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Sermon on the Mount - Lesson 11 – Matthew 7:13-29 Introduction Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has called his followers to be distinctly different. They are to be salt and light; salt to preserve a morally rotting world and light to dispel the darkness of human sin. Righteousness is the matter of the heart and expansive love embraces enemies. Hypocritical piety is ground into the dirt of death, but humility propels prayers into the throne room of grace. Heavenly treasure trumps earthly waste. Spiritual resources complete every requirement. All that is promised and all that is possible is summed up in a simple command, “Hear these words of mine and put them into practice.” It is an epiphany of choice. The distinction will be radically different. Count the cost and choose the way, dear kingdom citizen. Please note: Questions are based on the New International Version of the Bible. Personal application answers can reflect your opinion and/or spiritual growth. These questions are marked ‘PA.’ Two Gates 1. (a) From Matthew 7:13-14 with John 10:7, 9, 10b, who is the small or narrow gate? (b) From Matthew 25:10; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 17:21-22, why is the gate small or narrow? 2. From the following verses, what is required of those who want to enter the small gate or narrow door?1

Luke 13:24 – Matthew 4:17 –

1 Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Baker Book House, 1982, Grand Rapids, MI, p.326-

333

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Isaiah 55:6-7 – Romans 10:9-10 – Jeremiah 6:16 with Matthew 11:28-30 – Two Roads, Two Destinations 3. How do the following verses describe the narrow road as:

(a) a road of persecution? – John 13:16 with John 15:20 – (b) a single path? – Isaiah 35:8 with 1 Peter 1:15 and Romans 6:15-23 – (c) a road of faith? – Habakkuk 2:4 with 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Galatians 2:20 – (d) a road where all other interests are subordinated to God’s will? – Romans 6:11-14; 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1; Philippians 3:7-8, 13-15; Colossians 3:1-5, 8-10 – (e) a road of steady perseverance in faith and obedience to God in Christ? – Acts 20:22-24; 22:14-15, 21; 23:11; 28:30-31 –

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4. According to John 1:4; 3:16-18; 5:24-26; 6:40, where does the road lead? 5. PA: How has Jesus provided the way for you to walk along the narrow road and the ability to stay on it all the way to eternity? See Psalm 23 and Hebrews 9:11-14. 6. Read Matthew 7:13 with Ephesians 2:1-3 and Romans 3:10-11, 23. Describe the

(a) wide gate – (b) the one who is the gate – (c) the living dead walking on the broad road – 7. How do the following verses describe the broad road2 as:

(a) a crowded road? – John 6:60, 66; 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – (b) a deceptive road? – Judges 21:25; Proverbs 14:12 – (c) a fatal road? – Psalm 1:6; Proverbs 4:19 –

2 Ibid., p.328

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8. (a) Read Matthew 7:15-23 with Luke 6:43-45. According to Luke, where is the storage place of good and bad fruit? (b) Connect James 3:10-11 with Luke 6:45b. How do these verses get to the heart of the matter that reveals what is in a true prophet or a false prophet? (c) According to Galatians 5:16-21, what type of fruit is produced by a false prophet (evil man), and what are the consequences?

(d) According to Galatians 5:22-26, what type of fruit is produced by a true prophet (good man), and what are the consequences? 9. What do the following verses reveal about the true nature of a false prophet as:

(a) a ferocious wolf? – Matthew 7:15 with Acts 20:28-31 –– (b) one who is deluded? – Matthew 7:16a, 20 (bad fruit) with Jeremiah 23:16, 26, 28, 30-31 – (c) one who denies the Sovereign Christ? – 2 Peter 2:1-3 with Jude 4 –

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(d) one who prefers worthless words? – 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 4:2-4 with Isaiah 30:10-11; Ephesians 5:6 – (e) one who doesn’t do God’s will? – Matthew 7:21b with Romans 2:13; James 1:22, 26; 1 John 3:18 – (f) one who has miraculous power? – Matthew 7:22 with Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:5 – (g) one who is not known by God? – Matthew 7:23; 25:1-12; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 John 4:1-6; Colossians 1:3-6, 21-23 with Romans 1:21-32 – (h) PA: Do you recognize any of the characteristics of false prophets or false teachers in anyone today? If so, what will you do about it?

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Two Foundations 10. (a) Read Matthew 7:24-27 with Luke 6:46-49. From the Luke passage, fill in the blanks: “Why do you call me, ‘________, _________,’ and do ______ do what I _______? I will show you what he is like who __________ to me and ________my __________ and ________ _________ into _________________. He is like a man building a house, who ________ _______ ___________ and laid the ________________________ on __________. When a flood came, the _______________ ____________ that house but could __________ shake it, because it was __________ ____________. But the one who hears my words and does _______ ___________ them into ______________ is like a man who built a house on the ground ________________ a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it ____________ and its ________________ was __________________.” (b) How do the following verses affirm the principle that putting Jesus’ words into practice requires building on the foundation of his word?

John 5:21 – John 6:63-64 – John 10:16, 27-28 – James 1:22, 25 – Colossians 3:16 –

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(c) The key to doing is obedience. How does 1 John 1:6-7 show that sincere obedience is internal, spiritual, and external?3 (d) Whom does Luke warn about in Luke 12:1b, contrasting their reputation with the principle that sincere obedience is impartial [without hypocrisy]? (e) PA: Choose an example of someone from Hebrews 11 who demonstrated that sincere obedience, the obedience of faith, includes things to be believed and practiced. (f) PA: How do they inspire you to obey God’s word and build upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ’s teaching? 11. Read Matthew 7:26-27 with Luke 6:49. Contrasting the wise builder, who ‘dug down deep’ with the foolish builder who built without a foundation,4 summarize how the following verses affirm each principle of ‘digging deeper.’

(a) Digging deeper requires thoughtful consideration of following Christ. – Luke 14:28; Luke 9:58-62; Matthew 13:20-21 – (b) Digging deeper requires conscious conviction of the need to be emptied of self-righteousness, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency. – Matthew 9:12; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 –

3 Ibid., p.419-420

4 Ibid., p.423

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(c) Digging deeper requires striving after a practical knowledge of the truth. – Psalm 51:6-13 – (d) Digging deeper requires denial of self. – Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Peter 4:1-2 – (e) Digging deeper requires memorizing God’s word; storing it up within you. – Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 2:1-10; 4:5 – 12. Foolish building on ‘sandy hopes’ brings destruction.5 How do the following verses affirm this principle when building on:

(a) the sandy hope of religious performance? – Matthew 6:1-2, 5, and 16 with Luke 11:42-43; John 3:3, 5 – (b) the sandy hope of superficial feelings and experiences? – Luke 8:13 – (c) the sandy hope of faith without obedience? – Titus 1:1 with John 2:23-24; James 2:20.

5 Ibid., p.426-428

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(d) the sandy hope of intellectual knowledge alone? – Luke 11:52 – (e) the sandy hope of remorse without repentance? – Proverbs 20:9; 1 John 1:8, 10 – 13. (a) Matthew 7:25 affirms that there are benefits of keeping Christ’s words against the storm. Summarize how the following verses show that the keeping of Christ’s words will preserve the kingdom citizen in the hour of trial, testing, and tribulation – John 17:6-8, 14-17, 20-21a, Revelation 1:3; 22:7 – (b) PA: How have you found this to be true in your life? Personal answers may vary.

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Points to Ponder Introduction Having presented “the contrast between two kinds of righteousness and of devotion, the two treasures, the two masters and the two ambitions,”6 Jesus now presents to the many that are following him the choice of a life-time. Will it be obedience to his words and his kingdom or will it be continuing on in the kingdom of this world? The choice needs to be made. He begins by saying, “Enter through the narrow gate.”

Two Gates Jesus is the gate (John 10:7, 9, 10b). The sheep pen, a stone wall enclosure, had a small entrance where the shepherd would lie down and actually become the ‘gate’ in and out of the pen. Jesus is the gate through whom all must enter to be saved. In him, kingdom citizens find safety and provision for all they need.

The gate is small or narrow because Jesus is the only way into the narrow road. He alone lets in and shuts out (Matthew 25:10). There is no other philosophy, teaching, person or name added to Jesus, the gate. Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Paul preached about Jesus and his resurrection to the Athenians who “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21-22). “It is by relinquishing error, the lies of Satan, and receiving the Truth that we pass through the strait (narrow or small) gate.”7

It requires effort to enter the small or narrow gate. “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:24). This narrow gate will not admit those “who are loaded down with the weapons of rebellion against God, nor can they squeeze through who are walking arm in arm with the world. To enter that gate the heart has to be humbled, sinful pleasures have to be relinquished, worldly companions abandoned, Christ has to be received as [Prophet, Priest, and King].”8

It requires repentance. One must accept Jesus’ teaching and truly repent. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). “It is by abandoning our idols and the pleasures of sin that we pass through the strait (narrow or small) gate.”9

It requires seeking for and surrendering to Christ. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

It requires a change of heart to enter the small or narrow gate. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that

6 John R. W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, Intervarsity Press, 1978,

Downers Grove, IL, p.193 7 Pink, p.327

8 Ibid., p.334

9 Ibid., p.326

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you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). “The heart is the seat of the affections…it must be renewed and radically changed, before its affections will move in a different direction.”10

It requires asking and putting on Jesus’ yoke. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…” (Jeremiah 6:16). Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). This choice is unpopular. Too few ask for it. Too few find rest for their souls.

Two Roads, Two Destinations The narrow road is narrow because it guarantees persecution. No servant is greater than his master (John 13:16). Jesus was persecuted so his kingdom citizens should also expect persecution (John 15:20).

The narrow road is a single path, a highway of holiness for only those who are redeemed. “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it” (Isaiah 35:8). “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15). “Those on the single path are shut in by Divine commands, which make all else forbidden territory. It is narrow because it excludes all fleshly license and lawless liberty” (Romans 6:15-18).11

The narrow road can be only trodden by faith, excluding sight, sense, self-will, and self-pleasure.12 “…but the righteous will live by faith…” (Habakkuk 2:4). “We live by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The narrow road is a road where all other interests are subordinated to God’s will. Paul warns to not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires, and not be interested in being yoked together with unbelievers, but be purified toward holiness out of reverence for God (Romans 6:11-14; 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1). Paul’s goal was to forget what was behind – all his previous religious accomplishments – in order to know Christ and press on toward the goal to win the prize of everlasting glory. “Paul’s ultimate aspirations are found not in this life but in heaven, because Christ is there (see Colossians 3:1-2).”13 Paul says to put to death…whatever belongs to your earthly nature…and put on the new self… (Colossians 3:1-5, 8-10). Paul is the example of steady perseverance in faith and obedience to God in Christ. He overcame all opposition and rejected all temptations in order to fulfill his calling. “The narrow way must be followed no matter how much it may militate (operate against) my worldly interests. Our minds, our affections, our wills, our speeches and actions have all to be brought within the compass of God’s Holy Word; within the compass of both His Law and His Gospel…The duties which the Lord has enjoined must be discharged conscientiously and circumspectly. Bounds are

10

Ibid., p.332-333 11

Ibid., p.334 12

Ibid., p.334 13

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 2002, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 2452, Note on Philippians 3:14

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prescribed to our thoughts and affections: though certain things be lawful yet they are not expedient, and if things indifferent be used immoderately we sin therein. Good works are to be performed from a holy principle, in a holy manner, and with a holy design, and any failure therein is a sin, for sin is a ‘missing the mark.’”14

The narrow road leads to life and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Lord. In Jesus Christ, the Son, is the life of God the Father. This life is given to everyone who believes by faith in the Son of God (John 1:4; 3:16-18; 5:24-26; 6:40).15 Once and for all, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the sacrificial lamb, obtained eternal redemption. Through his blood and the eternal Spirit, his offering was completed and cleanses “our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we can serve the living God!” (See Psalm 23 and Hebrews 9:11-14.) “Life” is meant by the glorious state of unclouded fellowship with God, being completely satisfied with God, the experience of fullness of joy in his presence. We have but a taste of it here on earth. Ultimately it will be the kingdom citizen’s reality; over and above destruction. “And only a few find it.” Why? Because there is wide gate.

In Ephesians 2:1, metaphorically the wide gate could be described as the way of this world. The gate of this worldly kingdom is the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. The living dead are those who are dead in transgressions and sins. They gratify the cravings of their sinful nature and follow its desires and thoughts. They are by nature objects of God’s wrath. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:10-11). The gate keeper of this wide gate offers no restrictions to enter in. “They have broken down the commandments of God which were designed to be a hedge about them. It is therefore a pleasant way and easy way to the flesh, for no inquiry or diligent search has to be made in order to find it, no resolution and perseverance is called for in order to continue treading it, no self-denial has to be practiced to remain therein.”16 Beyond the gate the broad road looms large and easy; all downhill.

The broad road is a crowded road. “It is the very width of it which renders it so attractive to the carnal mind. Here there are no ‘quota’ limitations, no barring of ‘aliens,’ no restrictions of color, caste or creed. There is plenty of room for all. Men may walk in the ways of their hearts and in the sight of their eyes, give rein to their lusts and full indulgence to their inclinations and none shall hinder them. This broad road is thronged because all mankind are in it by nature, birth admitting them into the same; nor has anyone the slightest desire to desert it unless a miracle of grace be wrought upon him.”17 Even when the One who gives the miracle was before them teaching, the consensus was, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” From, that time on, many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and no longer followed him (John 6:60, 66). “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

14

Ibid., p.335 15

Ibid., p.335-336 16

Ibid., p.328 17

Ibid., p.328

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The broad road is a deceptive road. “Few have any idea [where] it is taking them. Those upon it believe they are following the wise course, for they regard as fools those who differ from them.”18 Their common sense tells them to eat, drink, and be merry while the time they have lasts. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 21:25). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

The broad road is a fatal road. It leads to destruction; hopeless and eternal destruction. “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6). “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).

Leading the way on the broad road are false shepherds and false prophets. Outwardly they look like angels of light. Their false words deceive and cover up their true inward condition. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart… For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-45). “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing… Can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs?” The heart of a false prophet is not a regenerated heart. The evil stored up in his heart will come out in his speech (James 3:10-11).

Eventually, by their fruit false prophets will be known. According to Galatians 5:15-21, a false prophet produces fruit that is contrary to the Holy Spirit, from the sinful nature under the law such as sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies. Consequently, the false prophet will not inherit the kingdom of God. Conversely, the true prophet or good man is led by the Holy Spirit, and produces the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against this fruit there is no law, for the law was not made for the true prophet (righteous) but for the false prophet. (See 1 Timothy 1:9-11 with Romans 1:29-31.) The true prophet lives by the Holy Spirit, and walks in step with the Holy Spirit, not with conceit, provocation, or envy.

False prophets are ferocious, savage wolves that distort the truth in an effort to draw away and destroy true followers of Christ. These false prophets or teachers are extremely dangerous. Paul warns that they speak of “perverse things” (Acts 20:28-30). They distort the truth in denying that God is the God of judgment as well as of steadfast love and mercy. They say, “Peace, peace” when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). Such talk brings with it a false security that can lull people to sleep in their sins. It fails to warn them of the impending judgment of God or tell them how to escape it. It is clear to see that Jesus’ warning about false prophets follows perfectly after his words about the “two gates, ways, crowds and destinations. For false prophets are adept at blurring the issue of salvation. Some so muddle or distort the gospel that they make it hard for seekers to find the narrow gate. Others try to make out that the narrow way is in reality much broader than Jesus implied, and that to walk it requires little if any restriction on one’s behalf or behavior. Yet others, perhaps the most pernicious of all, dare to contradict Jesus and to assert that the broad road does not lead to destruction, but that as matter of fact all roads lead to God, and that even the broad and the narrow roads, although

18

Ibid., p.329

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they lead off in opposite directions, ultimately both end in life…They are responsible for leading some people to the very destruction which they say does not exist.”19

False prophets fill people with false hope; speak from their own deluded minds while saying that their words are from the Lord. God is against them! “There is such a thing as an objective standard of truth from which the falsehood of the false prophets is to be distinguished. The very notion of ‘false’ prophets is meaningless otherwise. In biblical days a true prophet was one who taught the truth by divine inspiration, and a false prophet one who claimed the same divine inspiration but actually propagated untruth. Jeremiah contrasted them in these terms: false prophets ‘speak visions of their own minds,’ while true prophets ‘stand in the council of the Lord,’ ‘hear his word,’ ‘proclaim it to the people’ and ‘speak from the mouth of the Lord.’ Again, ‘let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream; but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat?’ So in referring to certain teachers as ‘false prophets’ it is clear that Jesus was no syncretist, teaching that the contradictory opinions were in reality complementary insights into the same truth. No. He held that truth and falsehood excluded one another, and that those who propagate lies in God’s name are false prophets, of whom his followers must be aware.”20

False prophets teach destructive heresies that corrupt God’s grace. “They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 4). “They assume that salvation by grace gives them the right to sin without restraint, either because God in his grace will freely forgive all their sins, or because sin, by contrast, magnifies the grace of God.”21 Paul emphatically states, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (See Romans 6:1.)

False prophets teach false doctrines and devote themselves to controversies. They turn to meaningless talk, tickling the ears of their hearers who beg them to “get off this path” [the narrow path of truth], and “stop confronting us” with the truth of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; Isaiah 30:10-11).

False prophets have knowledge of God’s word but they do not obey it or act on it in truth. “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous” (Romans 2:13). “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says…If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:22, 26). “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). “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” (Matthew 7:21). “The people here are relying for salvation on a creedal affirmation, on what they say to or about Christ…a verbal profession of Christ is indispensable. In order to be saved, wrote Paul, we have to confess with our lips and believe in our hearts (Romans 10:9-10). And a true profession of Jesus as Lord is impossible without the Holy Spirit…And yet everything is wrong because it is talk without truth, profession without reality. It will not save them on the day of judgment…The reason for their rejection by him is that their profession was verbal, not moral. It concerned their lips only, and

19

Ibid., p.199 20

Ibid., p.197-198 21

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 2002, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 2590, Note on Jude 4

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not their life. They called Jesus ‘Lord, Lord,’ but never submitted to his lordship, or obeyed the will of his heavenly Father.”22

False prophets claim the name of Christ, saying ‘Lord, Lord’ doing miracles and deceiving many. “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible” (Matthew 24:24). “Jesus said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and will deceive many” (Mark 13:5). 1 John 4:1 says, “Test the spirits.” Test the spirits with the moral test, looking for righteousness and love, and with the doctrinal test: Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is from God (1 John 4:1-4).23

False prophets do not possess the Holy Spirit and therefore do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord. They are like the unprepared virgins without the oil [Holy Spirit] who have no relationship with the bridegroom. They are not known by God nor do they know God in the redemptive relationship. They have chosen the false way over the way of truth. God has proclaimed the gospel, its truth and hope, to “every creature under heaven.” But although God is known, men “neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him” and their thinking became “futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” False prophets exchange truth for a lie. They are given over” by God to their own sinful desires, approving those who practice them,” even though they “know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death.” False teachers are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. They employ the spirit of falsehood (Matthew 7:23; 25:1-12; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 John 4:1-6; Colossians 1:3-6, 21-23 with Romans 1:21-32).

Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk In the counsel of the ungodly: blessed is that man. He who rejects the way, rejects the way of sin And who turns away from scoffing: blessed is that man. But his delight, by day and night, Is the law of God Almighty. He is like a tree, a tree that flourishes, Being planted by the water: blessed is that man. He will bring forth fruit, his leaf will wither not, For in all he does he prospers: blessed is that man. But his delight, by day and night, Is the law of God Almighty. The ungodly are not so, for they are like the chaff Which the wind blows clean away: The ungodly are not so. The ungodly will not stand, upon the judgment day Or belong to God’s own people: The ungodly will not stand. But God knows the way of righteous men And ungodly ways will perish. Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk In the counsel of the ungodly: blessed is that man.24

22

Stott, 206-207 23

Ibid., p.202 24

Michael Baughen from Psalm 1, “Blessed Is the Man,” Copyright@1973 by Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188.

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Two Foundations “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

The kingdom citizen hears the word and believes, then obeys it, putting it into practice thereby establishing the foundation of his life in Christ. Believing in Christ’s words of redemption brings life and establishes the ownership of Christ in the life of the kingdom citizen. Putting action to the words of Christ and dwelling [abiding, consuming] richly in them, causes the kingdom citizen to grow up [spiritually mature] in Christ. Blessing and wisdom follow.

John 5:21 – “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

John 6:63-64 – “The spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing, The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.”

John 10:16, 27-28 – “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

James 1:22, 25 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. But the man who looks intently into the [moral and ethical] law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heart to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The key to doing is obedience. Sincere obedience is internal, spiritual, and external.25 “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7). Luke contrasts the Pharisees’ reputation with the principle that sincere obedience is impartial [without hypocrisy]. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1b). All those listed in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11 demonstrated that what they believed they practiced. They were commended as being sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see. Theirs was the obedience of faith. They laid a firm foundation in their doing. They were wise builders.

25

Pink, p.419-420

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The wise builder, who ‘digs down deep’26 understands that following Christ requires thoughtful consideration of counting the cost, not looking back at the former life, and putting down the required deep roots of commitment (Luke 14:28; Luke 9:58-62; Matthew 13:20-21). Digging deeper requires conscious conviction of the need to be emptied of self-righteousness, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency. The Pharisees could not get beyond self and considered sinners as foolish things. But God chooses the foolish to shame self-wisdom, and those who are despised become, through his grace, redeemed, righteous, and holy (Isaiah 53:3, 11; Matthew 9:12; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31).

The wise builder strives after a practical knowledge of the truth. Practical knowledge is applied knowledge deep down into the heart. It affects personal change and then teaches change that ultimately produces good fruit in others.

The wise builder seeks out wisdom based on God’s will, not his own. Selfish ambition and conceit only brings divisive failure to the building process. Through suffering he perseveres knowing that like-mindedness with God and others will establish a firm foundation (Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Peter 4:1-2). Having the mind of Christ comes through knowing his word. Digging deeper requires memorizing God’s word as a ready source for the understanding and knowledge of God, as well as a reliable shield while walking on the narrow road.

Contrast the wise builder with the foolish builder. The foolish builds on ‘sandy hope’ that invites destruction.27 First, there is the sandy hope of religious performance. The Pharisees excelled in this. Such was their profession! They took their place of prominence and trumpeted their acts of righteousness in the synagogues and streets. Woe to anyone who sat in their seat! Their prayers were broadcasted around the globe, yet unanswered by God. Religious performance goes only as far as the kingdom of man and does not open the way to the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:1-2, 5, and 16 with Luke 11:42-43; John 3:3, 5). “The wise man whose planning is deliberately set upon the permanence of eternity builds with that in view. He hears the teachings of Christ (John 3:6-36; John 10:9; John 15). Following this he deliberately directs his life to obey all the teaching of the New Testament, making obedience to Christ the center and foundation of his life...Whether in time or in eternity, the test of profession versus possession must one day take effect…When this occurs, the shallow foundation is laid bare. All then see the difference between mere profession and a real relationship and commitment.”28

The sandy hope of superficial feelings and experiences resembles quicksand! The object of faith is not in faith or feelings alone, but in the Person of Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Not being rooted in this saving grace will allow for emotions to dictate what Christ has accomplished on the cross. When the storms of life come, feelings and emotions shift like a rootless plant on the sand, sweeping it away (Luke 8:13). “By contrast, when trouble hits the life built upon a commitment to Christ and a personal relationship of obedience to Him, that house (life) reaches deep down into its foundation which is Jesus Christ Himself and all His promises given to those who trust in Him and obey Him. The wise man proves by experience that troubles and pressures from without only increase his sense of security in God and His

26

Ibid., p.423-426 27

Ibid., p.426-428 28

A. Wetherell Johnson, Bible Study Fellowship Lesson Notes: The Discourse of Matthew, BSF International, 1973, Matthew Lesson 10, p.6

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love. Indeed, His confidence in God is so deepened that nothing can ‘make it ashamed,’ and nothing can move him from his safe dwelling place of being hidden with Christ in God (Romans 5:5).”29

There is a knowledge of truth that leads to godliness. Many people believed in Christ but Jesus did not believe in them for he understood their faith would not hold true to what was required in obedience to his word. Faith without obedience is sandy hope and useless faith (Titus 1:1; John 2:23-24; James 2:20). “The foolish man hears (knows) the doctrine, His words, God’s conditions for salvation, but does nothing about it. In other words he is a hearer only, but has no vital relationship with Christ by acting upon His promises, and by deliberately receiving eternal life from Him (John 10:28). He omits to heed the call of Jesus to repent of past indifference to God of other sins (Matthew 4:17). This foolish man builds a good-looking life, probably attends church (for he hears the Word), but it is all show; there is no unseen, deep foundation of eating Christ’s words in the sense of personal, positive action in regard to them (John 6:57; John 6:63).”30

The key to true knowledge opens the heart to understanding salvation. Preferring the sandy hope of intellectual knowledge alone, the Pharisees obscured true knowledge in their faulty interpretation and practice of the law. They did not enter the kingdom of God even though they thought they had, and hindered those who were trying to enter (Luke 11:52). “The life built upon knowledge only, without personal commitment, is swept off its moorings. Even that which he seemed to believe (because he had heard it and knew it) is all swept away (See Luke 8:18.).”31

When there is no conviction of sin, no need to confess sin, no sensitivity toward sin, or no grief over sin, there is only remorse. The sandy hope of remorse does not lead to repentance. Remorse does not allow the word of God to occupy a place in one’s life (Proverbs 20:9; 1 John 1:8, 10). But keeping Christ’s words will preserve the kingdom citizen in the hour of trial, testing, and tribulation. “It is only by carefully and earnestly searching the Scriptures, by a systematic and continuous pondering of them, that we can discover ‘all the counsel of God.’ Those who do so will have their souls sustained by grace and upheld by the power of Christ in the day of trial, and will have no regrets for so employing their time and energies when the hour of death is upon them.”32 For the word of Christ sanctifies [makes holy] the kingdom citizen, through faith and suffering. It protects from evil and the evil one, Satan. Blessing is found for the kingdom citizen who keeps the words of Jesus; hearing and taking them to heart (John 17:6-8, 14-17, 20-21a; Revelation 1:3; 22:7).

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent word! What more can He say than to you He hath said – To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled? “Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my gracious, omnipotent hand.

29

Ibid., p.6 30 Ibid., p.6 31

Ibid., p.6 32

Pink, p.435

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“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall by thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never – no, never – no, never forsake!”33

Closing Summary “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” (Matthew 7:28-29). What place does the authority of Christ have in your heart? As teacher, he taught absolute truth (John 7:16-18). As Christ, he was the fulfillment of all prophecy and inaugurated the kingdom of God. It was by his authority that followers would become kingdom citizens and be blessed (Matthew 4:17; 5:3, 10; 6:10, 33; 7:21). As Lord, he was Master, “issuing commands, expecting obedience and warning them that their eternal welfare was at stake.”34 He expected personal devotion from his kingdom citizens for they would become his witnesses. As Savior, he bestowed salvation and appointed his kingdom citizens as the salt of the earth and light of the world. Because he himself was the light of the world, he could give them his light and make them shine (John 8:12). As Judge, he preached against the background of the coming day of judgment. His words, “I,” “me,” placed him as the central figure of that Day (Matthew 7:23). As the Son of God, his relationship with his Father was unique and exclusive (Matthew 7:21; 11:27). As God, he addresses this by implication in regard to suffering, discipleship, and the judgment day (Matthew 5:11-12; 7:21; 10:1).35

So, will you accept the claims of Jesus, take him at his word, and put them into practice? Is his kingdom your choice? Will you seek it first along with his righteousness? Will you bow your knee and your heart to his authority? Will you choose to be radically different as his kingdom citizen?

Precious Promise: Matthew 7:24 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words and puts them into practice is like a wise a man who built his house on the rock.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, work in me through the power of your Holy Spirit to make me radically different as your kingdom citizen. Amen. May you be blessed for digging deeper.

33

From Rippon’s “Selection of Hymns” 34

Stott, p.217 35

Ibid., pp.212-222