Building on the Rock

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Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 7, verses 13 to 29, as printed in the liturgy.

Matthew 7:13–29

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.

Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Watch out for false prophets.

They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

By their fruit you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?

Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

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

Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?

Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you.

Away from me, you evildoers.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew, and beat against that house.

Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew, and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Thanks be to you.

Good morning, Christ Church.

We are exploring again today the Gospel of Matthew.

And here at the beginning of this Gospel in chapters 5, 6, and 7 is what we call the Sermon on the Mount.

And Jesus has technically finished the body of his sermon.

And so now in these verses, he's rounding it off.

He's landing the plane.

He's applying.

He's exhorting.

He's urging on his listeners the importance and the necessity of practicing and implementing the Sermon on the Mount in their daily lives.

And basically what he's said so far, and you can open up your pew Bible if you like, Matthew 5, 6, and 7.

You can double check what I'm saying here.

But Jesus basically has said, I'm the Son of God.

I've come down from heaven to earth to establish this alternative kingdom.

I've come in the midst of all the kingdoms of this world.

And I've come to call out a people to myself.

And I've come to form that people into the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of light.

And you people that I'm calling out into this kingdom are to be entirely different, utterly unique, right?

Noticeably set apart from everybody else in your thinking and in your living.

And he begins that sermon, you know, with that portrait of the nature and the character of the Christian and what we call the Beatitudes.

And he says, you know, people that have experienced the grace of God in their lives, they are poor in spirit.

And they mourn over their sin and their selfishness.

And they have about themselves a meekness and a lowliness and a humility of heart.

And they hunger and thirst for something that they don't have, which is the righteousness that only God can give.

And out of that, they treat other people with mercy, the way that God has been merciful to them.

And they have a pure heart that wants only really one thing.

And they're peacemakers.

And Jesus says, these kinds of people that are in my kingdom, the world is going to treat you like they treated me.

Blessed are you when you're persecuted because of righteousness.

But Jesus says, just because they're treating you poorly, don't run away.

Don't escape.

Don't retreat.

Jesus says, I want you to live in the world as salt that holds back the decay of this world.

And I want you to live as light that pushes back the darkness of this world.

And then Jesus tells us how to be Christians who live out the moral law of God.

He basically says, I want you to be righteous.

I want your righteousness to be obvious and noticeable.

And so he gives us in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 these detailed instructions for how to be righteous people in relationship with God

and righteous people in relationship with others.

And basically, if you read this whole Sermon on the Mount in one sitting, you experience it like this giant searchlight.

Right?

A hundred thousand lumens just shining into your soul, shining onto your life.

And if you really let it shine on you, you'll cry out and say, I am poor in spirit.

And I really, really need a Savior.

That's what the Sermon on the Mount does to you.

But Jesus, now he gets to the very end of the sermon.

And how does it end?

Well, he says this.

He paints four little pictures for us.

And he says, look, there are two roads.

One leads to destruction and one leads to life.

And there are two trees.

One is good and it produces healthy fruit.

And the other is bad and it produces diseased fruit.

And so that tree has to be cut down.

And thrown into the fire.

And he says there's two different kinds of people who call themselves Christians.

One that does the will of God.

And one that does their own will.

And that person who does their own will is going to hear me say one day, depart from me.

I never knew you.

And then he says there are two kind of houses.

There's one that's built on the rock and it stands in the test.

And the other that's built on sand and it falls.

And one of the last words of this greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus says, it fell with a great crash.

And then he drops the mic and walks off the stage.

Imagine if I said to you, hey, I'm going to go swim in the ocean today.

And you, because you're such a good friend, you said, hey, I don't think that's such a great idea.

Because these waters are actually shark infested waters.

And there's an incredible riptide today.

It's already killed multiple people.

So I don't really think you should go and swim.

Is that friend trying to ruin my fun?

Is that a friend who's trying to manipulate me and scare me?

Or is this a friend who's trying to give me a loving warning?

A friend who's trying to save me and give me life?

And I think that's what Jesus is in this sermon.

The Apostle Paul, when he's preaching to the greatest intellectuals of the day in Athens,

in Acts 17, he says,

For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.

He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.

And Paul goes on in one of his other letters, 2 Corinthians 5, he says,

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

so that each of us may receive what is due for us,

for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

And here's Jesus, the most loving person who's ever existed.

And he's standing here as the judge of all people,

the judge we're going to meet on judgment day.

And he says,

Here's what's going to be on the final exam.

I'm telling you now.

There's no guessing.

This is the final exam.

So, you ready to listen?

Jesus judges our road, our fruit, our will, and our foundation.

That's what Matthew 7 tells us.

Jesus judges our road, fruit, will, and foundation.

First of all, Jesus judges our road.

He says in verse 13,

The Lord Jesus gets to the end of the Sermon on the Mount,

and he asks us,

What is the point?

What's the most important thing of all that I've said?

What's the one principle above all the others that you really need to grasp?

What's the most outstanding characteristic of the life to which I'm calling all Christians?

In the Sermon on the Mount,

and Jesus says it's narrowness.

It's a narrow gate,

and it's a narrow road,

and it's a narrow life.

And we say,

Well, wait a second, Jesus.

I think you got that backwards.

Don't you really mean to say that

the way that leads to life is one of wideness and one of broadness?

And didn't you mean to say that many people are going to find the path to life?

Because the way you just said it, Jesus, sounds kind of exclusive.

And I think you really want to be more inclusive.

And Jesus,

don't you really want to appeal to more people

and accommodate all of our needs?

And do you really want to sum up your Sermon on the Mount

with this word,

narrow?

And Jesus says,

Jonathan,

thank you so much

for trying to help me be the Son of God,

but

yes,

I meant narrow.

I meant narrow.

Standing before you are two gates,

and you have to make a decision.

On your left hand is this wide gate

that has a great crowd of people

that's entering in simultaneously.

And on the right,

you have this small gate

that only takes one person at a time.

On your left,

you have this broad road

where the masses of people are surging along it

like a six-lane highway.

And on the right,

you have this small gate,

and it leads to a narrow,

single-track path,

and only a few people

are walking along it.

And Jesus says,

that's what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.

That's the way I want you to walk.

And only there on that path,

that narrow road,

are you going to find me

walking before you.

And notice that the Christianity Jesus describes

is narrow from the beginning.

It's not like,

you know,

at first it's broad,

and then it gets more and more narrow.

Jesus says that the gate,

the point of entry,

is narrow,

and it's hard to squeeze through.

Right?

There's only one gate.

Jesus says it like this in John 14.

He doesn't say,

I'm a way,

a truth,

a life.

He says,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

And then what does he say?

No one comes to the Father

except through me.

So when Jesus says,

enter through the narrow gate,

he's saying,

convert to me.

Submit to me.

Call me your Lord.

Now,

if you've ever been through

a really tight security turnstile

that's tall and metal,

you know,

you can't even get through

one of those things

with a backpack on.

And I think that's kind of

what Jesus is describing.

There's some things

at this gate

that you have to leave outside.

Some things you've got to leave behind.

And what must we leave

at this gate?

Jesus says,

well,

first of all,

you've got to leave the crowd.

You've got to leave the majority.

Right?

You've got to leave behind

the way of the world

and your need to be popular

because what I'm calling you to

is different

and it's strange

and it's uncool.

Because the world says,

hey,

if somebody slaps you,

slap them back.

And,

hate your enemies

and curse those

who curse you.

But what I'm telling you

is if somebody slaps you,

turn them to the other cheek

and let them slap that one as well.

And what I'm telling you is

love your enemies

and pray for those

who persecute you.

And if somebody curses you,

I want you to bless them back.

How in the world do we do that?

Jesus says,

well,

if you're going to leave,

you've got to leave the world behind

and if you're going to do these things

I'm calling you to do,

you've got to leave yourself behind.

Right?

We heard it earlier.

If anyone

wants to be my disciple,

you must deny yourself

and take up your cross

and follow me.

And what's the first thing he says?

You've got to renounce yourself.

You've got to renounce

your old self.

For that's the road

that all of us are born on.

Right?

Is the way of the self.

The way in which

this wide and broad way

that's completely centered

on the self.

And Jesus says

that way

ultimately will destroy you.

Because

if you're centered on yourself,

you can't be centered on God.

And you can't be centered

on other people.

And what you're going to be left with

at the end of your life

is just this small,

pitiful,

little ego self.

And you're going to be

on your deathbed

and all that's awaiting you,

Jesus says,

is destruction.

Irreversible,

eternal destruction.

But

the good news is

Jesus says

I came

that you might have

life.

Verse 14,

small is the gate

and narrow the road

that leads to life

and only a few find it.

You know,

if you've been a Christian

for a while,

you can

attest

that from the outside

the way of Jesus

seems narrow

and constraining.

But once you get

on the inside,

it's quite spacious

and liberating.

And Jesus is basically

saying here,

look,

if you go through the gate

where you have to

renounce yourself

to even get through

and if you walk with me

on this narrow road

where you love God

and you love other people

more than you love yourself,

not only are you going to be

on that way

with the one

who calls himself

the resurrection

into life,

but what you're going

to get at the very end

is the life

of God

himself.

So Jesus says,

which road

are you on?

Which road

are you on?

Jesus judges

our road,

but he also judges

our fruit.

And so he says

next in verse 15,

he says,

watch out for

false prophets.

They come to you

in sheep's clothing,

but inwardly

they are ferocious

wolves.

By their fruit

you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes

from thorn bushes

or figs from thistles?

Now why does Jesus

bring up false

and true prophets

at this point?

Why is he talking

about their fruit

and the difference

between the outward

appearance

and the inward

substance?

Because there's

a danger

that confronts us

as we stand

before this narrow gate

and this narrow road

and Jesus says

the danger

that is confronting

you are people

who claim

to have a new

prophetic message.

These are people

who are inside

the church,

they look like

sheep,

but they're trying

to dissuade you

from listening

to the true

prophecy

of the Sermon

on the Mountain

and the true

prophetic words

of the apostles'

teaching

in the New Testament.

Right?

A false prophet

says,

you know,

you don't really

need to enter

through the one

gate of Jesus.

In fact,

there are many gates.

They're all equally valid

and they all lead

to the same place,

really.

And a false prophet

says,

you know,

you don't really

need to renounce

yourself.

You don't need

to walk

this narrow road.

In fact,

if you interpret

the Bible

in this new,

cool way

that I have

to show you,

then you'll find

this broad

and wide

moral permissiveness

and just sort

of an ethical

salad bar

and buffet

that you can

pick and choose

the things

in the New Testament

that you like

and just have

a God of grace,

he doesn't really

care about

obedience.

You can just

do whatever

pleases you.

If you read

church history

for the past

2,000 years,

it's just

so utterly

simple.

False prophets

want to take

the cross

out of the gospel

and they want

to take the cost

out of discipleship

and they want

to take this

high,

glorious life

of the Sermon

on the Mount

and they want

to bring the bar

way down here

and say,

you know,

it's actually

pretty easy.

There's really

nothing hard,

there's nothing

difficult about

Christianity.

A false prophet

is known more

often by what

they do not say

and what they

leave out of

their message.

They talk about

the gospel

as if there's

absolutely nothing

offensive in it.

There's no

narrowness here.

Humanity is not

on the road

to destruction.

In fact,

all people are

going to get

life in the end

without judgment.

And friends,

I hope you know

that it is impossible

to square that

with the teachings

of Jesus

or with the

things that

he trained

and sent

and commissioned

his apostles

to write.

you just can't

make it say

that.

This is not

just a New Testament

thing,

it's an Old Testament

thing as well.

This is the prophet

Isaiah chapter 30.

Isaiah 30 · chapter mention

The people

of God

said,

give us no more

visions of what

is right.

Tell us pleasant

things.

Prophesy

illusions.

In Jeremiah 6,

they said,

he says,

they dress the

wound,

they,

the false prophets,

dress the wound

of my people

as though it

were not serious.

Peace,

peace,

they say,

when there is

no peace.

You see,

a false prophet

is a comforting

preacher that

will tell you

pleasant things

and say,

well,

there's not really

much wrong

and there's nothing

to really be

concerned about.

And definitely

don't listen to

Isaiah

and Jeremiah

and all their

talk about the

holiness of God

and the justice

of God.

Those guys

are so serious,

they're so intense,

they're so narrow,

God is a God

of love.

There's no justice

in his love,

there's no judgment

in his love.

Wide is the gate

that leads

to salvation.

Broad is the road

that leads

to life.

Doesn't that sound

nice?

Doesn't it look

sheep-like?

Kind of feels

soft and woolly

and warm.

But what does

Jesus call that?

He says it's

wolfish.

It's like a

ravenous wolf

that would tear

the flock

of sheep

to shreds.

And then Jesus

changes this metaphor,

he says a false

prophet is somebody

who bears bad

fruit because

it's growing

on a bad

tree.

Any of you ever

see a shiny,

red,

delicious apple

and it looks

so good

on the outside

and you think,

I should take

a bite of that.

and then what

happens when you

take a bite?

It's just

horrible.

It's tough skin,

it's mealy

flesh.

I was disappointed

in so many

lunches in my

childhood and I

finally got to a

day where I was

like never again.

I'm an adult now.

Like nobody can

feed me this stuff.

It turns out

the selective

breeding over time

it improved

the look

but destroyed

the taste

of the red,

delicious apple.

And Jesus

is saying

be careful

not to eat

the red,

delicious apple

and be really

careful

and be sure

that you are

not a red,

delicious apple.

He says

in verse 18,

a good tree

cannot bear

bad fruit

and a bad tree

cannot bear

good fruit.

Every tree

that does not

bear good fruit

is cut down

and thrown

into the fire.

Two trees,

they're both

in church.

They look

exactly the same

on the outside

but they have

a different nature,

a different life

on the inside

and so they bear

a different fruit.

And Jesus

is telling us

that a Christian

is somebody

who's received

a new nature,

a new life,

a new DNA

on the inside

from God

above.

That their

old nature

of thorns

and thistles

has been done

away with

and that new

nature that

produces luscious

grapes and delicious

figs has come

in.

And Jesus

is asking us,

do you have

that new life?

Do you have

real life?

And you say,

well how do I know

I have that life?

Well here's a test.

How do you feel

when you look up

at the holiness

of God

and you look

inside of yourself

at the sinfulness

of your heart

and you look ahead

at your impending

death

and you look at

the just judgment

of Christ

that's going to

come to you,

how do you feel

about yourself?

Do you feel proud?

Do you feel confident?

Do you feel like,

man I got this?

Or do you say,

I'm poor in spirit.

I'm mourning

over all

of my self-centeredness.

I feel so meek

and lowly

before God.

I'm just hungering

and thirsting

and crying out

for a righteousness

that only God

can give me.

I am desperate

and I am utterly

dependent on Christ

and Christ crucified

to reconcile me

to this God.

That's how you know

you have that new life

in you.

Jesus,

he judges our road,

he judges our fruit

and he also judges

our will.

He judges our will.

He's examining us

and he's saying,

are you a true Christian?

Are you a false Christian?

Right?

And now he comes

to this third picture,

this most serious

and solemn warning yet

and it's given again

to Christians

who are people

who profess

to be Christians

who are conscious

of the fact

that they're going

to stand before God

in the final judgment

and here's what he says.

Verse 21,

not everyone who says

to me,

Lord, Lord,

will enter the kingdom

of heaven

but only those

who do the will

of my Father

who is in heaven.

Many will say to me

on that day,

Lord, Lord,

did we not prophesy

in your name

and in your name

drive out demons

and in your name

perform many miracles

and then I will tell

them plainly,

I never knew you

apart from me,

you evildoers.

Jesus warns us

of the terrible danger

of self-deception

and he says

that on judgment day

there's going to be

many surprises

so be careful

not to rely

on false evidences

because it's possible

to think that you're

a Christian,

to think that you've

received salvation

from God,

to do so much

and to go so far

and then to get

to the very end

and realize

that you were

altogether wrong.

And so he says

the first evidence

not to rely on

is orthodox doctrine

and correct belief.

Right?

You can call Jesus

your Lord.

You can have all

the right truths

about his person

and his work.

You can say all

the right things.

Right?

That Jesus is the

eternal preexistent

son of God,

that he came from

heaven to earth,

that he endured

the bitter shame

and agony

and cruelty

of the cross

to save us

from our sins

and reconcile us

to God,

that he was bodily

raised from death

to life

and that he's now

sitting on God's throne

ruling over all.

You can say all

those things,

Jesus says,

but still not have

entered the kingdom

of God.

Don't get me wrong.

Orthodox doctrine,

correct belief

is essential.

No one enters

the kingdom of God

without saying

all those things,

but not everyone

who says those things

will enter in.

And so Jesus warns us

that intellectual

assent to the truth

is insufficient.

There's a vast difference

between knowledge

about Christ

and knowledge

of Christ.

And Jesus also says

it's not just orthodoxy,

it's orthopathy

that's not enough.

Orthodoxy is right belief,

orthopathy is right feeling.

You not just say

Jesus is Lord,

but he's Lord, Lord.

I'm fervent.

I'm enthusiastic.

I'm excited about Jesus.

And Jesus says

it's not just orthodoxy

and orthopathy,

but orthopraxy,

right action.

You can give

great spiritual messages.

Not that this one's great,

but you can do that.

You can prophesy

in my name.

You can do wonderful works.

You can deliver people

from spiritual bondage.

You can heal the sick.

You can do it all

in my name,

Jesus says,

but where in the Sermon

on the Mount

did I ask you

to do any of those things?

I'm not asking you

to work for me.

I'm asking you

to live under me.

To live under me.

Because what really matters

in the end

is whether or not

I know you

or I never knew you.

And I know all things.

So what I'm talking about

is whether or not

I knew you

in a personal relationship.

Not that you use my name,

but that I knew you

by name.

And how can we know

that we're in a relationship

with Christ?

Jesus says,

it's not people

who say to me,

Lord, Lord,

but those who do the will

of my Father in heaven.

Have you renounced your will?

To do the will of God instead.

Jesus, the judge of all people,

says that on that day,

many people

who've been busy in my name

are going to be shown

to have been doers of evil.

Workers of lawlessness

is what it says.

And why is that?

Because those people

have been active,

very active

to impress other people

in my name.

They've been very active

to please themselves

in my name.

They've been very active

to do their own will

for their own glory.

But what I'm after

is people who want to do

my Father's will

and do it for His glory.

And Jesus is saying to us,

friends,

where's your heart?

Do I know you?

Do you really belong to me?

Have you renounced yourself

and your will

to embrace the holy

and righteous will

of my Father

as I taught it to you

in the Sermon on the Mount?

If you've not done that,

then Jesus says,

you're in great danger

of hearing these awful words

away from me.

Be apart from me.

And if I'm the light,

that means you're going to be

in the darkness.

And if I'm the light,

that means you're going

to be in death.

Oh, I do not want you

to experience

the miserable end

of going into the darkness

and into death,

Jesus says.

So Jesus judges our road,

our fruit, our will,

and finally He judges

our foundation.

And now He comes

to the final

and the sharpest warning

of all.

In verse 24,

He says,

therefore anyone

who hears these words

of mine,

puts them into practice,

is like a wise man

who built his house

on the rock.

The rain came down,

the streams rose,

the winds blew,

and beat against that house,

yet it did not fall

because it had its foundation

on the rock.

But everyone who hears

these words of mine

and does not put them

into practice

is like a foolish man

who built his house

on sand.

The rain came down,

the streams rose,

the winds blew,

and beat against that house,

and it fell

with a great crash.

Jesus' chief concern

in this fourth

and final picture

is addressed again

to people

who are professing Christians.

They like listening

to the Sermon on the Mount.

They like listening

to the teaching of Jesus.

They're members

of the church.

They claim

to be disciples.

And Jesus' question

to us is,

are we seeking

and are we desiring

only the benefits

and the blessings

of salvation?

Do we just want

the house

and the family

in the house

so that we can be

at ease

and enjoy ourselves,

or do we really

want to do the hard work

of digging down

to bedrock?

Both of these people

say they're Christians.

They're building

on the same locale,

same landscape,

same weather conditions.

They build the same

kind of house,

and these houses

are put to the same test

and the same stresses.

And there's no difference

between them

except what lies

beneath the surface.

And Jesus,

in his teaching on this

in Luke chapter 6,

Luke 6 · chapter mention

he helps us

because he says

that the wise man,

he dug down deep

and laid foundations

on the rock.

But the foolish man,

he built his house

just right on the ground

without a foundation.

This foolish man,

we don't know

why he chose

not to dig at all.

Maybe he was

just in a hurry.

Maybe he was impatient.

Maybe he just needed

to take some shortcuts

and get quick results.

Couldn't be troubled

to listen to guidance.

Couldn't pay attention

to the rules

that govern

the construction

of a durable edifice.

Maybe he said to himself,

you know,

my ideas are the best,

and I don't have anything

to learn from anybody else.

But Jesus' point here

is that foundation work

is costly.

How many of us

want to spend our money

on a foundation?

It's not fun to,

it's not fun

to spend your time

on a foundation?

I mean,

we can easily think

it's hidden.

It's out of the way.

I can't see it.

It's beneath the surface.

It must not be

that significant

or that necessary.

And Jesus says,

oh,

it's the most vital,

the most important thing

of all,

because if your foundation

is wrong,

everything is wrong.

you will not endure

the unavoidable tests

that are going to come

to you in this life,

and you certainly

won't be able to endure

the test on that day

when you stand

before the judgment seat

of Christ.

And so Jesus is saying,

build your life

on the rock.

Build it on me.

Build it on my life,

my death,

my crucifixion.

Build it on the sermon

on the mount.

I won't,

if you do that,

I'm not going to spare you

the rain

and the floods

and the wind,

but I will support you.

And if you build

your life on me,

I'm not going to cause

your house to glow

in the dark

or expand into

some amazing mansion,

but I will cause

your house to stand.

And some of us today

might be saying,

gosh,

I think maybe

I've built my life

on the sand.

What if I built

my life on the sand?

Well,

if you're poor in spirit,

you'll cry out

and say,

God,

I need a savior.

Jesus,

who embodied

this sermon

on the mount,

who lived beautifully

and perfectly

the life

that we should have lived,

and he died the death

we should have died,

he went up on his cross,

and when he did that,

he was putting himself

on that broad road

that leads to destruction.

Right?

When Jesus mounted his cross,

he became that bad tree

that was cut down

and thrown into the fire.

Jesus was the one

on his cross.

He heard those terrible words,

away from me.

And that's why he was crying out,

my God,

my God,

why have you forsaken me?

Jesus on his cross

felt the wrath of God

raining down on him.

And that the floods

of human sin

pouring in on him,

and the winds of evil

blowing and beating

against him,

and what happened

to Jesus' house

on the cross,

it fell with a great crash.

Why?

Why did he do that?

Because Jesus said,

I came

to take all the curses,

all the hell,

all the separation

from God,

that you might get

all the blessings,

that you might have heaven,

that you might have life

with God forever.

And so he's saying,

build your life

on the rock.

Build your life

on this firm foundation

in which you can never,

ever,

ever,

even in the final day

of judgment,

ever be shaken.

Friends,

let's build on this rock

in the name of Christ.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.