We are finishing up our discussion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus summed up this teaching very well, and we are going to talk about building your life on Jesus.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Watch the video of this teaching at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/build-your-life-on-jesus/ or on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/IrKMsg-2_0c
We are finishing up our series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These three chapters of the gospel of Matthew are the best teachings for church doctrine. What Jesus taught during this time was revolutionary for its time and still is in many cases today. We must stick to Jesus’ words and teaching if we are going to succeed in the life God has ordained for us.
Today we are looking at Jesus’ summation of this teaching time and talking about building your life on Jesus. I recently saw a post on social media that said, “Even Satan believes in Jesus. To be a Christian you need to do more than believe in Jesus, you need to follow Jesus and let him be Lord of your life.”
Jesus tells us that not everyone who says to Him “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. He goes on to explain that those who do will be those who do the will of His Father. Let’s take a closer look at this passage and how it applies to us today.
First, we need to understand the context of these verses. In Jesus’ time, it was common for people to associate with religious leaders in order to gain favor with God. There was stature in whom you followed and were a disciple of. It became part of who you were. God knew people thought this way. This is one of the reasons that he sent Jesus and made him the son of a carpenter.
Matthew 7:21-23 says:
(21) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ (23) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Believing in Jesus is not enough. You must follow him. He must be the reason why you do the things you do. When you do things, give God the glory; do not take the glory for yourself. We each have giftings and abilities from God and were created with a plan and a purpose. Live out that plan and purpose in Jesus’ name, giving him the glory of all accomplishments.
Jesus does not care what school you went to, what church group you belong to, or how successful you are. Jesus cares about what you are doing for the Kingdom in his name. Are you feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, giving aid to the sick, and freeing the captive? These are the things Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to equip us for.
Jesus is telling us that simply having religious knowledge and affiliations isn’t enough. Instead, we must build our lives on Jesus and live out our faith in him in our daily lives. That is what really matters.
Second, Jesus is reminding us that our faith should be reflected in our actions. If we say that we are followers of Him, then our lives should reflect this. We need to put our faith into action and demonstrate it through our words and deeds. We may think that we can deceive God by saying one thing and doing another, but this will not save us in the end.
We often talk about being the hands and feet of Jesus. One of the main passages of scripture we have built Cell Life Church on is found in Matthew 25:31-40.
(31) “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. (32) All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (33) He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (34) “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (37) “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? (38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? (39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ (40) “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
This is being the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus has given each of us the mission to spread the gospel worldwide. This is how we spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and free the captive wherever we go. That is being the Church.
James 2:14-17 says:
(14) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (15) Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. (16) If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (17) In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Our actions are just as important as our faith. Being a Christian is not for spectators. We have an active part in God’s plan for humanity. God has given us gifts and equipped us specifically to carry out the mission each one of us has. You must have faith in Jesus and you must be the hands and feet of Jesus. That is building your life on Jesus.
Third, we need to be mindful of how we are using the gifts God has given us. We should not take them for granted or use them for selfish gain. Instead, we should use them to serve others and bring glory to God. We should remember that God gave us these gifts not for ourselves but to be used in His service.
Matthew 7:24-27 says:
(24) “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. (25) 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. (26) 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. (27) The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When you build your life on Christ, you have built your life on the rock that cannot be shaken or moved. You can weather the storms of life. To do this you cannot use the gifts God has given for selfish gain. You must use these gifts to serve others and give God the glory for it.
The Holy Spirit equips us for ministry, that is to serve. He does not equip us to make us rich, powerful, or famous. Those things may come, but even that must be used to further share the good news of Jesus Christ around the world.
Be a good steward of what you have learned and the blessings God has given you. Use them with the tools the Holy Spirit equips you with to share the good news of Jesus Christ. This is how you build your life on Jesus.
If we truly want to enter the kingdom of heaven and spend eternity with God, then we must do more than just speak words of faith. We must do more than just attend a worship service one day a week. We must put our faith into action and live our lives for God’s glory every day.
Just as we read in James 2:17 “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” So let’s put action behind our faith and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Anything short of that is vanity and self-serving. It will not bring you closer to God, it will further you from him.
Build your life on Jesus by being the hands and feet of Jesus and using the gifts and talents God has given you to share the good news of Jesus Christ with this lost and dying world.
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