The Sermon on the Mount: The Father's Will and Jesus' Words I. Base Text: Matthew 7:21-8:1 II. Context A. We are still quite early in Jesus' ministry 1, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist; begins His ministry (Matthew 3:13-17) 2. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) 3. He then returns to Galilee, begins preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom: repent, for the Kingdom is at hand (Matthew 4:12-17, 23) 4. He calls some of His disciples, preached and healed in the synagogues, and many crowds began to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-25) 5. Seeing the multitudes, He sits upon a mountain and begins teaching the disciples in the hearing of the multitudes (Matthew 5:1-2) B. This teaching develops into an extended discourse (Matthew 5:3-7:27) 1. Begins with the "beatitudes," pronouncing blessings on those who are often considered unfortunate or cursed (Matthew 5:3-10) 2. Provides instruction for the disciples: they are as salt and light, a city on a hill, for they are to reflect the righteousness of God in Christ before all (Matthew 5:13-16) 3. Affirms that He has not come to change or adapt Law, but to fulfill it; condemns Pharisees and scribes for breaking Law (Matthew 5:17-20) 4. Through six compare and contrast declarations, Jesus establishes how to live as salt and light, as the Heavenly Father desires, exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 5:21-48) 5. Condemns "religious activities" of giving, praying, fasting, done for show in order to gain esteem among men; such things should be done simply, in secret, to God's glory and honor (Matthew 6:1-18) 6. Exhorts followers to put their trust in God, and God will provide what is necessary, not to put trust in money or any other god or to constantly worry about the present or the future (Matthew 6:19-34) 7. Warns followers about judgment, recognizing that as they judge others, so they will be judged; encourages followers to exercise discernment to recognize true followers of Christ from false teachers (Matthew 7:1-6, 15-20) 8. Encourages believers to trust in God by asking of Him, seeking His purposes, and knocking on His door, and they will receive (Matthew 7:7-11) 9. After expressing the Golden Rule, describes life in terms of difficult and easy paths, with narrow and broad gates, respectively, and encourages them to take the difficult path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14) III. Meaning A. Jesus concludes His discourse with two bold, compelling images: a warning about the Judgment day and the wise and foolish builders B. Warning About the Judgment Day (Matthew 7:21-23) 1. Having discussed false teachers and their fruits, Jesus then turns to a warning about what will happen on the day of Judgment 2. Not everyone who calls out to Jesus as Lord on the day of Judgment will enter the Kingdom; only those who do the will of the Father will enter 3. "Lord, Lord": recognition of Jesus as having all authority, associating themselves with Him as His servants 4. Such people are dumbfounded: did they not prophesy, cast out demons, do many mighty works in His name? 5. Such works could only be done through the power of God in the Spirit; those who did such things assumed that if they were able to do such things, they were truly Jesus' followers! 6. God's power works in more mysterious ways than this; He can work through people who are not actually His obedient servants (cf. John 11:49-52, Acts 19:13-17) 7. Yet Jesus tells them to depart, for He did not know them, since they were "workers of lawlessness" (cf. 1 John 3:4-10) 8. Emphasis must always be placed, therefore, on doing the will of the Father! C. The Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27) 1. Jesus then uses an illustration, essentially a parable, regarding two men who build houses (cf. Luke 6:47-49) 2. The one who hears Jesus' words and does them is like a wise man who builds on the rock: when rains and flood came, the house was battered, but stayed firm 3. The one who hears Jesus' words and does not do them is like a foolish man who builds on the sand: when rains and flood came, the house fell, and its fall is great 4. Rock as a strong foundation; sand as no real foundation at all, shifts when acted upon: Jesus as Rock (Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 3:11, 1 Peter 2:3-9) 5. Extraordinary statement of authority: standard is His words (cf. John 12:47-50) 6. Those who do what He says are wise, have their lives established properly on a sound footing: when tribulation and distress arise, pain will be felt, but their philosophical, theological, and practical perspectives on life will remain and sustain them through the crisis 7. Those who do not do what He says are foolish, establish their lives based on whatever passes for common sense and understanding: when tribulation and distress arise, pain is felt, and their perspectives fall apart and they have nothing left on which to sustain themselves 8. Such is true for their ultimate end as well: the enduring structure of the righteous testifies to their adherence to Jesus, while the collapsed structure of the wicked testifies to their folly (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, 1 Peter 1:3-9) D. Reaction (Matthew 7:28-8:1) 1. Thus the discourse ends with the image of the foolish man's house collapsing! 2. The crowds were astonished at His teaching: He taught as having authority, not like the scribes 3. Who would dare to say that confidence in His words would lead to safety? A fool or One who is profoundly and intimately connected to and associated with God the Father! 4. This display of authority and instruction generally attractive, not repulsive: after He came down, great multitudes followed Him (Matthew 8:1)! E. Thus Jesus ends His discourse called the Sermon on the Mount, reminding everyone about what is really important on the Judgment day and the importance of establishing themselves on His word IV. Application A. "Lord, Lord!" 1. Jesus succinctly describes a challenge for God's people throughout time: the belief that election/being the people of God is sufficient for salvation a. The theological underpinning of Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16:1-4) b. The basis of confidence of the Judahites in Jeremiah's day (Jeremiah 7:1-15) c. It remained the confidence of the Jews in Jesus' day (John 8:31-59, Romans 2:1-29) d. It remains today in the false doctrines of perseverance of the saints and "once saved, always saved" 2. Yet no one is really immune to it: when we recognize that we are in relationship with God through Christ, it is easy to take that relationship for granted, and assume that since we are a Christian and in a saved condition we must be saved! 3. After all, any child can get into an "entitlement" mentality! 4. We must remember that a professing Christian who does not do the will of the Father is no better off than those who reject God and blaspheme (cf. Romans 2:5-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:5-10) 5. We must seek to be as obedient children of the Father (Matthew 10:22, Romans 6:17-23, 8:1-17) 6. Nevertheless, we must avoid the over-reaction as well: we are not saved by our "righteousness," and nothing we can do, on its own, could merit eternal life (cf. Romans 3:20, Philippians 3:8-11); therefore, God is the author of our salvation, not ourselves, and He ever seeks to maintain, renew, and restore us in relationship (Ephesians 2:1-18, Titus 3:3-8) 7. We are no more "if saved, barely saved" than "once saved, always saved": we have every reason for confidence in salvation if we follow after Jesus (cf. 1 John) 8. As in many other aspects of the faith, so with our salvation: we must maintain its inherent balance/tension, not trusting in our own righteousness, but trusting in God, recognizing that we have confidence in our salvation in Christ but must never take that salvation for granted and ever seek to obey God in Christ! B. Our Foundation 1. The wise man building on the rock and the foolish man building upon the sand is one of the best known illustrations of Jesus a. Little children are taught to sing about it b. Jesus as the Rock, founding one's life on the rock, etc., commonly heard and used metaphors 2. Yet what is the truth to which the metaphor points? 3. What is the "foundation" of life? a. We all have operating assumptions: things which we believe are true and represent the basis upon which we live our lives b. Those assumptions, beliefs, convictions, etc., therefore, are our "foundation" c. The rest of our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions are "built" on that "foundation" d. Furthermore, we seek to understand the world around us through that "foundation": we interpret others' words and deeds, the events that take place in our lives, our experiences, etc., through the lens of our operating assumptions 4. Jesus' final exhortation in the Sermon on the Mount of great importance: are you going to base your life on what Jesus says or not? a. cf. Colossians 2:1-10 b. The world is full of philosophies and operating assumptions which are contrary to what Jesus has taught c. No one goes around without any operating assumptions; if they do not put much thought into considering them, they will naturally gravitate to whatever their families, cultures, and society teach d. Few, if any, philosophies or worldviews are entirely in contradiction with what Jesus has said; yet, at the same time, no other philosophy or worldview is entirely in harmony with what Jesus has taught 5. We must allow Jesus' teachings to inform how we think, feel, and act, and that starts with establishing our operating assumptions in alignment with the way Jesus has taught us about the world! 6. The flaws of other systems are only apparent in trial and distress; oftentimes, that is too late! 7. Let us be founded on the Rock! C. We do well, therefore, to seek to follow Jesus in philosophy, worldview, thoughts, feelings, and actions, doing the will of the Father, and thus inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven! V. Conclusion A. Thus Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount B. Just calling Jesus Lord is not enough; we must act like it! C. Is our faith and life fully anchored in Jesus so that it will withstand all trials and tribulations? D. Let us abide by the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, and glorify and honor God! E. Invitation/songbook