By Choosing the Right Authority

When I was in high school, my friend and I went to downtown Denver...and that’s Denver, Colorado by the way...that’s not Denver, IN that is just north of Mexico, IN which is just north of Peru, IN...

At least Indiana did put them somewhat geographically accurate within the sate...but I grew up in Denver, CO and we went downtown for a jazz concert...that was our choice. We wanted to go, we weren’t forced to go. We were band kids. Feel free to judge, just know you’ll have to give an account for your judgment!

So like any big city, parking is always an issue. We were searching for a parking space making sure that it was public parking and that you didn’t need any special permit to park there during the hours we were going to be there.

We were arriving late, so we were desperate for a good spot, but still you don’t risk it with a parking spot that requires a permit...not in a big city! Well, by God’s grace we found a parking lot literally just around the corner from where the concert was!

- That was amazing and miraculous.

What was even more miraculous was that there were NO signs for permit parking only, or violators will be towed or anything like that...so not only were we allowed to park there, but there were available spaces!

- Actually, let me rephrase that, the entire lot was available! No one else had parked there...which admittedly was strange considering it was free public parking on a Saturday evening!

That fact did cause us to pause and to look more carefully for signs that it was permit only or that we’d be towed. After all, we were both believers...believers that listened to jazz music, but saved by grace nonetheless! So we wanted to submit to the authorities that be when it came to parking.

So we parked, had a tremendous stroll to the venue...only a block away! Had a great time at the concert and began our fabulously short stroll back to our vehicle...

The only problem was, once we got to where we parked there were no cars there...now we were the only one when we left, so ours was the only one that was gone.

- Our first reaction was that it was stolen...but then after looking around the lot again we noticed that there were no less than 6 signs letting people know this was a private lot and that violators would be towed!

To this day, I don’t know how we missed those signs...if there is one word that people would use to describe me it would be observant...I’m not sure who those people are, but I’m sure they’re out there!

Anyways, the point is, while we thought we were submitting to authority and obeying the powers that be when it came to where to park, we found out later that we were completely wrong...and we suffered the $280 fee that came with it, which for high school students practically killed us!

With that in mind I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew 7:21. That’s on page 5 of the back section in the Bible in the chair in front of you if you need that.

This year our annual theme is “Growing What God has Given.”

And this morning we are talking about how choosing the right authority—the authority of Christ and his Word—is necessary for growth...but not only is it necessary for growing well, it’s necessary for growing period! And as we’ll see in our text this morning, it is possible to be like my friend and I...thinking we were obeying the authority over us, and yet be completely wrong...and what’s at stake is a lot more than a $280 fine...

Follow along with me as I read beginning in Matthew 7:21...this “the Word of the Lord.”

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

^{28 a}When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; (is that where you find yourself? Amazed at Christ’s teaching...I hope so) ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

So this morning we’re going to be focusing on 3 promises for those who submit to the authority of Christ.

I. Having Christ as your Authority ensures your salvation

The first promise is that Having Christ as your authority ensures your salvation.

The section of scripture that our text comes from is found in the conclusion of the sermon on the mount which begins in Matthew 5. This sermon is given to his disciples which is what Matt. 5:1 says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.”

And the whole sermon is essentially about the kind of life and righteousness that is necessary for a person to be part of the kingdom of heaven. And at the conclusion of the sermon which we are looking at part of this morning, Jesus is trying to help those who are listening to him know whether or not they are going to be entering the kingdom of heaven or not. He gives 4 illustrations to help them evaluate whether they’re saved or not saved. We’re only looking at the last 2 this morning. But there is no doubt that the most important issue on the table this morning from these verses, is who is saved and who isn’t.

The first point that we have to wrestle with is in v.21 – “not everyone says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...” We can say it this way, Saying the “right thing” will not save you.

1. Saying the “Right thing” will not save you

The text is clear that those who are saying, “Lord, Lord” will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

- The problem is not that they said the wrong thing.

- The problem is not that they called the wrong person, Lord. They are saying this to Jesus, and Jesus is the Lord!

So what’s the problem? The right confession, the right beliefs, and saying the right thing is not enough to save you.

Now, we must pause and clarify that your confession and beliefs and words do matter.

- For example, Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

- Also, Matthew 10:32–33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

So the Bible is clear that you must confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord and acknowledge him with your mouth in order to be saved. And yet at the same time, mere words...a mere confession or intellectual acknowledgement of true theology cannot save you.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there with this illustration. He even goes on to show that doing the right things cannot save you!

1. Doing the “right things” will not save you

Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’”

What’s amazing about their claim to have done these amazing things is that the reason that they aren’t entering the kingdom of heaven IS NOT because they didn’t actually do these things!

In fact, the way the people ask the question implies that they have done these things, and not only have they done them, but they have done them in the NAME OF JESUS! These are not random things that they did in their life that now they are trying to use to get them into heaven. These are things they did on purpose and with the intent of doing because of the desired outcome of entering the kingdom of heaven.

What’s even more amazing is that Jesus doesn’t deny that they prophesied or that they cast out demons or that they performed many miracles. So the implication is that these things really did happen. More shocking than that, is that Jesus doesn’t even deny that they did them in HIS NAME!

Jesus’ response to all of this is simply, “I never knew you...” You may have known my name. You may have known that I was the Lord. You may have declared that and done many things in my name...but Jesus essentially says, “I never knew your name.”

In my judgment this is one of the more sobering passages in all of Scripture.

One of the crucial points to see in this passage is that Jesus is highlighting that the difference between genuine believers and those who are not is subtle.

- Now, this is a passage that is addressed to those who are in church. This is written for those who would call themselves disciples of Christ.

- So this is not seeking to point out the difference between a Christian and someone who doesn’t claim to be.

- No, the issue that is being addressed here is, of the people who say they are Christians, which ones are really genuine Christians and which ones aren’t.

And at this point there are 2 things that we need to see about those who are not genuinely saved.

The first point is that although they claim to have the right authority—Jesus Christ—they do not. And secondly, although they claim to be serving the right authority—Jesus Christ—they are not.

And yet, as we’ve already seen we must claim and acknowledge the right authority in order to be saved. And as this text even makes clear at the end of v.22 it is the “one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven who will enter” the kingdom of heaven. So in order to be saved, we must actually serve the Lord with our lives.

So it’s clear that only living for God’s will, will save you.

1. Only living for God’s will, will save you

But what does that mean?

If we go back to Romans 10:9 we are not only told that we must confess that Jesus is Lord with our mouth, we are also told that we must believe in our heart. The point is, there is a difference between merely an external confession and an internal confession and belief.

We all know this to be true. For example how many of you broke the speed limit on the way to church this morning? Don’t raise your hand...we do have police officers that attend our church!

And how many follow the speed limit when a police officer is near you or behind you?

We may say that we should obey the law or follow the speed limit, but if we drive differently when cops are around, then we have a conflict between our external confession and internal confession.

If we take the same example, a person who is internally and externally consistent about not speeding will not be affected at all when a cop is around.

This is the same difference that is the issue between a genuine follower of Christ and one who only claims to be.

Matthew 6 highlights this with 3 separate examples. In Matt. 6:2–4 Jesus uses the example of giving and generosity.

- If you’re giving is genuine and out of a desire to obey the Lord from the heart, then you’ll give when no one else even knows you gave.

That’s why he says,

Matt. 6:2–4 ² “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

So how do you know if your giving is genuine? If it’s not motivated AT ALL by people seeing or knowing.

He goes on to give the example of prayer. If your prayer is genuinely to the Lord, you’ll pray in secret not just when others are around to see or hear you pray.

And then he mentions the same thing about not seeking to bring any attention to yourself at all when your fasting.

Why? Because your Lord, because your Father sees in secret!

Look back at the kinds of deeds that the false believers pointed to in v.23...

- Prophesying...that’s a public thing.

- Casting out demons...that’s a public thing.

- Performing miracles...that’s a public thing!

Now, Jesus’ point in Matthew 6 and even here is not that public serving or good deeds are wrong.

In fact, earlier in the sermon on the mount he said in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

So the problem with these people crying “Lord, Lord” isn’t a matter of the works being public? So what is the issue?

It’s that they were looking to their profession and their works in order to merit them favor with the Lord. They were professing Christ’s name and doing things in the name of Jesus, not simply because Jesus was their authority, or their Lord but because they wanted to earn their standing and salvation with the Lord.

Most of us probably aren’t claiming to be prophets, or exorcists or miracle workers. So how might this apply to us?

Maybe instead we’d be saying, “Did we not serve in Sunday school for name? Did we not teach or lead a small group in your name? Did we not serve in the Living Nativity in your name? Did we not take off work to serve in the BCTC in your name?”

Is the Lord going to be pleased with those things? Maybe...but it’s not because of the work, or service itself. It will be because of the motivation and desire behind the service.

- Are you serving because others will see you?

- Are you serving because that’s what you believe the right thing to do is?

- Are you serving because that’s what you believe will ensure you a blessed life?

- Are you serving because you’re trying to make up for your bad past?

If that’s the reason for your serving, then please hear these words from Jesus this morning...that kind of serving and doing will not be enough!

Jesus is looking for service that is motivated totally from our love for him and thankfulness for what he’s done on our behalf!

As a genuine believer, I know that Jesus died for my sin. I know that Jesus took the entire wrath of God on my behalf. I also know that Jesus lived and obeyed perfectly on my behalf so that I could become the righteousness of God.

Because of that, I want to do whatever he asks. Because of his love for me, I want to obey him. Not because I can ever hope to pay him back for what he did. Not because I can ever hope to EARN anything from him. Simply because I’m overwhelmed by his kindness and grace to me! Then all of my serving and all of my obedience comes from a thankful heart rather than a proud heart that is trying to earn favor with God.

- The gospel tells me there is no way I can ever hope to earn favor with God. Rather, I receive all of his favor and kindness, when I admit that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus alone secured my salvation!

If this idea serving out of love for Christ and thanksgiving is new to you. Or even if you’ve never considered that your good deeds and your service might really be motivated selfishly rather than for your love for Christ, then please do not move on from this point too quickly.

Examine yourself. Ask yourself questions like,

- “Do I serve in areas where there isn’t much recognition or do I only serve when there is recognition?”

- “Do I get frustrated when others don’t thank me or praise me for my service?”

- “Do I get angry when trials or difficulty comes? Do I think that I deserve an easy or smooth life?

If the answer to those questions are yes, I seek the recognition, I get frustrated if I don’t receive the praise I’m looking for, and I think I deserve an easy life so I get angry when it’s not...that might mean that you don’t actually know Jesus Christ personally.

I want to be careful not to exaggerate this point, but it’s important to say because Jesus said it. In v.22, Jesus says, “Many will say to me...” That’s sobering. Jesus doesn’t say, “There will be a couple or a few.” He says there will be “many who will say to me”

So do not move to quickly over Christ’s words here without examining yourself. An eternity in the kingdom of heaven or an eternity in hell is at stake here.

So if you’re here and you’d say, wow I’m pretty sure I’ve just been confessing Jesus is Lord and doing things for him thinking I was obeying, but now I think I’ve just been serving selfishly. I think Christianity has been about me, rather than about Christ and his glory. Then can I encourage you to thank the Lord for revealing that to you, and then “do the will of the Father” which begins by placing your faith and trust in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as the only hope for your salvation.

If you’re here and you’re certain you’re a believer. Don’t move to quickly over this section either. Because the reality is, even as Christians it is so easy to be self-deceived like the people in this passage. So when we come to a text like this, it’s important to examine ourselves for any self-deception. And wherever we find hypocrisy and self-deceit confess it and repent quickly!

So, the key point from this section is that Christ alone is the authority that will ensure the salvation of your soul. Your words and your actions don’t have the authority to save you. Only Jesus Christ does! That’s the first promise of Christ’s authority.

The 2^nd promise to those who choose Christ’s authority is that it ensures your souls stability.

II. Having Christ as your Authority ensures your souls stability

And not only does Christ’s authority ensure your souls stability, it also is the only authority that can ensure your souls stability. Christ is not one among options. He alone can save and give stability.

And this passage makes it clear that there are only two options.

First, you can build on the rock...you can build your life on the words and authority of Jesus. Or you can build on the sand...you can build your life on ANYTHING other than Christ!

Only two options. Now why does picking the right authority matter? Because as the text makes clear, no matter which authority you there are storms coming.

1. The storms of life will come

Notice, that the wise builder who is the illustration for a genuine follower of Christ, he experiences the same storms that the person who does not follow Christ does.

So, if you want to choose Christ as your authority so that he will prevent the storms and give you a comfortable and easy life, you’ll be sorely disappointed....and quite frankly the idea that you’d have an easy, problem free life doesn’t come from Christ’s authoritative words. But no matter what authority you choose to follow, you’ll be sorely disappointed if you’re expecting a peaceful, easy going life.

This is not the only place in Scripture that encourages us to prepare for difficulty.

All the way back in the garden of Eden, Scripture declares that this life will have pain, and thorns and thistles and death. And that’s been true ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3.

- The whole of Scripture gives evidence to the fact that life is full of storms.

- In Genesis 4, there is such anger on Cain’s part that he murders his brother Abel.

- In Genesis 6 there is a worldwide flood wiping out creation.

- In Genesis 19 there is sexual abuse.

- In the family of Jacob there is favoritism and disunity among the brothers.

- In Exodus there is physical bondage and slavery.

- In numbers there is sojourning in the wilderness for 40 years.

- Fast forwarding to the time of Christ, Israel is under Roman rule and oppression.

- They are taxed heavily and unfairly by tax collectors.

And on and on we could go. In 3 John 4 John says, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” Which means that experiencing the opposite is extremely painful, and many parents have to walk that unfortunate storm of struggling with a child.

So with all of these storms coming, choosing the right authority has supreme importance for the stability of our soul in this life and in eternity.

But your choice of authority, and the results of choosing that authority will depend on what you build on.

1. The results depend on what you build on

In this metaphor the house that we are building is our life. What we choose to build on is the crux of the issue. Jesus says that the one who hears and acts on his words will stand through the storms. But the one who hears and does not act on Christ’s words will fall.

So as we’ve already hit on this morning, there is nothing you can do to be saved, but if you are saved there are things you must do! And as a believer you must build your entire life on the authority of Christ’s words.

And not just on part of Christ’s Words...not just the parts you like or that are palatable to you. If Christ is going to be the authority upon which your entire life stands or falls you must submit to all of it.

If you’re going to cry out “Lord, Lord” and it be genuine, then he must be the Lord of everything in your life.

Let’s pause and think about similarities between these two builders and houses.

- For one they both hear the words of Jesus.

- They both respond to the words of Jesus by going out and building a house.

- And they both experience the storms of rain, floods and wind.

From this we might imagine that after hearing Christ, they both decided they wanted what Jesus had to offer. They wanted the joy, the peace, the satisfaction the rest, the security and the forgiveness that Christ offers. And so they both go out to get it.

From the similarities in the text we might imagine that they are building the same kind of house. The same style, the same neighborhood, the same everything. Everything looks the same, that is until the storms come.

When the storms come, the houses that looked the same, that was in the same location and same neighborhood had anything but the same result.

The difference in results was a matter of how each person went about getting what Christ was offering. The first man heard the offer and obeyed Christ. The second man heard the offer and then went his way to get what Christ promised on his own.

- This could be the person that decides, yes I want the wonderful family so I’ll go to church and serve so that my family will be what I want it to be.

- Or this could be the student that seeks to follow the Lord and go to church and serve so that God will allow him to make it into medical school.

- Or maybe this is the person who wants a husband or a wife and instead of patiently waiting for a wise, godly person they compromise and pursue an immoral relationship thinking that after they’re married, they’ll get things worked out.

But that kind of building that seeks to make a deal or a bargain with Christ or takes some of Christ’s words but ignores others is not building on the rock.

Again, please note the subtle difference between these two people. It’s not obvious, until the storms come. Jesus doesn’t want you to assume that just because you attend church every Sunday, or are part of a small group, or are part of a Christian family that you’re actually building your life on the solid rock of Christ’s authority.

For example, just because you work hard doesn’t mean that you’re working hard as unto the Lord.

- The difference between those two might be hard to spot...at least until the storms come.

- The person that is working hard on their own authority because they believe it will lead to respect, a good name, and financial security will stop working hard when they come across a boss who is never pleased with what they do.

- But the person that works hard as unto the Lord, will continue to work hard no matter how their boss responds.

Or just because you don’t gossip or curse doesn’t mean that you’re controlling your tongue in order to please Christ. You might be controlling your tongue because you’ve experienced the pain of gossip yourself or people you know who do that aren’t people you like. So the motivation might not be to please Christ, although the outward expression of controlling your tongue is something Christ commands of us.

My point, is that there are a lot of motivations and reasons behind how we might be building our life. And our life from an external perspective might look like we’re building our life on the authority of Christ, but if your motivation and goal isn’t tied back to, because I love Jesus and I want to please him, then you’re building your life on sand.

Take Matthew 6:19–21 for example. Jesus tells us

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we work hard for earthly treasures, moth, rust and thieves can and eventually will take part of it. And when that happens, when that storm comes we’ll be shaken.

- Building your life around money might make you a hardworking, polite and honest person. But if your business all of a sudden fails and your investments shrink, you won’t stand firm through that trial. You’ll find out that the authority you built your life on wasn’t Christ but on money.

But if you make Christ your treasure above everything else, then you’ll work hard for his glory as he commands us to. You’ll steward your finances well for his glory. And if God brings a storm into your life and it wipes away your hard work of saving and investing, you’ll still rejoice because your treasure is Jesus and not anything on this life.

So build in such a way that Christ is your rock. Build in such a way that Jesus is your greatest treasure. Make sure that every area of your life is guided and directed by what Scripture reveals is pleasing and honoring to Christ!

If that’s your goal, Jesus promises that you stand stable no matter what comes your way.

That last promise this morning, to those who choose Christ as their authority is that following his authority ensures a life wisely lived.

III. Having Christ as your Authority ensures a life lived wisely

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man...”

As a pastor and a counselor I do a lot of wisdom counseling if you will. Trying to help people make wise choices. Some of those wise choices are black and white and other wise choices are a lot more difficult to discern.

For example, the bible is pretty clear that it is wise to never engage in any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage. That is pretty black and white.

But when it comes to making a wise choice about who to date. That becomes a little less clear.

Even though there are plenty of decisions we have to make every day that are less clear, the Bible and Jesus still encourage us and command us over and over again to live wisely.

Well, have you ever noticed how there are a lot of different opinions on what is wise and what isn’t? There are a ton of people, and books and voices out there shouting out all sorts of wisdom for life, but a lot of it contradicts...

So how do you and I go about living a wise life? The end of our life will reveal whether we were wise or foolish. But how do we make the wise choice first, without having to go the foolish way?

In my short career as a pastor I’ve had multiple people tell me, “I just have to experience it for myself.” In other words, even if others warn them about the consequences of going that direction, they still have to try it out for themselves just to make sure.

- That is the definition of a fool in Proverbs. Someone who never listens but just goes the way he thinks is best and experiences the consequences.

Let me just point out that the reason Jesus is telling us this parable is because he doesn’t want us to go through the experience of our life collapsing because of our foolishness. Jesus is graciously telling us this parable so that we would be like the wise man and experience the stability of living wisely.

Wise living comes down to hearing and acting on Christ’s Words. It is amazing how simple Jesus actually makes it for us.

Jesus boils down wisdom to hearing and obeying Christ’s Words and foolishness as hearing and not obeying.

- Wisdom isn’t an intellectual test. So college degrees and credentials don’t play into wisdom at all!

- Wisdom also has nothing to do with age here!

o You can have an 80 year old fool who doesn’t obey the words of Christ, and a 3 year old wise man, who hears the word of Christ to obey his parents and then chooses to obey rather than disobey because it pleases Christ.

So, here are some application steps:

First, examine the words of Christ that you’ve heard and then examine how many of those words are you actively obeying.

- If you’re a wise person then you’ll be actively obeying much of what Christ has called you to.

- But a wise person is also going to be the person who recognizes where he’s not obeying Christ and then responds with repentance.

Second, examine your response to the smaller trials and storms of life. Ultimately, the storm that is coming upon us all is the testing of the judgment of Christ. But it is in the smaller trials of this life that help us see whether or not we are wisely building.

- If your response to storms is that you’re shaken through worry, or despair or anger. Then take a closer look at what you’ve been building your life on.

And to the degree that you are building on the rock and wisely living and experiencing the stability that Christ promises, praise and thank the Lord.

- Because that stability is not because of you, it’s because of Christ and the salvation that he has worked for you!

Finally, thank the Lord for his authority.

- The response of the hearers to Christ’s teaching was astonishment because of his authority.

- As believers, we should go further than astonishment...we should cherish and love his authority because being under his authority is what secures salvation, brings stability and ensures a life wisely lived.