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Adam Dragoon 7/8/25 Adam Dragoon 7/8/25

Want These? Do THEse!!

In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus draws a clear line between those who merely call Him “Lord” and those who actually do what He says. The difference is not in what they profess, but in the foundation they build their lives upon. Just as a fitness influencer’s results are visible proof of his discipline and methods, so too the fruits of a life built on Christ’s words are evident when storms come. The call is not to a shallow, name-only Christianity, but to a deep, obedient relationship with Jesus—one that stands firm when life’s inevitable storms hit.

Sermon Summary

Our culture is obsessed with redefining words and seeking outcomes that favor personal comfort, often at the expense of truth and responsibility. The concept of “equity” has shifted from fairness to a subjective sense of deservedness, determined by whoever is most vocal. This same attitude can creep into our spiritual lives, tempting us to treat Jesus as a means to an easy life or material gain. But Jesus never promised a storm-free existence; He promised a foundation that would hold when the storms come.

Both the wise and the foolish builders in Jesus’ parable experience the same storms. The difference is not in the severity of their trials, but in the foundation beneath them. Building on sand—on fleeting pleasures, worldly wisdom, or self-centered desires—may seem easier and more immediately gratifying, but it leads to ruin when tested. Building on the rock—on obedience to Christ’s teachings—requires patience, humility, and foresight, but it alone endures.

Obedience to Jesus is not about earning His love, but about aligning our lives with the truth that sets us free. He calls us to love God with all our heart, to love our neighbors and even our enemies, to forgive, to judge ourselves before judging others, to pray persistently, and to lay up treasures in heaven through serving others. The fruits of such a life—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the visible evidence of a solid foundation. When others see us standing firm through trials, it becomes a powerful testimony to the reality of Christ in us.

The invitation is open: if you want the fruits of a life anchored in Christ, do what He says. The storms will come, but your life will not collapse, because it is built on the unshakable rock of Jesus.

“The call is not to a shallow, name-only Christianity, but to a deep, obedient relationship with Jesus—one that stands firm when life’s inevitable storms hit.”

— Pastor Dave

Watch/Listen

Message Study Guide

Youtube chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:10] - The Fitness Analogy: “Want These? Do These”
[03:41] - Jesus’ Call to Obedience in Luke 6
[07:12] - Redefining Words in Our Culture
[08:21] - The New Meaning of “Equity”
[10:08] - Treating Jesus Like a Genie
[12:00] - The Parachute Illustration: Why We Need Christ
[16:44] - The Storms of Life: What’s Your Foundation?
[19:52] - The Fool: Living Without Foresight
[22:49] - The Cost of Building on Sand
[25:45] - Real-Life Cliffside Houses: Ignoring the Foundation
[27:14] - The Metaphor: Your Life as a House
[29:51] - Worldly Wisdom vs. God’s Word
[30:42] - The Wise Builder: Obedience and Its Fruits
[34:59] - The Fruits of the Spirit and Miraculous Signs
[36:32] - Miraculous Signs: Context and Application
[37:43] - Standing Firm as a Testimony
[39:29] - Invitation to Salvation and Prayer

Key Takeaways

Obedience Is the True Foundation
Merely calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough; the real test is whether His words shape our actions and decisions. Obedience is not a burdensome requirement, but the very foundation that enables us to withstand life’s storms. When we build our lives on Christ’s teachings, we are not promised an easier life, but a life that endures. [03:41]
Cultural Redefinitions Can Distort Spiritual Truths
Our generation’s tendency to redefine words like “equity” and “privilege” reflects a deeper spiritual danger: the temptation to reshape God’s truth to fit our desires. When we treat Jesus as a means to personal comfort or material gain, we miss the heart of the gospel. True discipleship means submitting to God’s definitions, not our own. [08:21]
Storms Are Inevitable, but Collapse Is Not
Both the wise and foolish face the same storms—trials, losses, and hardships are part of life for everyone. The difference is not in what we face, but in what we’ve built our lives upon. A foundation of obedience to Christ’s words is the only guarantee that we will stand when everything else is shaken. [16:44]
Foolishness Is Living for the Moment, Wisdom Is Living for Eternity
The fool is not ignorant, but short-sighted—living only for immediate gratification, whether in finances, relationships, or spiritual life. Wisdom is found in delaying gratification, investing in what lasts, and building with eternity in view. The world’s cliches and self-help mantras cannot sustain us; only the words of Jesus can. [22:49]
The Fruits of the Spirit Are Evidence of a Solid Foundation
A life built on Christ’s words will bear visible fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and more. These are not self-generated, but the result of abiding in Jesus and doing what He says. When others see us standing firm through adversity, it opens doors for the gospel and points them to the reality of Christ. [34:59]

Bible Reading

Luke 6:46-49 NKJV - 46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? 47 "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 "But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."

Observation Questions

In Jesus’ parable, what is the main difference between the two builders and their houses? [03:41]
According to the sermon, do both the wise and foolish builders experience storms? What does this tell us about following Jesus? [16:44]
What are some examples from the sermon of things people might build their lives on instead of Jesus’ words? [27:14]
What visible evidence does the sermon say will show if someone’s life is built on Christ’s foundation? [34:59]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize doing what He says, not just calling Him “Lord”? What does this reveal about the kind of relationship He wants with us? [03:41]
The sermon talks about our culture redefining words like “equity” and “privilege.” How can this attitude affect the way we approach Jesus and His teachings? [08:21]
The foolish builder is described as someone who lives for the moment and ignores the future. What are some ways Christians might fall into this trap today? [22:49]
The sermon lists the fruits of the Spirit as evidence of a solid foundation. Why do you think these qualities are so important for showing others the reality of Christ in us? [34:59]

Application Questions

Jesus says the wise builder “hears my words and does them.” Is there a specific teaching of Jesus you’ve been hearing but not putting into practice? What’s holding you back? [03:41]
The sermon warns against treating Jesus like a “genie” for comfort or material gain. Have you ever found yourself approaching God mainly for what He can give you? How can you shift your focus to obedience and relationship? [10:08]
Both builders face storms. Think about a recent “storm” in your life. What did you rely on most during that time—your own wisdom, comfort, or Christ’s words? [16:44]
The sermon describes foolishness as living for immediate gratification. Are there areas in your life where you’re tempted to take shortcuts or avoid the hard work of building a strong foundation? What’s one step you can take to choose wisdom instead? [22:49]
The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are described as evidence of a life built on Christ. Which of these do you most want to see grow in your life? What’s a practical way you can pursue it this week? [34:59]
The sermon mentions that standing firm through trials can be a powerful testimony to others. Can you think of someone who has noticed your faith during a hard time? How might you use that as an opportunity to share about Jesus? [37:43]
The invitation is open: “If you want the fruits of a life anchored in Christ, do what He says.” What is one area where you sense God inviting you to deeper obedience right now? How can your small group support you in this? [39:29]

Luke chapter 6, we're going to look at verses 46 through 49 this morning.

There's a YouTuber by the name of Broly Gaines. He is a fitfluencer, a fitness influencer. And so he has not only a lot of followers, but he has all the muscles to go along with it, being a fitness influencer.

We actually have a picture of this guy, if they could pull it up real quick. If you can. Hopefully you all can see that over there. I don't want to... Every time I go to move this thing, I feel like I'm going to knock it over. But hopefully they'll get the photo up of him real soon.

This guy does mostly calisthenic type of exercises. In other words, he's not a weightlifter. He's not a bodybuilder. He mostly does calisthenic bodyweight exercises. And when he does this, he exhibits these great feats of strength. You know, you're watching him going, oh my goodness. Like, how is he doing that? And so you're looking at him, and it's obvious that whatever this guy is doing, it works.

Whatever he's doing, you can trust this guy, but it's easy to think that as you look at him, with all his muscles sticking out of places where muscles probably shouldn't be sticking out of, I mean, you're going, okay, yeah, but there's no way that I could ever do that. There's no way that only the most gifted athletes could look like this man. Only people with superior genetics who were born with, you know, the exact right genetics could do these things.

But this man, Broly Gaines, stresses that what he's done can be replicated. It's not out of the realm of possibility. You and I... can definitely do what he has done, what he's accomplished. Most of his videos start out by him saying, "You need no gym membership," then he'll like flex a certain muscle group, you know, and then he'll say, "You want to have these," and then he'll point to, you know, his abs or some... "You want six-pack abs, you want a chiseled chest, you want a strong back," you know, whatever muscle group he's pointing to that time, then he'll demonstrate an exercise.

So if it's abs, he'll say, "You want six-pack abs? Do these." Then he'll start doing some exercise, right? And then he'll say, "For 30 seconds to a minute, three to five sets. Make sure you exercise at least four times a week and eat only whole foods. Do these, and it's worked." It may seem like a simple formula, but he's got millions of followers. It might seem like it did.

They've got a picture of him. Yeah, look at it. If that guy tells me to do something fitness related, I'm gonna do it. He's got the muscles. Oh yeah. Yeah. If I move this thing, I probably... if I break this, I'll buy a new one. Can you see that over there? All right. So he said, "You want these? Do these." I believe him.

Now, that might just seem like a catchy phrase, you know, in order to get followers—which that's worked also—but I want to look with you at a similar statement made to us by none other than the Lord Jesus himself. And it's found in Luke chapter 6, verses 46 through 49. I'm reading from the New Living Translation.

He says, "So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord, when you don't do what I say?" I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, then follows it. It's like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the flood sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.

Let's pray together this morning.

Father in heaven, God, we're coming before you. God, we're asking that you would open up our hearts to what you would speak into our lives. We're so grateful for everything you've done. We're so grateful for our salvation, for the blood of Jesus, God, for your word, your Spirit, your truth.

This morning, I'm asking you, God, give me the words to speak. I trust not in myself or in my own ability; I trust in you, your Spirit this morning. In Jesus' name, amen.

I've entitled this sermon "Want These?"

I want to look firstly with you at no unequal treatment. So there's something going on in our generation. You can actually take his photo down for now so people aren't just staring at him all that.

There's a—there's a something that's happening in our generation, and it's the redefining of words. Want to ask real quick for you—let's say you, slightly older folks, the boomers, Gen Xers—how many remember you would be talking to a friend and you'd say, like, "Man, I got home and I was just so tired that I just crashed out on the couch." Crashed out meant I went to sleep.

Gen Z, Gen Alpha—what does "crashed out" mean? It means you get full of rage, right? Totally different. One generation, it means go to sleep; the other, it means turn into the Incredible Hulk.

Here's another one. How about older generation? We would say, "Hey, I'm not going to be where I normally am. I'm going to be out of pocket tomorrow." That means usually I'm at my workstation, but tomorrow I'm going to be somewhere else. I'll be out of pocket.

Younger generation—what does "out of pocket" mean? It means I'm going to act inappropriately, right? So this is what has happened. All these different terms have shifted and now mean something else in this generation.

I'll give you a few more examples. How about gender? Forever, it was understood to mean male and female. But now, there's a spectrum of identities, which could even include animals or made-up creatures.

How about privilege? Privilege usually referred to special rights or advantages held by a particular group. But now, it means unearned advantages, usually based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

How about "safe space"? It used to mean a place that you would go to be physically safe from danger. Like if a shooter comes in, you go into a safe space. Now, a safe space means a place that's—

free from ideas and perspectives that I don't like. Usually accompanied by coloring books.

Well, another one. One of these words that has changed in this generation is the word "equity." Equity should mean the state of something being just, something being equal.

In real estate, equity means how much your home is worth minus how much you owe on it. So if your home is worth $200,000 but you still owe $180,000, you've got $20,000 in equity.

But the new definition of equity doesn't have anything to do with equal rights, equal justice, or real estate. In fact, it's not really even formally defined anywhere. Even the White House last year declared that federal agencies need to ensure racial justice and equity in all their policies—whatever that means.

The social justice crowd sees equity more as a beneficial outcome as long as it favors them. There's a racial activist named DeRay McKeeson who said, "The difference between equity and equality is that equality is everyone getting the same thing, and equity is everyone getting the things they deserve."

Well, who defines what things they deserve? Your guess is as good as mine. Probably whoever is complaining at the time is the one that defines the things they deserve.

So if I think that you've got too much wealth, it doesn't matter whether you've worked hard, saved your money, and I didn't. You only got that wealth because you are a—fill in the blank—usually a superficial thing—because you're this race or you're this ethnicity or you're that gender.

Gender being fluid—I don't know what that means. And because I'm not those things, I deserve your wealth. And you deserve not to have that wealth, and, matter of fact, you deserve something worse than that. You might as well just die. Yay for equity.

Now, while that may sound ridiculous to us, you'd be surprised how many people treat Jesus like that. Well, I got Jesus. Whenever I need him, so I'm good.

If you just claim the name of Jesus, life will just be easy. Just like if you cry "inequity," the government should swoop in and make your life easy and make somebody else's life difficult.

Just think about it—what a huge incentive that is. Just claim Jesus' name and get automatic health and wealth. Who wouldn't do that?

It's the same thing as what we now call woke-ism. It's just dressed up with Christian religious wording. At its root, it's just materialism. All that matters is what I can get for myself to make my life more comfortable right now.

Now, let me bring a balance. Is there blessing in living for God? Absolutely there is. But does that mean life becomes easy? Absolutely not.

If that were true, there would be no such thing as Christian persecution. Nor would there be any such thing as evil rich people.

In fact, if it were true, it would follow that every Christian in the world would be wealthy and living an easy life, and every unbeliever would be living in squalid conditions and extreme poverty.

The "Jesus makes your life better" doctrine is a half-truth at best.

There's an evangelist named Ray Comfort. Love this guy. He's from New Zealand. He often gives the illustration about a parachute. He said, "If you were on a plane, and that plane was at some point going to begin to crash, and somebody came to you with a parachute and they handed it to you and said, 'Hey, put this on; it'll make your life better,' you'd say, 'Okay.'"

So you put the parachute on, and it kind of makes you sit forward in your seat, and you're like, "Ah, man, this thing's uncomfortable. Supposed to make my life better," but all the other passengers are looking at you funny. "What is that guy wearing—a parachute?" What a weirdo.

After a while, you take the parachute off because it makes you feel uncomfortable, and you're being laughed at. But if you were to say, "Hey, listen, at some point, this plane's going down, put this parachute on," you're holding on to that parachute for dear life.

Is life better when you live for God, when your sins are forgiven and your conscience is clean, when you're filled with the hope of heaven? Absolutely. But our text makes it clear that God does not automatically give the believer an easy life with no problems.

In fact, he is 100% completely equal. In our text, we have two people: one builds his house on a strong foundation, and the other with no foundation. Both of these people have built houses. They're equal.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells this same story with slightly different language. Matthew 7:24. He says, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rains come in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock."

But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When it rains and the floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

So in this version, one builds his house on a rock, the other on sand. It's the same idea: one’s foundation is solid, the other's is non-existent. One builder chooses a good foundation; the other one says, "Foundation? Who needs one of those? This place is as good as any," right here on the edge of this cliff in Malibu overlooking the ocean.

What could go wrong? Surely it'll never slide down this cliff and into the water. And then what happens next? Both of these house builders—whose houses might look exactly the same, maybe they were on the same block in one of those new housing developments where it's like, "How do you tell which one's yours?"—they look the same, maybe they have the same floor plans, the same square footage, the same color scheme. Or maybe they were different. Maybe one of the ones who built his house on the rock just built a little log cabin compared to the one who built his mansion on a beachside resort in the sand. Or vice versa.

Yet at the end of the day, they both face the same natural disasters: the rains, the winds, the floodwaters. They come and they begin to beat upon these houses that they built. What's that mean? The storms of life have come.

We live in a fallen world full of sin. Therefore, Jesus, until he comes back, we are going to see famines, and we are going to see disease, economic crises, natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes. And yes, even personal storms—family drama, accidents, abuse, death.

These are simply realities of living on earth. And just being a good person, or a religious church attender, or even claiming the name of Jesus, doesn't exempt you from hard times any more than building a mansion instead of a shack guarantees that the rain won't hit your head.

You will still experience the storms of life. The question is: what kind of foundation have you built your life upon? Is it the shifting, sinking sands of this world—money, career, human relationships, entertainment, addictions—or is it built on the solid rock of the Word of God, the words of Jesus?

Because the storms are coming. Mark it down. Perhaps you're even going through a storm in your own life right at this very moment. And what are you holding on to? The things that other people have said? The things you've come up with on your own? Or are you holding on to the things that Jesus has said?

What is your foundation when the storms of life come? I remember being a young man, in 1994, we had an earthquake in Southern California—the Northridge earthquake. That's when FEMA was born. I remember it woke us up at like one, two, or three o'clock in the morning. Earthquakes always seem to strike in the middle of the night for some reason. And I mean, it sounded like somebody back to you know, an 18-wheeler up to our house and just fired up the engine. And all of a sudden, our whole world is shaking.

Now, in California, there was an old wives' tale that when the earthquake happened, you need to get into a doorway. It's a myth. It's not true. But the reason for that was the Native Americans had built these adobe brick houses, and the only thing that would stand after the earthquake was the doorways because they made them like an arch. So the arch was very sturdy, but the rest of the house would collapse.

So, "Oh, doorways, they can keep earthquakes away," so get in the doorway. I remember getting out of bed, and my dresser is flying this way, and stuff's flying off my shelves this way, and I'm just trying to get to the doorway. And I finally get there, and it's like, "Ah!" Didn't help at all.

What are you holding on to?

I want to look secondly with you at the fool. In our text, Jesus says that the one who built his house on the sand is a fool. Matthew 7:26. "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."

What is a fool? One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion. That is to say, I was a fool to have quit my job. Or one who has been tricked or made to appear ridiculous—a dupe. They made a fool out of me.

It's someone who lacks foresight. No vision for the future. They have an inability to use wisdom to make good future decisions. Because it's all about the here and the now. What can satisfy my carnal, fleshly desires immediately? That's what a fool is.

If you want to know what someone really thinks about, what they're really into, just look at what they spend their money on. Matthew 6:21. "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also." Your spending habits say it all.

They say, "Why budget and pay for necessities with cash when I can get whatever I want on this credit card?" The latest iPhone, the latest PS5, designer clothes. Oh, wait, my credit card's maxed out? Here, try this one. Oh, that one's maxed out? Try this one. Try this one.

They say, "Why save up money and buy a decent used car when this car dealership says I can get zero down financing? Only 72 months, 20% APR. I don't even know what that means." I can drive away with a new car today.

Okay, but what are the payment terms? What's the APR? What's the length of the loan? I don't know. Who cares? I get a car now. Sure, but the car doesn't belong to you. It still belongs to the bank. And you miss a payment, and what happens? Repo man.

The repo man will have that car back on the same car lot the same day, and they'll be selling it to another fool. Did you know they do this? They sell the same car to like four or five, you know, snot-nosed sailors that just came out of boot camp. That car dealership's getting paid for the same car by five different people. Fools. They're counting on your foolishness.

But see, delaying gratification is inconvenient. It requires time. It requires patience, just like building on a solid foundation. It sometimes takes weeks to just lay the foundation for a new construction—to get the foundation poured, make sure it's completely level, get the rebar in there, and get it formed exactly right. Who wants to wait for all that? I want my new house now.

In February of 2024, down in Southern California, there was a weather event called an atmospheric river. It is what it sounds like—a river of water in the sky. An atmospheric river is a narrow corridor of concentrated water vapor transported into the atmosphere. It's like a river in the sky that can be a thousand miles long.

On average, atmospheric rivers have about twice the regular flow of the Amazon. When atmospheric rivers run up against mountains—which we have some of in Southern California—they are forced to go higher. And when they go higher, they freeze, and all of a sudden, all that water has got to go somewhere.

So it comes down. This happened in Orange County, California, especially in a community called Dana Point. A lot of rich folks in Dana Point picked up an article about this. It said, "In at least three coastline homes in Southern Orange County, California, are at risk of falling into the ocean after the cliffside they built on crumbled in a landslide over the weekend."

According to reports, the collapse of part of the Dana Point cliff followed heavy rains earlier that month, which caused landslides and flooding across the region. We actually have a picture of this. So you could bring that up. It's like it's the Bible in real life. Can you all see that? Who thought this was a good idea? You know where I'm going to build my house, right here?

Can you imagine, like, "Hey, I'm going to run out in the backyard real quick." Ah! What would cause somebody to think that this is a good idea? Well, it probably came from not listening to a wise master builder—someone who would say, "Hey, you know where you don't want to build your house? Right there." The foundation is, well, there isn't one.

But this person says, "I don't care. I want it now. Build it." And it doesn't matter how nice the house looks. The rains, the winds, the floods come. And now they're teetering on the edge of a cliff. One more little storm, and it's gone.

Millions and millions of dollars building that. And it's going to happen. I hate to say it, but it's probably going to happen soon. And then what? You can't just pay your way out of it. Your house is gone. It's slid down the cliff into the Pacific Ocean.

You can't swipe your credit card enough times to keep the storms away. Or after your foundation crumbles, your house gets swept down the cliff—expect the insurance company to take care of it. Because guess what happened during the atmospheric river? The insurance companies saw it coming, and they started canceling policies. They didn't tell the folks that they were doing it. It was like, "Oh, well, we got insurance." Wait a—

What an idiot. What a fool. There's no way they can claim ignorance. Well, I just didn't know that I’d need to build my house on a good foundation. That's like home buying 101.

What kind of foundation does this house have? When we were house shopping years ago, I remember we walked into this place over in the Aragona section of Virginia Beach. It was a—what do they call it? With a crawl space underneath, so the house was elevated just slightly.

And we get in the kitchen, and it's like, "What happened here? The foundation." It's all shifted. So, "Well, we ain't buying this place." And so we understand that the house Jesus is talking about in our text is a metaphor for our lives.

Therefore, if you build your life hearing the things that Jesus says but you refuse to do them, to apply his teachings to your life, to take his words into your heart, to believe and obey them, Jesus says you're a fool. You lack foresight. You only care about the here and now, not about eternity, not about heaven—only about the temporary, the carnal, the flesh, what feels good in the moment, the selfish, the self-centered, no concern for other people, and certainly no concern for God—just what I can get for myself now.

Invoking his name even just to get stuff. James 4:2-3 says, "You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong. You only want what will give you pleasure."

So if you don't build your life on the Word of God, the things that Jesus says, what will you build it on? Worldly wisdom? Cliches? When life gives you lemons—"Haste makes waste," "All's fair in love and war." Are you going to build your life on these sayings, these cliches?

"Every cloud has a silver lining." "Opposites attract." "Time heals all wounds." Really? Will you build on your own conclusions from your own life's experiences?

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I was going to say, hopefully we got no George W. Bushes in here. "Fool me once, fool me twice, can't get fooled again."

"Get what you pay for." "This too shall pass." When the storms of life come, will the foundation you've built upon be able to keep your house standing? Or will it be like Matthew 7:27? "When the rains and the floods came and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."

This view is based in unbelief. Psalm 53:1. "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"

I want to finally look with you at the wise one. Matthew 7:24. "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock." Though the rains come in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it's built on bedrock.

Jesus says, "If we listen to what he says, if we listen to what he says and do it, he will consider us wise." But what kinds of things does Jesus teach that we should follow? He says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." In other words, love God completely with everything within you—love him with your will, your emotions, your intellect, and your physical body.

Love your neighbor like yourself. Like the parable of the Good Samaritan—he didn't know the victim personally. As a matter of fact, he'd been taught to hate the victim, but he saw the need, and he stepped up, and he even used his own resources.

"Love your enemies, bless those who spitefully persecute you, those who speak evil of you. Bless and do not curse them." Oh, what a temptation we have right there—right? To curse our enemies.

"Forgive those who sin against you," not just once but an unlimited number of times—"seventy times seven," Jesus said. Don't judge and condemn people. Instead, before pointing out the speck of dust in someone else's eye, consider the two-by-four sticking out of your own eye—that you're clotheslining everybody with every turn.

The same measure we judge people with, God will use to judge us with. He taught us to be humble, meek, merciful. He taught us how to pray, as we looked at in our Sunday school this morning—"to pray without ceasing," to keep asking, seeking, knocking, and to take dominion against the demonic—casting them out, praying, fasting when the situation calls for it, laying hands on the sick to see them recover.

He taught us to lay up treasures in heaven—eternal treasures—instead of temporary treasures here on earth that we can't take with us when we die.

How do we do this? How do we lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven? This is by any work that you've done while serving God—whenever you've served other people, putting their needs ahead of your own, you've got treasure in heaven waiting for you.

There's a song I heard when I was a young Christian—an old Christian song, back when Christian music was Christian music, amen. But here are some of the lyrics:

"Say a friend to a friend one day, there was a man who passed away. St. Peter met him at the gate. Peter said, 'Walk with me, if you will, I'll take you to the house you built.' The man said, 'I can't wait—past a mansion made of stone.' But with each new house he's shown, they get smaller by degrees.

He stepped in front of a two-room shack. Peter said, 'I hope you're happy with that.' The man said, 'How can this be?' And Peter said, 'That's all the lumber—that's all the lumber—that's all the lumber you sent. Looks like the builder—he's got your number.' That's all the lumber you sent."

Jesus said to go into all the world and to preach the gospel and make disciples. Mark chapter 16, verse 15. Do these things, Jesus says, and he will count you as wise.

John 14:15. "If you love me, obey my commandments," and he'll say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your Lord's rest."

In other words, if you want your life to bear the fruits of a relationship with Jesus, do what he says.

What kinds of fruits are we talking about? Galatians 5:22. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law."

You want these? Do these.

Mark 16, verse 17. "These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe. They will cast out demons in my name. They will speak in new tongues. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."

Now, does this mean that you should go out and grab rattlesnakes by the tail and drink bottles of antifreeze? No. We should not tempt God.

David Guzik, the Bible teacher, says this promise is to be understood in the context of the dangers inherent in the worldwide spread of the gospel. As later on, the apostle Paul was bitten by a snake and shook it off into the fire.

Jesus never intended drinking poison or handling snakes to be a specific test or measure of faith.

Let me ask you, though—are there any miraculous signs that accompany you? Do you want them? Do you want miraculous signs? You want these? Do these.

Do what he says, and when the storms of life come—and they will—your life won't fall apart because you've built your house upon the solid rock, upon the firm foundation of a relationship with Jesus Christ.

People will look at you and wonder how you're still standing because what you just went through would have destroyed them, and they know it.

For a long time? Sure. Surely, you've got something in your life that they want to know more about. And you can use that as a perfect opportunity to share the gospel with that person.

Want these? Do these.

Let's bow our heads this morning. I appreciate your patience and your attention this morning.

As every head's bowed and every eye's closed, and no one looking around—for just a few moments—we just want to take an opportunity to make the invitation that you can know Jesus Christ if you don't know Him already.

Maybe you're here, and Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior as we sit here this morning. And if you would just look in your heart and be honest with yourself for a moment—"Is Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior?"

If you're here in this place and you would say, "Hey, Pastor Dave, I'm looking at my own life. I'm looking at the fruits of my life. And I got to say, Jesus is not my Savior."

Well, there's such good news for you this morning. The Bible tells us that if we confess with our mouth, "Lord Jesus," and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved.

In other words, if we believe that Jesus is who He says He is—the Son of the living God—and we speak that out, God will account that to us for faith. And He will say, "Your sins are forgiven."

Jesus came, and He already paid for them on the cross. He bled and died for you, for your sins, for mine. And maybe you're here in this place, and you've never accepted that before. You've never accepted the forgiveness that Jesus offers as He bled and died for our sins on the cross. And you want to do that this morning.

The Bible says it's so easy. He's just one prayer away from salvation. Is that you this morning? You want to be saved? You want to be set free from your sins? Jesus already died for you. He's just waiting on you to make that confession.

Anyone at all? Would you lift up your hand this morning so we can pray with you in this place? We can lead you in a simple prayer if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior.

Maybe in this place, you strayed. You walked away from God. Maybe you had faith a long time ago, and for whatever reason, you walked away. The Bible tells us that God loves the backslider in heart. He is waiting for you to come back. Will you come back this morning?

And He will accept you—like the father to the prodigal son—when he ran out, he fell on the neck of his son, and he said, "My son, who was dead, is alive again." Is that you? Would you lift up your hand if you're backslidden, backslidden in your heart?

Amen. We want to take this opportunity then to open the altar for a time of prayer. Maybe you've got something on your heart that you need to come and speak to God about. We spoke in our Sunday school about just talking to God.

I want to take the opportunity to open up the altar this morning so that we can come and talk to our God. Let's do that right now. These altars are open. I encourage you to come and pray, lay hold of God this morning. Let's talk to Him. Hallelujah.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.

Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon

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Adam Dragoon 6/30/25 Adam Dragoon 6/30/25

Don’t Mourn What God Is Trying to Kill

The story of King David and his son Absalom in 2 Samuel 18 offers a powerful picture of the struggle between our spiritual calling and the persistent pull of our flesh. David, a man after God’s own heart, found himself mourning over a son who had become a threat not only to his throne but to the very kingdom God entrusted to him. Absalom, with his charm, good looks, and influence, represents the part of us that is attractive and appealing, yet rebellious and destructive. The tragedy is that David’s love for Absalom blinded him to the danger his son posed, just as we often cling to attitudes, habits, or relationships that are slowly undermining our spiritual lives.

Sermon Summary

The flesh, like Absalom, wars against the Spirit. It is not something to be coddled or treated gently, but something that must be confronted and crucified. Jesus’ words in Mark 9—if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off—remind us that radical action is sometimes necessary. We cannot negotiate with the flesh or hope it will simply fade away. Whatever we tolerate in our lives, whatever we refuse to judge or surrender, will eventually dominate us.

God, in His mercy, sends the Holy Spirit—our Joab—to confront us, to rebuke us, and to help us put to death the deeds of the body. Conviction is not rejection; it is the loving discipline of a Father who wants to see us free and whole. Sometimes, this means letting go of relationships, habits, or even cherished parts of our identity that are incompatible with God’s purpose for us. The stakes are high—not just for our own souls, but for the people God has called us to influence and serve. Our sanctification is not just about us; it is about the kingdom, about our families, and about the testimony we bear to the world.

Victory over the flesh is possible—not by our own strength, but by the power of the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead. We are called to stop mourning over what needs to die, to surrender our Absaloms, and to step into the fullness of life and purpose God has for us.

“Whatever we tolerate in our lives, whatever we refuse to judge or surrender, will eventually dominate us.”

— Pastor Adam

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