Apps for "A Life Revolution"

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:24-29

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is both radically "exclusive" and radically "inclusive." At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount we studied the Beatitudes and how the Kingdom of God is open to all (ie. Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in Spirit..."). However, towards the end we encounter a very exclusive teaching of Jesus through the "Tale of Two Builders." One builder puts into practice what Jesus teaches and he builds on the rock. The other builder does not put into practice Jesus' words and he builds on the sand. This brings up an interesting point. We can read Jesus' words. We can listen to good sermons about Him. We can even say we believe in Him. But do we put what he says "into practice?" Therein shows whether we are truly followers of Jesus or merely fans of Him. Do I agree with what He says about anger, murder, illicit sex, adultery, divorce, verbal manipulation, people pleasing, worrying, wealth worshipping, etc.? Do I agree with God or not? Am I going to build my house on the rock or build my house on the sand? This is exclusive.... either I put his teaching into practice or I don't. Our life apps for this week are meant to help us move from being a fan to a follower of Jesus:

1. Take time in developing your spiritual life: We live in a microwave generation. For example, most of us think everything should be done in 2 minutes, our order should arrive in less than 30 seconds and our website should load in less than one second. Am I wrong? The builder that built on sand is quite similar. He or she does not take the time to dig down and build on the rock. Rather, they just wanted to start building and get it done as quickly as possible only to find that sand doesn't hold their house very well. The road of true development in Christ takes time, patience and persistence. It is not a "get rich quick" scheme or a race measured in nano-seconds; rather, it is a life transformation measured over a long period of time spent with Jesus. It means taking the time to learn from Him and put it into practice. Expecting a quick Jesus-fix is no different than listening to the Beatles and expecting to be a good musician. Being with Jesus, and being transformed by Him, comes through much time with Him.

2. Choose Life! - Do you agree with God? "Yes" or "no," it's a simple question. Yet, most of us constantly try to fix ourselves because we have some level of discontent in our lives. Seriously, if we were content, Oprah and Dr. Phil would not be so rich and powerful. Most "self-help" books, seminars and even the best Oprah shows preach that we can be better, think positively and overcome all our obstacles. However, when will we realize that our best thinking has gotten us right where we are? We have wanted to live our own way with regards to anger, murder, illicit sex, lust, manipulation, and people pleasing. And how has that turned out? Maybe its time we agree with Jesus, trust Jesus and put his teaching into practice. Seriously, anyone who does this is wise and their house will not fall in the rough weather of life because they have chosen life.