Values in Action: A LearnWell Values Course, 12-13

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The Bible Dialog Institute presents:

Values in Action
Applying the Central Values of the Sermon on the Mount

Values in Action is an online course and require only Internet and email access. You may study anytime, anywhere, 24/7. No textbooks are needed. The Value Series consists of four courses V101, V102, V103, V104. These courses are free, but to get a Continuing Education Certificate, there is a fee. Do not submit attachments and do not cut and past from other sources.

You will discover that many of your troubles stem from the fact that you live by values that are in conflict with those of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is the center of a values-system that leads out of trouble.

12. Outer sheep, inner wolves, Matt. 7:15-23

The outer man, unless there is a problem, is a realistic and true covering of the inner man. When that is not the case, there is a problem of deception. The outer man tries to appear as something that the inner man is not. The inside wolf wears sheep clothing. The person who appears innocent, is a wild beast. The Sermon on the Mount calls on men and women to let God mold a worthy inner life and to let their outer life match their worthy inner life.

The values of this section include honesty and integrity. Consider the company you keep. If you running with the wolves, you will soon act like a wolf. Seek the company of the honest.

William talked like a Christian and in most ways acted as a Christian. But he was not at peace with himself nor with his God. He had that hate towards certain groups of people that just would not go away. He could not forgive. So while he was very nice to some 90% of the people, he had to play-act when it came to the remaining ones. Most the time he could control his hate, but every so often it broke out. William was deceiving himself and others. He wore the Christian sheep clothing, but when it came to that 10%, he was a wolf. Over time, he had become real proficient at his cover-up.

Real life has its limits. There are borders to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. There are laws and ethics. There are God's laws and ethics. Some claim to be set free from laws. They thus accept lawlessness for themselves, but usually not for others. The Sermon on the Mount reconfirms the place of God's laws in real life. Those who reject these laws are said to follow lawlessness.

In a way, words are cheap. It is easy to say "Lord, Lord." However to accept the Lord as Lord of the inner and outer man may be another thing. The Lord of the inner man is the center of all relationships and values and surpasses any other priorities. In that case, the Lord of the outer man matches the inner man completely. Thus good thoughts lead to good words which lead to good actions. All this can only be possible through the empowerment of the Lord Himself.

Matt 7: 15-23. Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruit...
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of my Father in heaven....
Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

The most common clash of values is between INTEGRITY and DECEPTION. Integrity has no degrees, either one has it or not. Sheep do not always look like sheep, and wolves often do not look like wolves. Things are not always what they appear to be. The fruit or RESULTS, rather than the appearance, certify the nature of the inner person.

In religion there is as much deception as in other fields of life. Words, prayers and appearances may be sincere or just a cover-up for a distorted inner self. The Lord discerns the heart and can tell the difference. He wants no part in any deception.

There is also much self-deception in the land. MacArthur (pp. 474-476) points out four kinds: 1) False and cheap assurance of salvation. 2) Failure of self-examination. 3) Inordinate concentration on religious activities. 4) Thinking that good deeds can balance bad ones.

Respond to the True-and False questions. They may also serve as basis for further thinking and discussion. The questions are based on the above Bible passages.

1 Prophets come in sheep's clothing.
2 According to Matthew, some good trees bear bad fruit.
3 Some imposters successfully cast out demons in Christ's name.
4 Doing God's will is independent of keeping the law.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Is there any room for rather innocent deception or "white lies"?

13. The Wise and the Foolish, Matt 7:24-29

Wisdom is the understanding of the true, right or lasting. The Sermon on the Mount presents values that are true, right and lasting. These values are those of the inner man that are then to be lived out in everyday life. The person that hears and studies the Sermon on the Mount, integrates it into his inner man, and acts on the basis of these values, is truly wise.

The values of this section include excellence and faithfulness. In your thinking, treasure the wisdom expressed in the Sermon on the Mount. Consider and marvel at the love of God that makes these values a reality and enriches rather dull lives. Walk on in faith.

Percy loved to read and philosophize. He was fascinated with ideas. He had studied much and was what many considered part of the intelligencia. But he limited his explorations to his thought-life and his daily life was in shambles. He was on his third marriage, in debt, and fighting with his in-laws. He was not wise. He was foolish. His grandmother Mary, on the other hand, was a simple old woman. She knew the Lord that preached the Sermon on the Mount, and she appeared to demonstrate effortlessly the values espoused in that Sermon. She was wise.

Matt 7:24-29. 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...it did not fall.
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 it fell.

People may be classified as wise or foolish. The sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount teach the values of the wise inner man. The wise outer man then acts on the basis of these values. That is wisdom.

Check the values proposed in the Sermon on the Mount, and for each of these values write out the value that contrasts to it.

Respond to the True-and False questions. They may also serve as basis for further thinking and discussion. The questions are based on the above Bible passages.

1 Time and adversity are the tests of a person's value system and wisdom.
2 Doing your own thing is shown as the way of the foolish .
3 Those who read & follow this Sermon will have the same values.
4 Wise and foolish people build similar houses.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What are your central values? Why are they central?

Mathew 7:21-29 [1.] We have every one of us a house to build, and that house is our hope for heaven. It ought to be our chief and constant care, to make our calling and election sure, and so we make our salvation sure; to secure a title to heaven’s happiness, and then to get the comfortable evidence of it; to make it sure, and sure to ourselves, that when we fail, we shall be received into everlasting habitations. Many never mind this: it is the furthest thing from their thoughts; they are building for this world, as if they were to be here always, but take no care to build for another world. All who take upon them a profession of religion, profess to enquire, what they shall do to be saved; how they may get to heaven at last, and may have a well-grounded hope of it in the mean time.

[2.] That there is a rock provided for us to build this house upon, and that rock is Christ. He is laid for a foundation, and other foundation can no may lay, Isa. 28:16; 1 Co. 3:11. He is our Hope, 1 Tim. 1:1. Christ in us is so; we must ground our hopes of heaven upon the fulness of Christ’s merit, for the pardon of sin, the power of his Spirit, for the sanctification of our nature, and the prevalency of his intercession, for the conveyance of all that good which he has purchased for us. There is that in him, as he is made known, and made over, to us in the gospel, which is sufficient to redress all our grievances, and to answer all the necessities of our case, so that he is a Savior to the uttermost. The church is built upon this Rock, and so is every believer. He is strong and immovable as a rock; we may venture our all upon him, and shall not be made ashamed of our hope.

[3.] That there is a remnant, who by hearing and doing the sayings of Christ, build their hopes upon this Rock; and it is their wisdom. Christ is our only Way to the Father, and the obedience of faith is our only way to Christ: for to them that obey him, and to them only, he becomes the Author of eternal salvation. Those build upon Christ, who having sincerely consented to him, as their Prince and Saviour, make it their constant care to conform to all the rules of his holy religion, and therein depend entirely upon him for assistance from God, and acceptance with him, and count every thing but loss and dung that they may win Christ, and be found in him. Building upon a rock requires care and pains: they that would make their calling and election sure, must give diligence. They are wise builders who begin to build so as they may be able to finish (Lu. 14:30), and therefore lay a firm foundation.

[4.] That there are many who profess that they hope to go to heaven, but despise this Rock, and build their hopes upon the sand; which is done without much pains, but it is their folly. Every thing besides Christ is sand. Some build their hopes upon their worldly prosperity, as if they were a sure token of God’s favour, Hos. 12:8. Others upon their external profession of religion, the privileges they enjoy, and the performances they go through in that profession, and the reputation they have got by it. They are called Christians, were baptized, go to church, hear Christ’s word, say their prayers, and do nobody any harm, and, if they perish, God help a great many! This is the light of their own fire, which they walk in; this is that, upon which, with a great deal of assurance, they venture; but it is all sand, took weak to bear such a fabric as our hopes of heaven.

[5.] That there is a storm coming, that will try what our hopes are bottomed on; will try every man’s work (1 Co. 3:13); will discover the foundation, Hab. 3:13. Rain, and floods, and wind, will beat upon the house; the trial is sometimes in this world; when tribulation and persecution arise because of the word, then it will be seen, who only heard the word, and who heard and practiced it; then when we have occasion to use our hopes, it will be tried whether they were right, and well-grounded, or not. However, when death and judgment come, then the storm comes, and it will undoubtedly come, how calm soever things may be with us now. Then every thing else will fail us but these hopes, and then, if ever, they will be turned into everlasting fruition.

[6.] That those hopes which are built upon Christ the Rock will stand, and will stand the builder in stead when the storm comes; they will be his preservation, both from desertion, and from prevailing disquiet. His profession will not wither; his comforts will not fail; they will be his strength and song, as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast. When he comes to the last encounter, those hopes will take off the terror of death and the grave; will carry him cheerfully through that dark valley; will be approved by the Judge; will stand the test of the great day; and will be crowned with endless glory, 2 Co. 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he comes, finds so doing, so hoping.

[7.] That those hopes which foolish builders ground upon any thing but Christ, will certainly fail them on a stormy day; will yield them no true comfort and satisfaction in trouble, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment; will be no fence against temptations to apostacy, in a time of persecution. When God takes away the soul, where is the hope of the hypocrite? Job 27:8. It is as the spider’s web, and as the giving up of the ghost. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand, Job 8:14, 15. It fell in the storm, when the builder had most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him. It fell when it was too late to build another: when a wicked man dies, his expectation perishes; then, when he thought it would have been turned into fruition, it fell, and great was the fall of it. It was a great disappointment to the builder; the shame and loss were great. The higher men’s hopes have been raised, the lower they fall. It is the sorest ruin of all that attends formal professors; witness Capernaum’s doom. Source: Mathew Henry

V101 Values for Life Out of Trouble, an Introduction	Matthew 4-8
Eight Ways to the Good Life	Matthew 5:1-12, 13-20
V102 Values and Difficulties Living with Difficulties	Matthew 5:21-32, 33-48
Giving, Praying and Fasting	Matthew 6:1-4, 5-18
V103 Values and Priorities Priorities: The Good and the Best	Matthew 6: 19-24, 25-34
Reaching out the Wrong & Right Way	Matthew 7:1-6, 7-14
V104 Values in Actions Good Words versus Good Actions	Matthew 7:15-23
Toward a New Value-system	Matthew 7:24-27 & summary

1. BIBLE TEXT: In-depth Word-study	4. What results are expected? (Application)
2. BIBLE CONTEXT: Cross-references	5. How are these results achieved?
3. BIBLE CONCEPTS: Meaning of texts	6. How are these results verified?

1. BIBLE TEXT: In-depth Word-study	4. What results are expected? (Application)
2. BIBLE CONTEXT: Cross-references	5. How are these results achieved?
3. BIBLE CONCEPTS: Meaning of texts	6. How are these results verified?

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		All Verses	Or	Start:	End:
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The Bible Dialog Institute presents:

Values in Action
Applying the Central Values of the Sermon on the Mount

Good Words vs. Good Actions

12. Outer sheep, inner wolves, Matt. 7:15-23

Toward a New Value System

13. The Wise and the Foolish, Matt 7:24-29

The Bible Dialog Institute presents:

Values in Action Applying the Central Values of the Sermon on the Mount

Good Words vs. Good Actions

12. Outer sheep, inner wolves, Matt. 7:15-23

Toward a New Value System

13. The Wise and the Foolish, Matt 7:24-29

Values in Action
Applying the Central Values of the Sermon on the Mount