Valuable Lessons from the Third Pig
Intro:
1. Jesus is to be Lord as well as Savior!
a. A Lord expects to be obeyed.
b. But our Lord had to cry out, Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? - Lk 6:46
Matthew 7:13-27
2. ILL: The Three Little Pigs.
3. This story is about a smart little pig & his 2 dumb brothers.
I. The Dumb Brothers Fell Prey to the Big Bad Wolf
A. Who is the big bad wolf?
1. Satan - the devil.
2. He’s big, he’s bad & he’s deceitful!
3. v15 - He wears sheep’s clothing.
a. He looks like everybody else - he fits in.
b. He looks real innocent like.
4. v21 - He calls himself a Christian.
5. v22 - He will involve himself in ministry in the Lord’s name.
a. Prophesy - preach.
b. Cast out demons.
c. Perform miraculous things.
B. How do you recognize him for who he is?
1. v15 - He will have a ferocious appetite for devouring people.
2. v16 - He will produce rotten fruit.
3. v21 - He will not do God’s will even though he may be doing things for the Lord.
C. How do you fall prey to the big bad wolf?
1. v13 - The Dumb Brothers took the broad, popular & easy road.
a. Brother # 1: built his house of straw. This was easy, convenient & fast.
b. Brother # 2: built his house of wood. This was easy, convenient & fast.
2. v26-27 - Houses like this are easy to blew down & wash away.
a. It all depends upon how seriously you accept the word of God.
b. Matt 13:3-8 - A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
b. Matt 13:19 - it can get snatched away when you hear it but don’t care to un- derstand it.
c. Matt 13:20-21 - when you accept the word but quickly abandon the Lord when life starts to get tough.
d. Matt 13:22 - when what you possess really possesses you to the point where you are not willing to fully surrender to the Lord.
II. The Wise Piggy Conquered the Big Bad Wolf
A. v13-14 - By taking the narrow road with the small gate. This is the hard, difficult way of the few.
1. He prepared adequately to fortify himself from the big bad wolf. He used bricks!
a. They were more expensive to buy.
b. They were heavy to haul around.
c. They were time consuming to build with. ILL: Laying concrete at the Tecate Orphanage.
2. He didn’t obey the big bad wolf.
a. He didn’t open the door.
b. He prepared the big pot with boiling water.
B. How can you fortify yourself against the big bad wolf?
1. v13-14 - Make the right choice - take the narrow road with the small gate.
a. The interstate highway of the majority is easy & fast but leads to destruction. This highway even has a tour guide!
b. The 2 lane winding mountain dirt road of the few is hard & slow but leads to life; abundant & eternal, with God.
2. Matt 13:8 & 23 - Prepare your heart to be good ground for receiving the seed of the word of God. The word will produce a good crop of fruit in your life if you do!
3. v24-25 - Continue preparing yourself spiritually by building your house upon the rock foundation by hearing & practicing the word of God as a way of life.
4. By remaining faithful to the Lord you can withstand anything the big bad wolf can throw at you! Rom 8:38-39 - For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
5. God’s word warns, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. - Jam 1:22
So - which piggy are you? Are you like the dumb brothers who heard but did not obey; or are you like the smart piggy who built his life on the solid foundation of obedience to the word of God?
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