"Firm Foundations"
The Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Here we are! We have arrived at the end of The Sermon on the Mount. If nothing else, it has been an interesting year. This morning will make the 36th Sermon from these 3 chapters of Scripture. This is easily the longest series I have ever preached, and for me it has been fun.
My biggest hope and prayer through all of this is that EVERYONE here would walk away with a new perspective. My biggest hope is that every time I preach, every time we come together, something happens that changes us. We were never meant to stay the same. Change is the constant in all of our lives, and I pray that the change is your life takes you closer to God.
The final episode of season 2 of “The Chosen” is setting us up for this sermon. The stage is literally set. It’s super cool how they portray it in a context we can understand. In the final moments of the episode Jesus is standing there with a couple people getting ready to teach. Some of the disciples are still making final arrangements. Still others are directing the crowds and helping keep things organized.
Jesus is preparing to teach His FOLLOWERS! These are people that have followed Him to this very place and this very moment for varying reasons.
Some have been astounded by His teaching in the Synagogues.
Other’s have seen the blind eyes open, the sick made well, the lame walk, and demons cast out.
Some have merely heard of the signs, miracles, and wonders.
Some standing before Jesus to hear His teaching have been compelled to come by a spouse, friend, parent, or child.
Regardless of their reasons or motives, the entire crowd is about to hear the sermon of a lifetime…rather The GREATEST SERMON OF ALL TIMES.
As Jesus teaches, He teaches for life change! Throughout this sermon He covers the majority of sins and failures that people deal with.
He begins with the right attitudes and the basic understanding that “there is nothing in me that makes me good.” I am poor in Spirit and need a Savior.
That is the beginning of understanding this sermon. It may not be what I called the thesis or the big picture idea, but it is the place to start…
I NEED JESUS!!!
He followed with attitudes I must have about my sin, about my God, and about my neighbor.
He pronounced the character of the believer as being Light and Salt.
He corrected misunderstandings about the big things in life such as Anger, Lust, Marriage and Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, and loving both enemies and friends.
He talked about practicing your righteousness before God NOT MEN, and in that, TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY!
He warned us about trying to hang on to worldly things, and encouraged us to put all our hope in God.
He reiterated one of my favorite beatitudes, by telling us to reject anxiety and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. HE IS JEHOVAH JIREH, The Lord that Provides!
Leading up to the conclusion, Jesus warned us that we will be judged with the same vigor that we judge other people. That means we need to have our lived right, so we can be a blessing to the Kingdom.
Finally, He encouraged us to come boldly to the throne and be persistent in the things we need. We serve a Good Good Father that loves us very much and will meet all of our needs!
Then He begins to close the Sermon.
Remember, Everyone here has followed Him to the same place.
They have all come from different homes and different beginnings
BUT THEY HAVE ALL HEARD THE SAME SERMON!
As He closes He says, THEREFORE…in other words, “Because of everything you have just heard me say,” be nice, don’t be jerks! Do to other people what you want other people to do to you!
He shows the crowd that they have choices…
2 Roads
and
2 Types of Leaders
Then the Scariest verse in the Bible… This may be the most important part of the whole Sermon. It’s the point of decision. It’s the point where Jesus gets people to ask themselves, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS!
How is this going to effect my life?
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. 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. 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.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
PRAY
Our Scripture this morning transitions directly out of last weeks Scripture using a conjunction. The way the ESV structure the sentence is a little bit different, but listen to the NKJV. Matthew 7:24
“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:
In verse 21 He starts out with this negative… “not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter Heaven,” but He follows by implying that the one that does the will of God will enter.
Then Jesus moves into this metaphor showing our lives to be like houses.
Like last weeks passage, there seem to be similarities between the 2 things of comparison. Last week the comparison was 2 people trying to enter into Heaven. 1 was refused, the other welcomed.
This morning we are looking at not just what other people see on the surface, but what is the foundation of our lives.
FOUNDATIONS ARE IMPORTANT!!!
Greers Ferry House
Proper Foundations take time
Storms will Come
I. The Wise Man— Matthew 7:24-25
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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.
A. The symbol—v. 24. Note the application here of hearing and doing the sayings of Christ.
1. Keep Christ’s commands—John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Love for Him is judged by our obedience.
2. Keep Christ’s words—John 14:23
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Love will honor Him.
3. Act on Christs Words James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Love will obey Him
B. The stability—v. 25. The winds and the storms came, but the house remained firm because it was established upon a rock. We are kept by God’s power—
1. 1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
2. 1 Tim. 1:12-14
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
3. Jude 24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
II. The Foolish Man— Matthew 7:26–27
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. 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.”
A. The disrespect—v. 26. When disobeying Jesus’ commands, we are like the man who built his house on the sand. There was no sure foundation.
1. Sin—James 4:17
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
When one knows what is right and refuses to do so, he is sinning.
They had ALL Heard Jesus’ words
2. Stubbornness—Prov. 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Refusing the right way leads to death. See John 14:6.
3. Stupidity (FOOLISH moros) Proverbs 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
B. The destruction—v. 27. When the storms came, the house fell. This man was unstable. Note how many heard Jesus, but turned back and refused to follow Him—John 6:66
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
1. 2 Tim. 4:10
For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
2. Rev. 20:11–15 Because of rejecting Christ, many will be condemned.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
III. The Wise Message—Matthew 7:28-29
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
A. The teacher—v. 28. Jesus was a teacher sent from God. The people were amazed at His doctrine. Nicodemus knew He was from God—John 3:2. Though He was divine, Jesus was also human. He wept—John 11:35.
B. The teaching—v. 29. What did He teach? His teaching met all the needs of mankind, spiritual and material.
How are you building?
Are you obeying the teachings of Christ?
The Psalmist not only heard God’s Word—he hid it in his heart—Ps. 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Because of this, he was cleansed from sin—Ps. 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
Paul spoke of believing in the heart—Rom. 10:9–10
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
When one believes in the heart, he will put his beliefs into practice. As we practice the teachings of Christ, we are building upon a strong foundation, one that will endure eternally—1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.