The Will of God 2

The Will of God

Part 2

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord” and do not do what I say?”

If you noticed the passage above in italics, you will realize that it does not have the conventional association with God’s will. But I personally feel that it has everything to do with God’s will and it relates so much to the nature of our church today.

The verse ( which is one of my personal favorites ) is taken out of the passage of Luke 6:46-49. This is the parable of the 2 foundations ( also found in Matthew 7:24-27 ) which Jesus speaks at the end of His sermon on the mount.

But before we take a look at the passage, let me ask you a few questions. ( no looking ahead! )

What does this parable mean?

( Think about question before reading further )

I would say that 95% of you stated that this passage means that Christ is the foundation of our faith, and He is the solid rock that we stand on, much like how the song goes…”On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…” If you thought this, you are incorrect! I’m sure a wave of shock just went through your body right now, with the exact word of “WHAT!?” ringing in your thoughts. Don’t worry, we will explore this further. Let me ask you another question:

Who is the wise man in this parable?

( Think about question before reading further )

I’m sure you guys are probably on your guard now with this one.

I would say that 98% of you said that the wise man was the one who built his house upon the rock. Are you sure? Last chance to change your answer…

If you thought that the answer was “the one who built his house upon the rock,” I’m sorry but you are incorrect again. Let’s take a look at this parable in Matthew 7:24-27 ( NASB ):

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”

So let’s explore the question, “What does this parable mean?” The cultural understanding of this parable has been taught through the song, “On Christ the Solid Rock,” however the true content of the parable means something much different. The cultural interpretation views this parable as Christ telling us about Himself, in that He is the solid rock. Although the statement is true, it is not reflected in this parable. So what does the parable mean?

The parable is Christ talking to us. Notice that He speaks this at the very end of His sermon on the mount. After He has just finished teaching and commanding us to do and not do all these things, He strategically closes with this parable, and starts it with the statement, “There fore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them…” [emphasis added].

Christ did not give His sermon on the mount for the sake of His own health, but FOR OUR PURPOSE, for our spiritual need. And He emphasizes the dire importance of our obedience to His teachings, both from the sermon on the mount as well as all through the scriptures, through this parable. The parable means that we should not just hear these words and let them pass through us, but that we NEED to act upon them, that we NEED to be obedient to them and that we are at the risk of a great cost if we are not. My brothers and sisters, I cannot emphasize this parable enough, for I know and have seen that this parable is one which is often not fully understood and not followed.

This also answers the second question, “Who is the wise man?” The wise man is not the one who built his house upon the rock, for that is what he does because he is wise. The wise man is the one who heard the words, and acted upon them. So another question:

Can Christians ( true followers of Christ ) be the foolish man who built his house upon the sand?

( Think carefully… )

The answer is YES ( unfortunately ). In fact, I believe this to be the norm as compared to the other way around. Our church is SICK because of this very truth, that Christians fail to live in obedience to the scriptures. And in even greater sorrow, that Christians fail to even know and understand what scripture says in order to follow it! Don’t believe me…did you get the first two questions wrong?

Hey, no hemming and hawing. The truth is that few Christians actually know the truth of what they believe beyond the Gospel. They only know the culture through which they have believed. And we wonder why our house is so easily shaken; “The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall” [emphasis added].

So what does this have to do with God’s will? Let’s take a look at the parable in Luke 6:46-49 ( NASB):

“And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Let’s focus in on that first question, which seems to be surfacing quite a bit: “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Now, the key to this particular statement rests in the meaning of the word “Lord.” The Greek word used in this passage is kurie, a form of kurios, which in New Testament is often translated as “’Lord,’ ‘master,’ ‘owner,’ etc.” So we see that in addressing someone as “Lord,” we express that the individual has power, authority, and even ownership over us. No Christian ( true follower of Christ ) would ever deny the title that Christ is Lord, yet the authority due to the title is one that Christians very rarely truly respect.

For if we truly respected Jesus’ title as “Lord,” we would seek to live in complete obedience and surrenderance. And yet how often do we truly seek to do that. I mean not just having the intention of doing it, or the wanting but never doing anything about it, but actually going forward with the actuation of it.

For I am sure that Jesus was not unaware of the human dilemma, that we are so willing to call out a title, yet never really willing to put forth the effort to live in accordance to what that title demands. So I ask you, why do you call Jesus, “Lord,” and yet not do what He says?

And I speak not of complete perfection, as we know that is impossible with our human nature in this world, but instead of the continual striving and sacrifice that comes with the heart that truly and genuinely seeks after Christ. Too many times, we want to, but are unwilling to sacrifice what it takes to get there. We are unwilling to risk losing life, success, marriage, fame, even greatness in the Christian circles, for sake of gaining Christ. Too often we are more than willing to do something for Christ, rather than lose something for Christ.

Which brings us now to our final question about God’s will:

“Why should God reveal to us what He wants us to do tomorrow, when we have NOT done what He has commanded us to do today?”

An interesting dilemma, isn’t it? We plead and cry out to God, “God, what is your plan for my life?” “God, where do you want me to go?” “God, what am I supposed to do?” and here we have a whole book full of commandments from God that we have barely touched. What in our selfish minds would ever lead us to believe that God would reveal the undisclosed Divine Plan of tomorrow to mortals who can’t even do the plain and obvious commands of today?

This may seem harsh, but it is the truth. Why should we be entrusted with tomorrow, when we have been terrible stewards of today? The truth behind our questions of God’s will is that we really don’t care about what God has in mind. We just want to know what will happen to us. When we get down to the heart of the matter, It’s all about us, isn’t it? Don’t believe me? See if the statement below reflects your heart:

“God, I am willing to live in a shroud of mystery, not knowing where the path will lead, and not knowing where I am going and where I will end up, who I will be with and what I will be doing, because I know and trust that it is You who lead. Whether the path is as a soldier in triumphant entry, or as a lamb led to slaughter, I will follow.”

When we get down the heart of God’s will, He wants us to truly know and love Him, to know and understand His word, to live in full obedience to His word, to walk in the power of His Holy Spirit, and to follow Him in trust and in faith knowing that He loves us, knowing that He is sovereign, and knowing that all glory is His and His alone. That is the Will of God!