The Sermon on the Mount: Are we Wise or Foolish?
Introduction. As Jesus completed His “sermon on the mount” (Mt. 5-7), He emphatically warned His disciples that the subjects He had selected and covered were critical to their spiritual future. He concluded the sermon with two parables, revealing that Jesus expected/demanded His disciples to consider the words in this sermon to be the true foundation of our spiritual life. As He contrasted those who heard and did what He had just preached with those who heard them and then didn’t bother to put them into practice, He used the words wise and foolish. In Jesus mind, those disciples who are actively seeking to make these things their everyday concerns are building on the rock and those who show little concern and thought for them were building their spiritual house and future on the sand.
Have we taken to heart His warning? “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ... 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. (Mt. 7:24, 26). What are we doing to make sure that Jesus considers us to be wise on the final day? Have we learned the vocabulary to the point where we have a good working knowledge of “these words of mine”? For the purposes of this article, we can summarize the sermon with two or three main points per chapter:
Chapter Five:
(1) Blessed are… (poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hunger/thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in hear, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness)
(2) You are the light of the world and salt of the earth; don’t hide your light or allow your salt to lose it’s savor.
(3) You have heard... but I say: (anger and murder, lust and adultery, reason for divorce, swearing, taking personal vengeance with an eye for eye, loving your friends and hating your enemy)
Chapter Six:
(1) Be continually assessing your motives for serving God in all your giving to the needy, fasting and praying. Be aware that conflicting motives of man’s praise can remove the reward.
(2) Be continually assessing your attitude toward the things of this world and of the world that is to come. Especially consider whether your treasure is truly in heaven or still in this life. Whether your Master is truly God and not wealth. Whether your faith in God has truly removed your anxiety for material things. Whether you are truly seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness or if something else has replaced it.
Chapter Seven:
(1) Be very aware of how you judge others throughout the day in all our interactions. Are we really being fair or are we assuming motives are there which we can never know for certain? We must never forget that every time we judge another, we are laying the foundation for our own judgment. If we judge fairly, we will be judged fairly. If we judge with mercy, we will receive mercy.
(2) Our reliance on God for all our needs should be seen at all times. We should have full confidence that if we ask, it will be given. If we seek, we will find; and if we knock it will be opened to us.
(3) Choices we must be making. As we continue to gain more knowledge, we continue to assess whether or not we entered by the right gate and are walking on the right path. The vast majority of disciples will be wrong and rejected for lawlessness on the final day so this should be a continual assessment. Is the preacher we listen to preaching the truth or becoming a wolf? Do we know the fruits of such error well enough to identify it immediately when it is preached? Calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough. We must be continually searching the Scriptures to know and want to do God’s will.
Conclusion. As we carefully review and consider these words, can say with confidence that Jesus will be able to say we showed wisdom in our use of them? Have we truly made them the foundation of our spiritual life? Do we truly use them daily as we decide what we need to repent of and what new goals we need to be setting?
Have we taken to heart His warning? “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ... 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. (Mt. 7:24, 26). What are we doing to make sure that Jesus considers us to be wise on the final day? Have we learned the vocabulary to the point where we have a good working knowledge of “these words of mine”? For the purposes of this article, we can summarize the sermon with two or three main points per chapter:
Chapter Five:
(1) Blessed are… (poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hunger/thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in hear, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness)
(2) You are the light of the world and salt of the earth; don’t hide your light or allow your salt to lose it’s savor.
(3) You have heard... but I say: (anger and murder, lust and adultery, reason for divorce, swearing, taking personal vengeance with an eye for eye, loving your friends and hating your enemy)
Chapter Six:
(1) Be continually assessing your motives for serving God in all your giving to the needy, fasting and praying. Be aware that conflicting motives of man’s praise can remove the reward.
(2) Be continually assessing your attitude toward the things of this world and of the world that is to come. Especially consider whether your treasure is truly in heaven or still in this life. Whether your Master is truly God and not wealth. Whether your faith in God has truly removed your anxiety for material things. Whether you are truly seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness or if something else has replaced it.
Chapter Seven:
(1) Be very aware of how you judge others throughout the day in all our interactions. Are we really being fair or are we assuming motives are there which we can never know for certain? We must never forget that every time we judge another, we are laying the foundation for our own judgment. If we judge fairly, we will be judged fairly. If we judge with mercy, we will receive mercy.
(2) Our reliance on God for all our needs should be seen at all times. We should have full confidence that if we ask, it will be given. If we seek, we will find; and if we knock it will be opened to us.
(3) Choices we must be making. As we continue to gain more knowledge, we continue to assess whether or not we entered by the right gate and are walking on the right path. The vast majority of disciples will be wrong and rejected for lawlessness on the final day so this should be a continual assessment. Is the preacher we listen to preaching the truth or becoming a wolf? Do we know the fruits of such error well enough to identify it immediately when it is preached? Calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough. We must be continually searching the Scriptures to know and want to do God’s will.
Conclusion. As we carefully review and consider these words, can say with confidence that Jesus will be able to say we showed wisdom in our use of them? Have we truly made them the foundation of our spiritual life? Do we truly use them daily as we decide what we need to repent of and what new goals we need to be setting?