“A Strong Foundation”
SERMON on MATTHEW 7: 24-29
INTRO:
Well, it’s Super Bowl week once again! All the Steelers and Packers fans say “Amen - thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Cor 9:15)!” Yeah, that’s not what Titans fans are saying. After 17 years, we’ve lost Coach Fisher, dare I say our “Moses,” but have no idea who our “Joshua” will be. We're complaining like Israelites in the wilderness! No, really, on one hand this time of year is a sign of God’s blessings, no matter which team you love. Football. Food. Fellowship. We get to find out which team is the best of the best. Now, I’m a native Memphian, and even though this game could be labeled “North vs. Northeast,” my excitement remains at full tilt. On the other hand, the Super Bowl itself denotes that the football season is about to end. So, this weekend does challenge football fans to live joyfully in the moment. Much to our dismay, God is sending us into a famine without football until September! Pray for me…
This year’s Super Bowl carries special significance. The storied tradition of both teams has sports analysts everywhere asking the same question (no, not just “Who will win,” but): “Which team has the richer history, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay Packers? Each has won multiple Super Bowls. The Steelers, residing in “The City of Champions,” have accomplished the feat 6 times. The Packers, from “Title-town USA,” have done so on 3 occasions. That’s 1st and 3rd respectively in the NFL’s Super Bowl era, where winning 1 ring alone is of the highest degree of difficulty. And this year, one of these squads yet again will earn trips to both Disney World and the White House. So what is it about these organizations that has paved the way for this continued championship-level success?
We could say it’s the players. They’re the ones on the field making plays right? Surely its not the “Terrible Towels” or “Cheese-heads” for Pittsburgh and Green Bay respectively that put them over the top (although, ask any player from these two “small market” teams and they’ll tell you just how important their fans are to them). No. I submit this; the quality of these franchises should be attributed primarily to one fact: each rests on a strong foundation! I’ll tell you what, why don’t we come back to this in a bit? For now, open with me to Matt 7: 24-29, where we find the powerful conclusion of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” Let’s see what our Savior says on the topic: “A Strong Foundation.”
BIBLE PASSAGE:
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."
PREVIEW:
CONTEXT, EXAMINATION, CLOSING
Let's do 3 things:
1. Uncover the CONTEXT of this passage.
2. EXAMINE Jesus’ definitions of and contrasts between stable and unstable foundations.
3. CLOSE with clarification, illustration and application.
