Living out Jesus’ Teachings: The Key to a Stormproof Life

I don’t understand God's word when I read it;
I understand it when I live it.

This is the final post of my Join Me on the Mountainside Series. Imagine the people listening to Jesus’ sermon. They have never heard such powerful words or such clear teachings, and they feel their hearts being stirred like never before. Jesus concludes His famous Sermon on the Mount by telling His hearers what they should do with everything they have heard.

The Wise Person

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
—Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV

According to Jesus, the wise follower of God is the person who comes to Jesus, hears His instructions, and puts them into practice. Simple right? Except that Jesus’ teachings will radically transform the life of anyone who applies them.

As fun as studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has been, it will provide no benefit to anyone who does not put what they have learned from Jesus into practice.

Obedience to His will is the test of true faith in Christ. The test is not words, not saying “Lord, Lord,” and not obeying His commands. How easy it is to learn a religious vocabulary, and even memorize Bible verses and religious songs, and yet not obey God’s will. When a person is truly born again, he has the Spirit of God living within (Rom. 8:9); and the Spirit enables him to know and do the Father’s will. God’s love in his heart (Rom. 5:5) motivates him to obey God and serve others.
—Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 31.

We are all in danger of deceiving ourselves, believing that studying the Bible, reading devotional books, and listening to sermons is enough. But what we learn from God will be of no benefit unless we put it into practice.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
— James 1:22-25 NKJV

Our hearing/studying of God’s word must result in action.

The Foolish Person

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
—Matthew 7:26-27 NKJV

Foolishness, in this case, has nothing to do with an individual’s intellectual capacity but rather with a willingness to put what one learns into practice. Anyone can be a wise builder, regardless of their level of education or intellectual prowess. The wisdom Jesus describes is available to all; even a child who hears and applies Jesus’ words is a wise builder. All it takes to be a wise builder is a willingness on the part of the hearer to put Jesus’ words into practice. The foolish builder is foolish because he knew better but chose not to act on it.

The Storm

A false profession of faith will last until judgment or trials come. At first glance, everyone looks the same. The difference between the houses is not aesthetic and is not visible from appearances. The difference between people and between the houses becomes evident during the storm, which is exactly when we need it the most. The difference is in the foundation, which nobody sees but makes all the difference.

It is easy to be a follower of Jesus when there are no trials and when your faith costs you nothing. However, when the storm hits, it becomes evident whether the builder is wise or foolish. You may think your problem is lack of knowledge, and I agree that there is value to knowledge, but if you have not yet applied what you know, what use will more knowledge be? We should seek more knowledge, but we should also apply what we already know to our lives.

Everyone can show up and look good. Everyone can sing the same songs and worship on the same day at the same location, and there is no visible difference. The difference becomes evident when the storm hits. Know that the storm will come to all of us. It is not a matter of “if” but of “when.” Since we do not always know when the storm will hit the best thing is always to be prepared. We must make sure we build our house on the rock. Jesus makes it simple by letting us know that we build on the rock when we put His teachings into practice in our lives.

In the Day of testing, not what we have said but what we have done in obedience to the Divine will shall alone be accepted as evidence: not the profession we leave made, but the verification we have given of it in our Christian walk; not the doctrines we believed, but the fruits they bore in our daily lives. 
—Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005), 415.

I don’t understand God's will or word when I read it;
I understand it when I live it.

While “personal holiness” may seem of little value to others, it makes all the difference in the lives of those who desire to see God.

“…the one who disregards the revealed will of God and follows a course of self-pleasing, no matter what garb of religion he wears, is playing the part of the fool, as he will yet discover to his eternal undoing.”
—Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005), 415.

How important is it to put Jesus’ teachings into practice? It is vital.

The Foundation

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
—Isaiah 40:8 NKJV

We live in a fast-changing world. Constant and quick change causes uncertainty and anxiety. Many try to foresee what will happen next and most of us get it wrong. Power has never been easier to get and more difficult to maintain. We are unsure who to trust; we feel alone and vulnerable because we cannot be experts in everything, but we also do not trust those who are supposed to be experts. In the midst of all the anxiety and uncertainty, when you feel powerless and unsure of what to do and which direction to go, where do you turn?

The word of God is the only steadfast thing our world knows. It is the sure foundation. “Heaven and earth shall pass away,” said Jesus, “but My words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35.
—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p.148.

When we put Jesus’ words into practice in our lives, it shows that we trust Him. As we do that, we are building our house, our habitation, our life, and our character, and we are building on the great principles of the law of God, which are a revelation of His very nature. When we live out the teachings of Jesus, we build our faith in Him, the Rock of Ages. (Isaiah 28:16; 26:4; Psalm 31:3;18:31 1 Peter 2:6; 1 Corinthians 10:4;…)

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
—1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV

You may already know intellectually that Jesus is the rock and our foundation, but now you know how to build on that foundation by practicing what Jesus taught. The only life worth living is a life based on Jesus. Only in Jesus can we build a character that will endure.

Living out Jesus’ teachings is not so much about discipline and willpower as it is about complete surrender to God and trust in Him. Whenever we rebel against God's will, it is because we question His character, His love, or His power. Deep down inside, we think we know better than God, that He can’t really provide for us, or that He doesn't really love us as much as we would like.

Religion is not about obeying God and hoping to earn salvation. No! Religion should be about celebrating that, as undeserving as we are, we have received the gift of His love through Jesus. We receive salvation as a gift, welcome Jesus into our hearts, and live differently because now Christ lives in us.

 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
—Galatians 2:20 NKJV

Do you allow God to guide you?
Do you trust Him enough to practice His teachings?
Or are you content to feel a warm fuzzy feeling every now and then when you worship?
Does Jesus live in your heart, or do you only invite Him to visit on weekends for an hour or two?

Do you want to become a follower of Jesus but are wondering how to begin? Are you in darkness, wondering how to find the light? Follow the light you have. Set your heart to obey what you do know of the word of God. You will discover that His power, His very life, dwells in His word. As you receive the word in faith, you will also receive the power to obey. As you put into practice the light you have, greater light will come. You are building on God’s word, and your character will be built after the likeness of the character of Jesus.

Are you wise or foolish?

It is up to you. Are you going to put Jesus’ words into practice?

“The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not meant to be admired but to be obeyed.”
—R.T. France, (Matthew, 146) quoted in Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 134.

Today, God is pleading with you.

Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
—Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
—Revelation 3:20 NKJV

For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
—2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV

What keeps you from living out Jesus’ teachings?
Your best possible life awaits you. God will strengthen you. You only need to trust Him and follow His will.

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