I Can’t Do It!

I Can’t Do It!
March 09, 2003	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 7.24-27

Our 8^th grade class has been studying through the book of Proverbs through out this school year. We have read through the book a few times. We have found many interesting things throughout our studies. We have been learning about diligence, humility, pride, contentment, patience, anger, foolishness, poverty, wealth, and the like. It has been somewhat overwhelming to learn all this.

One of the things I have been trying to accomplish, is to get each student to practice at least one of these a week. The goal is to have them make the positive character traits part of their life and to overcome, through Christ, the negative ones. What I have been trying to do is to allow them to see the truth of the Bible and find ways to apply it to their lives. They wrote a paper on a positive characteristic from a Bible hero. Their Memory Quiz final from Romans 12 included an application of one verse or section from the verses they had memorized. For many, this part of the final was very difficult. I will be asking them how they are doing in the completion of the application this coming week. I wonder how they did.

In all the years I have been in ministry and in teaching, I have found applying the Bible to be the most difficult. Just doing what it says is so hard. Most of us want to follow what the Bible says but find it difficult. I have often been asked why that is so. I can see at least four reasons why this is so.

I. Forget to do it

James 1.22-25

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

We really mean to do it, but we don’t memorize the Word, we don’t put it into our hearts, we don’t seek to know the author of the Book. In so doing, we end up forgetting what to do. It is much like the student that places his homework assignments in his assignment book but forgets to look at the book.

[tell the shaving story here]

II. Don’t follow instructions (do it our own way)

2 Timothy 3.10-17

10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All through Scriptures we find God calling out to us to follow His instructions, to do things His way and not our own. He has called us to be followers of the Word of God not the word of man.

It would be as if I were to ask you to collect 250 of these water bottles and place them into a single trash bag for me. You would look at me, say it couldn’t be done and walk away. You would look at the size of the bottle, the size of the bag, and conclude that it is impossible to accomplish. We do this in our lives as-well. God asks us to overcome a sin through Him, and we say we can’t because it is impossible for us to do so. We look at our own situations and tools we have, but we forget to follow the instructions in the Bible. God says what is impossible for man is possible for God. He commands us to be pure, He will give us the power to be pure. He commands us to be victorious, He gives us the tools to be victorious. We need to read the instructions and follow what He says. This is where Hebrews 12.1-2 comes into play. God calls us to focus our eyes on Jesus, when we do we will overcome the impossible. [tell the Peter walking on water story here].

By the way, if we follow the instructions on the bottle (crush the bottle here), we have no problem getting more than 250 in a trash bag.

III. Don’t want to

Most of the time, we don’t live the life God has called us to because we just don’t want to.

James 4.17

17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

For example, let’s see how we maintain purity from Psalm 119.1-9.

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

If we want to remain pure we need to keep God’s Word and to seek Him with all our heart. If you were to recount the times that you have sinned this week, and asked yourself the question: Why? You probably will find out it is because you willingly disobeyed one or more of His commands and sought the things this world has to offer and not God. Sometimes we know the right thing to do and still refuse to do it, we sin.

IV. Building on the wrong foundation

This brings us to our passage today.

Matthew 7

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. 25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

We need to build our house on the Rock of Jesus Christ, nothing else will do for all else will collapse under the weight of the world.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

All too often we are building our live upon what we think, what others tell us, what we remember to be what God wants. If we were to truly analyze our lives, the foundation upon which we live, we would come up short and realize we have been building upon the wrong foundation, upon the wrong rock.

What is His foundation? Jesus Christ according to Isaiah. What does He build with? According to Psalm 89.14

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you

Luke 6.46-49

46″Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

This passage shows us the importance of building our lives on Jesus Christ and that involves doing what He tells us to do, applying His Word. We need to take time out to memorize, study His Word so we can know the truth that will set us free to do His will. How can we do His will if we don’t know His will? We need to evaluate our lives to see if we are truly living our lives according to His will or our own way. If we are living our own way, we need to turn back to Him in repentance. Jesus promises us if we live our lives following His Word, our lives will be blessed for He will be glorified. We will become wise, for we have hid His Word in our hearts. And, we will be living the life He has created for us to live.

I want to ask you one question today: What are you building your life upon?

If your life were to come crashing in on you what would happen to you? Would you remain standing firm in your belief or would your life fall to pieces?

1. ___________________ to do it (James 1.22-25)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

2. Don’t ___________________ instructions (2 Timothy 3.10-17)

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3. Don’t ___________________ to

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4.17

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119.1-9.

4. ___________________ on the wrong foundation

“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.” Matthew 7.24-27

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before youPsalm 89.14

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

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