Today brings to a conclusion our series on the Sermon on the Mount. However, as we will clearly see today, it is not the conclusion of the matter. An essential question to all studies of Scripture is, What are you going to do about it? With the conclusion of his sermon, Jesus intentionally puts that question before his audience. (Read Matthew 7:13-29)

The passage for today is a special one to me because it is the passage that was the text for my candidating sermon here back in August of 2001. I’m sure you remember it well. Right? You remember the lessons from that sermon, you’ve been working at putting those lessons into practice in your life. Right?

Well, maybe not, but that does remind me of a story. A pastor was being considered by a church’s Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to become their next pastor. He was one of their top candidates, so the PNC sent two of its members to the pastor’s church to hear him preach. They were impressed with his sermon and reported back to the committee. The process continued and, eventually, this pastor was their choice. So, the day came for the pastor’s candidating sermon—that process in our Presbyterian system where a pastor preaches in the church’s worship service which is followed by a congregational meeting to vote "yea" or "nay" on extending him/her the call. To the surprise of the two members of the committee, the pastor preached the same sermon they’d heard earlier! Following the congregational meeting, in which the pastor was overwhelmingly approved to be their next pastor, the committee had an emergency meeting. While there was unanimous concern about what had happened, it was agreed that it was a good sermon after all and, given the circumstances, perhaps to be expected that the pastor would want to go with "one of his best." However, you can imagine the committee’s consternation when, upon the occasion of the pastor’s first Sunday at the church, he once again preached the same sermon! Once again, the members of the committee met in an emergency session. This time, they decided they had to speak with the pastor about their concern. They made an appointment for early in the week. At the meeting, they told the pastor of their concern. "We think it’s a great sermon," they said, "and we certainly understand you wanting to go with one of your best when you candidated. But, preaching it again this past Sunday has us very concerned. Surely you’re not going to keep preaching the same sermon over and over again!" To which the pastor replied, "I’ll go on to the next sermon when you start doing what I’m talking about in this one!"

That’s what Jesus is talking about as he comes to the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. His warning is for his listeners to do more than hear his words. They are to do what he says! They are to practice what he preaches! That’s why I say, if forced to have only a few pages of the Bible in my possession, the Sermon on the Mount is what I’d take. It teaches the sum of the Christian life. More than that, much more than that, it calls upon its hearers to live it. Live according to the words of the Sermon on the Mount and you will live the Christian life.

Last week I shared with you the comment of Dr. Dale Bruner regarding the movement of Jesus toward "unqualified toughness" with the conclusion of his sermon: "Jesus began his sermon with unqualified tenderness, embracing in the Blessings [Beatitudes] those who felt least embraceable. He concludes with unqualified toughness, warning us that his sermon is not an intellectual option, a set of suggestions we may take or leave, one philosophy of life among several others, but that it is the exclusive way to life," (Matthew, A Commentary by Frederick Dale Bruner, Vol. 1, The Christbook, p. 282). Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount are not just a theory, not just nice words to feel good about our Christian faith. They are words to live by, words to put into practice.

As we saw last week, the Sermon on the Mount is a way of life that is a narrow way. In today’s words of "unqualified toughness," Jesus narrows the way even more, separating true discipleship, true following him, from other false ways to live. In last week’s words from his sermon, Jesus separated the life of a true disciple from the life of the popular, secular majority. "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction…small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life." Jesus also separated true discipleship even more—warning about the false prophets in both the secular society and in the church (wolves in sheep’s clothing) who speak of another way. Today, he narrows the field of true discipleship even further—away from Christians who practice sensational, but self-centered ministries and from those who are hearers only, but not doers of the Word.

First, the sensational, but self-centered ministers (from Matthew 7:21-23). What really gets my attention in this passage is that these are spectacular ministries. Someone achieving those kinds of results—prophesying in Jesus’ name, casting out demons in Jesus’ name, performing many miracles in Jesus’ name—would be hailed as a giant among Christian ministers. Yet, what does Jesus say? "Away from me you evildoers, I never knew you!" He rejects them! Why does he do that?

I believe it is because they had lost their focus. I think Jesus rejects them because they had misplaced what was most important to him. It’s not that such results in their ministries were bad. It’s just that they failed to do the most important thing—live out the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. None of those spectacular ministries—prophesying, casting out demons, performing miracles—are mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. Rather, Jesus’ disciples are called to more mundane, but more important tasks: obeying the commands of Scripture, getting rid of hurtful anger, living in sexual purity and marital fidelity, loving even our enemies. I think these "evildoers" failed to live that way. They had become overly impressed with the spectacular results of their ministry—and probably the acclamation that came with it—and had forgotten, or refused to live out the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. They spoke words of prophesy in Jesus’ name. But they also hurled hurtful words of anger and judgment toward others, a violation of Jesus’ commands. They cast out demons in others, but submitted to the demons of impurity and infidelity in their own lives. They performed many miracles in Jesus’ name while at the same time not trusting the miracle in God’s love being expressed toward their enemies.

It’s possible to do great things for the Lord—"Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out many demons and in your name perform many miracles?"—and yet be rejected by Jesus, "Away from me, you evildoers! I never knew you." That ought to get our attention. And it certainly ought to get the attention of the spectacular ministers. Jesus isn’t interested in the show! He’s interested in our hearts. He’s interested in our doing what he asks us to do. He’s interested in our living out the words of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus’ narrowing of the field of discipleship doesn’t stop there. He goes on to separate those who hear his words and put them into practice from those who hear his words but fail to put them into practice. True discipleship involves more than hearing the Word. It involves doing the Word as well. Essentially, Jesus says it is stupid not to do so. Those who hear my words and put them into practice are like a wise man who builds on solid rock. Those who hear my words and don’t put them into practice are like a foolish man who builds on sand. To hear Jesus’ words but not put them into practice is like building without a foundation…and who would want to do that? In this concluding section of his sermon, Jesus further distinguishes what true discipleship looks like from false practices.

First of all, Jesus teaches that true discipleship is not a promised pathway where no storms come into the disciple’s life. Note in the illustration Jesus uses, the same storms come against both houses. In fact, Jesus uses the exact same words to describe the storms that come—"the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house." Two houses, same storm. True discipleship is not some spiritual guarantee that no storms will come, not a way to avoid storms in our lives. But it is a way through the storms. The house built on the words of Jesus endures the storm. The house built on sand does not.

Then Jesus teaches that the way to live life is to do what Jesus says. It’s not enough to hear the Word, we must do it! The question is not, how well do you know the Word of God? The question is, what do you do with it? How do you live it out? How do you apply its principles to your life?

Again, Dale Bruner, in his commentary on Matthew, says this: "It is important to notice that the story of the Two Houses is about two kinds of Christian, not about Christians and non-Christians. The house that crashes is not the house of pagans or of those who did not hear Jesus’ Word at all. The house that crashes is the house of Christians who find Jesus’ words important enough to hear but not realistic enough to live. For such Christians the Sermon on the Mount is not practical enough for the demands of modern life, or it is dispensationally limited, or it is too naïve for contemporary fast-lane business, or too spiritual for the national democratic struggle, or, perhaps most commonly of all, it is just too hard," (Matthew, A Commentary by Frederick Dale Bruner, Vol. 1, The Christbook, p. 290). Whatever the reasons that lead to a Christian’s hearing Christ’s Word but not putting it into practice, the result is disaster. "Great is its crash." The way to live is to hear Jesus’ Word…and to do it!

Then, finally, what Jesus teaches in the concluding section of his sermon is that the way to life is, simply, through Jesus. The way to abundant life is not simply finding anyone’s word and putting it to practice. It’s Jesus’ word that brings life. As we said last week, to some in our postmodern society that seems like a narrow way. But it is the only way to life at its fullest, to life with meaning and purpose. Any other kind of life, while it may look promising, or okay at various moments, is only a storm or two away from collapsing. Picking just any philosophy that sounds good is not the way to life. Life is found only in Jesus. That is true for individuals, and it is also true for churches. This past week in some personal reading time, I came across Ephesians 2:21 and was struck by its building image and its connection to the theme for today. Speaking of the church and the importance of Jesus as the cornerstone of the church, the apostle Paul writes these words, "In [Christ] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord," (Ephesians 2:21, underline mine). What struck me was the importance of those words, "In Christ," and "in the Lord." How is it possible for a church to be joined together, a body of individuals with different backgrounds, different likes and dislikes, different needs? Only "in Christ." How can a church made up of those same individuals and their differences rise up to be a holy temple? Only "in the Lord." The only way to life, real life, for an individual or for a church is in Jesus Christ; hearing the word of Jesus…and doing it!

That is the clear admonition of Jesus in this conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount—to not only hear his Word, but to do it. There are some, Jesus says, who won’t even hear his word—those who choose to take the wide gate and the broad road. There are some, Jesus says, who will hear his word but think they have a better way to go—those false prophets who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. There are some, Jesus says, who hear his word but see in it their own glory and honor—those who cry "Lord, Lord," at the Day of Judgment, citing their spectacular ministries but are rejected by Jesus. And there are those, Jesus says, who will hear his word, but for some reason choose not to practice it. Whether they think his word just isn’t practical for modern life, too naïve for contemporary fast-lane business, or perhaps it’s just too hard, whatever their reasons they choose to not practice it. They are building on shifting sand. But, to those who hear Jesus’ word and put it into practice, he promises true life for them. It is a life promised in the pathway of the entire Sermon on the Mount: a life that is rid of debilitating anger and harsh judgment; it is a life lived free of the guilt and stain of sexual impurity and marital infidelity; it is a life lived without bitterness over some past injustice, without the escalating consequences of seeking revenge against one’s enemies; it is a life lived, not avoiding the storms of life, but persevering through them; it is a life of abounding joy with Jesus Christ as its foundation.

So, keep the Sermon on the Mount close to your heart. Return to its words again and again. Meditate and reflect on what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. And, most important of all, just do it!