A Disciple's Commitment

Celestial Beans

Narrator: Today, we once again see our main Character, Hank, who has been away on a business trip. He is glad to be back at his favourite coffee shop: Celestial Beans.

Hank: (Arrives on stage and gets a cup of coffee and sits down on the chair) I sure have missed this coffee; it doesn’t taste like other shops. It’s time to listen to the last chapter of my book. Great nobody is around today. (Puts in his ear buds and begins to listen)

Bob: (Waves at Hank and yells for afar) Hey ear buddy, boy I have missed him. Glad to see some things don’t change—still with his technology. (Bob enters the stage and grabs his coffee.

Bob: (approaching Hank and taps him on the shoulder) Hey ear buddy, I’ve missed you

Hank: (Willing to remove his ear buds) I’ve been on a business trip, but I am almost done listening to the book, I am on my last chapter.

Bob: (Stating proudly) I’ve finished the book. I found I couldn’t put the book down; it was so interesting and challenging at the same time.

Hank: Me too! What have you learned?

Bob: I have come to realize that living the life of the Sermon on the Mount for modern times takes work. It’s…it’s [as if searching for the correct word] intentional.

Hank: Intentional [both Hank and Bob say the word at the same time] Yeah! Like—there’s only two choices for kingdom living. There’s the worlds and then there’s… God’s.

Bob: [as if agreeing, he says the word God’s at the same time that Hank does] Yeah, Narrow or wide. Beam or speck, judge or not, all are choices to follow God

Hank: I think that sometime, I’ve been giving the impression of serving God, but it’s all been an act

Bob: Isn’t it great you got me, my little Ear Buddy? To keep you humble. [gives Hank a pat on the shoulder, but gives that Superman pose]

Hank: I guess so. It gives a greater understanding to the concept of “in the context of community in the disciple’s definition.

Bob: Buckle up buddy, the last chapter, Jesus is quite pointed in how we are to live and build our life.

BTW Have you ever heard of the song

(singing with actions) The wise man builds his house upon the rock……

Hank: Well, I gotta go…. Til we meet again…. My Accountability Buddy.

Bob: (stops singing) Back at you my Ear Buddy

Intro

We have now come to the end of our series on Living the life of the sermon on the mount for modern times. The past month or so, our small group of adults during the SNL time on Sunday night have been exploring the passages on a deeper and personal level as we sit around a round table.

If you are following along in the 40 Days of Prayer devotional, you would have come to today’s focus and you have been asked to re-read the entire Sermon on the Mount. f scripture. I can only image the disciples sitting around in groups and discussing the various lessons Jesus taught them throughout the entire three years that they were with Him. If you read through the Gospels, you will hear various stories of questions they had for Jesus, but not all the conversations and questions were written down for us to hear.

I wonder what the disciples first thought when they heard this sermon. I wonder if they had questions like many of you may have had questions as we discussed this book. I guess we are all in good company.

If you are following along in the 40 Days of Prayer devotional, you would have come to today’s focus and you have been asked to re-read the entire Sermon on the Mount. I also asked you to consider the various lessons you have learned this past two months as we looked over the sermon on the mount.

Have you been like our characters that have taken the words and applied them to their lives. Have the scriptures been life changing for you or have they just been another message, heard before.

May I challenge you to read over Matthew 5-7. Allow the words of Jesus penetrate your heart and challenge you to come away with a new direction to follow him.

We truly need to be living the life of the sermon on the mount in this modern world.

But before we end this series, we must look at the last part of chapter 7.

Thanks for John who spoke on the previous verses. He claimed I gave him the hard verses, well. Buckle up, Jesus wasn’t done in his part of his message.

The last verses, Jesus address the disciple’s commitment.

He does this in two ways. The first is an Off the Mark Disciple and the second is an On the mark disciple

Let’s look at the first section found in Matthew 7:21-24

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

An Off the Mark Disciple

A true disciple. Jesus holds no punches. He paints a picture of what a true disciple is by showing you aspects of those who believe they are disciples.

He sets out a radical statement that may shock some of you. If you look at those verses and realize what Jesus is truly saying, it really makes you think.

One author puts it this way,

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount A Christian’s Commitment: The Radical Choice (Matthew 7:21–27)

The Lord Jesus winds up the Sermon on the Mount’, writes J. C. Ryle, ‘by a passage of heart-piercing application. He turns from false prophets to false professors, from unsound teachers to unsound hearers.’1 R. V. G. Tasker’s comment is similar: ‘It is not only false teachers who make the narrow way difficult to find and still harder to tread. A man may also be grievously self-deceived.’2

Lord, Lord—A False Professor

self deceived. I read that and I thought about false professions.

Professions about knowledge not jobs. Those who profess something, yet they really don’t believe what they hold in their mind to be true.

Jesus begins by pointing out to his listeners that knowing the truth as head knowledge is not good enough it requires a relationship.

It was good to have Daniel today to introduce you to his ministry. Camp ministry in my past has been a very positive thing. I looked forward every year to head off to a small CSSM camp south of Moosejaw Sk. Each year, we would make the treck to the camp and be once again united with our friends that we got to meet the previous years.

One of those friends was a boy who’s last name was Disney. That’s right, Disney. Now as any boy with that name, his claim to fame was that he would proclaim that he was a relative of the Disney family that created the parks we have come to know. I was young, why would I question his claim.

This boy was the boy you wanted to have in your cabin. It wasn’t because of his name, but that of his nickname. We call called him mother. You see each week there was a cabin inspection contest and if you had “mother” in your cabin, it was a sure winner. He knew how to motivate and to achieve cleanliness. We would often beat the girl cabins.

Disney was also known for something else. Each year like clockwork, the speaker of the week would give out a time for those who heard the gospel message to come and respond. Each year Disney would go forward.

You see for him, he knew the message, but it never sunk into a personal relationship with Jesus.

He had a false profession of his faith.

Jesus reminds his listeners that not all those people who say Lord, Lord are considered part of the kingdom.

A few years back I had the pleasure of attending Breakforth Canada. A conference held in Edmonton where they bring in various speakers. That year I volunteered to be a room host for one of the speakers, Dr Dan Allender.

Dan became a believer after high school but telling the class that in High School, his good friend was a believer, a disciple of Christ who regularly shared with him the Gospel. so much, that he knew it well.

He then encountered a girl in the High School that was really struggling. He told the girl, what you need is to have Jesus in your life and begin to share the gospel message with the girl.

A few weeks later, the girl approached Dan and her life was transformed. She said to Dan, isn’t it great to be a Christian like us. Dan responded by I don’t believe that, I just know all about it.

To me that is a sobering thought. There has been many people over the years that I have worked with in Ministry. Many have been able to articulate their faith and understanding of the faith. But I look at these scriptures and I hear what Jesus is saying and it humbles me.

Previously in the sermon, Jesus was addressing the false prophet. Those who are teaching and preaching words that don’t line up with Doctrine, but now Jesus focus is on those who follow a false profession.

False profession is one that knows the truth, but hasn’t truly allowed the truth to enter his/her heart.

It is not the knowledge that Jesus is looking for, but doing the will of the father.

The will of the father. This can be translated into simply obedience.

But you may say, Pastor, what does this obedient disciple really look like. How is obedience and the knowledge work out.

Let me put it to you simply this way.

Lately, I have noticed that the city of Merritt has been placing various boxes around town. Maybe you have noticed them.

They sit on the side of the road and watch you.

They have been moving around town. Chained up to posts around town.

Have you seen them?

If you haven’t figured out what I am talking they are those speed boxes.

If you have missed them, you are most likely haven’t been exceeding the speed limit.

You see we all know the posted speed limit. We know in our head that we are to travel within the speed limit, we say Yes Yes, but the flashing light begins to flash as we exceed the limit.

Yes Yes we say to the box, but do we slow down?

Yes Yes we tell others but the flashing light is flashing.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a flashing light in our lives when what we know in our head the things Jesus us expects us to follow, what pleases the will of the father and yet we are not.

Flash Flash

We look at another believer and begin to judge them.

Flash Flash on goes the box reminding us … Judge not, lest you be judged.

We have a choice to take the road less traveled and we take the wide road

Flash Flash on goes the box reminding us. The way of the kingdom is through a narrow gate.

We become extremely busy with life and spend increasingly less time in God’s

Word.

Flash Flash reminding us to be thirsting after righteousness for they shall be filled.

Look at these words again,

Matthew 7:21 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Are you a card caring member of God’s Kingdom. As stated in earlier sermons we can’t have two passports but Jesus is declaring that some people feel and think that they have the passport for God’s kingdom by saying Lord Lord, but fail to be obedient to the father’s will.

Are you carrying out the will of the father who is in heaven by being obedient to His Word

We have described the life of a disciple is

....seeking to know God, while being transformed into the image of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit in the context of community

Folks to keep us doing the father’s will, we need each other, along with the spirit to be our flashing box sending us signals that our Lord Lord is out of obedience than knowledge that isn’t believed and practiced.

Jesus continues

Matthew 7:22 ESV

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

Lord, Lord- A False Ministry

A false ministry.

You see the two Lord, Lords need to be put in context with each other.

it’s been said

The Sermon on the Mount: (Matthew 5–7): An Expositional Commentary Chapter 42: Nominal Christians (Matthew 7:21–23)

This means that the listener to the gospel must not count on a mere belief in Christ’s person on the one hand, or the performance of great works in his name on the other hand as proof of his own salvation. These things will not save him. Rather, he must assure himself of his relation to Jesus Christ personally.

Grace and works.

They are two parts of the gospel in our lives as disciples of Christ.

One author talked about grace and works in this fashion

The Sermon on the Mount: (Matthew 5–7): An Expositional Commentary Good Works

In one of the great battles that took place between the Greeks and the Persians just prior to the Greek Golden Age, there was an incident that perfectly illustrates this principle. The Persian fleet had sailed from the Bosporus out along the Macedonian coast and then down the edge of Greece to Attica. It finally met the Greek ships in the bay of Salamis just off Athens. The Greek ships were lighter and quicker; the Persian ships were cumbersome. So, in the battle that followed, the Greeks made short work of the Persians. In one particular encounter a Greek ship managed to sail close to a large Persian vessel and brush by its side. Because it had done this quickly, the Persian oarsmen did not have time to draw their oars in, although the Greeks did. The result was that the Greek ship broke off all of the oars on that side of the Persian vessel. Few on the Persian ship realized what had happened, and because the oarsmen on the other side continued rowing, the ship swung around in a circle leaving a fresh set of oars visible to the Greek captain. The Greeks then reversed their ship, trimmed off the other set of oars, and sank the enemy.

It must have been a humorous sight, the great ship going around in circles. But it is an illustration of what happens when there is faith without works or works without faith. Oh, we can generate a big storm with one oar. We can get attention. But we will just be going around in circles spiritually. Real Christianity is a personal relationship to Jesus Christ through faith resulting in a new life that goes forward and that is increasingly productive of good works.

The Results

Matthew 7:23 ESV

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The Results

The result is not pleasant for those who are living this type of life.

Depart from me, Jesus said.

Workers of Lawlessness. Do you have people in your life that work very hard to live up to a man made standard of expectation without the grace of God. Do you know people who rely only on the grace, but lead a life that is in complete with I what the sermon on the mount has been describing.

I never knew them.

The God of grace, the God of truth never knew you.

It is my hope that everyone in this room is not on the fence. That you are not only knowing that God has sent his son to this world to die for our sins and through this we have redemption.

This free gift of salvation is yours for the asking, yours to take to heart. We can have a relationship with Jesus and be drawn into his likeness.

Accepting this truth will give you the real Kingdom passport and you can stand in the presence of the almighty and be know.

Jesus after pointing out the way disciples are off the mark Jesus points us to the true foundation

Matthew 7:24–29 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

An On the Mark Disciple

Jesus closes of his sermon on the mount with a song. Well not really, we have made it into a song.

But really, He had just gave the greatest sermon ever told and leaves them with a warning.

Like all the other comparisons throughout the sermon, Jesus leaves us with two types of people.

Remember, you can’t hold dual citizenship

The Two Types of Disciples

Jesus says their are two types of disciples. Wise and Foolish

Notice they are extremes.

Wise or Foolish

Not wise or lazy

or wise or complacent

Wise or I’ll get around to it one day

Wise or Foolish.

So the question becomes which one are you.

Before you ask or answer this question, let’s once again look at the scripture as to the way Jesus describes the wise and foolish

Their Foundations

The reason why Jesus describes someone wise or foolish is their foundation. The foundation of their beliefs.

You see he describes both people as listeners.

Each one of you and myself have now listened to the Sermon on the mount.

We have heard Jesus’ words on how we are to live. How we are to act and how we are to choose actions.

Whether you are described by Jesus as wise or foolish we all are hearers of the word.

It’s not the hearing but the doing.

If your want to be wise, you must build your foundation on the words of Jesus.

He says, those who hear, internalize the truth and follow the truth will be wise.

Those who hear, but choose not to internalize the truth and ignore the truth will be foolish.

Why? It won’t last.

I have seen so many people hear the claims of Christ, the words from Jesus and seem they can’t possibly be true. They head out on their own and for a short while it seems like it is working but as Jesus describes the storms are a coming.

The Results

So what are the results for an on the mark disciple.

Jesus said if you build your life on his teachings, his word, put your trust in the one who sustains the world, your house will stand because Christ will stand for now and forever more.

When Christ returns to gather his people or you go on ahead, those of us who have chosen to be wise and have followed the words of Christ we will stand secure in the life of Jesus.

Living the Sermon on the mount in modern times is the same as when Jesus Preached this sermon.

It requires us to listen, hear and follow.

as the worship team comes forward to lead us in a song of response, what will be your response today.

Matthew summed up the sermon, and when we began this series, I told you this to put this sermon into perspective

Matthew 7:29 ESV

29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus’ words are the authority that we must follow. Build your foundation for your life on these and when the storms of life and the end of life come, we can stand and be counted as those who passports are stamped for His kingdom.

Are you heading the Call to be a part of God’s Kingdom? During this song, the prayer room is always open, the front is open if you are seeking prayer, if God is calling you, come.

Let’s hear the call of the kingdom