Sermon on the Mount
“A Radical New Commitment”
Matthew 7:24-27
Years ago there was an organization that offered a $5,000 bounty on all wolves that could be captured alive. Seeing such a generous award two fortune hunters set out in search of this elusive and valuable creature. Day and night they searched the mountains and forest, but after many weeks of not finding any they fell asleep exhausted. Suddenly one of them awoke to find about 50 wolves with eyes flaming and fangs barred surrounding them. Immediately he woke up his partner saying, “Wake up, we’re rich.”
Tonight we’re ending Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and we’re going to look at what I see as a radical new commitment Jesus is calling for the last of His three warning.
We’ve looked at Jesus’ warning about false prophets and spiritual self-deception. Tonight we’re looking at His final warning about making sure we build our spiritual lives upon the right foundation, otherwise everything we do will be washed away.
“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. 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 7:24-27)
Now there’s a link between each of these warnings, especially between the last two when Jesus said, “He who does the will of My father,” and “Whoever hears these saying of Mine and does them.” (Matthew 7:21b, 24a)
What is the link? Obedience
Jesus is warning of the consequences if they fail to obey. First, they are spiritual self-deceived thinking they’re in heaven when they’re not, and second they think they have a firm foundation when they don’t.
Those spiritually self-deceived were the ones who were standing before Jesus saying, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV)
But it wasn’t for the Lord; rather it was for them. There was no obedience.
One Sunday school teacher used the following analogy. “Did you know that Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt because she didn’t obey God?” One student replied, “That’s nothing. My mother turned into a telephone pole when she didn’t obey the traffic signal.”
Jesus described obedience as saying and doing, which is part of Jesus’ second warning of self-deception. They were verbally professing faith and a relationship with Jesus when in reality it was in word only, and because of this hypocrisy, Jesus rejected them.
This is the same warning the Lord gives and that Jesus quotes.
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,” (Mark 7:6-7 NKJV)
Many people say they are Christian. They say Jesus is the Son of God but stop short of saying that He is God, and thus failing to submit to His Lordship. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Why do you call Me Lord and don’t do what I say.”
Jesus is making a clear distinction then between those who say He’s Lord and those who obey Him as Lord. Many people can recite Bible verses and sing songs declaring their undying loyalty and devotion. They have even mastered Christian Ease. But without obedience, God isn’t impressed.
Through our words, confessions, and creeds, Jesus still demands evidence of our sincerity. Are we submitting to His Lordship and to the Father’s will?
Jesus’ discussion on obedience is also found in our passage tonight. Jesus says a wise man not only knows the truth, but acts upon that truth. He lives that truth out and as a result he’s able to survive the world’s and Satan’s onslaught.
But Jesus’ description of both men shows that they are trying to build Christian lives. They are using the same building material, that is, His words, which they seem to be hearing. Notice again what Jesus says to each of them. “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine.”
Both are visible and professing members of the Christian community. Both go to church, sing worship songs, listen to the message, and read their Bibles. But the difference is obedience.
It isn’t whether or not we hear His teaching, listen to sermons, study or even memorize His word, which are all important; rather it’s whether or not we’re doing what He’s telling us.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Luke 11:28 NKJV) And this reality didn’t go unheeded by those who were with Him and heard His teachings.
The Apostle John described it in his first letter.
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” (1 John 2:3-5 NKJV)
And the Apostle James says that we are to be doers of the word and not just hearers, otherwise we’re just deceiving ourselves, James 1:22.
Our problem is that we tend to look on the outside and what can be seen rather than upon what can’t be seen, or the foundation.
To reveal the difference between the two, God allows afflictions to test the truth of our profession, that is, whether or not we will obey. It’s only when the storms breaks out in our lives that the reality of what we have built upon becomes apparent.
When we build our faith upon obedience to God’s word, and Jesus Christ the Rock, we’ll be able to survive and not be brought down in ruin by hardships.
Speaking of hardships, years ago, only three-masted sailing ships were strong enough to brave the open sea. One such ship was three days into her voyage when a storm literally came out of nowhere.
The lookout was so taken by the storm’s suddenness that he was unable to get down in time. A huge wave broke over the starboard side of the ship and he was thrown from his perch and landed upon the deck breaking through it and into the hold below.
Fearing for the man’s life the captain scrambled down to see if he was okay and to his surprise the man was on his feet. The captain asked, “Are you okay?” To which the sailor replied, “I’ captain. I’ve fallen onto hard ships before.”
When we fall into hardships they shouldn’t shake us to our foundations, because our faith should be built upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, and obedience to His word.
The foolish man is like those we saw who were spiritually deceived, who think that just because they go to church they’re saved and going to heaven. They may be those who’ve tried everything else and think they’ll give Christianity a try, or they add Jesus Christ to everything else.
What they’ve done is built their house upon the shifting sands of hearing God’s word but not obeying it. They’re hearers and not doers. And when God brings the trials and tribulations of life down to test them, their faith is washed away with the tide.
How can we protect ourselves from this fate? The answer is to dig down to the foundation, to the bedrock of God and faith in Jesus Christ. We do so spiritually…
Only then when the storms of life come, we’ll be able to stand fast.
Many, however, only see the difficulty saying, “It’s too hard.” When we find ourselves saying such things we need to be like the guy who saw beyond the wolves surrounding him. We need to fix our eyes upon the unseen, that is, the riches of heaven that wait, and off the present difficulties.
The Apostle James said,
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV)
This isn’t being joyful over the trials; rather it’s being joyful through them. The Apostle Paul was falsely accused, imprisoned, put in chains, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and possibly lived with a lifelong affliction, but look at how we viewed all these afflictions.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV)
For Paul, his afflictions were both light and momentary. But how could he view them this way? It’s by keeping his eyes on the unseen, or the spiritual reality of life, instead of the seen or physical dimensions of life.
“We are not human beings having a temporary spiritual experience, but we are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.”
To endure with patience these afflictions, we need to keep our eyes fixed upon the unseen, upon Jesus Christ, the Rock, the foundation upon which our faith is placed.
The writer of Hebrews said, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)
We now come to the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus challenges us to have a radical new commitment. A commitment that will take us further away from the thinking and philosophy of the world and closer to Jesus Christ and His ways.
It’s a radical new way of life, it’s a life in which we must die to ourselves and to our desires.
Jesus said,
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” (John 12:24 NLT)
It’s only when we die to ourselves that new life can come.
It’s a life of holiness, which is a life separated from the world’s dictates, and lived for the Lord instead. It’s a life based solely upon God’s word. It’s a life where we walk the talk.
It’s a radical new way we do church as well.
It’s where we become God’s Salt and Light Company. It’s a church of action, not reaction. Instead of reacting to all the ungodliness around us, we take the initiative. As salt we should be arresting the decay of this rotting and dying world. And as light we should be shining Jesus’ light and dispelling the world’s darkness.
It’s being agents of reconciliation bringing unity to the church. We must break down the walls of racism and bigotry, as well as the walls of denominationalism. But beyond this we must be agents of reconciliation by helping people be reconciled to God, because God wishes none to perish, but that all be save.
We must also be a missionary church, not a sedentary one, which is at the heart of the Great Commission where Jesus tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. We must be a church that is passionate about reaching the lost and stop being inwardly focused upon our own problems.
Finally, we need to be conduits of God’s grace and mercy.
We must be as compassionate, loving, and forgiving as Jesus when He lived upon the earth. We must be His extensions to this lost and dying world. If God so forgave and had compassion on us, can we do anything less than be forgiving and compassionate as well.
And so for such a radical commitment we need to have a radical surrender. It’s where we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
