August 13-14, 2005, Matthew 5-7

HARD ROCK CHANDLER!
ROCK SOLID!

*** John 1:1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us….”

THE ROCK ON THE ROCK!

*** Eph. 2:20 “…And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” [New Living Translation]
**** Matthew 7:24-29 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” [NIV]

HOW TO LIVE A ROCK SOLID LIFE!

1. BY PRACTICING A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE!
*** Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” [NLT]

YOU ARE PLANNED FOR A PURPOSE! YOU WERE BORN TO BE A BLESSING! YOU ARE REDEEMED FOR A REASON!

*** Eph. 1:11-12 “In Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” [Message]

2. BY OBEDIENCE IN ATTITUDE AND IN ACTION!
*** Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”

TRANSFORMATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT!

*** Romans 12:2 “Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” [New Century Version]

3. BY LIVING A LIFE OF INTEGRITY!
*** Matthew 5:33-34, 37 “Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say, don't make any vows! 37Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.” [NLT]
*** Eph. 4:25 “So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body.” [New Century Version]
*** Proverbs 8:7 “I always speak the truth and refuse to tell a lie.” [CEV]

4. BY PRAYING PASSIONATELY!
*** Matthew 6:5-8 “And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them….” [NLT]

PRAYER RECONNECTS US TO THE ROCK!

5. BY PRACTICING MANAGEMENT NOT OWNERSHIP!
*** Matthew 6:19-21, 24 “Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. 24 "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” [NLT]

THE WAY WE SAVE, SPEND AND SHARE TELLS A LOT ABOUT US!

*** Matthew 6:33 “The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you.” [NCV]

6. BY TREATING OTHERS TENDERLY!
*** Matthew 7:12 “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” [NLT]

SHORT COURSE ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS!

*** Luke 6:31 “Treat others just as you want to be treated.” [CEV]

7. BY WATCHING OUT FOR FAKES!
*** Matthew 7:15-16, 20-21 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. 20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced. "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey….” [NLT]
*** Col. 2:8 “Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from…this world, and not from Christ.” [NLT]
*** Matthew 7:24-25 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock.” [NLT]

STORMS ARE INEVITABLE, SINKING ISN’T!

“It is just as God says in the Scriptures, ‘Look! I am placing in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone. No one who has faith in that one will be disappointed." -- 1 Peter 2:6 [Contemporary English Version]