Matthew Matthew 7:24-29 Where Do Your Steps Lead?

Transcription

1 Matthew Matthew 7:24-29 Where Do Your Steps Lead? M y uncle was an interesting person. He was a corporate attorney. He had studied under the Jesuits. One of his closest friends was a Christian Science practitioner. One time when my uncle was in the hospital this person apparently came in for a visit. The only problem was this friend was dead at the time. So anyway, my uncle s background was pretty eclectic. Yes, he had read the scripture many times and probably knew it better than a lot of Christians. Sadly, it appears he didn t understand what he knew. It isn t enough to know God s words, they must be lived out. And living out God s words isn t a matter of a legalistic approach to scripture. Living God s words is allowing the Spirit to make them real and having actions motivated by the desire to please God rather than men. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). This morning we are going to finish up looking at this first discourse, the Sermon on the Mount. Accordingly, this may be a shorter session than usual. I hope you ve gone back and reread it over the last couple of weeks. But more on the text in a moment. V First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:29 B. The Sermon 5:3-7:29 7. A Christian s Commitment 7:21-27 a. A Name by Any Other Name 7:20-23 b. Extreme Home Makeover 7: Conclusion 7:28-29 Introduction: The disciples had grown up in an environment where one demonstrated one s religiosity by one s works. Keep in mind here the disciples refers to the extended group of followers. Anyway, the respected members of society were the Pharisees. They were obsessed with keeping the Law. The problem was their keeping the Law was about being perceived as pious. This meant they were constantly trying to finesse it. Appearance was more the issue, than pleasing God, though they may not have recognized their behavior as such. Their concern was with the letter, not the spirit. One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? Then he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:23-28).

2 But as Jesus presented the Sermon on the Mount, this view was challenged. He wanted His disciples to understand that pleasing God was the standard. He shifted the focus from behavior to the heart. And yes, behavior flows from the heart, so a changed heart leads to changed behavior. This standard presented a real challenge because it quickly became obvious that it was impossible to meet. If the Law was intended to show how far short people fall from God s standards, then the Sermon was salt rubbed in the wound. The end result of the Sermon should be that we as believers fall on our knees before God, depending on Him--through the power of the Holy Spirit--to empower us to live in a way that pleases Him and honors Christ. Now, before looking at the concluding verses, let me do something I don t normally do, and that is to read the entire sermon so we can feel the magnitude of what Jesus is saying. (Dear Reader, take the time here to reread Matthew Chapters 5-7 before moving on.) 7. A Christian s Commitment: b. Extreme Home Makeover: The Pharisees did, in one way or another keep the Law, but not from God s perspective. They were concerned about leading men to God, but, as Jesus notes: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are (Matthew 23:15). And in closing Jesus is reminding His audience of this by pointing out it isn t enough to hear God s words. It isn t enough know them. Our security isn t in our ability to keep the Law. It is in the promises of God: salvation through the shed blood of Christ. And Jesus illustrates this point by presenting the illustration of the two houses. Keep in mind there are many people who, while not Christians, claim to live by Jesus teachings, especially the Golden Rule. Unfortunately, without relationship with God and empowerment by His Spirit there is no way to live by Jesus teachings. But a claim to be living by Jesus words creates a false sense of security. Like the three little pigs who built houses out of straw, and wood, or the foolish man who build a good house on sand, claiming the name of Christ without knowing Him is an exercise in futility. 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. 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? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:21-23). Palestine is known for torrential rains that can turn dry wadis into raging torrents. Only storms reveal the quality of the work of the two builders. The thought reminds us of the parable of the sower in which the seed sown on rocky ground lasts only a short time, until trouble or persecution comes because of the word 1 1 Keener, Craig S., IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Downers Grove, IL, ) 250 (

3 Now, some see this example as relating to the final judgment. And certainly in the previous verses there is support for this assessment. But this approach doesn t preclude a more immediate interpretation as we ve already discussed. It isn t enough to strive to understand Christ s philosophy more clearly, to strengthen the structure while still leaving the foundation to be one of sand. If a person isn t willing to accept Christ on His own terms, that is, to actually move the structure from the sand to rock, as soon as the storms of life hit, the structure will collapse. 8. Conclusion: Christ s message was amazing, even to His disciples. They didn t know what to make of it. His teaching approach was different from the norm. The teachers of the day would base everything they taught on the words of those who went before, on tradition. And even though they would endeavor to exercise authority over others, they would always claim it came from those who went before, rather than from their own words. Can you think of any examples you have experienced that would seem to reflect this same approach? Certain approaches to Christianity take either tradition or early teachers and hold them up as if they are on an equal footing with scripture. Roman Orthodoxy has historically given tradition great weight, using it to interpret scripture rather than the other way around. Of course cults, calling themselves Christian, constantly take this approach. Mormonism puts The Pearl of Great Price and The Book of Mormon on a par with God s Word. Even within the Christian community you will hear individuals speaking of teachers, be they past or present, as if their approach to scripture is the equivalent of scripture itself. You may have had an individual come up to you and tell you The Lord told me to tell you But when Christ speaks, He speaks for the Father. He didn t quote other teachers, except to note when they have missed the boat. He didn t quote tradition, except to note where tradition was contrary to scripture. His words, are consistent with scripture and lift it up. This was something totally different and it startled and impressed His listeners. Jesus spoke with divine authority. And it is this which challenges and offends today. Our society is committed to the avoidance of offense; this is what tolerance has come to mean. To let people know they are sinners in need of a Savior is, by definition, offensive. Christ s demands carry the authority of His father. Anyone who teaches anything that contradicts the truth of scripture and Christ s words comes in the spirit of anti-christ. Carson closes this section of Matthew by noting: The central point is this: Jesus entire approach in the Sermon on the Mount is not only ethical but messianic i.e., christological and eschatological. Jesus is not an ordinary prophet who says, Thus says the Lord! Rather, he speaks in the first person and claims that his teaching fulfills the OT; that he determines who enters the messianic kingdom; that as the Divine Judge he pronounces banishment; that the true heirs of the kingdom would be persecuted for their allegiance to him; and that he alone fully knows the will of his Father. It is methodologically indefensible for Sigal to complain that all such themes are later Christian additions and therefore to focus exclusively on points of Halakic interpretation. Jesus authority is unique (see on 5:21-48), and the crowds recognized it even if they did not al- ) 251 (

4 ways understand it. This same authority is now to be revealed in powerful, liberating miracles, signs of the kingdom s advance (chs. 8-9; cf. 11:2-5). 2 And, as was the case then, the lost reject Christ s authority and despise anyone who stands for it. For this reason Truth always comes under attack, and those who present it should also expect less than a positive reception. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: They hated me without reason. (John 15:18-25). As we move on, let us remember this Sermon calls us to a different kind of life, one grounded in our citizenship in the kingdom, rather then our residency in a fallen world. Stott closes by pointing this out. Instead of conforming to this world whether in the form of religious Pharisees or of irreligious pagans we are called by Jesus to imitate our heavenly Father. He is a peacemaker. And he loves even the ungrateful and selfish. So we must copy him, not men. Only then shall we show that we are truly his sons and daughters (5:9, 44-48). Here then is the alternative, either to follow the crowd or to follow our Father in heaven, either to be a reed swayed by the winds of public opinion or to be ruled by God s word, the revelation of his character and will. And the overriding purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is to present us with this alternative, and so to face us with the indispensable necessity of choice. 3 So, which path are we walking? Which kind of trees are we?, Do we produce good or evil fruit? What kind of foundation are we laying for our house? These are the questions that flow from the Sermon and these are the questions we must continually ask ourselves. The Solid Rock 1 Corinthians 10:4 My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus name. All other ground is sinking sand. 2 Carson, D. A., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Matthew, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, Stott, John R.W., The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1978, p ) 252 (

5 When darkness seems to hide his face, I rest on his unchanging grace; In ev ry high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. All other ground is sinking sand. His oath, his covenant, his blood Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. All other ground is sinking sand. When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in him be found; Dressed in his righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. All other ground is sinking sand. 4 4 Mote, Edward, The Solid Rock, Public Domain. ) 253 (

6 Matthew Matthew 7:24-29 Where Do Your Steps Lead? V First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:29 B. The Sermon 5:3-7:29 7. A Christian s Commitment 7:21-27 a. A Name by Any Other Name 7:20-23 b. Extreme Home Makeover 7: Conclusion 7:28-29 Introduction: (Galatians 1:10; Mark 2:23-28) 7. A Christian s Commitment: b. Extreme Home Makeover: (Matthew 23:15, 7:21-23) 8. Conclusion: (John 15:18-25) Personal Application: So, which path are we walking? Which kind of trees are we?, Do we produce good or evil fruit? What kind of foundation are we laying for our house? These are the questions that flow from the Sermon and these are the questions we must continually ask ourselves. Prayer for the Week: Lord, I pray that in this coming year, I will keep my eyes on the narrow path, produce good fruit, and always build on the foundation of Your Son. In Christ s name, amen.