Sunday Sermons
Our Foundation
Our Foundation
“I remember building our first house like it happened yesterday…Once construction began, we’d drive to the job site daily to check out the process. The foundation wasn’t that interesting, so consequently we spent the least amount of time examining it…Even thought the laying of the foundation wasn’t the most exciting part of our building process to observe, it was the most essential to constructing a home that would last” (Good or God? John Bevere pp. 27-28).
Luke 6:46-49
Jesus stressed the importance of having the right foundation for our lives. The only foundation that He recommended was a foundation that consisted of hearing the Word of God and doing it (Luke 6:47).
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work”
The above verse is another passage that talks about the only correct foundation for our lives. Observe that the Holy Spirit says that all Scripture is inspired of God. “Not some. Not just the ones we like or agree with. Not just the Scriptures that fit in with our way of thinking or believing. It’s all Scripture. Be honest with yourself: do you view God’s wisdom as right in some areas but out of date or irrelevant in other cases?” (Bevere p. 31). Observe that all Scripture is useful for instruction, for correcting ourselves if we are off course, and to train or educate us in reference to what pleases God (righteousness).
When “Good” Becomes Fuzzy
In the Garden of Eden the will of God was clear in reference to what Adam and Eve could consume. They were allowed to eat from any tree in the garden freely (Genesis 2:16). Yet there was one tree that was definitely off limits (2:17), and both Adam and Eve were given this instruction (2:17; 3:1-3).
“The Woman saw that the tree was good for food”: 3:6
Carefully consider that when Eve departed from Scripture she became confused concerning the true meaning of “good”. The text says that when Eve looked at the tree, it appeared to be good to her. It did not appear to be evil. Eve really wanted to partake of the fruit, not because it looked so evil, but because it looked so good. Eve was not trying to be bad, rather Satan had convinced her that something God said was off limits was actually good for her and Adam. Apart from Scripture we too can start thinking that disobedience to God will lead to a better life, that I could be wiser and happier if I stopped following the Word of God. “Something can have the appearance of good yet be just the opposite. There are concepts, assumptions, opinions, qualities, ways of reasoning, and thought patterns that seem good and right yet are not. Due to these hidden dangers, God has given us a life instruction manual so that we don’t unknowingly veer away from truth and fall into the ways of death” (Bevere p. 31). So we should not be shocked when today people argue that something which the Bible condemns is a good thing, or that it is a wise thing.
A Great Life
Eve did not depart from God’s instruction because she was bitter or angry as the result of a difficult life she had endured up to that point. Her life had been perfect. If Eve could be deceived while inside the Garden with her perfect life how much easier can we be deceived who live on the outside and are surrounded by challenges and struggles (2 Corinthians 11:3).
The Pattern from Genesis
From Genesis chapter three we have one exhortation, encouragement and warning after another concerning carefully following Scripture and examining everything in light of Scripture rather than using feelings, cultural standards or human opinions as our guide:
- “So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32).
- “To keep all His statutes and His commandments” (Deuteronomy 6:2)
- “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it” (Deuteronomy 6:3).
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Him…Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7).
- “To Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you” (Acts 3:22).
- “But the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it” (James 1:25).
- “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).
“We drift from truth when we don’t pay it careful attention. It occurs when we’ve not read, listened to, pondered, and obeyed Scripture. What we don’t keep in focus before us eventually fades. We then easily drift, and God’s will is replaced by the influences of people around us and the voices of society. We then embrace what seems good according to our own swayed evaluation” (Bevere p. 42).
Applications
In these applications I want us to be impressed that everything we do or think goes back to whatever foundation our lives rest upon. Everything that we will do in life, our work ethic, our marriages, our parenting, our honesty, and so on are all linked back to whatever foundation we have chosen.
- Matthew 7:15
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sleep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16).
It is tempting to ignore bad fruits and convince ourselves that this or that person is not as lazy, irresponsible, corrupt, dishonest as their fruits loudly state. In times past, even God’s people have ignored such clear evidence. For example, if no one ever had hired a fool, then there would have been no need for the Proverb, “Like an archer that wounds everyone, so is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by” (Proverbs 26:10). Even though the world often ignores what Jesus says, a number of people have only echoed what Jesus taught in the above verses. On the Internet you will find statements such as, “When people treat you like they don’t care, believe them”. “Behavior never lies”. “Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they want to be”.
Case in Point: Samson and Delilah
Delilah in Judges Chapter 16 is clearly betraying Samson for money (16:5), and yet Samson refuses to believe who she is. Time after time she attempts to bring about his downfall, and he does not accept what is going on (16:6-14). Every time he tells her how to deprive him of his strength, he just happens to wake up in that specific predicament! After each time, she accuses him of deceiving her, and yet she is trying to destroy him. Maybe Samson thought all this was great fun for a while, but it ended badly, with Samson bound, eyes gouged out and in prison. Observe that on that last morning of his freedom, Samson thought he would go out and overcome the Philistines just like before, yet he was completely unaware that God was not with him. The lesson for us is that we must not fool ourselves into thinking that we can be lukewarm and ready for battle at the same time. That we can just turn on some faithfulness when we need it.
- Proverbs 14:12
“There is a way which seems right to a right, but its end is the way of death”.
I thought it was interesting that when looking at various the quotes about “Behavior never lies” (and the other ones) on Pinterest that on the exact same page were quotes about following your intuition. Yet following our feelings is just as dangerous as refusing to believe the actions of others. Proverbs 14:12 is actually stated again in the book of Proverbs (16:25). Whenever a statement is found twice in Scripture, especially within the same book, it is there for emphasis.
“God knows how easily the line between good and evil can be distorted. If it happened in the garden, much more easily can it occur today? God warns there will be ways, behavioral patterns, thought processes, beliefs, customs, or even traditions that seem acceptable by our evaluation but will eventually prove faulty in the building of our lives, and will in time take a toll” (Bevere p. 30). Therefore, we are only deceiving ourselves if we buy into a mindset that says, “Now is a good time to loosen up on our diligence to follow the Word of God carefully”.
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
