Please turn with me to Matthew 7 - starting at verse 24.  Today is our last Sunday looking at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount - a series we started back in September.  Here we are at the end.

I’ve appreciated listening to Pastor Steve share these past few Sundays.  Haven’t you?  It is so great to have more than one pastor able to share with us - Steve the younger - and Vinton - who keeps us humble.  Its good to get different perspectives and teaching - especially on familiar passages.

Jesus is out on a hill by the Sea of Galilee - a spot - probably this one - Jesus teaching a diverse - large - crowd of people.  Taking the unimaginable - hard to wrap our minds around - reality of God and His kingdom - and bringing all that down to the reality of where we live our lives.  Teaching us what it means for us to live in relationship with the Sovereign God down on the level where we live life.

Imagine - God taking on human flesh - dwelling here with us - dying for us in our place.  God has brought Himself and His kingdom down to us.  So incredibly blessed us so that we don’t have to earn a relationship with God.  Couldn’t even if we tried.  But God blesses us with His presence - chooses to forgive our sins - chooses to allow us to live in relationship with Him.  That’s awesome.

Jesus has been teaching that God gives purpose and meaning to our lives.  We’re not some freak accident of ooze and lighting.  God has purposefully created us.  He chooses to involve us in His work here on earth - His eternal purposes.  He chooses to instruct us in how we’re to live out our relationship with Him and to live out that relationship with others - in the way that glorifies Him.

Jesus has taught about the core struggles of our lives - pride - ego - hypocrisy - lust - greed - anger - anxiety.  He’s taught about marriage and adultery - money and wealth - faith and religion - what we value and what motivates us - on and on.  Not just identifying our struggles.  “Yep, that’s a struggle.”  But giving us the solutions - the answers -  to what we struggle with.

What He’s taught is revolutionary.  Its counter-culture.  Its mind bending.  Teaching that should re-orientate our thinking about life.  His teaching and truth that has changed the course of humanity.

People try to make Jesus into some kind of moralizing - philosophical - lightweight - that we’ve moved beyond.  But, He is the greatest teacher.  He speaks with the authority of God Himself - speaking directly to our lives.

All that is contained in what we call the Sermon on the Mount.  What - coming to Matthew 7 - verse 24 - Jesus brings to a conclusion with one final illustration.

Matthew 7 - starting at verse 24:  Therefore - because of everything that you’ve just heard Me teach - the weight and importance of what I’m teaching - coming with Godly authority - Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell - and great was its fall.

The image Jesus uses here are pretty easy for us to grab onto - pretty familiar.  Right?

A house built on a rock has got a solid foundation.  Hopefully that foundation is on something solid.  The emphasis is on permanence - safety - security - the ability to survive the storms of life.

The contrast is a house built on sand that’s on shaky ground.  Emphasis an inability to withstand the storms of life. 

Remember the Loma Prieta earthquake?  We all learned the meaning of the word “liquefaction.”  The ground - dirt - sand - and trash - literally became like water.  The houses in the Marina District came apart at the seams.

Two possible foundations.  The rock is what?  What Jesus teaches - “these words of Mine.”  The sand is what?  Everything else - the wisdom of the world.

The way to live life with the living God - living life the way God intends for life to be lived - surviving the storms of life - is what?  Build on the right foundation - these words of Mine.

Okay.  I need a couple volunteers.  We have to sing the song.  You all know this.

The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand went “SMASH.”

So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ,
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ,
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And the blessings will come down.
The blessings come down as the prayers go up,
The blessings come down as the prayers go up,
The blessings come down as the prayers go up,
So build your house on the Lord.

The bottom line of Jesus’ illustration is what?  Choice.  God offers us a choice of which foundation to build our lives on.  Its important that we understand that.  We need to have clear in our minds exactly what the choice is that God offers us.

Watch this.  (video:  Deception)

What God offers us is a choice between deception and truth.  The truth of how live life - what life is really all about - or the deception which in the world around us - the deception that passes for the truth.

January 12th of this year - at 7:51 a.m. - in a Washington DC metro station - a man positioned himself against a bare wall next to a trash basket.  He didn’t stand out much.  He was a young man in jeans - long-sleeved T shirt - wearing a Washington Nationals baseball cap.  From a small case he removed a violin.  Placing the open case at his feet, he threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play.

For the next 43 minutes - this man played Mozart and Shubert - masterpieces that have endured for centuries - played to perfection while rush hour crowds surged by - hardly bothering to notice the nondescript man.

Had they noticed - they might have recognized Joshua Bell as one of the great violin virtuosos of the world.  They might have noticed that he was playing a $3 million violin hand crafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari at the peak of his career.

Three days earlier Bell had sold out Boston’s Symphony Hall - with cheaper seats going for $100.  In the metro station Bell collected $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to drop in a donation.  $20 came from one woman - Stacy Furukawa - who recognized Bell.

The whole episode was a project of the Washington Post - that the editors called “an experiment in context, perception, and priorities…” (1)

Context - perception - priorities.  How we see and experience the world that we’re passing through.  What we understand.  Those things that are real and important to us.  What we’re building our lives on.

The Bible - God’s word - tells us that Satan was created by God - a magnificent creature - perfect in beauty.  Satan is called the “star of the morning” the “son of the dawn.”  Satan’s home was in heaven with God - in the riches and splendor of the presence of God - living in close intimacy with God.  He is exalted.  Blameless in all his ways.  Full of wisdom.  Charming.  Skillful in his operation. (Isaiah 14:4-21; Ezekiel 28:1-10)

The Bible - God’s word - tells us that there was a war in heaven - Satan - in pride - rebelling against God.  The angel Michael and God’s angels fought a battle against Satan and his followers.  Satan - defeated - was kicked out of heaven. (Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:7-9)

The Bible - God’s word - tells us that Satan is the “Prince of the power of the air.” (Ephesians 2:2)  He’s the god of this world.  He controls darkness - the forces of darkness - all that’s evil.  Kicked out of heaven he’s working to make life on earth - hell on earth.   (2 Corinthians 4:4)

People may rush by him - not paying attention - choosing to ignore him.  Blaming the hard stuff of this world on poor choices or bad karma or something.  But he’s there.  Skillful at what he does.  Blinding - deceiving - orchestrating - luring people away from God - from what is true about life.

The word “satan” means “accuser” or “slanderer.”  “Satan” is the Hebrew word.  “Diabolos” is the Greek translation.  Which is where we get our English word “devil.”  Satan - Devil - same person.  He makes accusations about us before God.  “Look at all their sins - their failures.  They don’t deserve to be loved by You.  To know You.” (1 Samuel 29:4; 1 Kings 11:14)  He scores big when he gets us to believe those lies - to doubt ourselves and God’s love for us.  “Maybe he’s right.”  All those lies we believe about ourselves.  Things people have told us that cling to us.  The wounds we carry.

Satan is called “The Tempter.” (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5)   Jesus called Satan “the father of lies.”  (John 8:44)  The best lie is the one - what? - closest to the truth.  Satan mimics God’s truth.  Imitates God’s work.  Promises great things to those who will follow him in his lies.  Eve in the Garden.  Pharaoh’s magicians.  Jesus in the wilderness.  False prophets.  Antichrists.  Tempting us to trust ourselves - to follow him.  Satan doing whatever he can to lead us away from God and to our own destruction. (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Luke 9:24)

He’s called “The Destroyer.” (Mark 5:3; 15:30; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Revelation 9:11)  His desire is to destroy God’s people - us.  He leads us to destroy our marriages - our families - to addictions - to attitudes and actions that are self-destructive.

Peter writes, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring - what? lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Last Thursday a team of researchers at the University of Tokyo announced that they had genetically engineered a mouse - genetically removed receptors in its brain - so that the mouse had no fear of cats.  The mouse just snuggles up to the cat.  While the mouse didn’t fear the cat at one point they had to remove the cat who began to think of the mouse as food.  No mice were harmed while performing the experiment.

God speaks through the prophet Isaiah:  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20) - very Orwellian. 

Satan would love to disable our ability to recognize spiritual danger - our being aware of his prowling - his working the things of this world to lead us away from God and God’s truth.  Satan would love to lure us into believing that his deception is the truth.  To trust him with our lives - to built on his foundation.

A lion is much bigger than a kitty.  There’s a reason why the lion is called the king of beasts.  With one blow of its paw a lion can smash a human skull.  With his teeth a lion can bite through any bone of the human body.  A lion can rip a human to shreds.

The paws of Satan are the philosophies and ideas and religions of this world.  His teeth are the economics - the things we run after - the ungodly desires and cravings of our hearts.  He’s licking his chops - hungry - “seeking someone to devour.”

Bottom line - understanding the choice God gives us.  We’re already between the paws.  Its by God’s grace that we even know that a choice exists.

Jesus - in His Sermon on the Mount - gives us the choice.  The truth about life.  Exposes the lies of Satan and the destruction of this passing world.  Gives us the truth about how to live life - where marriages are made strong - where wounds are healed - where purpose and meaning is given to life - where captives are set free from what binds us - where we run and do not grow weary - where we’re lifted up on wings of eagles and we soar - where sins are forgiven - guilt is removed - were victory replaces defeat - where God is glorified.

Which do you choose?  Sand or rock?  Deception or truth?  Death or life?

There are two practical steps of choosing - here in Jesus’ illustration - two practical steps to help us live the choice of life on the rock.

First - Jesus says - verse 24  - “everyone who hears these words of Mine” 

Choosing to build our lives on Jesus’ words first means that we need to hear His words.  Say that with me.  “We need to hear His words.”

It would be so easy to read these familiar words - here in the Sermon on the Mount - and to respond with complacency.  “Been there.  Done that.  Next.”  To skip past the revolutionary - life re-orientating - reality of what Jesus is showing us about this world and our lives.

The word in Greek for “hear” is “akouo”.  It has the idea of perception - listening and comprehending - understanding - the meaning of what’s being said.

In the book of Revelation - in the first 3 chapters - when Jesus is talking to the seven churches - Jesus ends His message to each church with these words, “He who has an ear, let him hear - same word - “akouo” - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

In Revelation Jesus is telling each church that what He’s saying is crucial for them to hear - it comes directly from God.  Those who know God need to pay attention.  They need to make a choice.  To hear those words or not to hear those words.  Same idea here in the Sermon on the Mount.  To hear is a choice.

There’s a story about some scientists who took a house fly and cut off its wings.  They put the fly on a petri dish and clapped their hands right near the fly.  Which of course just sat there in the petri dish rather than flying off.  The scientists concluded that without wings a fly can’t hear.

God’s people have ears to hear.  The spiritual equipment to hear.  But will we listen?  “He who has ears to hear” is all about the heart of a disciple - the condition of our heart before God - our openness to the work of the Holy Spirit.  Our willingness to take in what we’re hearing - to recognize the danger - to see the precariousness of our position - to seek understanding of what God offers to each one of us.

Let me encourage you to go back - this week - go back and read the Sermon on the Mount all the way through in one setting - Matthew 5 - 7 - like listening to a sermon.  Ask God to help you hear Him.  What do Jesus words offer to you?  What do you need to hear?  To be open to?  To allow God to show you about your life?

Second practical step of choosing - verse 24:  “Who hears these words of Mine and acts on them.”  We need to act on His words.  Say that with me.  “We need to act on His words.”

Once upon a time, a beautiful, independent, self assured princess happened upon a frog in a pond.  The frog said to the princess, “I was once a handsome prince.  One kiss from you and I will turn back into a prince and then we can marry, move into the castle with my mom, and you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children and forever feel happy doing so.”

That night, while the princess dined on frog legs, she kept laughing and saying, “I don't think so.”

The Greek word for “act” is “poieo.”  It has the meaning of taking something like an idea - or something we’re taught - and making it into something concrete - putting into action what’s going on in our brains.

James puts it this way - James 1:22:  “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely - what?  hearers who delude themselves.”

When I was in High School our Spanish language class performed the play “Blancanieves” - Snow White.  My part was the Espejo - the mirror.  I made this wooden frame with a wire mess for the mirror part.  The audience could sort of see my face - but not really.

The evil queen would come and ask the question:  “Espejo, Dime. Soy la más hermosa?”  “Tell me.  Am I the most beautiful.”  I would have to answer:  “No, Reina.  No eres la más hermosa.  You’re not the most beautiful.  Más bella es la dulce princesita Blancanieves.”  Snow White.

The queen would go off in a rage.  “No!  No!  La más bella soy yo!  I’m the most beautiful.”

Sometimes we don’t want to hear what the mirror says.  When it comes to listening to God’s word some of us have selective hearing.  We pick and choose from God’s word.  We only want to do what we think makes sense to us.  Sometimes we’ve gotten so accustomed to the crud of this world - the lies we’ve heard - the pain we feel - or the toys we own - that we’re fearful to trust God’s word.  Fearful to risk doing something unknown.

God isn’t impressed when we read His Bible.  “Ooouuu.  You read the Bible.  Impressive.”  Or when we come to Him for wisdom.   We can have devotions five times a day and it wouldn’t impress God.

Have you ever noticed that kids can look in a bathroom mirror - see all the dirt on their face - splash water everywhere - and still leave with dirt on their faces?  They will swear up and down that they’re clean - delusion.  “Prove yourself dooers - not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Both of these guys - building houses here in Jesus’ illustration - could have been listeners to the word of God - like those people out on the hill - like each of us here.  Read their Bibles everyday - twice a day.  Been to church every Sunday.  Gone to Bible study - Sunday School.  Had a Bible on their coffee table and commentaries on the shelf.  But that’s not acting on Jesus’ words.

One of the great joys of my life has been assembling U-Build It Furniture.  You know what I’m talking about?  Furniture that comes tightly packed in a box with a set of instructions and a parts bag - lots of little parts.  The way go from a box full of random parts to something that resembles the picture on the box is to what?  follow the instructions.  Step by step.

There have been a number of times - following the instructions - when I’ve said to myself, “They’ve got to be kidding.”  I have no clue how this is going to accomplish that.  Ever been there?

But, the responsibility to be creative with the instructions isn’t mine.  My choice is to trust the manufacturer and follow the instructions.  Step by step.  And if I do that.  What results is what the manufacturer intended - which is what I needed - which is what was pictured on the box.

When we act upon God’s word - follow His instructions - we’re set free from being bound by the lies of this world.  We’re set free from trying to do life on our own and to figure out how it all works together - trying to make sense out of all this.  When we choose to turn from that - to follow God’s word - we’re set free to become all that God has created us to be.

Last thought.  Don’t tune out.  Stay with me.  Verses 28 - Matthew - as he’s recording Jesus’ sermon adds a footnote describing the reaction of the crowd - verse 28:  When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed - literally blown away - at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.  God is speaking to us about life.

Yosemite in the Spring is awesome.  Yosemite anytime is awesome.  But, in the spring - along with the cliffs and trees and stuff - the waterfalls are full - powerful - awesome.  You know what I mean?  This year has been a little dry.  The falls are not full.

A while back I was up in Yosemite and happened to go by Yosemite Falls - which at that time - after summer was barely a trickle - some moisture on the side of the cliff.  The river below the falls was bone dry. 

At the bridge - you know where the viewing area is - the bridge that goes over where the river is suppose to be - you know what I’m talking about?  At the bridge over these boulders - at the viewing area - there are these tourists staring up at this moisture on the cliff.  Tourists that have come thousands of miles to see Yosemite - the cliffs - and these awesome waterfalls.  They’re taking pictures - individual pictures - group pictures - lots of pictures - of themselves and this moisture on the cliff.

I thought to myself, “Its too bad they’re having to settle for this.  Its too bad they can’t see this waterfall when its full.  They really have no idea what they’re missing.”

Way too often we settle for so much less than what God desires to pour into our lives - what by His grace and love He continually offers to us.  Who needs the lies of this world?  How much better to be blown away by God and all that He offers. Choose to hear.  Choose to act.  Choose to be amazed by life with our Father.

_____________________

1. 04.08.07 Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html