This series is Part 6 of 7 of the Kingdom Handbook (on the Sermon on the Mount).
Matthew 7:13-141
[Rearrange chairs into very narrow center aisle, wide side aisles. Someone handing out donuts at top of narrow aisle only to those who walked down narrow center aisle. deceptive signs? One usher telling people that donuts are straight ahead at the end of the center aisle.]
Nobody likes to be told what to do. And given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection. We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves. Well, this morning, I’ve got some good news for you.
God gives you a choice. That’s right! He allows you to decide certain things for yourself.
All this year, we’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. It’s a lesson about God’s Kingdom that Jesus taught to his followers. Here at the end of the year, we come to the end of the lesson. Jesus has told us that although we enter the kingdom by God’s grace, the kingdom and its citizens are characterized by righteousness—not just an external conformity to the rules, but the heartfelt inner righteousness of pure thoughts, motives and attitudes. We need to be investing in the kingdom, laying up eternal treasures in heaven instead of temporary treasures on earth. And in our relationships with each other, we should treat each other well—just the way we’d want to be treated.
Now Jesus closes his lesson by giving us a choice. In fact, he gives us three choices:
· Where are you going?
· Who are your guides? and
· What will you change?
Today we want to take a look at the first choice that Jesus lays before us: Where Are You Going? What is the purpose and direction of your life?
The Bible says, there are Two Paths you can take in life. And you are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom. But as you decide, there are a few things you should know about these two options. One of them works and the other one doesn’t. One of them feels right and the other one doesn’t. One of them is popular and the other one isn’t.
These two paths lead to two very different destinations. Your selection is a matter of life and death. One of these paths is most likely to succeed. The other is doomed to fail. The verses we’re studying today, Matthew 7:13-14, are all about the choice between these two paths. These verses tell us something important about the choice we have to make and they tell us something important about ourselves.
Although the choice is ours to make, Jesus begins with some wise advice:
Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate.
Even before we examine the two paths stretching in front of us, Jesus wants us to have the inside scoop: think narrow. “I’m about to give you a choice between two doors. And by the way, if you’re paying attention, pick the narrow door.”
Then he gives us a contrast between these two pathways.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
The first option is a wide gate and a broad path. The words used here describe a spacious, roomy, expansive highway to travel on. It’s just the kind of road you might choose. Travel along this road is easy and there’s ample room to accommodate everyone and all their baggage.
self indulgence
Destruction both now and for ever.
Death |
Life | |
The Onramp |
wide |
|
Road Conditions |
broad |
|
Traffic Report |
many |
|
Destination |
destruction |
[14] But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Even the beginning of the path is restrictive.
narrow is literally “pressed together”, restricted (tribulation)
The implication is not spacious, but crowded, hard to navigate.
KJV said “strait and narrow”, but strait means restricted, like the Strait of Magellan, not “straight” meaning without curves.
repentance, humility, discipline, persecution
self-sacrifice, self-denial, spiritual resistance and conflict
a minority religion
Oswald Sanders: “A West Indian who had chosen Mohammedanism in preference to Christianity, gave as his reason that ‘Mohammedanism is a noble, broad path—there is room for a man and his sins on it. The way of Christ is a narrow way—the sins have to be left behind.’” (p. 149)
Life both now and for ever.
Death |
Life | |
The Onramp |
wide |
small |
Road Conditions |
broad |
narrow |
Traffic Report |
many |
few |
Destination |
destruction |
life |
If you’ve entered the narrow gate, don’t expect to fit in, to be popular.
Expect continued persecution, restrictions, not a life of ease.
Many people don’t have a problem with Jesus being a Savior, but a lot of people have a hard time accepting Jesus as THE only Savior.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
1 John 5:11-12 God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
[Clip: “Planes, Trains” You’re going the wrong way!]
[Clip: “Planes, Trains” Do you feel this car is roadworthy? Yes, I do.]
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
You have a choice—you can either choose to find life through Christ or through any other means. But the idea that all paths lead to God and to eternal life is a fallacy. Seeking life through anything but Christ is the most popular choice, usually an easier path, with fewer requirements and less restrictive. Most people choose that path to find life. Seeking life through Christ alone is a less popular choice, sometimes difficult, with specific requirements which eliminate many from the path (by their own choice). Jesus, however, is the only way to life. All other paths lead to death. Christianity is exclusive. All are welcome, but only those who come will be saved.
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
1 Copyright © 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 1 in the Kingdom Choices series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on November 28, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.
Matthew 7:15-231
[Print real bulletin and fake bulletin (Bible studies on prosperity, race hatred, healing, universalism, Jesus as example, homosexual marriage)]
The last one arrived just about two weeks ago. It was in a plain, simple white envelope. But the message inside was anything but ordinary. Besides the words which explained why the letter had been sent, the message really consisted of only two words: “Go out.” The thing which made this message extraordinary was that it claimed to be a message from God. The letter was from a woman whom I have never met and who, as far as I know, has never been to our church. But, she claimed, God had given her a message to deliver to us: “Go out.” The staff debated for a while whether that meant we should evacuate or head to the restaurant before we finally decided that it must be about evangelism. Every once in a while we get a letter like that here at the church from someone who claims to have a message for us from the Lord.
Or perhaps you’ve received an email from some Christian in Nigeria who has recently come to possess a huge amount of money that is being hidden from corrupt government forces. They’re writing to you because they want the money to be used for God’s work. So if you’ll just help them get a million dollars or so out of the country, they would be happy to share with you what God has provided.
All around us are voices that claim to speak God’s truth. They tell us what to believe, what to do, how to vote, how to spend our money and our time, how to raise our children and how to navigate our relationships. They claim to tell us our destiny. They claim to tell us the truth. But the truth is that many of the voices out there that claim to speak to us on behalf of God—most of them are fakers, cheats and phonies.
All you need to do is wander through any bookstore or flip your way through a few religious programs on TV and you will encounter the fakers. Their words are confident and persuasive. Their followers are many. Their results are remarkable. But they do not speak the truth.
The Bible is a dangerous book—perhaps the most dangerous book in the world—dangerous because it claims to be God’s own words, the infallible, inerrant, authoritative voice of God. So it is no wonder that people turn to the Bible to back up their own ideas and values. Down through history, and in our own day, the words of this book have been twisted to support all kinds of perversions. The reason people use the Bible that way is because they hope to draw from its authority. They are trying to tell us, “This isn’t just my idea. This is what God says. So you’d better listen to him.”
Nobody likes to be told what to do. And given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection. We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves. And fortunately for us, we have a choice.
God gives us a choice. He lets us decide certain things for ourselves.
As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, we’ve come to the final section, where Jesus presents his followers with three choices:
Where are you going? Who are your guides? and What will you change?
Last week, we talked about Where Are You Going? We saw that we are presented with two paths in life. One is a broad path where the going is easy and the travelers are many. That path looks like the right one, but it leads to death. And then there is another path: narrow, twisted and torturous. Not many people find it, but that path leads to life. In fact, that is the only path that leads to life. Jesus says we get to choose which of those two paths we will take.
Today we come to our second choice: Who Are Your Guides? Which voices will you choose to follow?
The Bible says there are Two Teachers you can listen to for directions. And you are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom. But as you decide, there is something you should know about these two teachers. One of them speaks the truth and the other one doesn’t. One of them is genuine and the other is a phony, a faker. The path you choose will determine whether or not you find the WAY. The teacher you choose will determine whether or not you find the TRUTH.
Who are your guides?
In reminding us that we have this choice, Jesus also gives us some advice. Beware, he says, of sheep imitations. Not everything that looks genuine really is genuine. Not everyone who claims to speak God’s truth really does. There are a lot of voices out there. It’s easy to suppose that someone is speaking the truth because they use God’s name or because they quote the Bible. But Jesus says we must be on the lookout for false teaching.
Matthew 7:15-23 [15] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Prophet: not someone who tells the future, but someone who speaks for God.
Sheep’s clothing: they appear friendly & harmless, like a brother
Ferocious wolves: Dangerous. Their desire is to fleece you. Devour you. But you cannot tell that from their words or their outward appearance.
It’s the falsehood that devours you.
Jesus calls us to healthy skepticism. Be careful about the truth. Don’t swallow everything just because the name Jesus is on it. Don’t be so naïve. Amazing how naïve we can be. For example, The Declaration of Independence is often referenced as part of our nation’s deep Christian roots because it refers to “God” and “the Creator”. Yet the man who drafted the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, clearly rejected Jesus Christ as the Son of God and rejected the Bible as God’s authoritative Word. The parts he found convenient he kept and the rest of it he literally cut out. We cannot accept something as true just because it comes from a Christian or someone who sounds like he might be Christian. (Movies where people talk about “Jesus”.) We must be alert for false teaching.
How can we tell the difference? One important way is by their words.
The test for a true prophet was, “Does his message agree with the rest of the Bible.” That’s a good test for anyone’s teaching, any book, any preacher, any idea, any philosophy, or any message supposedly from God. Apply it to me. Apply it to everyone you hear.
That’s why it’s important to know what the Bible says and know how to study it and understand it. That’s why we offer classes Wed nights.
Class: Unwrapping the Meaning of the Bible.
Wednesday nights, Jan 5 to Mar 9, 6:30, Fellowship House
So how do you tell the difference between true teaching and false teaching? One way is to compare the teaching to the rest of the Bible.
But there’s also something else you can use to evaluate.
Jesus says we should evaluate teaching by what it produces. That is, what is the outcome of this teaching? What happens in the lives of the people who follow this guide? (Not the results. Not just the immediate outcome, but the long-term outcome.) How would God judge it?
Jesus uses an illustration, a metaphor, to describe what he means.
[16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
[17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
[19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
One of the best ways to tell the difference between a teacher who is genuinely teaching God’s Word and one who is falsely claiming to teach God’s Word is by their lifestyle. Does their life support their claim to follow Jesus? Do they themselves obey? (Not like the Pharisees.)
Be wary of spiritual leaders who live by different rules than the rules that apply to everyone else.
Doesn’t mean perfect obedience. No one is perfect.
But this is why a significant moral failure destroys a pastor’s ability to preach or lead a church.
Almost anyone can put on a good act. But no one can hide forever. Someone’s true character eventually comes out in their actions.
That’s why ministry in relationship. mini church
You will recognize them by their fruit.
In v. 21, Jesus has one other warning to give us about false teachers.
A lot of people who claim to be Christians do not really have a relationship with Christ.
[21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Entering the kingdom: being saved.
It isn’t a profession of faith that matters. It’s doing God’s will. Obedience.
Again, this doesn’t mean perfect obedience. It doesn’t mean we earn our way to heaven by doing the right thing.
It means that real faith (trust) will always result in obedience. “Let loose.”
Not saying “God”, but living differently because of God. CHRISTMAS
[22] 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 perform many miracles?'
Note that Jesus presents himself as the one who will be the ultimate Judge on Judgment Day. He’s not just a nice guy. He’s not someone who is so full of love that He will let everyone into heaven in the end.
He presents himself as the one who will even tell some of his followers that they have deceived themselves and they will not be allowed into the kingdom.
[23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Never knew: no relationship
People may admire Jesus. They may claim to believe in Him and even to follow him. But profession is not enough. Serving him is not enough. Even doing miracles in his name is not enough. It’s all about relationship. If you know Jesus, then you’re part of his kingdom.
If you know Jesus, then you obey him. maybe not perfectly, but deliberately.
If you don’t know him, if you don’t have a relationship with him, then you will be excluded. (not by me!) But you will be excluded by Jesus.
This morning when you walked in, you got a bulletin.
Everyday you have a choice. Who will you listen to? Where will you go to find out the truth?
The world is full of all kinds of ideas. The Bible is even used to promote widely divergent and sometimes contradictory doctrines. You have a choice—you can either choose to listen to the truth or you can listen to lies. We need to be aware that everything we hear is not true. Every interpretation of the Bible is not true.
How can we tell the difference between truth and error? Jesus says we need to evaluate teaching by what it produces, by its outcome or effect. This does not mean a utilitarian approach (if it “works”, then it must be true). This does not mean a popular approach (if it’s widely accepted, then it must be true). This does not mean a rational approach (if it makes sense, then it must be true). This does not mean an existential approach (if it satisfies me, then it must be true). This means that true teaching is going to lead us to produce the kind of righteousness that is described in the Bible: faith in Christ alone, dependence upon God, humility, love for others, moral behavior (biblically defined), and commitment to God’s eternal kingdom and righteousness. If any teaching is producing effects that contradict these values, then it is false teaching.
There are people (and teachers/preachers) who claim to act in the name of Jesus, and who actually prophesy, exorcise demons and perform miracles, but do not have a relationship with Jesus, do not know him, and do not have eternal life. So we must always carefully evaluate the message of anyone who claims to be teaching or acting on behalf of God.
The truth is out there. But so are all kinds of fakers, phonies and liars. You have a choice. Who will be your guides?
1 Copyright © 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 2 in the Kingdom Choices series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on December 5, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.
Matthew 7:24-291
You know what they say are the three most important considerations in real estate:
That’s not just true in real estate. It’s also true about life.
Today we’re going to study a parable. It’s an illustration, a metaphor about real estate and about life. It’s a picture that Jesus painted about a choice that each of us has to make: what street do you want to live on?
Nobody likes to be told what to do. Given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection. We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves. And fortunately for us, we have a choice.
God lets us decide certain things for ourselves. As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, we’ve come to the final section, where Jesus presents his followers with three important choices:
Where are you going? Who are your guides? and What will you change?
We’ve talked about the first choice, Where Are You Going?
We saw that we are presented with two paths in life. One is a broad path where the going is easy and the travelers are many. That path looks like the right one, but it leads to death. And then there is another path: narrow, twisted and torturous. Not many people find it, but that path leads to life. In fact, that is the only path that leads to life. Jesus says we get to choose which of those two paths we will take.
We also talked about the second choice, Who Are Your Guides?
Last week we saw that there are all kinds of voices out there claiming to tell us the truth: preachers, politicians, philosophers, books and movies.
Jesus says we need to be on the lookout for false teachers: people who claim to tell us the truth, but don’t. How do we know the difference? We compare what they say to the Bible. We evaluate their fruit: the long-term effect of their teaching. Not everyone who speaks in the name of Jesus tells the truth. Not everyone who names God knows God. A man’s relationship with God is demonstrated by what he does, not by what he says. So we must choose which teachers we will follow.
Today we come to our third choice: What Will You Change?
Jesus says that your life is like a house and you can choose to build your house on one of Two Foundations. You are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom. But as you decide, there is something you should know about these two foundations. One of them works and the other one doesn’t. One of them is solid and dependable. The other is unreliable and sure to bring you disaster.
The path you choose determines whether or not you find the WAY.
The teacher you choose determines whether or not you find the TRUTH.
The foundation you choose determines whether or not you will find LIFE.
What kind of foundation have you chosen?
Let’s begin by picking up a verse that we looked at last week:
[21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
We saw that the person whom God accepts into heaven is not the one who says he has a relationship with him, but rather the one who really does have a relationship with him and demonstrates it by his or her actions. This verse is a contrast between talkers and doers.
But in verse 24, Jesus is making a contrast between hearers and doers. It’s about those who are listening to the truth that Jesus is teaching there on the mountain. He’s speaking to his audience. He’s speaking to us.
And he says that we all have a choice. We have all heard his words. The question is, now what? There are two ways to respond to the truth that you’ve heard through Jesus’ teaching. You have a choice. Are you going to do it, put it into practice? Or, are you going to settle for simply hearing it? In other words, now that you’ve heard the Sermon on the Mount, what will you change?
Jesus describes your choice by comparing your two options to two houses built on two different foundations. The first house represents those who are changed by the truth—those who do something about what they’ve heard. Jesus describes that kind of person in verse 24:
Matthew 7:24-29 [24] "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.
Each of us builds the house of our lives through our actions, our words, and our attitudes. With each decision, we lay a new brick, nail a new board.
The word wise means “thoughtful”, “sensible”.
The key thing here in the building is the foundation. Here there is an emphasis not just on hearing, but on application, follow through—actually doing the truth, acting upon what you have heard, putting the truth into practice. Doing truth is what Jesus calls the foundation of rock.
Notice that Jesus focuses in on “these words of mine”, drawing a parallel between his words and “the will of my Father in heaven” in the previous verses. Jesus is claiming essentially that his words are God’s will.
When we hear God’s word, we have a choice. We can be content with being informed—or we can put it into practice. We can allow it to change our lives.
The huge difference is in the outcome. Jesus describes the results of this decision in his parable of the house:
[25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
The hurricane that Jesus is describing here is most likely a reference to the final judgment when we all stand before God. That will be the ultimate test of our character. But I think that when he says this, Jesus also has in mind the hurricane that each of us faces in simply living life.
When difficult times come, when our beliefs and our values and our choices are tested, the outcome will depend upon whether or not we applied God’s word to our lives. The rain, the flooding streams, and the strong winds all represent the hurricane of life. Life is messy.
It throws us some pretty challenging problems, some very severe disappointments, an onslaught of stressful trials. Many of you are going through that dark side of life right now. You’re in the middle of the hurricane force winds. Life is taxing every ounce of energy and faith and hope that you have. You may be having days when you’re not sure you’re going to make it.
What Jesus is saying here is that your ability to weather the storm of life depends entirely upon one thing: your foundation. Have you put God’s word into practice? Are you doing what you’ve been taught? If you have, then you will be able to stand against the onslaught. You will survive the hurricane, because you have a solid foundation to stand on. You have allowed God’s word to shape your beliefs, your values and your choices.
This parable comes in two parts and here’s the first part:
Doing the Truth |
||
The Builder |
wise |
|
The Foundation |
rock |
|
The Hurricane |
rain flood winds | |
The Result |
did not fall |
Jesus says that doing the truth will protect you from the storms of life.
The person who recognizes that and builds his life around putting God’s word into practice is a wise, thoughtful builder. He has chosen a sturdy, rock-solid foundation. So when the hurricane of life blows cold and hard against him, he will not fall. He will not crumble.
Example: Noah obeyed God and was protected.
There’s a second part to this parable. Beginning in verse 26, Jesus describes a second house—one which represents those who hear the truth but are not changed by it. They have chosen a different foundation for the building of their life.
[26] 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.
Here again the builder assembles the house of his life through his actions, his words, and his attitudes. With each decision, he lays a new brick, nails a new board. But this time the builder is foolish. He chooses a foundation that is shifting, unstable, and undependable.
Notice something very important here. The foolish builder Jesus is describing is not someone who has no idea what God’s word says.
Jesus isn’t contrasting those who go to church with those who don’t.
He isn’t talking about those who read the Bible as opposed to those who don’t. Both the wise builder and the foolish builder are described as people who “hear these words of mine.” Both of them hear the truth. Both of them know the truth. The difference between these two builders is that one of them acts on the truth and the other one doesn’t. One of them practices the truth and the other one doesn’t. One of them is changed by the truth and the other one is simply well informed and educated about the truth.
Hearing the truth but not doing it is what Jesus calls a foundation of sand.
When we hear God’s word, we have a choice. We can be content with being well-informed—or we can put it into practice. We can allow it to change our lives.
Once again, the huge difference is in the outcome. Jesus describes the results of complacency about God’s words:
[27] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
When difficult times come, when our beliefs and our values and our choices are tested, the outcome will depend upon whether or not we applied God’s word to our lives. At that point it doesn’t really matter whether or not you have heard God’s word. The only thing that matters is whether or not you have done anything about it.
Your ability to weather the storm of life depends entirely upon your foundation. Have you put God’s word into practice? Are you doing what you’ve been taught? If you have not, then you will not be able to stand against the onslaught of life. The hurricane will overcome you because you have no solid foundation on which to stand.
So here’s the second part of the parable.
Doing the Truth |
Hearing the Truth | |
The Builder |
wise |
foolish |
The Foundation |
rock |
sand |
The Hurricane |
rain flood winds | |
The Result |
did not fall |
fell with great crash |
Simply hearing the truth doesn’t matter. Hearing alone does nothing to protect you from the storms of life. The person who builds his life without practicing God’s word is a foolish builder. It doesn’t matter how well he knows God’s word, how much he’s studied or read. It doesn’t matter how many years he’s gone to church. He has chosen a foundation that will fail. So when the hurricane of life blows cold and hard against him, his house will fall. And his destruction will be great.
God tells us the truth for a reason: He loves us. He wants us to have the very best life we can, abundant and full of meaning. He wants us to live forever in the wonderful place he’s created for us, where there is no deceit, no treachery, no unkindness. And so he tells us how we can do that. He tells us the truth.
Now, here’s our reaction: why is God trying to ruin all our fun? Why does he limit us and keep us from enjoying all these attractive pleasures that we see all around us. Why has he put so many things “off limits”—things that look good, wise, harmless, entertaining, exciting, cool and fun?
You know what the truth is? The truth is that God loves us so much that he tells us the difference between what is good for us and what will destroy us. The things that will destroy us, ruin our relationships, damage our health, steal our joy, and devastate our sense of fulfillment—those things God calls “sin”, and he tells us to stay away from it because sin will kill us. The wages of sin is death.
That is exactly what this verse is talking about here. When we hear the truth and choose to live by it, that truth protects us from sin’s destruction. But so often we hear the truth and choose to leave it at that, perhaps because we don’t trust it, or because we have some other option that we like better. But if we choose to simply hear the truth without following it, then we will be destroyed by the devastating effects of sin. Sin is a poison. It always kills. That’s why God wants us to stay away from it. Sin will tear down your house and it will fall with a great crash.
Please don’t let that happen.
Let’s get real specific. I’m not here to pretend that I’m any better than anyone else. This isn’t a contest. But you know already know what you’re tolerating in your life that God calls sin. And it’s important that you’re honest with yourself about whatever sin is in your life.
Are you being less than honest in your business or in your words?
Are you sleeping with someone you’re not married to?
Are you selfishly collecting things for yourself instead of being generous?
Are you holding a grudge, refusing to forgive the one who wronged you?
Do you gossip, condemn, or harshly criticize other people?
I could go on, but you know what? So could you. You know what it is in your life, and right now God’s Spirit is reminding you that it is sin.
You have heard the words of Jesus. Are you going to do anything about it? You have a choice. Will the truth make a difference in your life?
There’s another verse in James where he reminds us of this same idea:
James 1:22, 25 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. …[25] The man who …continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
We church going folk get really good at hearing the truth. We listen to sermons. We read books. We go to Bible studies and small groups.
Some of us even go to seminary.
But what really matters is whether or not that truth is making a difference in your life. That is the choice you have to make. That is what determines whether or not you experience God’s blessing and protection.
With that astounding thought, the Sermon on the Mount ends.
And then Matthew records the reaction to what Jesus had taught:
[28] When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, [29] because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
The thing that amazed the crowds was that Jesus taught with authority.
The teachers in his day, called rabbis, would usually teach by citing a long list of previous rabbis who had answered a particular question or interpreted a certain passage. But Jesus spoke as one who had the authority on his own to speak directly about the kingdom, about the meaning of the law, about the future, about God’s requirements, and about how we ought to act and think. The way Jesus taught them left them amazed. They were probably amazed both at his words and at the way he delivered them.
However, interestingly enough, this verse doesn’t say anything about the kind of response that the teaching of Jesus had in the lives of those who heard him that day. Being amazed doesn’t change anything. Perhaps some of the people in the crowd that heard Jesus actually did something with what they had heard. Unfortunately, probably most of them were simply amazed.
We’ve spent the last year studying the Sermon on the Mount. You’ve heard the words that Jesus intended for you. Personally, I’m amazed at what he’s said in these three crucial chapters of Matthew. I hope you’re amazed too. But the most important question is what’s next. When you go home, how are you going to leave? Informed? Amazed? Or changed?
You have a choice—you can either choose to embrace God’s word and put it into practice in your life, or you can hear it and then walk away unchallenged and unchanged. If you choose to apply God’s word, to shape your life according to its teachings, then you are forming a stable foundation for your life which will allow you to endure and survive the difficulties and challenges that you will face in this life. God wants to protect us from the great damage that sin can do in our lives. The reason he says “no” to certain things is because they are dangerous, poisonous and destructive. He wants to spare us from tragedy. So he warns us and if we heed his instructions, then we will be protected. On the other hand, if you hear God’s word and then you choose not to act upon it, not to shape your life according to its teachings, then you are unprotected from the destruction of sin and the dangers of a fallen world.
It does no good to hear God’s word if you don’t do anything about it.
So, you’ve heard God’s Word. You’ve heard the words of Jesus that he taught his followers that day on the mountain. You’ve heard. The question is, “What are you going to do about it? What will you change?”
1 Copyright © 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 3 in the Kingdom Choices series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on December 12, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.