In the final words of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, we discover that Christ does not add any new instruction but rather desires for we, the hearers, to make a proper response to the teaching He has already given. In Matthew 7:21-27, Christ confronts us with Himself by setting before us a radical choice between obedience and disobedience. Christ calls His followers to be fully devoted. Now, we are not saved by works. We are saved by grace and grace alone. Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected for our salvation (Rom 4:25). With this understanding, we are not saved by works, but those who are saved participate in kingdom works.
We begin our look into this radical commitment of receiving Christ as Lord and Savior with these words of Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matt 7:21-23). Christ is not diminishing a verbal profession of faith. A verbal profession of faith is indispensable (see: Rom 10:9-10). He s speaking of lordship. After Christ’s death and resurrection, the early Christians knew what they were doing when they called Him “Lord.” To call Christ “Lord” is to affirm His divinity. It was a divine title, a rendering in the Greek Old Testament of the Hebrew for “Jehovah.”
Those Christ is speaking about made a public profession, and that is good. But, they were not true followers of His. Sure, they did “signs and wonders,” but Christ and Paul both warned that false Christs and false prophets would do these things (Matt 24:24; 2 Thess 2:9-10). Christ’s profession will be like theirs’s in that it is public but quite different in that it is truthful – “I never knew you; depart from me.” This group may claim to do many miracles in their ministry, but in their everyday behavior, the works they did were not good but evil. Jesus was not Lord of their life.
Today as believers, we make a private profession of faith in conversion (coming to Christ for salvation) as well as a public profession through baptism and testimony. We regularly attend worship services, where we sing to praise “our Lord.” We serve as ministry partners in His name. But, this must be done with evidence of our sincerity by doing kingdom works and living in obedience. Again, we are not saved by works, but those who are saved participate in kingdom works.
Here is what we learn from Christ: First, the person who professes faith in Christ, doing the will of God, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Second, the person who professes faith but does not actually follow Christ will be turned away by Christ Himself. Our words will not save us on that day. (Rom 10:9). Our deeds will not save us on that day. (2 Thess 2:9) Genuine faith in Christ is evidenced by our walk from one form of Christlikeness into a greater form of Christlikeness.
Then, Jesus concludes His sermon with these words: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matt 7:24-27). The contrast in the previous paragraph we just looked at was between “saying” and “doing,” here, it is between “hearing” and “doing.” Both the wise man and the foolish man got on with their building. A casual observer would not have noticed the difference between them. Only when a storm beat down on their houses was the difference revealed.
Let’s bring it into our context. In the same way, professing Christians (both the genuine and the counterfeit) often look alike. Both appear to be building lives as believers, but the actual deep foundations of their lives are hidden from view. The real question is whether they will put into practice the teachings of Christ, and only the storms of life will reveal the truth. John Stott rightly proclaims, “Neither an intellectual knowledge of Him nor a verbal profession, though both are essential in themselves, can ever be a substitute for obedience.” But, again, it is important to remember that Scripture is clear that salvation is offered by the sheer grace of God through faith. What Jesus is stressing, however, is that those who truly hear the gospel and profess faith will obey Him, expressing their faith in their works.
Here is what we learn from the wise and foolish builders: First, one put Christ’s words into practice, while the other did not (see: 1 John 2:3-4). Second, one was a wise man, while the other was foolish (see: Prov 8:35-36). Third, one built his house on the rock, while the other on sand (see: 1 Cor 3:11). Jesus is the only way to God and salvation. You can try to build a different foundation than Christ, but like the foolish man, building on sand, the storms of life will bring devastating results. To build a foundation on the rock, Christ, like the wise man, does not make us immune to storms but allows the believer to stand firm amidst them. Fourth, we learn, one’s house remained while the others fell (see: Prov 10:25; 2 Cor 4:8-9). Because God’s power is at work within believers, they may suffer, but they need never be crushed or destroyed. It has been said, “Common trials can bring uncommon grace; God is faithful to His followers.” Overall the point has been made clear that choosing to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior is a radical commitment.
Christ presents us with an alternative, either we follow the crowd, or we follow Him. The prevailing purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is to present us with this alternative, so we will be placed in a position to choose. Here is a decision far more important than any other choice in our life…On which foundation are you going to build? Will you receive Christ a Lord and Savior, being fully devoted to Him? I pray you will. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!