15.419 that the two men chose to build upon. 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.060 One man chose wisely. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:20.740 He built on a foundation of rock. 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:28.160 Luke, in his account of the parable and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke chapter 6 verse 48, 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:32.959 says that the wise man dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:37.000 This man made sure to build on something solid. 00:06:38.340 --> 00:06:43.259 He took time to dig down, to establish good and strong foundations. 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:47.399 And so when the rains fell and the floods rose and the winds blew, 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:52.620 it was able to withstand the pressure of the elements and to remain firm. 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.360 The other man didn't choose so well. 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.099 Jesus calls him a foolish builder. 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:06.240 He too built his house in the valley, but not on a rocky outcrop. 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:11.120 In his folly, he chose to build on sand. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.980 His building had no real foundations at all. 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:18.840 Luke, in his account says, Luke 6 49, 00:07:19.340 --> 00:07:23.000 he built a house on the ground without a foundation. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:28.259 He built on sand, something fluid, movable, malleable. 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:32.099 And so when the storm came and beat upon the house, 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:34.539 the ground beneath simply gave way. 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:37.800 A great collapse was inevitable. 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:42.079 So the big difference between the builders and their houses 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:44.839 was in the foundations they chose. 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:48.379 From the outside, those foundations were hidden. 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:49.779 They couldn't be seen. 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:54.240 Foundations are often, by their nature, unseen and unnoticed. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:57.159 Yet nonetheless, they're utterly critical. 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:00.280 For without a proper foundation, 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:04.760 no house can withstand the power of a great storm. 00:08:05.780 --> 00:08:07.900 And so this is the story Jesus tells. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.580 It's a very dramatic, a very striking contrast. 00:08:13.640 --> 00:08:17.400 Let's look secondly then at the issue Jesus addresses. 00:08:18.580 --> 00:08:19.320 What's the point? 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:22.900 What's the, why is Jesus telling this story? 00:08:24.180 --> 00:08:26.620 The story is not, of course, about architecture. 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:28.579 Or construction methods. 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:31.939 His parable is about people, not buildings. 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:37.720 It's all about what we do with the teaching of Jesus. 00:08:38.460 --> 00:08:41.820 How do we respond to the words of Jesus? 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.419 How do we respond to the teaching of the sermon? 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:50.240 The difference between the wise and foolish builders, 00:08:51.199 --> 00:08:53.419 between the rock and sand as a foundation, 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:58.059 comes down to what we do with the teaching of Jesus. 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:00.299 Look at verse 24. 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:01.299 Verse 26. 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:08.620 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:09.819 Verse 26. 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:28.000 The difference between the two men and the parable is that one man simply hears the words of Jesus, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:32.620 while the other hears and puts them into practice. 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:38.399 Both listen, but only one responds with faith and obedience. 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:40.460 Only one responds positively. 00:09:41.220 --> 00:09:43.820 And this is the difference between rock and sand. 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:46.680 And this is the issue Jesus is addressing. 00:09:47.400 --> 00:09:53.980 What we do with Jesus' words, you see, reveal what we really think of Him. 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:58.720 In John's gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:04.000 If you love me, you will keep my commands. 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:13.860 In other words, our love for Jesus is to be seen in what we do with His words, His instruction, and His teaching. 00:10:15.060 --> 00:10:20.540 If we ignore someone's words, really that's really a form of insult, isn't it? 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:23.800 Shows that we perhaps have little regard for them. 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:26.639 If we don't, we maybe don't think much of them at all. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:30.559 Their words and opinions mean little to us. 00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:38.779 But if we claim that Jesus is our Lord and King, then we will not ignore His words. 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:44.580 Instead, we will want to honor Him and do His will. 00:10:45.379 --> 00:10:51.779 It's not that we will ever do that perfectly, but we will want to honor Him with our lives. 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:55.460 James, in his letter, picks up that theme. 00:10:55.460 --> 00:11:01.320 It's an interesting thing to look at the teaching of the book of James and compare it to the Sermon on the Mount. 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:04.120 But in chapter 1, James says this, 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:34.120 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:47.000 James is saying that the more you obey God's Word, the freer, really, you become. 00:11:47.560 --> 00:11:50.940 You become more of who you are in Jesus Christ. 00:11:50.940 --> 00:11:59.140 The Bible always shows you who you are before telling you what to do. 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:03.960 That's a pattern we see right throughout the Scriptures, pattern we see in Paul's letters. 00:12:04.420 --> 00:12:06.800 Actually, it's the pattern we see here in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:12.420 Jesus first describes the radical new identity of His kingdom followers, 00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:16.400 before then spelling out the righteousness that is to follow. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:23.419 It's that new understanding of ourselves that issues in this radical new lifestyle. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:24.939 It's not the other way around. 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:29.100 In Jesus Christ, we become a new creation. 00:12:29.459 --> 00:12:31.379 We experience newness of life. 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:34.519 And then that new life needs to be expressed. 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:38.259 So, yes, being comes before doing. 00:12:39.579 --> 00:12:41.220 But, of course, doing is important. 00:12:42.699 --> 00:12:45.240 The new life we have received has to be lived out. 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:47.720 Hearing itself is not enough. 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:51.059 It must be accompanied by action. 00:12:52.079 --> 00:12:56.000 We must live out our new identity and faith and grateful obedience. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:07.139 Many years ago, I took a period of study to study leave to audit some classes. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:10.840 Then it was the International Christian College in Glasgow. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:14.019 And I attended some of the lectures. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:16.779 But I didn't take any of the exams. 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:18.340 I didn't do any of the assignments. 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.379 I just sat in, listened. 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:23.460 I was a kind of spectator. 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:24.460 It was great. 00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:26.379 It certainly wasn't demanding. 00:13:27.280 --> 00:13:31.160 And the other students, they were very envious of my special status. 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:33.019 I was a hero only. 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:40.300 But that kind of approach is not appropriate in the church of Jesus Christ. 00:13:41.220 --> 00:13:45.139 It's not appropriate in relation to the teaching of Jesus Christ. 00:13:46.540 --> 00:13:51.860 We can't just sit in on the class that Jesus teaches. 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:54.300 Just listening isn't enough. 00:13:55.300 --> 00:13:58.580 In the kingdom of God, being just a spectator is not on. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.840 And it's easy to be deceived. 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:09.019 To think that by hearing many sermons, that makes us a Christian. 00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:10.960 It doesn't. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:21.980 If we are Christians, then one of the ways that will be seen is in this new relationship we have to the Scriptures and to the teaching of Jesus. 00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:23.220 We accept them. 00:14:23.300 --> 00:14:24.019 We look into them. 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:24.759 We obey them. 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.159 We delight ourselves in the Word of God. 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.860 We delight ourselves in Jesus. 00:14:31.299 --> 00:14:33.720 We delight ourselves in the gospel. 00:14:34.139 --> 00:14:36.860 And we allow it free reign in our lives. 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:47.560 I came across this, I suppose you would call it a paraphrase of the parable in Eugene Peterson's The Message. 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:49.839 This is what he wrote. 00:14:49.839 --> 00:14:51.719 It struck me as quite interesting. 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:52.459 This is what he says. 00:14:52.599 --> 00:14:54.439 This is how he paraphrases the parable. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.340 These words, this is Jesus speaking. 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:01.940 These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life. 00:15:02.400 --> 00:15:05.320 Homeowner improvements to your standard of living. 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:07.740 They are foundational words. 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:10.460 Words to build a life on. 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:19.019 If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. 00:15:20.220 --> 00:15:31.440 But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:37.780 When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a pack of cards. 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:46.399 I think I've been a Christian for around almost maybe 43 years. 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:53.220 Corey mentioned this morning I've been minister of the gospel for 37 years this evening, exactly to the day. 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:58.240 And over that time I've seen, you know, people fall utterly away. 00:15:58.959 --> 00:16:00.299 Completely abandon the faith. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:05.600 People who now have absolutely no interest that appears in the things of God. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.899 And some have been people very, very close to me. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.480 It's a tragic but not uncommon scenario. 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:20.159 Men and women who are fine to all intents and purposes, fine Christians. 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:22.220 Greatly used of God and now they're nowhere. 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:24.700 How do such things happen? 00:16:26.420 --> 00:16:28.200 Well, of course, there may be many reasons. 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:32.700 But one may be that they didn't put down foundations. 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:36.800 And without a proper foundation, the house will fall. 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:38.820 May not do so immediately. 00:16:39.920 --> 00:16:44.500 But eventually the relentless rain of discouragement, the rising flood of opposition, 00:16:44.920 --> 00:16:48.900 the stinging wind of temptation will take its toll and have an effect. 00:16:48.899 --> 00:16:56.340 And so I want to encourage you this evening to put down solid foundations in your spiritual life. 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:58.939 Yes, foundations can be costly. 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:01.120 Yes, they can be time-consuming. 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:03.959 Yes, they can be energy-sapping to lay. 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:06.160 But they're absolutely essential. 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:11.160 Not something you can take or leave. 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:15.140 And these foundations might never be seen by other people. 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:16.720 They're hidden away. 00:17:17.060 --> 00:17:18.340 Costly Christian duties. 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:20.600 Prayer, Scripture reading. 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:24.980 Vital in putting down good foundations for our Christian lives 00:17:24.980 --> 00:17:28.580 because they stimulate and encourage heart obedience. 00:17:30.560 --> 00:17:33.240 And sometimes we can get away without such things. 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:37.900 When the weather is fine, the sun is shining as it was today, 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:40.680 the culture around us is warm, 00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:45.380 and such days we can too easily misplace our confidence. 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:49.200 It's a different matter when the wind starts to blow. 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:51.220 The rain begins to fall. 00:17:51.320 --> 00:17:52.700 The floods begin to rise. 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:56.920 And friends, our cultural climate has been undergoing, 00:17:57.519 --> 00:17:59.420 has it not, a radical change of weight? 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:00.560 The wind's picking up. 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:03.420 The rain is getting heavier. 00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:05.580 The enemy coming in like a flood. 00:18:05.580 --> 00:18:06.920 Are we going to stand firm? 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:10.360 And yes, we live in a culture, don't we, 00:18:10.359 --> 00:18:13.299 that's often obsessed with making appearances, 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:15.000 keeping up appearances, 00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:16.339 looking good, 00:18:16.419 --> 00:18:18.839 more important than being good. 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:22.299 So much in the modern world is quite cosmetic, 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:23.599 superficial. 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.279 Why bother laying down foundations? 00:18:27.139 --> 00:18:30.519 Why bother spending time digging down deep? 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:32.759 Why develop a godly character? 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:36.359 Therefore, after all such foundations might not be seen. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:38.799 They're hidden away. 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:45.119 Friends, we need to beware a shortcut Christianity that's all about appearances. 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:49.879 And let me say that as a minister of the gospel, 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:52.559 that, you know, preachers are no exception to this. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:57.960 Perhaps there are specific temptations that come our way to ministers and elders. 00:18:57.960 --> 00:18:59.759 We work with the word, 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:03.539 but we can fail to work that word into our own hearts. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:08.059 We read the word, we hear the word, we study the word, we preach the word, 00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:09.100 but do we practice it? 00:19:10.120 --> 00:19:14.400 Do we allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly? 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:20.860 Sometimes I wonder if that's not why we've seen in recent years, 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:25.080 the collapse of some prominent preachers, great ministries. 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:27.560 Because it doesn't matter who we are. 00:19:28.580 --> 00:19:30.780 Without foundations, we're going to collapse. 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:33.100 And great will be the fall. 00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:37.900 The story Jesus tells. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:40.440 The issue Jesus addresses. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:44.580 And then thirdly, we need to ask the question, 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:47.420 why does Jesus tell this story? 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.779 He puts his finger on this issue, but what's he looking for? 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:53.820 Well, let's look at the obedience Jesus expects. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:54.880 That's the third thing here. 00:19:55.980 --> 00:19:58.480 In Matthew's gospel, Jesus is presented as the king. 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:00.860 One who speaks with authority. 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:03.940 His word is to be obeyed. 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:09.320 And so the challenge, of course, is not simply to be hearers of his word, 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:10.700 but doers also. 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:15.500 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:18.940 will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:22.160 And the tense there is present continuous. 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:24.180 It means to do them, keep on doing them. 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:29.059 A reference to daily obedience, I think, to the word of Christ. 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:30.720 It's how we lay a foundation. 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:32.960 We meet with him every day. 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:34.460 We read his word every day. 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:36.559 We engage in prayer every day. 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:38.940 We seek to serve others every day. 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:40.960 We resist temptation every day. 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.100 We put our faith into practice. 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:46.620 We endeavor to put our faith into practice every day. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:49.360 Here's the question, though. 00:20:50.420 --> 00:20:55.019 How do we get from healing to obeying? 00:20:55.019 --> 00:21:00.559 How does that word of Jesus Christ get worked into our lives? 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:04.319 What we need is obedience, but not just any kind of obedience. 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:05.460 We need heart obedience. 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:08.779 People can obey for all sorts of reasons. 00:21:09.639 --> 00:21:11.960 And where does that heart obedience come from? 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:16.200 It comes from the, as Corey reminded us this morning, 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:19.160 it comes from the presence and the work of God's Holy Spirit 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:21.160 through the ministry of his word. 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:26.700 There's a passage in Romans 6, Paul says this, Romans 6, 17 and 18. 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:28.120 He says, 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:33.219 Thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin 00:21:33.219 --> 00:21:37.559 have become obedient from the heart 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.639 to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:43.419 And having been set free from sin 00:21:43.419 --> 00:21:45.799 have become slaves of righteousness. 00:21:47.459 --> 00:21:49.819 And the apostle speaks there of the change 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:51.879 that has taken place in the Christian's life. 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:54.059 From being slaves to sin, 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:56.200 we've become men and women 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.819 with that heart obedience to the message of the gospel. 00:22:00.159 --> 00:22:02.259 In Romans, he's talking about them being shaped 00:22:02.259 --> 00:22:04.319 and molded by the word of Christ, 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:06.700 squeezed into a gospel mold, 00:22:06.839 --> 00:22:09.799 rather than being conformed to the pattern of this world. 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:12.819 And that's something that is happening to them 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:14.240 through the word and the spirit. 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:16.279 Righteousness, doing the right thing, 00:22:16.399 --> 00:22:18.639 living like Jesus, living for Jesus. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:22.319 This is what has become their pleasure and their delight. 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:25.399 I wonder if that's true for us tonight. 00:22:25.919 --> 00:22:27.759 Do we delight in the will of God? 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:31.539 Are we joyfully traveling the way of obedience? 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:35.559 Are we allowing the gospel to really change us 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:37.500 and transform our hearts, 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:39.619 change us from the inside out? 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:46.000 Some occasions I make the attempt to play golf. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:50.419 My normal routine when I go for a game 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:51.519 is something like this. 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.259 I drive up to the golf club 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:56.060 about a minute before my tee time. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:57.860 I jump out of the car, 00:22:58.539 --> 00:23:00.180 hastily put on my golf shoes, 00:23:00.620 --> 00:23:01.640 grab my clubs, 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:03.039 dash to the first tee, 00:23:03.600 --> 00:23:05.420 then take a couple of practice swings 00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:08.080 and attempt to launch the ball down the fairway. 00:23:09.060 --> 00:23:10.120 More often than not, 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:11.100 the results of this, 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:13.019 and it is a very well-honed routine, 00:23:13.600 --> 00:23:14.600 are not very good. 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:16.380 You know, the ball finds its way 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:17.240 into deep rough, 00:23:17.360 --> 00:23:18.200 it's in the trees, 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:19.160 it's in a bunker, 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:20.360 it's in a water hazard. 00:23:21.620 --> 00:23:22.860 I never practice. 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:24.960 I seldom, if I ever, 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:26.279 go to the driving range. 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.559 And the reality, of course, 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:30.240 is you cannot be a good golfer 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.700 without hard work and diligent practice. 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:35.160 And if that is true of our hobbies 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:36.900 and recreational pursuits, 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:39.940 how much more is it true of the Christian life? 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:42.600 Discipleship takes effort and energy. 00:23:43.100 --> 00:23:46.279 Being a Christian is a 24-7 activity. 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:49.680 We all need the help of God's Holy Spirit 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:52.139 to put the Word into practice. 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:54.980 He needs to be at work in us. 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:56.559 And so the Christian life 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:57.920 is not something theoretical. 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:00.160 It must be practiced. 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:01.839 Our life in Jesus Christ 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:02.940 has to be expressed. 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.500 We need to get praying 00:24:06.500 --> 00:24:07.660 to our Father in heaven. 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:09.599 We need to forgive our brothers and sisters 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:10.240 from the heart. 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:11.680 We need to turn the other cheek. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:12.920 Go the extra mile. 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:13.680 Love our enemies. 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:16.080 This, says Jesus, 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:17.039 is the way of wisdom. 00:24:19.060 --> 00:24:20.660 And yes, the storms will come. 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.220 Again, over the years, 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.700 I've witnessed brothers and sisters 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:26.140 in the Lord 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:27.360 who have endured great storms 00:24:27.360 --> 00:24:28.080 in their lives. 00:24:28.860 --> 00:24:29.660 The rain has fallen. 00:24:29.779 --> 00:24:31.380 The winds have blown hard against them. 00:24:32.100 --> 00:24:32.720 They've had to face 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:34.460 all manner of suffering and trials. 00:24:34.840 --> 00:24:36.740 Bereavement, loss, illness, 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:37.440 much pain. 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:39.880 All manner of family difficulties 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:41.080 and disappointments. 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:42.759 And yet, for all that, 00:24:42.819 --> 00:24:43.619 they remain standing. 00:24:44.819 --> 00:24:45.539 Why was that? 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:46.159 Because they were 00:24:46.159 --> 00:24:47.980 really well educated? 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:50.220 Because they were really gifted? 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:51.980 Because they were made 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:52.879 of the right stuff? 00:24:54.379 --> 00:24:55.619 No, they had a foundation. 00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:57.799 They built their lives 00:24:57.799 --> 00:24:58.500 on the rock. 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:00.460 They had a heart for Christ, 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:01.559 a heart for His Word. 00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:04.159 We sometimes sing those words, 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:04.419 don't we? 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:05.740 In Christ alone, 00:25:05.899 --> 00:25:06.779 my hope is found. 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:07.980 He is my light, 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:08.700 my strength, 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:09.379 my song. 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:10.799 This cornerstone, 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:12.440 this solid ground, 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:14.599 firm through the fiercest 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:16.599 drought and storm. 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.019 Now, of course, 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:19.799 here it may be 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.000 that Jesus has in mind 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:23.259 not so much the problems 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:24.099 of this life 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:25.759 as the final storm 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:26.819 of death and judgment. 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:28.960 Indeed, the previous verses, 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.460 verses 21 through 23, 00:25:31.639 --> 00:25:32.779 kind of allude to that 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:33.680 great reality. 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:36.000 It's a storm we will all 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:37.279 one day have to pass through. 00:25:38.779 --> 00:25:39.700 And on that day, 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:41.400 the only safe place 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:43.000 will be on the rock. 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:45.360 There's a passage 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:46.360 in Ezekiel 13 00:25:46.360 --> 00:25:47.160 that speaks 00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:49.060 of God's judgment 00:25:49.060 --> 00:25:51.360 as a storm, 00:25:52.080 --> 00:25:53.019 hail and rain 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:54.120 and wind and whatever, 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:56.539 exposing the foundations. 00:25:57.900 --> 00:25:58.900 And that storm 00:25:58.900 --> 00:25:59.920 of divine judgment 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:01.100 will reveal 00:26:01.100 --> 00:26:02.320 and uncover all, 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:04.119 expose the foundations 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:04.960 of our lives. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.319 Were we really building 00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:07.960 on the rock 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:09.819 or were we just fooling 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:10.740 around in the sand? 00:26:12.879 --> 00:26:13.539 And so you see 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:14.539 why Jesus calls 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:16.079 those who would 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.419 literally ignore 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:18.139 his words, 00:26:19.179 --> 00:26:19.419 fools. 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:21.899 Strong word 00:26:21.899 --> 00:26:22.939 he uses here, 00:26:23.659 --> 00:26:24.139 an idiot. 00:26:24.939 --> 00:26:25.919 Because you're a fool 00:26:25.919 --> 00:26:26.500 if you ignore 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:27.299 Jesus' words. 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:29.399 He alone has the words 00:26:29.399 --> 00:26:30.339 of eternal life. 00:26:30.339 --> 00:26:33.279 build on those words 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:33.959 and you build 00:26:33.959 --> 00:26:34.720 for eternity. 00:26:35.379 --> 00:26:35.819 Ignore them 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:36.459 at your peril. 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:39.859 And when Jesus 00:26:39.859 --> 00:26:41.099 finished these things, 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:42.579 the crowds were astonished 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.279 at his teaching. 00:26:43.679 --> 00:26:44.779 He was teaching them 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:46.259 as one who had authority 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:48.539 and not as their scribes. 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:51.619 Easy just to skip over 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:52.480 those closing words. 00:26:53.419 --> 00:26:54.379 I think it would be 00:26:54.379 --> 00:26:55.000 a mistake. 00:26:55.679 --> 00:26:56.059 They're there 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:56.679 for a reason. 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:58.940 And their significance 00:26:58.940 --> 00:26:59.720 lies, I think, 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:00.299 in directing 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:01.120 our attention 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:02.680 back to Jesus 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:03.700 and the authority 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.259 that he has. 00:27:06.060 --> 00:27:06.740 Our gaze 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:08.100 is drawn once more 00:27:08.100 --> 00:27:09.200 to the person 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:10.220 of Jesus Christ 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.200 and his authority 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:13.420 as the true king. 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:17.440 Why should you hear, 00:27:18.320 --> 00:27:18.600 heed, 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:19.320 and obey 00:27:19.320 --> 00:27:19.920 the words 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:20.900 of the Sermon 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:21.600 on the Mount? 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:23.840 It's because of 00:27:23.840 --> 00:27:24.900 the one who taught it. 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:26.880 His authority 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:27.920 is not derived 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:29.960 from any man-made source. 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:31.440 It's the authority 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:32.780 of one who has come 00:27:32.780 --> 00:27:33.460 from God. 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:33.980 Indeed, 00:27:34.080 --> 00:27:34.960 it is the authority 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:35.500 of the one 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:36.640 who is himself 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:37.580 light of light, 00:27:37.900 --> 00:27:39.420 very God of very God. 00:27:41.560 --> 00:27:42.480 You remember how 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.120 at the end 00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:44.259 of this gospel, 00:27:45.280 --> 00:27:46.160 risen Jesus 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:46.940 will send 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:47.840 commissioners, 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:48.380 disciples, 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:49.200 go into 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.540 all the world 00:27:50.540 --> 00:27:51.680 and make disciples 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:52.780 of all nations, 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:54.160 baptizing them 00:27:54.160 --> 00:27:54.540 in the name 00:27:54.540 --> 00:27:55.100 of the Father, 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:55.480 Son, 00:27:55.540 --> 00:27:56.360 and Holy Spirit 00:27:56.360 --> 00:27:58.700 and teaching them 00:27:58.700 --> 00:27:59.420 to what? 00:28:00.080 --> 00:28:01.040 Obey all 00:28:01.040 --> 00:28:02.240 that I have commanded you. 00:28:04.100 --> 00:28:04.580 You see, 00:28:04.620 --> 00:28:06.240 you can't really embrace, 00:28:06.560 --> 00:28:07.160 seems to me, 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:08.320 the Sermon on the Mount 00:28:08.320 --> 00:28:09.900 without embracing 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:11.140 the one who taught it. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:13.300 You can't embrace 00:28:13.300 --> 00:28:14.140 the teaching 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:15.340 without embracing 00:28:15.340 --> 00:28:16.000 the teacher. 00:28:17.100 --> 00:28:18.420 You can't live out 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:19.700 and obey the sermon 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:20.980 apart from being 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:22.680 united to Jesus. 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:24.940 Because there's 00:28:24.940 --> 00:28:25.539 this sense 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:26.440 in which he is 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:27.000 the rock 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:28.000 on which we must 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:28.860 build our lives. 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.480 Paul told the church 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:31.000 at Corinth, 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:32.500 1 Corinthians 3.11, 00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:33.660 for no one 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:35.000 can lay a foundation 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.980 other than that 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:38.160 which is laid, 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:39.720 which is 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:41.740 Jesus Christ. 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:41.880 Christ. 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:45.400 In his little book 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:46.319 on the Sermon on the Mount, 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:47.839 Don Carson writes this, 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:50.279 We ought not to forget 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:51.559 that Matthew's record 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:53.299 of the Sermon on the Mount 00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:54.680 must be taken 00:28:54.680 --> 00:28:55.620 in the context 00:28:55.620 --> 00:28:56.859 of his entire gospel. 00:28:57.640 --> 00:28:59.220 The Sermon on the Mount 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:00.259 does not press 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:01.059 men and women 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:02.259 to despair, 00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:04.000 still less 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:05.339 to self-salvation. 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:08.000 rather it presses 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.220 men and women 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:10.839 to Jesus. 00:29:12.939 --> 00:29:14.500 Have you been pressed 00:29:14.500 --> 00:29:16.240 into a living relationship 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:17.339 with Jesus? 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.459 We're all building 00:29:19.459 --> 00:29:20.639 our lives on something. 00:29:21.559 --> 00:29:22.299 They all rest 00:29:22.299 --> 00:29:23.240 on some kind 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:23.899 of foundation. 00:29:24.879 --> 00:29:26.099 What kind of foundation 00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:26.879 are you choosing? 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.339 Maybe it's our work, 00:29:29.399 --> 00:29:30.000 our career, 00:29:30.159 --> 00:29:30.759 our family, 00:29:30.919 --> 00:29:31.579 our marriage, 00:29:31.919 --> 00:29:32.519 reputation, 00:29:32.919 --> 00:29:33.599 our business, 00:29:34.019 --> 00:29:34.839 our ministry, 00:29:34.839 --> 00:29:36.019 our religious activity. 00:29:37.179 --> 00:29:38.240 But Jesus told 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:38.980 this little story 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:39.779 to remind us 00:29:39.779 --> 00:29:40.799 that there's only 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:41.899 one foundation 00:29:41.899 --> 00:29:43.399 upon which 00:29:43.399 --> 00:29:44.379 it is safe to build. 00:29:45.379 --> 00:29:46.019 And that is 00:29:46.019 --> 00:29:46.859 Jesus Christ 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:49.379 and heart obedience 00:29:49.379 --> 00:29:50.159 to his word. 00:29:51.539 --> 00:29:52.679 Build on anything else 00:29:52.679 --> 00:29:53.299 and we're building 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:53.879 on sand. 00:29:55.359 --> 00:29:56.599 Like George Jones, 00:29:56.699 --> 00:29:57.159 we're all 00:29:57.159 --> 00:29:58.759 living and dying 00:29:58.759 --> 00:29:59.599 with the choices 00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:01.379 we make. 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:03.619 So may God 00:30:03.619 --> 00:30:04.019 give us 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:04.920 his grace 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:06.940 to make good choices, 00:30:07.420 --> 00:30:09.339 to be not only 00:30:09.339 --> 00:30:10.900 hearers of Jesus' word, 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:12.420 but doers also. 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:15.099 May he help us 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:16.420 to dig down deep 00:30:16.420 --> 00:30:17.480 and build solid 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:18.059 foundations. 00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:21.019 May he help us 00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:22.139 to remain standing 00:30:22.139 --> 00:30:24.019 in the day of trial. 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:27.180 May he assist us 00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:29.200 by his Holy Spirit 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:31.819 so that our whole lives 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:33.559 are built 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:35.480 not on a foundation 00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:36.960 of our own making, 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:39.380 but on the person, 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:40.319 work, 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:41.500 and words 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.980 of Christ 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:43.720 alone. 00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:46.019 Let's pray together. 00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:46.120 Amen. 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:55.099 God, our Father, 00:30:55.199 --> 00:30:55.779 we thank you 00:30:55.779 --> 00:30:56.579 for your word. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:58.339 We thank you 00:30:58.339 --> 00:30:59.279 that it is trustworthy 00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:00.139 and true. 00:31:01.419 --> 00:31:02.319 We thank you 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:03.000 that your word 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:04.659 is alive, 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:06.019 that it 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:08.279 demands a response. 00:31:09.399 --> 00:31:09.899 And so, 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:10.479 our God, 00:31:10.579 --> 00:31:11.539 we pray that you would 00:31:11.539 --> 00:31:12.019 help us 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:13.160 by your Holy Spirit 00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:15.079 to respond 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:17.259 in faith 00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:18.220 and obedience, 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:20.859 to trust 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:22.460 not in ourselves, 00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:24.559 but in 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:25.619 our Lord 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:26.700 Jesus Christ. 00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:29.000 In whose name 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:29.460 we pray. 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:30.519 Amen.