Sermon on the Mount #43

Jesus brings the Sermon on the Mount to its heart-gripping close with a warning that ought to get every person’s attention. Jesus says that not everybody who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father. The day He names is judgment day, the great white throne judgment, when the time for decisions and repentance has passed. The words, “I never knew you,” reveal the terror of self-deception, especially for people who have sat in church, prayed prayers, been baptized, served, sung, preached, or done works in Jesus’ name while never truly being born again.

The contrast between the two houses shows that hearing Jesus’ words is not enough. Both groups hear the Word. Both groups build lives. Both groups face rain, floods, winds, trials, and storms. The wise man’s life stands because it is founded on the Rock, on the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and on the finished work of Christ, not on personal plans, religious activity, or a date written on a prayer card. The foolish man’s life falls because he heard Jesus’ words but did not do them. His life becomes evidence that he never truly believed.

The will of the Father and the words of Jesus are shown to be one and the same. Jesus’ words reach back to Matthew 5 and the Beatitudes, which are not merely happy sayings detached from the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes describe the evidence of a life that belongs to Christ: poverty of spirit that seeks God in prayer and His Word, mourning over sin, meekness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy received and therefore given, purity of heart before the one true God, and peacemaking that seeks people’s reconciliation with God.

The stairway image shows growth in a child of God. Poverty of spirit leads to mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and finally the ability to endure persecution for Jesus’ sake. Ephesians says that God created His workmanship in Christ for good works, and James warns hearers not to delude themselves. The call remains plain: examine the life, ask God to search the heart, and do not ignore uncertainty when eternity is at stake.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Hearing Christ is not enough [53:37] Jesus places the difference between the wise and foolish builders in doing or not doing His words. Religious familiarity can fill the mind while leaving the will untouched. Obedience does not purchase salvation, but it gives evidence that faith has truly taken hold. A life that continually refuses Christ’s commands cannot safely claim to trust Christ’s Lordship. [53:37]
• 2. Self-deception is eternally serious [46:11] Jesus warns that some people will stand before Him believing they belong to Him, only to hear, “I never knew you.” Church activity, spiritual language, and even visible works cannot replace genuine conversion. Judgment day holds no second chance for repentance or a chance to redo a false profession. The warning calls for honest examination now, while mercy is still being offered. [46:11]
• 3. The Beatitudes reveal a saved life [58:49] The Beatitudes describe more than admirable attitudes or religious ideals. Poverty of spirit, mourning over sin, mercy, purity, and peacemaking become marks of a heart that knows its need for Christ. These traits grow as God matures His people, not as they try to impress others. The kingdom belongs to those whose lives increasingly show the reality of Christ within them. [58:49]
• 4. Christ alone is the solid Rock [51:42] The rock is not personal effort, religious memory, or the ability to point to a past decision. The rock is Jesus Christ and His finished work for sinners. Storms expose foundations because trials reveal what a person is truly resting on. A life founded on Christ stands because His saving work, not human performance, holds it secure. [51:42]
• 5. Mercy and peacemaking flow from grace [01:06:28] Mercy becomes possible when a person remembers that God showed mercy where none was deserved. Peacemaking reaches beyond keeping things calm, because true peace means reconciliation with God through Christ. The desire for others to know that peace reveals concern for souls. Christ also remains the mediator who holds His people together through their differences.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:46] - Worshiping the One Worthy God
• [06:28] - Prayer for Church Family
• [08:52] - Search Me, O God
• [29:03] - Returning to the Sermon on the Mount
• [31:14] - Why Are Greater Works Missing?
• [33:08] - Restarting the Prayer Ministry
• [35:04] - Praying for Awana Children
• [36:18] - Reading Matthew 7:21-27
• [39:29] - Who Does the Father’s Will?
• [43:22] - The Reality of Judgment Day
• [45:10] - The Danger of Religious Self-Deception
• [50:54] - Two Builders and Two Foundations
• [55:48] - Hearing Without Obeying
• [58:31] - The Beatitudes and the Father’s Will
• [71:22] - Growing Up the Beatitudes Stairway
• [75:41] - Doers of the Word, Not Deceived Hearers
• [76:28] - The Invitation to Examine the Heart

Bible Reading

Matthew 7:21–27

Verse 21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [36:18]

Verse 22: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’” [36:41]

Verse 23: “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” [36:56]

Verse 24: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” [37:15]

Verse 25: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” [37:26]

Verse 26: “And 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.” [37:41]

Verse 27: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.” [37:53]

Matthew 5:3–12

Verse 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [58:49]

Verse 4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” [01:02:12]

Verse 5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” [01:03:37]

Verse 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” [01:04:34]

Verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” [01:06:14]

Verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” [01:07:19]

Verse 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” [01:07:54]

Verse 10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [01:12:56]

Verses 11–12: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [01:13:06]

James 1:22

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” [01:15:41]

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [01:14:41]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 7:21–23, what religious words and works do the people mention when they stand before Jesus, and what does Jesus say is still missing? [45:10]
2. What details are identical in the storms faced by the wise and foolish builders, and what is different about the final outcome of each house? [37:53]
3. In Matthew 7:24–27, what do both groups do with Jesus’ words before their lives are compared to houses? [52:40]
4. Which Beatitudes describe a person’s relationship to sin, God, other people, and hardship for Jesus’ sake? [01:11:22]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Jesus’ statement, “I never knew you,” show that religious activity and religious language cannot replace truly knowing Christ? [46:11]
2. How do Matthew 7:24–27 and James 1:22 explain the danger of hearing God’s Word regularly while refusing to obey it?
3. Why should obedience to Jesus be understood as evidence of salvation rather than a way for a person to earn salvation? How does the foundation of Christ’s finished work keep this from becoming trust in human effort? [51:15]
4. How do the Beatitudes give a fuller picture of “doing the will of the Father”? Why are they better understood as growing marks of a changed heart than as a checklist for impressing God? [01:11:32]

Application questions

1. Jesus warns that a person can say the right things about Him and still be self-deceived. Is there any part of your confidence before God that rests mainly on a past prayer, baptism, church attendance, service, or reputation rather than on Christ Himself? What would it look like to bring that honestly before God? [47:18]
2. The wise builder hears Jesus’ words and does them. What is one clear command of Jesus that you know but have been slow to obey—in your speech, forgiveness, purity, generosity, relationships, or witness? What would one faithful step of obedience look like this week? [53:37]
3. Poverty of spirit recognizes a continuing need for God and seeks Him in prayer and His Word. What has your prayer life and Bible reading recently shown about where you are looking for strength and direction? [01:00:07]
4. Mourning over sin is different from laughing about sin, excusing it, or only regretting its consequences. Is there a sin, attitude, or pattern that you need to confess plainly and turn from? How can the group support you with truth and prayer? [01:02:22]
5. Mercy flows from remembering the mercy God has shown undeserving sinners. Is there someone toward whom you have been holding resentment, harshness, or an unwillingness to forgive? What might a merciful response look like without pretending that wrong does not matter? [01:06:48]
6. Peacemaking includes caring that people are reconciled to God through Christ. Who in your everyday life may need to hear the hope of the gospel, and what is one natural opportunity you could take to begin a caring conversation? [01:09:39]
7. Ephesians 2:10 says that God created His people in Christ for good works. Where do you see God giving you an opportunity to serve, love, or speak truth in a way that points beyond yourself to Jesus?