554. Gospel of Luke - Chapter 6 (#5) - We Need to Build on the Rock (that is - Jesus) - May 16, 2024

[00:00:06] and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] So put in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord,

[00:00:27] I pray that you would give everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything you have in

[00:00:33] for them today. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. This is Proverbs 16 beginning in verse 1.

[00:00:43] The preparations of the heart belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs in spirits.

[00:00:57] Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. The Lord has made all for himself. Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

[00:01:09] Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord, though they join forces none will go unpunished. In mercy and truth,

[00:01:22] a toement is provided for iniquity and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

[00:01:29] When a man's ways, please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be a peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than vast revenues without justice.

[00:01:44] A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

[00:01:51] Divination is on the lips of the king, his mouth must not transgress in judgment. Honest weights and scales are the Lord's.

[00:02:02] All the weights in the bag are his work. It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness. For a throne is established by righteousness.

[00:02:15] Righteous lips are the delight of kings and they love him who speaks what is right. As messengers of death is the king's wrath, but a wise man will appease it in the light of the king's face is life and his favor is like a cloud of the latter reign.

[00:02:38] How much better to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver?

[00:02:47] The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

[00:02:57] Pride goes before destruction and a hotly spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.

[00:03:12] He who heads the word wisely will find good and whoever trusts in the Lord happy is he. The wise in heart will be called prudent and sweetness of the lips increases learning.

[00:03:31] Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it, but the correction of fools is folly.

[00:03:41] The heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips.

[00:03:48] The innocent words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. There is a way that seems right to a man but it's end is the way of death.

[00:04:04] The innocent who laborers labor for himself for his hungry mouth drives him on and ungodly man digs up evil and it is on his lips like a burning fire.

[00:04:20] The first man soes strife and a whisperer separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.

[00:04:36] He wakes his eye to devise perverse things. He purses his lips and brings about evil. The silver-haired man is a crown of glory. If it is found in the way of righteousness, he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

[00:05:02] The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

[00:05:10] Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 5 and Proverbs 16 verse 5 says this, every one proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Though they join forces none will go unpunished.

[00:05:31] Friends we will take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today, but what I'd like to do is to continue our study in the gospel according to Luke.

[00:05:43] Friends we are in chapter 6 of Luke and if you did not get a chance to listen to Mondays podcast, the theme of Mondays podcast was the very difficult instruction that Jesus gave to love your enemies.

[00:06:04] So I would highly encourage anyone that did not get a chance to tune in to Mondays podcast to take a look at that.

[00:06:14] And yesterday we hit on another topic that is easy to fall into and that is do not judge.

[00:06:24] We also talked about a tree is known by its fruit and friends people look at our lives. If we let people know that we are a Christian people will be looking at us.

[00:06:38] They will scrutinize everything we do and everything we say and some people are going to give us a hard time.

[00:06:48] That's just the way it is that it's actually a promise of God and it's a good thing.

[00:06:54] So if anyone is living their entire life and not facing any persecution at all, my question for you is are you really being led by the Spirit of God?

[00:07:07] Are you really living life as a Christian?

[00:07:11] Because if you blend in and fit in so well that people don't know your a Christian, then I really would ask yourself maybe I need to do more.

[00:07:26] But today we're going to close chapter 6 with build on the rock and of course that is build on the word of God because Jesus is the word and Jesus is the rock on which we can stand.

[00:07:46] So this is only a few verses today we're going to begin with chapter 6 verse 46.

[00:07:53] But why do you call me Lord Lord and not do the things which I say?

[00:08:02] Now friends of first point, I would like to bring up is why do you call me Lord Lord?

[00:08:11] Now friends when I think of someone who speaks to Jesus as Lord Lord.

[00:08:20] In my mind they have submitted their life to Jesus and their desire is to serve Him.

[00:08:31] So let's look at the second part of that verse and it says why do you call me Lord Lord and not do the things which I say?

[00:08:44] And friends, there is a real fine line here.

[00:08:50] Now I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible, let's look at the commentary in my Bible for that one verse verse 46.

[00:09:00] Lord, Lord, Jesus pointed out that those who called Him by this title of respect acknowledged submission to Him.

[00:09:12] However, when these same people ignored His teaching, they were guilty of hypocrisy.

[00:09:22] And friends, I know when you make that step and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

[00:09:30] And you say that's setter-scrayer, your intentions are to begin to follow Jesus.

[00:09:38] But I have mentioned this many times on this podcast.

[00:09:43] There are going to be certain areas of your life that you find it a little bit more difficult to not keep a hold on.

[00:09:57] And so you still want to do things your way in a couple areas of your life.

[00:10:06] And that is what Jesus is pointing out in this particular verse.

[00:10:12] Let's go on.

[00:10:14] Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom He is like.

[00:10:25] He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.

[00:10:35] And when the flood arose, the stream beat the hematly against that house and could not shake it for it was founded on the rock.

[00:10:48] So friends, my second point today is build on the rock.

[00:10:54] And when I say rock here, I am speaking of the words of Jesus.

[00:11:01] So the only way that we can build on the rock is to be familiar with the words of Jesus.

[00:11:11] And the only way we can become familiar with them is to invest some time and read the gospels.

[00:11:20] What was Jesus like?

[00:11:22] How did He live His life?

[00:11:25] What words came out of His mouth?

[00:11:28] What can we learn from those words?

[00:11:32] It's so vital that we do that.

[00:11:36] Let's go on.

[00:11:38] Verse 49, but he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation.

[00:11:54] Against which the stream beat the hematly and immediately it fell.

[00:12:00] And the ruin of that house was great.

[00:12:05] So friends, my third point is if you don't follow the commands, you are headed for ruin.

[00:12:16] Now listen to the commentary in my Bible for verses 47 through 49.

[00:12:23] Here's and does.

[00:12:27] One who listens to and acts on Jesus' teaching can face any difficult circumstances.

[00:12:37] And friends, this is everyone listening today.

[00:12:40] We are all going to have things that come up in each of our lives.

[00:12:45] And how we handle them is going to determine whether our life is successful or whether it's not successful.

[00:12:55] Listen to this.

[00:12:57] Hear and did nothing.

[00:13:02] Not acting on Jesus' teaching will cause a person to be overwhelmed by circumstances, eventually resulting in total loss.

[00:13:16] Now friends, this is Luke's gospel.

[00:13:20] So Luke is writing these words.

[00:13:23] But what I'm going to do is piggyback off of this story and go to the book of James.

[00:13:30] Now James was a half-brother of Jesus.

[00:13:34] And he lived in the house with Jesus as he was growing up.

[00:13:40] So he knew Jesus, he knew the way Jesus thought, he knew the way he acted.

[00:13:46] He watched Jesus from a young boy become a man and begin his ministry.

[00:13:52] But in chapter 1, James talks about to be a dure of the word and not a hear only.

[00:14:02] Let's begin chapter 1 verse 22.

[00:14:07] But be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves.

[00:14:17] And friends, that is what has happened in today's story.

[00:14:22] If you hear the word but don't absorb it, listen to it, understand it and apply it into your life.

[00:14:35] You are deceiving yourself.

[00:14:38] It will be as though you never heard the word, listen to what James says.

[00:14:45] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a dure, he is like a man.

[00:14:53] Observing his natural face in a mirror.

[00:14:58] For he observes himself goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

[00:15:07] But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it.

[00:15:15] And is not a forgetful hearer but a dure of the work.

[00:15:21] This one will be blessed in what he does.

[00:15:26] Friends, that is fantastic.

[00:15:30] Friends, listen to that promise.

[00:15:33] Let me read that again.

[00:15:35] I want this to sink in.

[00:15:38] But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it.

[00:15:44] And is not a forgetful hearer but a dure of the work.

[00:15:49] This one will be blessed in what he does.

[00:15:54] Fantastic.

[00:15:56] Friends, before we close today I'd like to go back to our proper of the day,

[00:16:01] proper of 16 and look at the verse which I have selected verse 5.

[00:16:08] And it says everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

[00:16:15] And friends, that is what is happening in our story today.

[00:16:22] When that man decided to build his house without any foundation.

[00:16:30] When the storms of life came, that house went down.

[00:16:36] And it went down totally.

[00:16:40] His life became a mess.

[00:16:43] But the first person who built his house on the Word of God,

[00:16:50] on the foundation of the words of Jesus.

[00:16:55] That storm came and it withstood all of the storms of life.

[00:17:02] Because it had that solid foundation.

[00:17:08] Let's look at this verse one more time.

[00:17:11] Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

[00:17:16] Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

[00:17:22] Friends, in proper 6, pride is one of the things that God absolutely hates.

[00:17:31] Both in James chapter 4 and 1 Peter chapter 5,

[00:17:37] The Bible tells us by two very sure writers.

[00:17:43] This is Peter and we know Peter and this is James and this is the half brother of Jesus.

[00:17:52] They each tell us that God resists the proud, but he gets grace to the humble.

[00:18:02] Friends, if we can hear Peter telling us that and if we can hear James telling us that,

[00:18:10] and if we can hear Jesus telling us that in the 6 chapter of Luke,

[00:18:18] think about the importance of the words of Jesus.

[00:18:25] Now my call to action today is very simple.

[00:18:29] How much attention do you pay to those letters that are in red in the Bible?

[00:18:39] Friends, if you are not familiar with the words of Jesus, I invite you to begin opening up the Gospels.

[00:18:49] First, Matthew, then Mark, then Luke, then John.

[00:18:55] Listen to the words Jesus tells us.

[00:18:59] Friends, I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

[00:19:08] If there is anyone listening today, you've never taken that step.

[00:19:12] I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.

[00:19:16] Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God.

[00:19:20] I believe that you came to earth and died on a cross, and were buried.

[00:19:26] On the third day, you rose again and now sit at the right hand of God the Father.

[00:19:33] Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and in need of the Savior.

[00:19:39] By dying on that cross, I believe all my sins have been forgiven.

[00:19:44] And yet, I am personally asking you to come into my heart.

[00:19:50] I would like for you to lead me and guide me from this point forward in my life.

[00:19:57] I make you my Lord and Savior.

[00:20:02] Friends, if any of you repeated that prayer, if you would, go on my webpage, wisdomtodaybk.com.

[00:20:11] There is a contact tab.

[00:20:13] Simply click on that tab, give me your name, give me the information.

[00:20:18] Let me know you said that prayer and I want to get back with you.

[00:20:23] In addition, if you've enjoyed this podcast today and you've never rated this podcast,

[00:20:30] I invite you to go on that same webpage, wisdomtodaybk.com,

[00:20:38] and rate this podcast.

[00:20:41] Please be generous, I'd like a five.

[00:20:44] If you would, there is a place for a comment as well.

[00:20:48] So anything you enjoy about this podcast, please let people know.

[00:20:53] Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:20:57] The Lord make his day shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[00:21:02] The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:21:07] Friends, please join me in tomorrow as we close out the week with wisdom today.