Week 11: The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 7:24-29
Wise people not only hear these words
Discussion Questions
Read Matthew 7:24-25 (True wisdom)
1. The very first word takes us back to last week’s passage. What is the connection?
2. What sort of considerations would someone make in making the decision to build a house on rock
rather than sand?
3. What sort of considerations would someone make in making the decision to put Jesus’ words into
action rather than ignoring them?
4. What so often associate with wisdom in our society?
5. The __________ of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (See Job 28:28). What does this look like?
6. If someone asks you ‘what’s so wise about following Jesus’ words?’ how would you answer?
7. Why does it often appear wise to do something other than put Jesus’ words into action?
Read Matthew 7:26-27 (Utter foolishness)
8. Why would you decide to build a house on sand?
9. Why would you decide not to put Jesus’ words into action?
10. What is so foolish about hearing these words and not acting on them?
Read Matthew 7:28-29 (Who says?)
11. If Sunday’s preacher said to you ‘if you don’t put my sermon into practice, you’re a fool’, how
would you feel?
12. How can Jesus get away with saying this?
a. Why did Jesus’ teaching stand out for the crowds; so much so that they were
‘dumbfounded’.
b. “He taught as one who had authority”. Where did he get this authority?
Concluding the series
13. Share with the group any highlight for you from the Sermon on the Mount. What part did you see
with fresh eyes? What part did you have to prayerfully take to the Lord so that you might see
change in your life?
14. How radically counter cultural are we as Christians in Noosa? (Perhaps for more personal
reflection – what needs to change in your life so you become more counter-cultural?)
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Sermon on the Mount
Radically counter-cultural
# 11 Wise people not only hear these words
Matthew 7:24-29
AIM: To show very clearly the great wisdom of putting Jesus’ words into practice and the utter
foolishness of ignoring them.
My prayer is that because of this sermon
-
True believers will be affirmed in their wisdom
-
True believers will continue to make wise decisions for themselves and their families
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Unbelievers may have a longing to seek help to leave their foolishness and become wise
-
People will recognise Jesus’ unique authority to say/teach these things.
__________________________
True wisdom
Utter foolishness
Who says?
__________________________
When you hear a sermon, you have a choice.
You can forget about it. And let’s face it – we’ve all heard plenty of very forgettable sermons.
Or you can carefully reflect on it and see how you might change in the light of it. You can act on what
you’ve heard.
We’ve spent the last 11 weeks carefully listening to Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.
And we’ve seen nearly every Sunday morning that Jesus calls us to be radically counter-cultural in the
world in which we live. //
Without us noticing it a lot of the time our culture is impacting us…
…without a lot of reflection we conform to the social norms of our culture… to the passions of our
culture… to the morality – the values - of our prevailing culture…
But Jesus calls us to something different.
He calls us to rise above the social norms
He calls us to buck the trends of selfishness and greed and hate and payback and worry and hypocrisy
and arrogance and self-sufficiency…
He calls us as we saw last week, to a small gate and a narrow road… that is, he calls us to a path and
way of life that will attract dismissal and ridicule… in fact follow the Messiah and you’ll often find
you’re the odd one out…
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Your values, passions, priorities… in fact – your whole life will be different from those around you… /
And Jesus acknowledges at the end that there will be two kinds of people who hear these words.
Some will hear these words and put them into practice.
Some will hear these words and will not put them into practice.
He gets that. Perhaps even expects that.
But for Jesus – the stakes are much higher than if this was just one of my sermons...
It would never occur to me to say – look if you put one of my sermons into practice you’re very wise but
if you don’t (put one of my sermons into practice) – you’re a fool
But that’s exactly what Jesus says...
So let’s try and unpack this and see if we can understand...
Three points
1. True wisdom
2. Utter foolishness
3. Who says? (who does he think he is?)
1. True wisdom
v24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock.
That very first word (therefore) takes us back to last week’s passage and forces us to see the connection.
And the connection is not hard to find.
He has just said that not everyone who calls out “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven – but
only they who do the will of my Father…
It’s quite confronting isn’t it, that there’s a possibility there are even people among us here this morning
who regularly call out “Oh Lord” – a cry for help – or maybe some creed or hymn upon their lips… but
they are not right with God… because they don’t actually do his will…
They want all the benefits of having a God to call on but none of the accountability… of having a God
they live for.
So Jesus’ point – it’s not just calling on God’s name… that counts before God – it’s actually doing his
will… taking up his radical lifestyle.
And therefore – putting Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount into practice is the wisest course of
action you could ever choose.
As wise as the man who built his house on the rock.
That’s very wise. It means his house had a solid foundation. It means he thought ahead. Prepared for the
future. He calculated the risks and addressed them. It was considered, it was sensible, it was forward
thinking… it was wise in every respect. //
And it’s very wise to put the words of Jesus here into practice.
To know them. Love them. Adopt them. Live them.
It means you’ve weighed the issues.
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Considered who Jesus is – the man who gave us these treasured words.
It means you’ve thought ahead. You’ve prepared for the future. You’ve calculated the risks of doing
anything else. You’ve realised what it means if you ignore Jesus.
To put Jesus’ words into practice is considered, sensible, forward thinking. Despite the costs.
It’s the best way to live for NOW
It’s the best way to prepare for the future. //
Let me ask you, who does our society usually consider to be wise?
Often associated with being clever or intelligent.
Sometimes associated with life experience – with age.
But the Bible says in more than one place that the ‘fear of the Lord’ is the beginning of wisdom.
That’s not the type of fear that means you’re cowering in a corner for fear of your life…
…but a fear which is a reverential awe and submission before God.
A fear which recognises God as God and you as well – you… a person of his creation.
True wisdom recognises God for who he is
True wisdom not only hears Jesus’ words and comments on how lovely – how inspirational they are…
true wisdom puts them into practice.
2. Utter foolishness
v26 but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built
his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and
it fell with a great clash.
Not putting his words into practice, Jesus claims, is utter foolishness…
…as foolish as building your house on sand.
Building a house on the sand… it’s naïve, it’s ignorant… it’s blindly optimistic; it would go against all
advice… it may be expedient at the time… it may be easier… less costly to build… but it lacks common
sense, let alone wisdom!
And hearing Jesus’ words – even admiring them… but then ignoring them, is as foolish as building a
house on sand...
It’s naïve, it’s ignorant… it’s blindly optimistic… it goes against advice…
it may be expedient for the present – easier… less costly in terms of priorities and decision making….
But it lacks common sense, let alone wisdom!
There’s no thought to present reality… no thought to the future… no calculation of the risks! //
It’s fascinating to consider how many people have heard these words of Jesus down through the
centuries.
Millions.
In fact we’ve seen that some of the phrases (or versions of them) from the Sermon on the Mount turn up
in our language and culture from time to time.
“Blessed are the meek”
‘He’s the salt the earth’
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“let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and you ‘No’, No’…”
“eye for eye, tooth for tooth”
‘turn the other cheek’
‘Our Father in heaven’
‘You cannot serve God and Money’
‘Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’
‘Consider the lilies of the field…’
‘do not judge’
‘seek and ye shall find’
‘do unto others what you would have them to do you’
Such well known phrases…
…but who knows them in their context…?
Who understands exactly what Jesus is saying and
…who puts them into practice?
How foolish to hear and not to do…
As foolish as building on sand…
For the implications for both the present and the future are very real!! Disaster! ///
----------------------------Are you practising these words?
Do you know what they are?
There’s not time now to take you right back through these chapters…
But… have you grieved your sin?
Are you hungering – aching to do what is right?
Are you being salt and light in Noosa by your wonderful goodness and generosity?
Are you depending only on Jesus to make you right with God?
Are you loving only those who love you? Or those who don’t love you?
Are you showing off in terms of your prayers or generosity; or only praying and being generous to
honour and please God?
Are the things you treasure – really value most in life, the things of God? Or the things that most people
around you value?
Are you actively doing to others what you would have them do for you?
Are you walking the narrow, less popular path? – despite the cost – because it leads to ife? //
Are you putting these words into practise?
If you are not, you are very foolish, says Jesus. There’ll be a disaster down the track... The disaster of
Jesus saying to you... I never knew you.
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3. Who says?
But what gives him the right to be so black and white… so uncompromising?
That’s a brave bold person who says in effect – if you don’t do what I say – if you don’t put my words
into practise, you’re a fool!
Have a look with me at the reaction from the crowds to Jesus’ teaching…
v28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at this teaching, because he taught them
as one who had authority…
the crowds were dumfounded.
Never heard anything like this before.
All their other teachers merely quoted those who had gone before. Rabi so and so said this. Rabi such
and such said that. Or as the prophet Isaiah said...
Jesus said “I say to you”, “I’m telling you”.
How did he come to teach them ‘as one who had authority’?
Because he had authority!!
He has authority!
He is God on earth. God in human skin.
He said to dead people get up and they do.
He to blind people ‘see’ and they did.
He said to wind and waves ‘stop’ and they did.
And he says to us this morning... wise people put my words into practice.
Who says?
God says.
----------------------Truth be known, not one person here has been able to perfectly live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
And that’s why Palm or Passion Sunday marks the beginning of a remarkable week.
For in these coming days, we will recall that Jesus died so that we might be forgiven for our rebellion
and be reconciled to him.
And that’s the first step in following the path of wisdom.
To humbly admit your failures.
To acknowledge Jesus as God.
To ask forgiveness.
And then with this help, turn your life around.
______________
We called this series – Radically counter-cultural.
And I want to finish by asking – is your life radically counter-cultural?
Are you bucking the trends of society?
Do you stand out among your friends?
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Do other people know you are a Christian?
Are you copping flack for your ridiculous ways?
Are you loving generously?
Is your first and strongest passion and priority, the things of God?
Have you stopped worrying about finances and food?
Are you radically different from your neighbours and friends who don’t know Jesus? //
Then you are very wise.
May you grow more radical by the day as you continually wrestle with putting these words into
practice.
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