3/24/24 “The Sermon on the Mount - Part 8”

The Sermon on the Mount – Part 8

Matthew 7:15-29

(Show pic/clip of Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf)

Does anyone recognize these two infamous Looney Tunes characters who made their first television appearance back in 1953?

So…we’ve got a sheepdog named Sam whose job is to protect his boss’ sheep – the very wooly…and very plump…sheep.

Sam is a dependable – and very large – sheepdog who safeguards the sheep from dangers and threats – the most notable of these being Ralph the Wolf.

Ralph Wolf (Who looks amazingly like Wile E Coyote) spends his day attempting to steal sheep away from Sam Sheepdog.

Ralph, however, is never able to outwit or overpower the stoic and heroic canine protector of the sheep.

As a kid, I loved Looney Tunes cartoons. Today, of course, they’re seen as too violent and insensitive (They’re probably banned in some places by now…)

But something always bothered me about this particular cartoon featuring Sam and Ralph.

…and it all had to do with the fact that they were friends while away from the sheep, but when they “Punched into work” (Which they literally did at the beginning and ending of each episode – they would punch their timecards on a metal clock fastened to a tree)

…when they punched into work, they were working against each other all day.

It also bothered me that the same company would be hiring one animal to protect the sheep, and the very same company would hire another animal to eat the sheep…

That didn’t make sense to my 5-year-old brain…it still doesn’t make sense to my 52-year-old brain.

Inconsistencies aside, there were a couple of episodes in which Ralph would pose as a sheep in order to infiltrate the flock…

He did this in an attempt to fly under Sam’s watchful radar - with his goal being to grab a sheep and take it home for dinner.

Well, to my knowledge, that never happened. Sam would always catch Ralph before he had the opportunity to turn a sheep into mutton.

Raph’s tactic of impersonating sheep is, of course, meant to be humorous…

…But it also reminds me of the very “Un-humorous” words from Jesus as he begins speaking on the topic of false prophets - beginning in verse 15 of Matthew chapter 7.

Verse 15 (Matthew 7:15) says “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

Jesus is warning his disciples – and others in attendance - that there will continue to be teachers & preachers who will come along and mislead the flock through false doctrine and words of instruction that will be contrary to the teachings of Christ.

In the previous two verses, Jesus has just instructed his listeners to enter by the narrow gate, and to travel on the narrow road that leads to life.

These false prophets will proclaim that the way of the wide gate – with its easy path of self-indulgence and cheap grace – will also take you to God.

It’s a message that we hear a lot today…

At one time or another, you’ve probably heard someone say something along these lines: “It’s not so much what you believe, just as long as you’re passionate about those beliefs – God will honor that.”

Or, this is a popular one:

“All religions lead to God – Jesus is just one way among many.”

On Thursday night, Lisa & I were at Pizza Ranch with Mike & Wendy and if you’ve been there, it’s a buffet of various foods – everything from healthy fruits & veggies to unhealthy (But very tasty) desserts.

It’s very tempting for me to head straight for the cactus bread (or warm cookie) right away when I arrive because that’s what my taste buds desire the most – desserts are what will make my mouth the happiest.

Unfortunately, however, if all I ate were tasty desserts, my body would soon break down and fall apart.

On a spiritual level, this is what many false teachers do – they entice people to indulge themselves in the empty calories of unbiblical doctrine….to gorge their spiritual souls on the unhealthy teachings of things like the prosperity gospel or the deceptive trappings of the social gospel.

False prophets typically gain large audiences because people like what they hear – our sinful nature craves teachings that minimize self-sacrifice and maximize self-indulgence.

The largest single church in the USA is in Houston, TX…it has around 20,000 members…

But unfortunately, their lead pastor simply ignores the biblical truth concerning vital things such as man’s sinfulness, the need for repentance, self-denial, God’s holiness, cultural immorality, the sanctity of life, the destructiveness of sexual sins, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father…I could go on & on.

Folks, this particular church leader is an example of a modern-day false prophet…

He unapologetically lives a life of lavish self-indulgence with his salary of $54 million/year – and teaches his congregation that God will also bless them financially if they simply have enough faith…AND if they send a check to the ministry…that’ll definitely boost your chances.

This kind of blasphemy is exactly what Paul preaches against in 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Folks, there’s a reason why that church in Houston fills an entire sports arena every Sunday…people like what they hear.

The ‘Itching ears’ that Paul talks about is our sinful nature – and it will always want to travel the wide road of comfort and pride, rather than the narrow road of self-sacrifice and repentance….but the narrow road is the only road that leads to salvation – to eternal life.

Now, many false teachers/preachers are not as blatantly unbiblical as our friend down in Houston…some wolves do a very good job at disguising themselves as sheep…

Jesus warns of this reality in Matthew 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.”

In other words, unless we are diligent in our duty to measure what a teacher is proclaiming by comparing it to the word of God, we ourselves can be in danger of falling prey to heresy.

False teachers don’t just come to our door and announce their presence: “Hi, I’m your friendly neighborhood false prophet…see my badge…it say’s false prophet.”

Wolves that wear a convincing white wool coat are dangerous because many of them blend falsehoods with the truth – and some of these false prophets are deceived by Satan into believing that their unbiblical messages actually are true.

Many times, false teachers will say the right things…they will use the right words…but the problem is that their definitions of those words will be different than the proper biblical meanings of those words….

When the Mormon at your front door uses the term “Son of God” when referring to Jesus, they are using a very different definition than you & I.

That’s why it’s so important for a teacher or preacher to define what they mean when using important biblical terms, so there are no misunderstandings or faulty assumptions.

…and if a teacher doesn’t define important words, it’s our responsibility to ask them.

The apostle Paul says in Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

So, the question remains, how exactly do we recognize these less-than-obvious false prophets?

Jesus gives us the answer in verses 16-20.

Verse 16 (Matthew 7:16) says “By their fruit you will recognize them” …and then he repeats the same instruction in verse 20 (Matthew 7:20)

Jesus provides the illustration of grapes coming from thornbushes…and figs coming from thistles – both being impossible.

In other words, just as fruit is the evidence of a certain kind of plant – a spiritual teacher’s life (His words & actions) will give evidence to what he truly believes.

Are they exemplifying the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ in their lives…?

Are their lives saturated with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…?

It’s always been said – and I think it’s true – that if you really want to find out about someone, ask their immediate family members…those people who are around them every day.

(And if they’re honest with you) It’s those people who will be able to tell you if that person’s actions match up with what they claim to believe.

In other words, if the fruit they are producing is good fruit.

When Lisa goes to the store to buy a watermelon, she has a specific way of telling whether or not it’s a good watermelon – or a bad watermelon.

She’ll pick up the melon and tap on it listening intently for a certain pitch. When she hears that pitch, she will declare that melon to be good…then places it in the cart for future consumption.

…and you know what, she is rarely wrong. In fact, I can’t remember the last time she picked out a less-than-delicious watermelon.

She’s a natural fruit inspector.

Spiritually, we need to be fruit inspectors as well – then we will know if a particular teacher is a teacher of the truth, or a teacher of lies.

The next three verses of our passage are, I believe, some of the most sobering and scary passages in the entire Bible – and that is no exaggeration.

Jesus is basically telling his listeners that not everyone who professes to be a believer, really is a genuine believer – an authentic follower of Jesus Christ.

Verse 21 (Matthew 7:21) says “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

The first thing we need to realize is that Jesus is not referencing irreligious people here – he is not talking about atheists, or agnostics, or people who are caught up into fringe cults…he’s referring to those individuals who claim to be his followers…

He’s talking about individuals – some of whom can be found every Sunday in church….people who are active in the ministries of their local congregation – people who look and act like genuine believers but don’t possess a true relationship with Jesus Christ.

Paul talks about this type of counterfeit Christian in 2 Timothy 3:5 when he describes them as “Having a form of godliness but denying its power….”

They look like genuine believers, they act like genuine believers, they may even be a leader in the church – but they have never truly submitted their lives to Jesus.

They have never truly come to the savior in repentance…

They have never been absolutely broken over their sin, pleading for forgiveness…

They have never been motivated by love to live a life of consistent obedience to Christ in authentic relationship with him.

In verse 23 (Matthew 7:23) when Jesus says: ‘I never knew you’, he is not expressing a lack of knowledge concerning someone – rather – he is informing these counterfeit Christians before him that he is knowledgeable about their lives of hypocrisy and unconfessed sin.

…and Jesus is letting them know that their heart was never where it needed to be in order to be considered a genuine follower of his.

How eternally devastating it would be to hear these words!!

My prayer is that none of us here this morning – when we appear before Jesus – will ever hear these eternally heartbreaking words of rejection!

We cannot be deceived into buying Satan’s lie that somehow, we can be a disciple of Christ without giving all of ourselves to him.

Jesus doesn’t expect perfection (He knows that we are not capable of being sinless) but he does expect us to live our lives free of regular, habitual sin…because this kind of disregard for God’s moral law reveals a heart that is more concerned with obeying ourselves than with obeying our savior.

It’s been said that a true believer is someone to whom sin clings, but an unbeliever is someone who clings to sin.

Jesus says that ‘Only he who does the will of my Father’ will inherit the Kingdom of God.

This is all about obedience…this is all about producing good fruit…

Are you seeing good fruit in your life?

Are you seeing a consistent pattern of obedience to God – or are you seeing a consistent pattern of disobedience & sin?

In his epistle, James says that we are to “…Not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.” But to “Do what it says”!! (James 1:22)

The evidence of our saving faith is through our consistent obedience to the will of God.

Our faith is dead faith if it is not also accompanied by good works…by good fruit.

Lastly, in verses 24-27, Jesus concludes this sermon for the ages with an illustration.

It’s an illustration that people through the centuries have been able to identify with, because practically everyone who has lived over the past 2,000 years has lived in a house of some kind.

It’s an illustration that those of us who grew up in the church remember well from Sunday School when we sang a song called ‘The wise man and the foolish man.’

Remember that one?

The wise man built his house upon the rock (repeat 3 times)…..And the rains came tumbling down…..The rains came down and the floods came up (Repeat 3 times)…..But the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand…..(last line) and the house on the sand fell flat! ….. I always liked the hand motions with that last line…it was an excuse to whack the person next to me! 😊

The third verse was “So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ…”

Such a simple little melody, but such truth in the lyrics!

Jesus says in verse 24 (Matthew 7:24) that “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It was important during the time of Christ – as well as being important today – to build physical structures on solid ground rather than fragile ground that is susceptible to rising waters and blowing winds.

During the flood of 2008, do you remember seeing the video of that house on Lake Delton that slowly fell into the raging waters below it?

Now, I realize that when they originally had built that house, they were not expecting a flood of that magnitude to ever dislodge the land below the structure…

 But if the house had been built just a bit further away from the shore, it would undoubtedly still be standing today.

The fact remains that it was built on land that was susceptible to rushing waters of a flood.

Jesus is telling us that – like the wise & foolish men – we all end up building a spiritual house somewhere…

Some people – who are foolish – build their house (Their lives) upon human ideologies and philosophies, on self-satisfaction and self-glorification….completely ignoring the spiritual sand underneath them.

They see a place that looks pleasing, and in their haste & excitement, they begin to build their life upon it….

Perhaps they began to build in that location because it was convenient, or it was near a beautiful body of water, or maybe because family also had built a house nearby…

But they neglected to fully inspect the (spiritual) ground before building their lives on it – only to eventually realize (Either in this world, or the next) that they built on the wrong piece of land.

And what they thought was a stable house – a stable life – eventually came crashing down.

But the wise man (The wise person)

The wise man builds his house upon the rock…the rock of Christ & His Word.

The house built on the rock is the life of obedience….the life Jesus has been describing throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

Such a builder does not build his life or place his hope on ceremony, ritual, visions, experiences, feelings, or miracles – but on the Word of God and that alone.

So, today we wrap up our ‘fly-over’ of the Sermon on the Mount.

We have learned about Kingdom life expressed through the Beatitudes.

We have heard about the importance of being salt & light to a dark & decaying world.

We have learned that Jesus is the fulfilment of the law.

We have learned if we harbor anger, unforgiveness, or lust in our hearts – then we have already sinned against God.

We have learned that marriage is sacred, and oaths are to be avoided.

We have learned that love & non-resistance in personal relationships are the most important things.

We have learned to be humble in benevolence & prayer.

We have learned not to store up for ourselves possessions and to trust God rather than worry about our lives.

We have learned the principle of not unjustly judging people, and to treat the gospel message with reverence when presenting it to others.

We have learned that life is found through the narrow gate of sacrifice and self-discipline, and that only eternal pain awaits the multitudes traveling on the wide road of comfort and disobedience.

We have learned to examine what we hear through the lens of God’s Word, and that the good fruit of obedience will characterize the life of the believer.

And lastly, we have learned to build our spiritual lives upon the rock of Jesus Christ – and upon His eternal Word.

May these recorded words of our savior saturate your thoughts and your minds for the rest of your lives…may you visit these words often as you meditate upon the truths they contain…

And most importantly, may they drive you toward the savior in a way that you’ve never been driven before –

And…today… if you don’t know Jesus as Lord & Savior of your life –

That the words of Christ within these three chapters will drive you to your knees in repentance…and that you will seek his forgiveness…and begin truly living for him.

Let’s Pray.