Matthew 7.24-27
“Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
By: Rev. Aaron Sprock
Matthew 7:13-20
13 “Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Surprise Endings
It can be unnerving sometimes when you learn that you’re famous and well-known nursery rhymes or children’s stories actually have a dark backstory. I won’t go into too many details, but I never thought as a kid very much about the song and game Ring Around the Rosie. To me, it was just fun. Only when I found out the backstory did I realize how unnerving that song and game really are. In the same way, I can remember singing the song about the Wise man building his house upon the rock many times in Sunday school. While I am thankful for the positive side of that song, I have also seen the hardship that comes in life when we do not build our life on the teachings that are found in the Sermon on the Mount and you see everything come crashing down.
As Jesus clearly states in this passage, his intention for us is not just to hear this sermon and think “wow, what a nice sermon”, but to actually put his teachings into practice. This is a reminder that is found in many other places of scripture, specifically in James chapter 1. We are to be hearers of the word, yes, but also doers of the word. So the question then becomes, when it pertains to the sermon on the mount, what are we to hear, but also what are we to put into practice?
First, I believe that when it comes to righteousness, we need to be far less worried about others and much more introspective about our own righteousness. We must take time to look at that log in our own eye and yield that sin to Christ, and, through forgiveness and repentance, have it removed. We must also ask ourselves, what sort of fruit am I producing? Does that fruit come from a healthy, righteous soul? If the fruit we are producing at the moment doesn’t match up with that which is found in Galatians 5, what are we doing to through fasting and prayer to reinvigorate the growth of healthy fruit?
Second, we are called to see the wisdom that is found in treating others as we ourselves would like to be treated. Instead of looking at those around us with anger or lust or a desire for revenge, we are called to see that each person we interact with should be treated with the love, respect, and dignity that comes from being a child of God. As leaders, we should set the example by not just telling others how they should live and act, but also being people who follow Christ in the way in which he has called us to follow Him.
If I am honest with myself, there are many times when I could quote different passages within this sermon, but I don’t really live them out the way in which God has called me to live them out. My prayer for myself and for each one of you reading this is that we would see the great call that Christ has placed on our lives and rely on the Holy Spirit to allow us to live in the manor that he has called us to live in.