The Gospel Series Part XI
Our study on the Sermon On the Mount continues.
In His sermon, Jesus addresses a problem facing many during that time. To no surprise, it is a problem many face today. To whom do we listen and are they the people we should be listening to? 400 years had passed since the last of the Old Testament prophets had spoken, then John the Baptist began to speak and proclaim the Messiah was arriving soon to walk among them. Many of the religious leaders scoffed at John the Baptist’s proclamations and were telling the people only they had true communication with God and only they had the gift to interpret messages from Yahweh.
In our modern age, we find ourselves in the same dilemma. Social Media, television, radio and the internet bombard us with psychics, fortune tellers and prophets who claim they are called by God, or some other mystical force, and have the answer to all our sorrows, but it may cost a little money first before receiving the answer. Although there are some who are authentic and genuine, there are many who are not what they claim to be.
Matthew 7:15-20 NKJV — “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Video production and video manipulation are the current sleight of hand tricks we are exposed to. With selective editing, the appearance these modern day so-called prophets give can be very convincing. It isn’t easy to discern a false prophet. If a well-known celebrity magician can give the illusion of the Statue of Liberty vanishing before our very eyes, then we must realize there are those who master the art of illusion, but only on a smaller scale.
The message a false prophet delivers sounds plausible because it is sprinkled with many truths, but a false prophet does not give people enough truth to bring them to the light. Often emphasizing on a partial truth and neglecting the teaching of salvation through Jesus Christ.
One particular way to determine whether a person is a false prophet is to watch the emphasis they may put on money and material things. Intermixed with their presentation is the message they offer. They will teach that you may receive special privileges or favors from God, but only if you follow their particular advice. The goal is to self glorify their “ministry” and to sell their merchandise as a reason for your peace of mind. False teachers draw people to themselves. True teachers give out the Word of God in simplicity and draw people closer to God rather than to themselves.
The fruit of a ministry helps us to determine whether the ministry is worth listening to. If the fruit of a ministry divides the body of believers, then the ministry is working against the will of Jesus Christ for His Church. The good fruit of a true ministry is love. When the members of the Body of Christ love one another, then they are walking according to the Holy Spirit. The evidence of love, unity and a building up of the Body of Christ is a good sign of good fruit being produced by a loving and serving ministry.
Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV — “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
In today’s society there are many who claim to be Christians and believe in God. Unfortunately, many of them have no idea why they believe except for the fact that believing in God is a good thing. Going to church on Christmas or Easter does not qualify them as followers of Christ because they never allowed the Lord to enter into their hearts to solidify their relationship with the Messiah.
No one will enter the Kingdom if they never acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but not all those who call Him “Lord” will enter heaven either. When we decide to follow the Lord we must have our priorities in the proper order. We should be submitted to Jesus as the Lord of our lives. As His servants, it’s up to us to find His will for us and to obey it.
Many people mistakenly believe it’s enough to know the Lord. Knowing Him or believing the right things about Him isn’t enough; we need to have a born again relationship with Jesus.
John 3:1-3 NKJV — There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
If we call Christ our Lord, then we are implying He is the Master of our lives. We should give ourselves to Him each day to lead us where He needs us to be. It’s not up to us to decide what good works we should do for God. We are to submit ourselves to His will and obey His commands.
Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV — “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Jesus gives a warning to us about the foundation upon which our faith is built. The trials and tribulations we go through in life can show us the strength of our foundation. The structure we build, our relationship with God, is what others see. Sometimes we are fooled by a carefully maintained exterior. We think someone is solid and secure, but the trials of life prove whether the foundation is stone or sand.
The firm foundation has been set deeply in the rock where the groundwork was laid. The house on the sand has been built without any preparation for the foundation. The foolish man is impatient. He wants to hurry and get his house built without waiting to lay a foundation. He doesn’t listen to the advice or counsel of others who have been there for a longer time. Many new Christians are like the foolish man. They want to become ministers or evangelists before they have taken the time to study God’s Word and learn the basic doctrinal truths. The wise man carefully prepares his land and digs deep to lay the foundation. He gets the advice of those who know more than he does and follows their counsel in building his house.
We build on the sand when we base our relationship with God on experiences which do not have a scriptural basis. Many people have had life-changing experiences not inspired by God. We build on the sand when we build our houses on other people’s ideas and philosophies. People who live by other people’s philosophies are easily led astray. These are the people who commit inhumane and irresponsible acts. They have built their structure on shifting sands and they do not have any moral absolutes to guide them.
When our relationship with God is based on His eternal Word, then we have a solid anchor to hold us steady in any storm. When we have thoroughly studied the Bible and are established in the Word, then we can rest in the strength of our foundation.
Matthew 7:28-29 NKJV — And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus spoke with authority and power. He made positive declarations from a position of His awareness of Who He was. Jesus said He was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He was the only One who could ever say that. He knew, He alone could obey the law as God meant it to be obeyed. Jesus contrasted the way the law had been taught, as rules which governed mankind’s outward behavior, with the way God intended it. The teachers of the law had become self-righteous because they obeyed the law outwardly. Jesus taught that if a man broke the law in his mind, then he was guilty of sin.
The law was never supposed to make people feel self-righteous, but to show them how impossible it would be for them to keep the law as God required. If the law could make us righteous, then God would not have sent Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins.
These teachings were a direct challenge to the religious establishment, because Jesus was negating the very basis of their righteousness. Jesus also warned us even good works are not righteous, as the motivations prompting them are fleshly. Our flesh wants attention and admiration from others, but the praise of men will be our only reward when our flesh motivates our good works.
Jesus tells us we are to respect and revere God enough to give Him our total consciousness when we pray. He promised God would supply all our needs if we put Him above everything else.
The Sermon on the Mount is to be applied as well as applauded, practiced as well as praised.
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