It is nice to be back once again for the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone who is reading this blog is doing well.
If you have read the blog for any length of time, you know that we have been in a study of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount for quite some time. Today, our study of this great teaching comes to an end.
Over the course of our study, we've examined the meaning of the Beatitudes as found in Matthew chapter five and Luke chapter six. We have examined what it means to be salt and light, and we have examined the way that Jesus fulfilled the law and what our relationship as believers is to the law.
One of the interesting aspects of our study was seeing how Jesus demonstrated His divinity by changing the law's meaning.
Matthew chapter six found us focusing on serving the Lord through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and the giving of alms. Jesus warned His followers not to be hypocritical as some of the religous leaders of the time were.
Chapter six also dealt with the important concept that we cannot serve both God and money. We need to serve the Lord, and He will supply all that we need. Ultimately, all will be well for the one who seeks after and follows the path of Jesus.
In Matthew chapter seven, we focused on what Jesus meant by not judging. Recently, we focused our attention on the narrow path that leads to life and the broad path that leads to destruction. Jesus is the way that leads to life.
In last week's message, we talked about the ways to identify those who are false prophets and those who teach false doctrine. Jesus said that they would be known by their fruits. A bad tree will not produce good fruit.
Today, as we wrap up our series on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about two men who built their houses on two different foundations. The wise man built his house on a foundation of rock. When the storm came and the waters rose, the house built on the rock stood firm. The foolish man built his house on the sand. When the storms came and the waters rose, his house was destroyed and washed away.
It is very important for a house to have a firm foundation. I have learned this from firsthand experience. As I said a couple of weeks ago, the heavy rain in my area caused my poor foundation to leak and flood my crawlspace and garage. I've spent a lot of money to fix my crumbling foundation. Sadly, it is still a mess.
We need the proper foundation for our life just as a house must be built on a proper foundation. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 that, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock."
If we will study the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and put these teachings into practice, we will have a rock solid spiritual foundation. Our life will be anchored in the promises of the Lord Jesus. No matter what life throws at us, we aill be safe in the embrace of Christ.
Like everything else in the spiritual realm, we have a choice to refuse to follow Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. We can decide that these teachings don't make sense to us, and we can follow another path or another set of teachings. Jesus said that this is a foolish choice that would lead to destruction. However, we are free to choose.
I've tried my hardest to teach these important words of Jesus. I hope that over these last few weeks that you have learned much. It is my prayer that you will apply these teachings of Jesus to your life and follow the way of the Savior.
Maybe you started reading this series unsure about whether or not you wanted to commit your life to Jesus. I pray that by reading this series that you have seen how wonderful Jesus is. I hope that you will place your faith in Jesus today.
Well, our series in the Sermon on the Mount is over. Next week, Lord willing, I will be starting a short series on the Old Testament book of Nahum. This is a short book. I anticipate that the series will take about two to three weeks. After that, I am going to teach on the first few chapters of the book of Revelation that contain the very words of Jesus Himself.
Thank you for reading this blog. On Wednesday, I will post another book review. May God bless you. Amen.
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