As we have considered, as Jesus approaches the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He describes a series of choices His listeners need to make: “Which Gate?” “What tree, what fruit?” “Which Lord?” “Where do you build?” Today, we will consider the last question: “Where do you build?”

Key points

1. Hears, does, and wisdom. Jesus made it clear that He is the firm foundation upon which the wise person builds their life.

2. We all face storms in life. Jesus never said if the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house. He said: And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house.

3. The second builder’s folly. F. F. Bruce wrote: “It is not, as is commonly supposed, a question of two foundations, but of looking to, and neglecting to look to, the foundation.”

Main Text Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

Read Romans 8:6

What are the consequences to life in the Spirit according to verse 6? Life and peace.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

Read Romans 7:25-8:1

So how can we be sure there is no condemnation? When we trust in Christ Jesus, God sees us as sharing in Jesus’ righteousness. He credits us with Jesus’ perfect life and accepts Jesus’ death as payment for our sins. God would never condemn Jesus, so He will never condemn those seen as in Christ Jesus. We become “in Christ” by putting our faith in Jesus and what He did for us at Calvary (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:8–9).

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

Read John 15:1-17

I recently heard someone make the argument that when we abide in The Vine—Christ is the Vine—that we will produce many gifts and talents for use in His kingdom, or what Scripture calls, “fruit.” As long as we remain in the Vine, we are a branch that will produce much fruit for His kingdom.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

Read Romans 6

I personally believe that we become slaves to righteousness because, while our old spiritual self is dead in Christ, our actual physical self is still encased in sinful flesh; thus, the desire to sin remains, but in Christ, we, for the first time, have the ability to say, “no” to sin’s demands of us. Now, the key to overcoming sinful desire lies in remaining in Christ and becoming a slave to righteousness.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

Read Psalm 119:11

May I be as diligent as David and store God’s Word in my most inner part, in my very midst. May I do this so that when life becomes challenging and hard, or when temptations arise to sin, I am able to stand on Truth and reject the temptation and/or overcome the challenging hardship.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

As we have considered, as Jesus approaches the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He describes a series of choices His listeners need to make: “Which Gate?” “What tree, what fruit?” “Which Lord?” “Where do you build?” Today, we will consider the last question: “Where do you build?”

Key points

1. Hears, does, and wisdom. Jesus made it clear that He is the firm foundation upon which the wise person builds their life.

2. We all face storms in life. Jesus never said if the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house. He said: And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house.

3. The second builder’s folly. F. F. Bruce wrote: “It is not, as is commonly supposed, a question of two foundations, but of looking to, and neglecting to look to, the foundation.”

Main Text Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

Read Proverbs 19:21

We sometimes need to press on despite what our critics say, but there are circumstances when it’s beneficial to quit. Our stepping away might be the catalyst for someone else to step up. Our stopping might be for a much-needed sabbatical or training so that we can resume stronger. Remember, the outcome will be amazing when our plan aligns with God’s purpose.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)