The Sermon on the Mount doesn’t just deal with what to believe, it deals with how to live as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Edward Mote wrote: On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is shifting sand.
Jesus calls us to make a decision and to choose the solid ground or shifting sand.
The first two steps to take
Step #1: Hear the words
It’s easy to hear without listening. Sometimes it’s because we don’t want to hear, sometimes it’s because we just can’t hear. But hear we must, if we’re going to take the right next step.
Jesus said that hearing was important for: Repentance; Understanding; Action
In fact, if you don’t hear what he’s saying, then there’s little chance that you will be able to do what he asks you to do.
Step #2 Put it into action
Apparently we’re easily led. Apparently advertisers find it easy to get us to do what we don’t actually want to do by making it look appealing. And so MacDonalds and Burger King and Coca Cola can’t run their adverts during My Parents are Aliens anymore.
Perhaps we’re not as easily led as we thought. Perhaps Jesus knew that we would always need to make a choice, and that listening was never enough. Having heard, it’s now down to you to make your choice. No one can choose for you.
Sure foundations
Three things emerge as the sure foundation.
- The message
- The example
- The sacrifice
#1 The Message
As we’ve seen over these last weeks, the message of Jesus covers a lot of ground. He talks about:
- Character: merciful, peacemaking, steadfast in the face of persecution
- Influence: salt and light
- Lifestyle: choosing righteousness
- Discipleship: prayer and fasting, obedience “choose your master”
- Relationships: reconciliation, restoration
- Integrity: all of these things hold together
#2 The example
Jesus knew that we would have question about how to live these things out in the real world of our everyday lives, so he lead by example.
When it comes to how we deal with people who have made a mistake he leads in compassion and restoration; when it comes to loving the excluded and rejected he leads by including them amongst his followers; when it comes to doing the right thing he walks in obedience to his Father’s will.
#3 The sacrifice
When it comes to sacrifice, Jesus knows what he’s talking about. When we look at the challenge of being fully devoted followers of Jesus and wonder about the cost, Jesus looks to the cross and sets the example.
If you and I were considered worthy of such a great sacrifice, then what sacrifice is too much for us in response?
When Jesus spoke of taking up a cross, he knew exactly what he was talking about. When Jesus spoke about laying aside your own ambitions and successes, even you life for others, he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Why a strong foundation?
Why does Jesus finish off his sermon with an illustration about foundations?
Of course it is connected with lifestyle choices. Jesus wants the best for you, and so he offers you the best possible foundation. Yes, it’s also connected with the issue of how we live in relationship with God. If we want to be good followers, of we want to be great Christians, then the Sermon on the Mount points us in the right direction.
But there is another reason that Jesus wants us to know how to build and on what foundation to do our building. The storms of life. They will come. They will pound the house we build. The rain will fall, the floods will rise, and a poorly built house will fall.
