INTRODUCTION
A. The CLOSE
We come today to close the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve heard it taught many days in ways that teach a section here and there and have learned that while there are many GENERAL PRINCIPLES giving regarding several subjects, a lot of what I’ve been taught has been taken out of context.
B. The KEY VERSE is MATT 5.20
All the disciples had for teachers of he Law up til this point was the Pharisees. They were their reference for understanding examples of one who was righteousness. .
READ MATT 5.20
C. THE CLOSE CONTINUES THE THEME - IT’S ABOUT THE HEART
1. Two Gates - One Wide One Narrow
One is easy, the other heard NOT because GOD’s choice is that FEW make it to heaven but BECAUSE MAN DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD OFFERS THROUGH JESUS.
2. Judge One By the FRUIT
If one’s HEART if of the Lord, one’s FRUIT WILL MATCH. Again, the Pharisee’s WERE ABOUT JUDGING OTHERS and NOT SERVING.
D. IT’S ABOUT THE HEART
MATTHEW 7:21-29
I. HOW DOES GOD DEFINE A CHRISTIAN? (VS. 21-23)
READ VS. 21-23
Jesus issued a bomb shell when he said this statement in V. 23.
A. NOTICE 4 THINGS
1. "not everyone" - V. 21
Sadly, we are not talking about a few people, but a lot of people. If you notice the other 3 parts of this bomb shell, you will see this.
2. "Lord, Lord" - Referring to people who recognize Him as Lord.
The word "Lord" in the GRK means "having authority" and when translated in the NT, it means "master".
They act like - talk like - Christians.
They treat Jesus as MASTER!
That would be a bomb shell to me!
3. Vs. 22 says "in your name" 3 times!
The phrase "in your name" refers to "in your glory". This group Jesus is talking about want God to get the glory for the works they do.
4. Their good works were many
They "prophesized in Jesus’ name" - "drive out demons" "perform many miracles".
Now Jesus Himself did these same miracles. So this group of many were those that ALSO were following in the "Footsteps of Jesus"
Footprints of Jesus that make the pathway glow
We will follow the steps of Jesus where’er they go
B. LOOK WHO HE IS ADDRESSING
1. It is not those who only go to church two Sundays a year at Christmas and Easter but those who only miss two Sundays a year.
2. It is not directed at those who are embarrassed to mention His name but those who frequently refer to Him in conversation.
3. It is not those who would not give a dime out of a dollar to the Lord. It is for those who would give at least 10% of their income to the Lord.
But what Christ was saying is, you can’t determine if a person is a Christian by the places they go, the way they talk or the things they do.
C. SO HOW DOES GOD DEFINE A CHRISTIAN
ILLUSTRATION: ANSWER IS QUITE SIMPLE!
Many times the answer is more simple than we think. Reader’s Digest told about a professional photographer who does a lot of work with children.
During one session he was taking pictures of a five-year-old boy and remarked, "You have the nicest blue eyes. Where did you get them?" The boy so simply said, "They came with my head." Sometimes the answer is quite simple.
READ VS. 21 AGAIN
1. Key word "he who does the will of my Father"
Read JOHN 6.40
a. "believes in Him"
GRK means to commit to one’s trust - to place a trust in one through a relationship
2. IT’S ABOUT THE HEART!
II. IT’S ABOUT THE HEART
In the preceding passages, we’ve saw two gates showing that (not from God’s choice but from MAN’S CHOICE there would be few that follow the correct road leading to life.
Then two trees saying again that if the heart is good, the fruit will match. No grapes on a fig tree. The FRUIT will expose one’s heart.
His CLOSE BEGAN TO (IN VS. 21) TALK ABOUT THOSE THAT ENTER THE KINGDOM IN THE FINAL DAY - YOUR DAY.
A HOUSE THAT STANDS.
READ VS. 24-27
A. THE FOUNDATION IS OBEDIENCE OF THE WORD
1. One FOUNDATION IS THAT OF "SAND"
The builder builds a house that on appearance looks PERFECT. BUT when the STORMS COME - because the foundation was NOT DEEP ENOUGH it fell.
READ JAMES 1:22-25
2. Other FOUNDATION IS THAT OF "ROCK"
Now this "rock" is not to be confused with the rock of Peter when Jesus said He was going to build his church on Peter. This "rock" references something else.
READ LUKE 6:48
The ROCK IS "JESUS" and references ONE’S TRUST IN HIM. We BUILD based on our RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. OUR HEART DETERMINES OUR FRUIT.
The STORMS COME and the HOUSE STANDS BECAUSE IT’S FOUNDATION (RELATIONSHIP) WAS DEEPLY GROUNDED
B. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HEART
1. Many PROFESS Jesus - MANY BELIEVE IN THE "NAME" JESUS. But the GOING GET’S TOUGH and those that are not TRUE IN THE HEART give in and FALL AND GREAT IS THEIR FALL.
2. SOME make it til the day they see JESUS FACE TO FACE. BUT AGAIN because their HEART is not DEEP IN JESUS, their HOUSE FALLS when the STORMS COME.
3. A FEW not only have THE WORKS (BUILDING), THE BELIEF (HEAD KNOWKEDGE) BUT ALSO THE RELATIONSHIP AND STAND.
III. SUMMARY
How do we close such an awesome sermon?
READ VERSE 28-29
The crowds were AMAZED at Jesus. Why? BECAUSE HE WAS DIFFERENT. HE WASN’T LIKE THE TEACHER THEY HAD BEEN AROUND!
WHERE IS YOUR HEART
WHAT IS YOUR FOUNDATION (SAND OR ROCK)
Matt. 5:20
"unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
ILLUSTRATION: FIXING THE FOUNDATION
On December 2001, the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" was finally reopened to the public, after having been closed for almost a dozen years. During that time, engineers completed a 25 million dollar renovation project designed to stabilize the tower. They removed 110 tons of dirt, and reduced its famous lean by about sixteen inches. Why was this necessary?
Because the tower has been tilting further and further away from vertical for hundreds of years, to the point that the top of the 185-foot tower was seventeen feet further south than the bottom, and Italian authorities were concerned that if nothing was done, it would soon collapse. What was the problem? Bad design? Poor workmanship? An inferior grade of marble?
No. The problem was what was underneath. The sandy soil on which the city of Pisa was built was just not stable enough to support a monument of this size. The tower had no firm foundation.
SO WHAT IS YOUR HEART?
WHAT IS YOUR FOUNDATION?
WILL IT STAND?
