 The end has come Hopefully not the end of the world, but the end of this conference Thank you for Housing us again hospitality. Aren't you girls sick of me yet? Goodness So anyway We are going to finish our final session by looking at the end of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus ends as I said with a punch. So if you would turn in your Bibles to Matthew 7 Matthew 7 24 As I mentioned in the Q&A time I grew up in a minister's home with a godly father who Exposited scripture and so as a young girl I had many opportunities To learn some songs and some I still remember today and one in particular I think was probably taken from the text that we're going to end with and the way Christ ends a sermon on the mount and The words to the song go like this the wise man built his house upon a rock The wise man built his house upon a rock the wise man built his house upon the rock and the rains came tumbling down Don't worry. I won't bore you with the rest of the song. You know what the song is, right? The rains came down the floods came up and his house stood firm But then there was the foolish one right and he built his house on the sand The rains came the floods and the house on the sand went flat right So the whole idea is build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ and on and on it goes now as Catchy as that children's song may be the words from Jesus's sermon that it was taken from are far more than just catchy More like astounding In fact, he fills it in with a bit more detail than that catchy song I learned as a young child So let's listen in to what he says as he closes his sermon Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them are like into my wise man who builds his house upon a rock The rain descended the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house And it fell not for it was founded upon a rock and everyone that hears these sayings of mine Does not do him is likened into a foolish man who built his house upon the sand The rain descended the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house And it fell and great was the fall of it and it came to pass when Jesus said into these sayings that people were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority and not as Describes now as we consider our lesson wise man foolish man, which are you there's just two points to this outline We're gonna see three similarities between the wise man and the foolish man However, we're also going to see three differences between the wise man and the foolish man and my prayer is as we end This session that you will find yourself in the category of the wise woman and not the foolish woman because it has great implications which are very serious Now as I mentioned earlier Jesus is drawing his sermon to a conclusion These are his final words and the reason we know that because Matthew 8 1 says that after he ended these things He came down from the mountain and the crowds followed him And so this is the end of his service So let's begin and as we do Jesus is going to start first of all with the wise man And he starts with using that word therefore which points back to everything he has said in his sermon therefore Because of everything I have said on the mount this sermon I have given to you Jesus says then you have a choice you got a choice. You can do what I say or You can not do what I say and ladies the whoever here is universal Doesn't matter who you are You can be a pastor's wife. You can be a Sunday school teacher. You can be a worship leader You can be a choir member You can be a deacon's wife elder's wife. You can be poor rich male female Jew gentile doesn't matter Whoever you are it doesn't matter. What does matter is your response to what Jesus has spoken So Jesus says if you hear these things that he said and you do them You're wise and ladies notice Jesus is clear that the sayings that he says Are what mine? his mine You might say why are you bringing that out ladies? Please be careful Please be careful in this day and age or false price and false prophets have arisen more and more. It seems like every day Everything that you hear should be a saying of Christ If it's not don't listen to it You know people will send me links from time to time. What do you think about this teacher? What do you think about this many times I will listen to 10 or 15 minutes or read 10 minutes of a blog and I say I thought takes I don't need to finish listening to this sermon. I don't need to finish reading this blog. It's heresy Ladies be careful. Be careful. Jesus is clear Whoever hears the sayings of mine Not a false teacher not a false prophet And notice what he says if you hear his sayings then you're wise You're wise Ladies the hearing is essential But there's something that's more essential and this is where the wise man is very different from the foolish man Notice what the wise man does He does them He doesn't just hear he doesn't just audit some of you have come this weekend to audit, you know, you're checking me out But when I leave and you leave you're not going to go out that door and do the homework You're auditing this weekend. You're not going to do What Jesus has told you do not what I've told you what he's told you to do Well, you're not a wise woman. You're a foolish woman and I didn't say that Jesus said that so you can take it up with him when we're done Ladies if it's your desire today to be a wise woman, then you must do what Jesus says you must do it Paul says very clear moments 2 13 for not the hearers of the law are justified But what the doers of the law are justified Jesus says in luke 11 28 Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it In fact in the upper room. He says if you love me keep my commandments In fact, he says you're my friends if you do whatever I command you In fact, the last book of the bible the book of the revelation You know what john says? Blessed are those who what? Do his commandments and they have right to the tree of life Ladies the doing hearing and hearing is important. I hope you listen to good sermons I hope you're in a church that preaches the word of God hearing is very important listening But the doing is very important Now this person is wise, which means they're discreet. They have understanding In fact, we know the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom And so ladies we would do well to sit in awe as we listen to this sermon and have an awe and a fear of God And Jesus says this wise man builds his house on a rock Now the word for rock here indicates it's a massive rock a big formation And again as as jesus so masterfully does he illustrates because he himself is on a mount He's on a big rock formation. So it's not movable. You can't pick up this rock and move it Ladies, I hope your foundation is built on a rock Christ the solid rock, right? Paul says in 1st Corinthians, you are God's workers. You are God's field. You are God's building as a wise master I have laid the foundation and another builds on it But he says let each one take heed how he builds for there is no other foundation anyone can lay except that which is jesus christ My friend if your house is not built on the solid foundation of jesus, you're not only unwise But you're in great trouble as you're going to see in just a moment However, if your life is built on christ the solid rock Then you have no fear of what's to come Jesus speaks of what's going to happen. Look at verse 25 The rain descends the floods come the winds blow and beat on the house But it did not fall why for it was founded on the rock on the rock now You don't live in oklahoma, but you live in florida But you probably have the same kind of things we have, you know torrential rains. You guys had a hurricane last year So you understand what jesus is saying, right when he speaks of rain The rains descend the floods came in fact a few years ago. Our church was flooded We had we're under a flood watch and water came in six inches throughout our whole church So we're all familiar with that floods winds rain torrential storms They can have massive impact on your home. In fact, we've all seen videos I remember watching the videos last year in california the home's just you know sliding off the hill That's a very scary thing floating down the river It's devastating But you know what? A physical storm is not what jesus is referring to Why do I know that? Because even wise people build their house on rocks massive rocks and ladies those homes are just as susceptible as Falling down the hill as the foolish one who builds on the sand And neither is jesus talking about storms of life as some have advocated that's again not the correct interpretation of this passage Ladies we have to think context. What's jesus talking about? We must think about what he's saying He's been talking about what? Two ways two roads two trees two types of fruit He's winding down his sermon and it's fairly simple to understand what he is saying He's keeping with the theme of what he's been trying to say throughout the whole sermon You're either a genuine kingdom citizen Or you're not a genuine genuine kingdom citizen. You're either headed down that narrow road That's hard. You have to agonize. You got a struggle to get through Few there be that find it or you're going down that big road that broad road that most people are heading that leads to destruction now This would not be a new thought to the jewish audience because they would more than likely when jesus talked about the rains and the Wind and the floods they more than likely the jew would be thinking of ezekiel 13 They would know that jesus was talking about the final judgment Eschatology eschatological judgment in fact turn over to ezekiel 13. I want you to read this with your own eyes Ezekiel 13 beginning in verse 8 This is what the jew would be thinking Therefore says the lord Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies therefore i'm against you says the lord My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies They will not be in the assembly of my people Nor be written in the record of the house of israel nor will they enter into the land of israel Then you will know i am the lord god Because indeed because they have seduced my people saying peace When there is no peace and one builds a wall They plaster it with untimpered mortar. They say to those who plaster it with untimpered mortar that it will fall There will be flooding and rain. Oh great hail stones will fall a stormy wind will tear it down Surely when the wall is fallen will it not be said to you? Where's the mortar with which you plastered this? Therefore says the lord god I will cause the stormy wind to break forth in my fury. There will be a flooding rain in my anger Great hail stones and fury to consume it. I will break down the wall You plastered with untimpered mortar bring it down to the ground so its foundation will be uncovered it will fall And you will be consumed in the midst of it. Then you will know i am the lord That's why i accomplish my wrath on the wall and those who have plastered with it untimpered mortar I will say to you the wall is no more. Know those who plastered it That is the prophets of israel who prophesy concerning jerusalem and who see visions of peace for her When there is no peace says the lord Ladies jesus has been saying the same thing in the sermon on the mount as god says to those in ezekiel's days Ezekiel is addressing the same issue. There are true children of god. There are false children of god Much like the scribes and Pharisees The false care for themselves not for others. They thought they were building a wall that would last like many religious people I know today But ladies the same storm is going to come on them as it's going to come on us And they will not stand Ladies there's always been true. There's always been false true false Prophets true prophets false prophets. There's scribes. There's Pharisees. There's genuine christians. There's nominal christians But you know one thing we're both going to face whether we're the real thing or not the real thing We're all going to face eternity. That's what ezekiel's talking about. That's what jesus is talking about The judgment the the wind the flood the hail They both will stand some will fall some will not In fact the end is what jesus has been speaking about in the sermon on the mount as he's winding down his sermon So the in comes the final storm of life so to speak And the wise man whose foundation is built upon the rock of christ can go through that final judgment She or he does not fall. Why notice what jesus says Because they're founded on the rock ladies notice The house was saved because of the rock right Not because of anything That you or I do Ladies jesus is the only one that can save you. That's what the scribes and Pharisees were doing They were trying to build their own walls. They're trying to build their own rocks Their rock is not the foundation of christ The songwriter put it well on christ the rock I stand all other ground is what sinking sand Well, jesus will now contrast the foolish man with the wise man And we're going to begin to see their similarities as well as their differences look at verse 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and doesn't do them is like a foolish man who built his house On the sand the word bud is a word of contrast So here in contrast to the wise person we have the foolish person The foolish interesting they also hear the sayings of christ isn't that interesting and ladies our churches are filled with them They are filled with foolish people who come sunday after sunday after sunday And they hear the same teaching that you and I do but they don't do anything about it And I know that because I've been a pastor's life now for 43 years And we have many in our churches that never their lives never change even though we've known them 20 years. They never change So the foolish they also hear the sayings of christ And so if you're taking notes, this is the first thing that is similar to both the wise and the foolish They both hear the same sayings They both hear The same sayings However, the wise man does something about what he hears He obeys He obeys what he hears the foolish man does not so this is the first difference between them They have different responses They have different responses The wise man obeys he does the words of jesus The foolish one does not He does not Do the words of jesus But didn't jesus already say that In the sermon on the mount Whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches them so the same as the least in the kingdom of heaven But whoever what teaches and does them the same as what greatest In the kingdom of heaven, I say in you unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees You will not enter into the kingdom of heaven Ladies our righteousness has to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees In fact, the words do not here in matthew 7 24 means an absolute denial They do not do them In fact, they go out the doors on sunday and they had no intention of doing them Because I wasn't that a great sermon we just heard by the pastor. Wasn't that just great? I mean any a powerful preacher And they you know go to lunch or go turn on the golf channel and They have no intention of doing anything that was just spoken from the pulpit Jesus is very clear if anyone loves me. He will keep my commandments. He'll keep them Well, jesus calls here those who do not obey his words. He calls them foolish. You know what that means Stupid You're a moral blockhead. In fact, do you know from this english word or this greek word we get our english word moron I didn't say it taken up with him. There's moron But you know what That's what we are. Do you know psalm 14 1 that says the fool has said in his heart. There is no god You know what that literally literally reads in the hebrew The fool has said in his heart or her heart. No god No It's not that there is no god everybody knows there's a god God has god has placed eternity in every man's heart says that and solemn in the ecclesiasties So we know that's not what psalm 14 1 says it says the fool has says no god I hear what you're saying, but i'm not doing it. No So the fool builds his house not on a rock but on the sand So this is the second difference between the wise and the foolish man They not only have different responses to jesus's words, but secondly they have different rocks for their foundations One has a solid mass The other one is sand The wise man has a solid mass for its foundation the foolish man Has one that is built of sand One is solid one is a bunch of itty bitty rocks In fact sand is defined as loose granular substance composed of rocks One is solid like this pulpit another is mushy like this little flower But there's one more thing they have in common look at verse 27 The rain descends the floods came come and the winds blow and beat on the house and it fell And great was its fall. So the second thing the foolish and the wise men have in common is this They not only hear the same things But they encounter the same storm They encounter the same storm ladies If you're wise Or if you're foolish Doesn't matter. You know everybody in this room Whether wise or foolish is going to stand before the lord We're all going to face that final judgment. No one's going to be exempt I know some of you think you are but you're not Hebrews 9 27 is very clear is appointed on demand wants to die. But after this what? The judgment doesn't matter. You could be a fool. You could be wise In fact, paul says in romans 14 We will all stand before the judgment seat of christ all every one of us So jesus is clear that the foolish man's house falls, which means it crashes And jesus doesn't in there, but he says great Is this fall? The word is mega in the greek It means it's huge. It's a big fall So the third difference is not only do they have different responses Not only do they have different rocks for foundations, but they have different results One stands in judgment one falls One stands One falls Your sister Hearing the teachings of christ without doing the teachings of christ is dangerous It's dangerous. In fact, it's eternally dangerous. It could send you to hell The only one who's going to stand in judgment is those whose names are written in the lambs book of life The ones who've bowed the knee to the lordship of christ the ones who've traveled down the narrow road the ones who have agonized to get in In fact in the physical sense, do you know sand is easier to get a hold of than a massive rock? It's easier to get a hold of It weighs less It's easier to maneuver than a big rock But you know, that's what jesus already said the broadway It's easy. Let's go that way. You know But it leads to hell The narrow way the one that's built on the solid foundation. It's hard It's hard It's only those who do what jesus says who will be able to stand They will not fall in the judgment In fact another another songwriter put it like this in times like these you need a savior In times like these you need an anchor be very sure Be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock This rock is jesus. He's the one right well In fact in psalm one i didn't bring this out but in psalm one interesting contrast between the ungodly You know, bless his man who walks on in the council of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners Nor sits in the seat of the scornful his delight is in the law of the lord and in his law He meditates day and night he could be like a tree planted by the rivers of water Brings forth its fruit in the in its season But listen to what the ungodly the ungodly or not sober like the chaff which the wind drives away Therefore the ungodly will not Stand in judgment Same thing jesus is saying they won't be able to stand They're going to fall Well, this is the end of the sermon on the mount But it's not the end of what jesus says is he ends with these words in verses 28 29 And here we see our third similarity between the wise and foolish man And so it was when jesus had ended these sayings that people were astonished at his teaching The sermon's over Jesus has ended what he has to say but the people were astonished at his teaching And rightly so You know, we've only had five lessons I've had the sermon on the mount memorized for years and yet I'm always astonished And convicted all over again every time I read or study in fact debbie says how do you live with yourself? Well, I'm always convicted, you know That's how I live with myself. It's hard And it's astonishing You've got to be kidding me. Is this what she really means? Yeah, it's what he really means. Jesus doesn't lie, right? So what does it mean to be astonished? It means they were struck out of themselves with astonishment. They were amazed they were dumb founded struck dumb out of their mind You can almost see what their jaw is dropping You've got to be kidding me. This is what he really means So ladies the third thing they have in common The wise and the foolish man not only do they hear the same sayings Not only do they encounter the same storm But they both have the same response to the lord's words. They're both struck dumb Wise and foolish struck dumb It's interesting. Matthew doesn't divide the audience into two categories But sufficient to say every one of them foolish or wise were struck dumb. Why? Why were they astonished? Notice what jesus says in verse 29 or matthew says for he taught them as one having authority and not as describes Jesus taught like no one else He taught with authority. He didn't teach like the scribes, you know the scribes were the professionals We call them today. These are the guys that have gone to seminary. They got their theology, right? They got their doctrine, right? They, you know, they got everything right. They can preach great sermons But they have no power ladies that describes a lot of ministers in our day, doesn't it? There's no power there. There's no authority There's a lot of professional preachers But few who speak with power in authority In fact, they tell us according to church history a lot of the copies of the teachings that we have of the rabbis Were dull and boring They had no life How could they have life? They didn't have the spirit of god in them. How could they have life? But not jesus He spoke with the authority of truth the reality Of freshness and morning light In fact, one man said the sermon made a profound impression ended with the tragedy of the fall of the house on the sand Like the crash of a giant oak in the forest There was no smoothing over the outcome Well in summary, there are three similarities between the wise and the foolish man. They hear the same sayings of christ They have the same storm which is judgment at the end. They have the same sobering response Which is they were struck down Ladies, we also with our foolish or wise have heard the sayings of christ this weekend And throughout our life, right? We also whether we're foolish or wise every one of us in this room is going to stand in the judgment Right before we step into heaven or hell We all with our foolish or wise are struck dumb Not only at this particular sermon this weekend But hopefully all of god's word right kind of leaves us speechless from time to time Is this really what you mean jesus this really want you what you want me to do you want me to love my enemies You want me to submit to my husband and everything You want me, you know to submit, you know all you want if you want me to do all this The similarities we share are hard factors in determining whether we're foolish or wise right But not with the three differences. Here's where we can really determine What camp we lie in They have three different responses. This is the first difference between them They have different responses to jesus is saying one does them one doesn't They have different rocks one is massive one is sandy and they also have different results One stands and enters into eternity with christ One falls and the fall is very great In fact the fall results in these words Depart from me you worker of iniquity. I never knew you And ladies, I think these differences help us to determine which category we fall under. Am I foolish or am I wise? Now true You might not know till judgment day Whether you built your house on a rock or on sand. Some of us are going to be deceived right into judgment That's why we're going to be among those who say lord lord. I did this I did that and he's going to say depart from me I never knew you But The issue of obedience is something right now we can tangibly measure Ladies remember jesus is not comparing the saved with the lost He's comparing those who are saved with those who think They're saved Both heard jesus's sayings or we might say both come to church. They hear sermons. They look the same They know all the religious songs. They know the religious words Both of them teach sunday school classes both of them ties But they each have made a different choice My sister you've heard the sayings of jesus on the mount, but have you obeyed the sayings of jesus on the mount One man says this we sometimes admire the response of those who listened in amazement to jesus's sermon And there is something admiral about it But there's something inadequate about it Matthew points out or he frames from telling us that the people Obeyed it. He doesn't say that They thought it was the most admirable sermon they'd ever heard Indeed it is the most admired sermon in human history But jesus did not preach it in order to be admired for his homiletical skills He preached it to produce obedience He preached it so that the authority That people would recognize in his preaching might be realized in their lives You have seen the authority in his sermon Now will you submit to it? Ladies this was my life for 30 years I was like the scribes the Pharisees the hypocrites And if god hadn't reached down and thrown me in a hospital bed for two weeks So that I had to come face to face with my sin I would have been deceived right till the end In fact, I've mentioned before my husband used to say before I got saved He was going to put on my tombstone. She did it her way So that tells you about my life before christ I heard the same sayings I grew up in a great home with a dad who exposited the word More and where's he was in my pastor than my husband was my pastor. I heard great messages But I didn't obey Never Rarely Try to outward, you know works of righteousness But I didn't obey That's the difference. That's how you can tell Do you have a desire? Do you have a hunger to do the right thing? Will you take the messages that we've heard this weekend and take them home? Think through them and begin to implement changes in your life Or will you just allow the conviction that you sense and go out the door and get busy, you know Raising your kids, which is what you're supposed to be done But you know what I'm talking about? drowning out conviction Doling your conscience There's an interesting passage in Deuteronomy where moses is saying goodbye To the Israelites before he dies You know, he tells them He says I know after I die you're going to go back to all your evil ways. You're not going to obey the lord Rascals those little rascals And he basically leaves them with the choice Of choosing eternal life or choosing eternal death and that's the same thing Our lord leaves as he ends his sermon on the mount And so I want to close with just a few a few of these words by moses He says see I've said before you today life and good death and evil I command you to love the lord to walk in his ways and keep his commandments That you may live and multiply But if your heart turns away and you don't hear and you're drawn away and you worship other gods I announce to you today that you will surely perish I call heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing Therefore choose life That both you and your descendants may live So that you can love the lord your god That you may obey his voice That you may cling to him For he is your life And he is The length of your days father I do pray earnestly for these women lord That they have not come this weekend To just listen to some messages To just fellowship with like-minded Sisters but lord I pray that they have come To earnestly sit at your feet like the disciples did While you taught the sermon on the mount With the intent of not gaining more bible knowledge but lord with the intent of Heeding the word spoken by christ that they would desire to obey Father if we love you we will obey you And lord god we cannot do this by ourselves. That's what the scribes and Pharisees tried to do by themselves We are so dependent on the grace of christ and the holy spirit to help us And our fellow brothers and sisters and so father I pray That you will give us a passionate desire to be obedient And lord for any that are struggling in this room. I pray that you would Allow them to humble themselves and seek help and accountability And lord if there's others in this room that are like I was many years living a life of hypocrisy and deceit I pray dear lord That they would bow the knee That they too would wail and mourn and weep over their sin And lord that they would come to faith in christ jesus our lord And it's in his name. I pray Amen