Title: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Focus: God’s Word heard must become God’s Word practiced.
Function: To inspire the people to complete the journey of life by acting believingly upon God’s Word.
Text: Matthew 7:15-29
In German, they say “Ubung macht den Meister.” In Dutch, they say, “Oefening baart kunst.” And in English we say: “practice makes perfect.” It all means the same thing: If you are going to shine or excel in a project or activity, you must stay with it. For example, if you wish to become an accomplished pianist, you must practice time and time again. If you wish to become an excellent teacher, you must always sharpen the ax of learning and research and reaching your students. Practice makes perfect. It’s that simple!
Little Annika Joy Veurink began her journey of life a few weeks ago. She was prayed for and welcomed by her parents, her brothers, her family, and her church family. Annika was born within the context of the Christian faith. She has no clue at the moment how blessed she is. But there will come a day, I trust, that Annika will learn the meaning of the saying: “practice makes perfect.” There will come a day when she learns that God’s Word heard must become God’s Word practiced.
Many of us marked the journey of life with the sacrament of baptism when we were as young as Annika; others in our midst received the sacrament of baptism at a later time in life—a time when we heard the voice of Jesus beckoning us to join him as his followers in this world. Others here may wonder what the journey of the Christian life and faith is all about. Perhaps you wish to start such a journey. Perhaps you hear Christ’s voice today saying, “Come, follow me.”
Marked by baptism, touched by Jesus’ Word, beckoned to embrace the journey of the Christian faith, I now raise the question together with you: How shall we begin, continue, and complete the journey of faith? The answer lies hidden, like a treasured jewel, in the gospel passage for today: practice makes perfect; God’s Word heard must become God’s Word practiced.
In this passage, we find the Lord Jesus teaching a large multitude of people. They are fascinated by Jesus’ teaching style, his stories, and especially by Jesus’ authority conveyed in his messages. Jesus is a master teacher. At times he razzle-dazzles his audience with puzzling word pictures and inspiring stories; at other times, he hits them between the eyes with warnings and woes. Sometimes there are ah-ha moments, and the eyes of the crowd light up; at other times, there’s silence, resistance, yes, even seething anger toward this Jesus. For Jesus is a straight shooter. God’s Word heard must become God’s Word practiced.
Take note, for example, how the Lord Jesus makes his case in this teaching moment. I read from Matthew 7:15-29. But I should have included verses 13 and 14 as well. For all these verses tie Jesus’ teaching together. In fact, these verses contain three movements of thoughts (cf. Hendriksen): These movements are held together with the analogy of a journey: there is the beginning of the way; there is progress on the way; and there is the end of the way.
Annika
Veurink, for example, has just begun the journey of faith; some of you may also
have just begun a move toward a faith journey with Jesus. Most of us are well
on our way. All of us, however, hear Jesus’ call and implied warning in this
first movement of thought to make choices along the way of life: “Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Here we learn of two
gates and two ways: a narrow gate and narrow way, and a broad gate and broad
way. And there are two destinations to choose from as we live our lives: The
broad gate and way lead to destruction; the narrow gate and way lead to life
that is, indeed, true, eternal life. Jesus holds before us two choices dealing
with our way of life: there’s life and there’s death.
The second movement of
thought points to our progress on the way. When you live your life and choose
to walk the narrow way, says Jesus, “watch out for false prophets. They
come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Here the Lord Jesus calls us to spiritual discernment in the midst of a
cacophony of voices that tell us what to believe and how to live. These voices
say all kinds of things for us to follow, but beware. Consider their way of
life and see if these voices “walk their talk.” See if they practice what they
preach. Especially, compare their actions with their teachings and theories. Do
they agree with God’s Word and truth? Beware of mere talkers or sayers. Listen
to Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven.”
On the way of life and
faith, then, it’s possible to get sidetracked by mere talkers. Yes, many get
even derailed. The preacher who denies Jesus’ physical resurrection from the
dead is a windbag, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, laying roadblocks of despair on
the way of faith and life. The teacher who debunks miracles and minimizes the
power of prayer is an idle talker who derails followers of Jesus from the way
or track of faith. Be sure to discern the voices that whisper things of God in
your ears. Do they speak—and live the truth?
In the first movement
of thought Jesus spoke of the way of life vs. the way of destruction, the
narrow way and gate, and the broad way and gate. In this second movement of
thought Jesus becomes more expressive and clear about the destination of our
way of life and faith. At the end of our life, there will be a time of
judgment. Jesus himself shall be our judge. And he makes clear that anyone who
claims to speak the truth and know the truth must be able to demonstrate by
their fruit that they live the truth, that they bear good fruit. “A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by
their fruit you will recognize them.”
How then shall
Annika—and we—progress on the way of faith? Practice makes perfect! The Word of
God heard must become the Word of God practiced.
That’s why we must
take note of the third movement of thought in the passage. There the Lord Jesus
builds upon his message, saying “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.” In the first part of
his message, we learn that we need to respond to Jesus’ teaching by making a
choice: the way of life versus the way of death. In the second part of his
message, Jesus teaches us to progress in the way of faith and life with a
spiritually discerning mind: beware of what you hear! Is it the truth? Beware
of speakers who claim to speak the truth but undercut their words with actions
that are contrary toGod’s truth. In this third part of his message, the Lord
Jesus reminds us to obey the Word of God. That is, we must act upon God’s
truth. In fact, by way of a parable Jesus calls us to be wise and to be
prepared for potholes on the way of faith and life.
Be wise! Every
one of us is a builder. We are engineers “building” or constructing a life.
Jesus calls us to build our lives on solid ground. Be wise in choosing your
foundation, he says. Recently, I visited a beautiful church in Edina. I talked
with one of its pastors and commented on the spacious building. He accepted my
compliment and then said with regret in his voice: “If only we had realized
that the foundation of our building is not solid enough to carry the weight.”
It turns out that his church is sinking in unstable soil. And there is nothing
they can do other than spending thousands of dollars periodically to keep the
building from cracking up or falling apart. Be wise, says Jesus. Build your
life on solid rock. Pay attention to your foundation.
That foundation is the
Word of God, the Bible. And that Word of God, as truth from heaven, and as a
way of life, is embodied in the Lord Jesus himself. He is our Rock. He is the
Word, from the very beginning. “In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God and the Word was God.” Truth comes from
God; Truth comes in the person of Christ, the Son of God; truth is the way of
life that leads to eternal life, that leads to kingdom living, to a life lived
under the rule or influence of Christ himself. Be wise. Pay attention to God’s
Word. It’s the foundation on which we build our lives and by which we live out
our Christian faith. The Word of God, embodied in Christ and all his teachings,
is the roadmap by which we direct our lives until we reach perfection at the
end of life, when Jesus welcomes his people into eternal fellowship with him on
the restored, renewed creation. The Word of God heard must become the Word of
God practiced. Be wise!
And be prepared for
stormy weather on the way. Rains of adversity will assail us. No one can
escape life’s miseries in their various forms. Hailstorms of anxiety, as well
as showers of blessings, will come our way. Sickness, poverty, persecution,
hardships, discouragements, yes, also death—no one can escape these potholes on
the way. But in the power of faith and by the grace of God’s Holy Spirit, we
can weather the storms in life. How? By building on God’s Word and practicing
his truth, by hearing God’s Word and obeying it. Listen to Jesus: “…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 builds his house on sand.”
So then, whether you
begin the journey of life and faith today, or whether you progress in it, this
much is clear: practice makes perfect. If we are to reach perfection, if we
wish to complete the journey and reach the destination of eternal life on a
restored creation, then we do well to listen to God’s Word and do what it says.
God’s Word heard must become God’s Word practiced.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.