The Sermon on the Mount Part 11

As I mentioned, we've been going through the Sermon on the Mount. This will be the 11th part. Part 11. So I thought I could try to squeeze it into 12, you know, to try to expand it into 12. The perfect number. But I decided we'd end at 11.

So do you want to be sure that your spiritual house is built on a firm foundation? That it's built upon Christ? I'm sure you don't want your spiritual house to waver. You don't want it to fall. Especially in the last days, if we're still alive, when Christ is about to return to this earth, we know things will get very difficult upon the earth at that time. So it only makes good sense to really study in detail the teachings of Jesus Christ. And the Sermon on the Mount is the sermon that brings together many, many principles from Christ that he taught during his ministry upon the earth. So they are very important principles and they're kind of crystallized down. So that's why it takes a while to cover them all. Because there is a great deal of meat. And the Scripture talks about the meat of the Word. Well, this is really the meat of the Word. The Sermon on the Mount is the meat of the Word. Because if we live by the Sermon on the Mount, we won't have to worry about our eternal future. If we keep all the principles that are given in the Sermon on the Mount, because it covers the law, it covers the fact that the law has not been done away. That we are to observe the law, you know, it covers so many godly principles, how to live our lives. And we're going to cover some very important ones today. We're going to talk about the importance of dealing first with our own sins before trying to give advice and guidance to others about their sins. Now, there is a time to give people some guidance and advice, but the Scripture is clear that we need to take care of our own sins first and make sure that we're repentant and that we're setting a good example so that people will listen when we try to help them. Number two, we're going to talk about the importance of asking, of seeking and knocking, and what that means, what that's all about. We'll also talk about the importance of following the Golden Rule, doing to others as we would have them do to us. We'll talk about entering into God's kingdom through the straight gate and the narrow path that leads to His kingdom. We'll also talk about the need to avoid the wide path that leads to destruction and that most people are on today. We'll see the vital necessity of rejecting false prophets and teachers by looking at their fruits. So, some very important topics we'll cover today as we conclude the Sermon on the Mount. Let's go to Matthew 7. Matthew 7 will start in verse 1. I'm going to read a number of verses and then we'll go back and discuss them and talk about them. First of all, it says, judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but you do not consider the plank or the beam in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, let me pull the moat out of your eye, and behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite first cast out the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast out the moat from your brother's eye. By the way, there was one prayer request that I failed to make. That's for Joyce Holland's head. She has been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure, so please remember her and your prayers. Pray for her. She's out in New Mexico now, but I know she would appreciate your prayers for her.

Alright, so in Matthew 7, judge not that you be not judged. The first verse here, the word judge is the Greek word krino. It means properly to distinguish, that is, to decide by implication to try to condemn, to punish, to avenge, to conclude, to damn, to decree, to determine. It means a lot of different things. To esteem, even to go to sue at the law in some cases. Well, actually, we're not to do that either, but that's not what this is primarily talking about. To call in question. There are many ways that this could be translated. The Church has often said that the primary sense is to condemn not. In other words, condemn not that you be not condemned. It isn't our prerogative to condemn others. We're not God. We don't have the authority to condemn someone. And yet, sometimes we may act like it in our behavior toward someone. So we're not to condemn others. Otherwise, we may be condemned, or we will be condemned, because we shall be judged in the same manner that we judge others. The mercy that we show to others will be extended to us if we truly are merciful. But also the harshness, the condemnation, if that's the way we are with other people, then that's what you can expect. Because God wants you to learn. And it seems the only way for us to learn is the two-by-four. Oftentimes, that's how He gets through to us. So if we're harsh to others, then God may, in some cases, be harsh toward us.

So it is important, again, to be careful that we're not condemning. But I think it also goes beyond that, or it goes, yes, beyond that. But it's not enough just to not condemn, but those who have a critical spirit. If you have a critical spirit, maybe you're not actually condemning the person, but you set yourself up as their judge, who possibly thinks they know everything they need to know, when maybe they don't know near what they need to know. Oftentimes, people assume way too much, and that gets them into a lot of trouble. So we have to be careful that we're not assuming things that may not be true, and that we're not led by a critical spirit. Satan is of a critical spirit. That's the kind of spirit that Satan the Devil has. He's an accuser of the brethren. He's our adversary. So it's important that we don't have an attitude of superiority. The Bible also talks about that, that we should look at others lower than ourselves, not higher. We should not have a superior attitude toward others.

So we have to be careful how we treat one another. We are to judge with righteous judgment, the Scripture says. So it isn't that we're not supposed to be able to discern the difference between right and wrong, because we clearly need to be able to do that, because we have to decide how we're going to live our lives. So we have to read the Bible, we have to know what the Bible says, we have to believe the Bible, and that's what we need to judge by the biblical principles. That which is right is what we need to embrace. That which is wrong or evil, we need to reject.

So as I mentioned earlier, with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. With what measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again. So we're going to be judged in the same manner. Now that doesn't mean that just because you overlook someone's sins, you can't just say, well, I'm not going to say anything here or anything else because I want God to be merciful to me, so I'm just going to look the other way, and then God will look the other way. Well, that's not what that Scripture means. We are to judge righteous judgment, but we also need to be careful that we're not condemning critical harsh and having that approach toward others. Just as God forgives in the same manner that he sees you forgive others, He'll also judge and treat you as you judge and treat your fellow man. So it is obviously very important that we are also merciful people, that we are forgiving people, and that we don't try to exact the uttermost farthing from people. That's not the approach that we should have. In James 3, verse 1, it says, My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. You don't necessarily want to put yourself above others to be their masters, so to speak, or to be their judges, because then you come under greater scrutiny yourself. If you set yourself up as a judge, and want to scrutinize others, then I'm sure God is going to scrutinize you more carefully as well. For in many things, in James 3, verse 2, For in many things we offend all. If any man offends not in word, the same as a perfect man, and also able to bridle the whole body. We talked about that when we went through the book of James, how it is very difficult to bridle our tongues and to be careful. Often times, when we have a critical spirit, it's going to come out of the abundance of the heart. The mouth speaks. So we have to be careful how we talk to one another, how we treat one another. James 4, verse 1, From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members? Selfishness often dictates why we do things. If we are selfishly motivated, selfishly oriented, then we are bound to be more critical of others, more condemning of others. It's important that we have love for one another. Also, remember, it says, Behold you, the moat in someone else's eye, consider not the beam that is in your own eye. So that just speaks to the fact that human beings, oftentimes, are blind. They don't really see clearly their own sins, their own faults, but somehow they're able to see the imperfections in others quite easily. So that's something we have to be on guard about. If it's natural for us to see the imperfections in others and not see our own imperfections or even blatant things, then spending a good time on your knees is probably very important. God would give you discernment so that you wouldn't just walk in the flesh. The scripture talks a lot about walking in the spirit or walking in the flesh. So if we're not close to God, if we're not praying and reading the Bible, if we're not fasting on occasion, we're certainly more likely to be walking in the flesh. That's the kind of stuff we're talking about now. It's very fleshly to be condemning of others when we give ourselves a free pass.

That's not the way we should live our lives. So it's something to be careful about. Again, it's easy for us to see small things in others, but sometimes the more important issues we allow to go by the wayside. So the instruction is clear is that go to God, ask God to reveal your own imperfections, your own sins. And especially now as we approach Passover, we're told to examine ourselves. So now would be an excellent time to examine ourselves in this regard. Is there anything that you're blinded to? You might ask your husband. Ask your wife. I'll be glad to tell you.

At least I'm sure they'll venture something forward. You have to be careful, obviously, how you approach one another with love and understanding on both sides. So it is important, if you take care of your sins, then you'll have credibility to help someone else. You know, let's say you go to someone about a minor issue that you've noticed, and you tell them, and they say, well, didn't I just see you do this? Isn't that worse than what you're accusing me of? Perhaps you should get the beam out of your own eye. So if you don't want to be, you know, if you don't want to have that coming back at you, then it's wise to take care of that beam first. Make sure that if you're going to say something to someone else, then make sure that you're, for the most part, repentant and prayed up, and able to receive whatever correction they may give you. Sometimes we get defensive, don't we, when people come to us and tell us our faults. And it's natural and normal to retaliate to some degree, and, oh well, if we're going to play this game, then I'll bring this out about you. I think we've all seen that in ourselves and in others. If we're really honest with ourselves, it's very human. Okay, so let's go back to Matthew 7, verse 6. Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. Okay, so, you know, this is in the context of what we're talking about, about condemning others and judging others. I think it's imperative that we do treat each other with respect and with love, and that we use the Bible in a way that we're not doing something that would bring reproach upon ourselves. Do not give what is holy to the dogs, don't cast your pearls before the swine. You know, there's a lot of different ways this could be applied. Obviously, some people aren't listening. They don't want to listen to the truth of God. So it doesn't really pay any benefit to just continue to try to talk to people who aren't listening anyway. And you're just wasting your time, and I guess their time as well, because they're not listening anyway. So it is important to be able to discern the audience, the people that you're talking with.

And again, it says, verse 5, remove the plank from your own eye. So you have to be careful what kind of an example you're setting, lest you actually have someone turn on you. Lest they trample those things under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces, it says. So, verse 7, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. So let's talk about what it means about asking, seeking, knocking. The Christian way of life is a way of doing. It's a way of getting involved, being active, taking initiative. Christians should be motivated. We should take some initiative. We should be motivated to do something that's right and good. We also have to overcome a natural reluctance, perhaps, to get involved and to not do the things that we should be doing. Also, it clearly says, ask and you shall receive. If you don't ask, then you're not likely to receive anything. It's true in life itself, those who are willing to get out there and take the initiative are typically the ones that are usually the ones that are the most successful. Because most things don't happen unless you have something to do about making them happen. So it is important to have initiative. Ask, you shall receive. Seek, you'll find it. And of course, the most important thing the Scripture tells us to seek is the Kingdom of God. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. God's righteousness. Make it your goal to become righteous like God is righteous. One who's never sinned, that's a high and a lofty goal for a human being. And yet Jesus Christ was a human being. He was flesh and blood. He was tempted at every point as we are. Yet He was without sin. So I believe it clearly shows that we can do better than we do.

The more yielded we are to God, the closer we are to God, the more at one we are with God, the better we are going to do. And the further we get away from God, then the more we're going to sin. So Christ was not superhuman. He was human. He wasn't a superman. He was a fleshly human being. Now, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and obviously He was the Son of God, but He didn't have that power inherent in Him. That was a power that was outside of Him at that time. He was a human, just like we are. But He was close enough to God, and of course God was there to strengthen Him and to help Him. But God is also here for us if we will apply ourselves as well as Christ did. Christ applied Himself very well, didn't He? He did not dwell on things that were sinful. We have a tendency to dwell on things that are sinful. Christ did not do that.

It says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Christ never sinned, so we know He didn't dwell on evil thoughts, because when you start dwelling on evil thoughts, you do something. So we know that He had wonderful control of His mind, of His heart. So He set the perfect example for us. And as we draw near to the Passover, it is important to examine ourselves. Certainly we fall short of Christ, of the perfection of Jesus Christ. We all fall far short. And yet, with God's help, we can and should do better. And that's the approach we should have. Every Passover is to believe that we can do better this year. God will help us grow. God will help us overcome. He'll help us put more sin out of our lives. We'll become better people. Scripture is really very clear that to He who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me. So if we're not overcoming, if we're backsliding, eventually we're going to slide right out of the church into the lake of fire. That's the ultimate ending place for one who continues to backslide. You have to overcome. So, knock, it'll be open to you. So if you refuse to knock, don't expect to get in the house or the business or the kingdom. If you're a salesman and you refuse to knock on the door, things don't happen. Most people don't decide to buy something unless someone asks, puts it out there in front of them, gives them an opportunity to know what it is. A person selling. I learned a lot about knocking when I was in college. I don't know if I've done that. Sometimes I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I sold books door to door and basically worked my way through college, paid my way through college every summer. For a company that hired about 6 or 7,000 college students every summer, sent them to different places in the United States. And I guess later they even went to Europe and other places, but back when I was doing this, I don't think it was just in the United States. But they would ship you off to a certain location, away from home, away from anyone you knew. You had to sink or swim. A lot of people sank, and they didn't survive it. But it was a very wonderful learning experience. If you like rejection or learning to deal with rejection, if you want to learn perseverance, if you can survive it. We worked 13 and a half hours a day. We were the only group who wasn't working on the Sabbath. The only group I know of that wasn't working on the Sabbath, there may have been some 7th-day Adventist groups. But there were people that would come to Ambassador College and recruit students, and then students would recruit other students, and so they had teams that they'd put together. So it was quite interesting. Some of their time, I'll tell you more about it. But I learned a lot from that, and I know one thing. If you don't knock, you may not eat.

Barclay says there was a certain type of bread also that looked very much like a stone at first glance, and one could easily mistake the rock for a piece of bread. He says the serpent was likely a reference to an eel. We read about the serpent here, about the good gifts. If he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Well, it could be a reference to an eel, which at first glance might have been taken as a fish. Of course, an eel is unclean, and Israelite would not have eaten an eel knowingly, for sure.

A normal, somewhat decent person would not try to deceive someone into eating a stone or an unclean eel, right? But that's what Barclay says it's likely referring to.

So if your son asks for a fish, you're not going to slip him an eel. Or if he asks for a piece of bread, you're not going to give him a stone. Not if you're maybe for a joke, but not if you were serious. So we too need to treat people again with love and respect. So if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father give good gifts to those who ask him? The point is, we should be praying and asking God for the things that we truly do need, but more importantly, for the things that others need. You know, going to God and asking God for help for others who are suffering. That's truly God's way. That's a loving way. God's way of love is to be outgoing and to look out for others.

He says, whatever men do to you, you also do to them. For this is the law and the prophets. That's verse 12. It's what we call the golden rule.

A lot has been said about the golden rule, and it is important, most of all, to just realize, if you would want to be treated a certain way, then you really should do your best to treat others that way. If you like to be lied to, beaten up, slandered, you can go ahead and do that. You probably should go to the ER first and have your head examined.

But really, we should treat one another the way we want to be treated. That way, a lot of the harshness would go out of our voice, because most of us don't like to be treated harshly. A lot of the selfishness would go out, because we don't want others to treat us in a selfish manner. Just applying that one principle would change the whole world overnight. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Over in Syria, I guess they'd stop killing each other, wouldn't they?

Most people don't want to be killed. If everyone would just apply that one principle and that one rule, it would change the world a whole lot. Let's go to verse 13. Enter by the narrow gate. For white is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction. There are many who go in by it. The Bible talks about Christ being the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Christ.

That is the narrow way that leads to eternal life. It's accepting Christ as one Savior, allowing Christ to live in us, allowing the Father, the Spirit of God to live in us. That's the narrow gate. That's the only path that leads to eternal life. Not all paths lead to eternal life. There's only one. It's a straight and a narrow path. Verse 14, because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way, which leads to life, and there are few who find it. That's talking about a mis-life. Right now, there are few who find it. There will be many who will find it eventually. But right now, relatively few are finding this path that leads to eternal life.

So it is a wonderful blessing to be called now and have our minds open to the truth that puts us on the narrow way. That is the narrow way. That's what we've chosen. That's why we're here today, unlike most of Lawton. Most of Lawton is not here, and Wichita Falls, and all the surrounding communities.

Most of them are not here being instructed on the Sabbath day. Most of them are doing everything except being here. They don't get it. They don't understand it. They haven't been called at this time. So they're not seeking first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. So it is very important. These are precious truths that God has given us, and we need to stay on the narrow path. I don't know if I mentioned this last time, but I've got it in my notes, so I'm going to mention it again. Even if I did before, I think I did.

I talked about the song written by Josh Turner called The Long Black Train. I don't know if you remember that or not. I think I talked about it. It's one of the few songs I actually know all the words to and can sing it so much that my wife is sick of it. She probably would prefer she never hear the song again.

I'm not going to say it in order, but it talks about, Rails of sin, only evil remains, watch out, brother, for that long black train. The whole idea is that there's a long black train out there, and I would say there's lots of long black trains. There's so many ways to mess up and to get on that wide and broad path that leads to destruction. So the song talks about this train that's going nowhere.

It's going to the middle of nowhere. It's a long black train and it looks sleek, and it looks really good. It's fast and it's a beautiful train, but it's deceptive and it leads to destruction. It says in there that you want God to burn your ticket on the long black train, basically, because everyone has a ticket on the long black train. Satan's given us all tickets.

He's given everyone of us a ticket on the long black train. So we want God to burn the ticket and not use it, because there's only one path, at least, to eternal life. It's straight, it's narrow. That is the path that we need to be on. The long black train is a deceptive one. It could be premarital sex for young people that end up really messing their lives up badly because they hopped on that train. It looked really good. It felt good. It was something they desired to do. They did, and a lot of scars come from sinful behavior. A lot of things happen.

So that's one. Drugs is another one. Look at all the people that are hopping on that long black train. Becoming addicted to narcotics and drugs of various kinds.

There are so many different ways that Satan can get ahold of us and try to get us to ride that train. The sad thing is, the only way off the train is to jump. You see old westerns where people jump off trains? Usually they would get killed normally. Sometimes they live. They get beat up pretty bad when they're jumping off these trains. But if you get on a long black train, there's really only one way off, is to hop, to jump, or to get blown up. Or to end up in that place that goes to nowhere, that utter destruction. So you have to jump off, and there's going to be a lot of scars that come from jumping off of a train that's going 90 miles an hour and leading in that direction. So be careful what you do. Remember that train looks appealing. It says there's an engineer on the long black train.

He's waiting on your heart to say, let me ride. Let me ride on the long black train. That's really what Satan wants us to seek him out. Let me ride on that train. It looks so wonderful. So yeah, he'll give you the ticket on the train, or he'll let you cash the ticket in. But it's really a very painful ride when you get on the train. It's not nearly as good as it looks. It's a very ugly, painful ride. Definitely not worth the pain. And that's another part of the song. The engineer wants you to think it's worth the pain to get on the train. It's not worth it. So you have to say no to the whistle. It says the whistle is blowing a mile away, and it sounds so good. I can't stay away. Or you're trying to stay away. So anyway, it's kind of a neat song. If you've never heard it, if you like country western, you might enjoy it. So the advice is to cling to the Father and His holy name, and don't go riding on any long black trains. Stay on the straight, narrow path.

Alright, let's go to verse 15, chapter 7. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. So they look good, kind of like that black train. They look like they're okay, but they're false. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Okay, so it is obviously important if someone's preaching something, first we look, is it true to the Bible? Now that's the first place we start, right? Is it out of the Bible? Is it something true? Or is it false? If it doesn't square with what the Bible says, then that's the fruit. Right away you should have all kinds of red flags going off in your mind. Well, I don't want to listen to this guy because he doesn't have the truth, and he's going to, no doubt, try to lead me astray in various ways. So reject that. Okay, if he has the truth, there still could be some fruits with that person that could be ungodly fruits. So you have to look at the fruits. Is he living that way, for one thing? He may preach it, but is he living it? Or does he have a secret life or a hidden life somewhere that's contrary to that? And he's not really repentant, and maybe he's in it for the money or whatever else, the power. That's another thing. Other fruit would be slandering someone else's good reputation, trying to sow discord among brethren. That's something God hates. So those are things that we should look at. As it goes on to say here, you'll know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Eventually the fruit will come. And again, it may look good for a while. But eventually, if they start bearing bad fruit, then either they were a bad seed from the very beginning, just took a while, or they went south. They turned, basically, and started getting off the straight and narrow path. Now they're on the wide path that leads to destruction. It says, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Now again, I think it can for a short time, but not for any real length of time. Sometimes you have to be careful. Sometimes you can see things clearly. Other times you have to wait a while. It doesn't show up so quickly. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. These are analogies you can only take so far, by the way. I think we know that. These analogies and parallels, they go so far. Parables and things, they're good. They help teach some important lessons, but we have to be able to use discernment and judgment.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them. This is a very, very important principle. By their fruits, you will know. We do need to examine what another's fruit is. Is the fruit good? Is the person genuine? Are they sincere? Are they loving? Are they liars? Sometimes people lie. That's judging righteous judgment. Lying is obviously wrong. Thou shalt not lie. So, if someone has a habit of lying, then are you going to believe what they say? Are you going to follow them? Probably not, right? Because by their fruits, you will know. Verse 21, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. So, many people profess Jesus Christ. Many people say, Lord, Lord.

But they're not going to enter the kingdom of God unless they're doing the Father's will. So, again, you look at their fruit just because they profess Christ. If they're not living the commandments, we can make excuses for them if we want to, but it would be far better to just see it for what it is. God isn't calling everyone right now, and most people are deceived. The Scripture says that Satan has deceived the whole world. The Ten Commandments is a good starting point, for sure. Now, look at the Ten Commandments. Are those Ten Commandments being observed? All ten of them, not just nine, not just seven or eight, but all of them. Because the Scripture also talks about Satan has his own ministers, who seem to be ministers of light, but in reality, they're ministers of darkness, because if you break the law in one point, you've broken it all. The wages of sin is death, so you don't want to follow someone who is preaching heresy and error.

But look at the fruits. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? We've cast out demons in your name. We've done many wonders in your name. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me. You who do what? Who practice lawlessness.

Practicing is something that is an ongoing thing. And oftentimes, it could be that it may be a sin of ignorance, but it's still a sin. It's still lawlessness. A person that breaks a Sabbath is still sinning. I came to realize that when I came in the church. I was 18, but I realized that I had been breaking the Sabbath every week. Every time it rolled around, I was breaking it. I was trampling on the Sabbath. I was not calling it a delight. I was not keeping it in the way God intended. I was doing my own thing. I was seeking my own words.

I was working and doing whatever else on the Sabbath day. When I came to a knowledge of the truth, then I had to put away those wrong things that I'd been doing. That's true for all of us. When God reveals truth to us, it isn't wise to dabble in the truth. It isn't wise to just keep some of it and not make a commitment toward all of it. Again, that's what this season is all about as well. Passover is all about making commitments. Commitments that last a lifetime. Baptism is a commitment. It's being committed to what you're convicted about. We should examine our convictions this Passover season as well. Are we convicted or are we just dabbling?

There's a big difference between being convicted and just dabbling with the truth. Are you convicted or is it something that really isn't in your heart and mind yet? You don't want it to be there, but you're the one that has to make the decision. It doesn't get there except through choice. We're free moral agents. God wants us to make a choice. So again, Christ says, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Obviously, the idea is to repent of this lawlessness and then God will accept a person. But until then, God doesn't know them. He says, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

So again, we should consider the fruits of those around us. How are they living their lives? Are they convicted? Are they living by their convictions? Are they keeping God's commandments? Are they teaching and living in true unity? Or are they causing division, sowing discord? Are they attempting to tear down other people's reputations, casting doubt about God's true servants in some case? Are they dividing the flock for their own personal gain? Are they following a minister who claims to be a minister of righteousness? But he is leading rebellion against God in his way. So we need to be careful that we don't become respecters of persons. I've seen people do that in God's church. They have their favorite ministers. I think you have to be careful if you go down that road and make... I suppose it's okay to have people that you may like to listen to more than others, as long as you don't get too carried away with that. I think some people will only listen to a few ministers, because they got their pet ministers that they liked the most. So that's bordering on becoming a respecter of persons and perhaps putting someone too high on a pedestal. So we have to be careful of those types of things. If someone is working any type of iniquity, any type of sin, then you should be careful not to go down that path, obviously. Whatever it is. There are a lot of bad examples out there. We all have to be careful that we don't allow any of them to bring us into that and dupe us. Let's go on to verse 24. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which build his house upon a rock.

Obviously, a rock is hard. It's something that, as long as you have it anchored well, it's going to last. It's not going to disappear. Verse 25, The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. Obviously, the analogy is that Christ is our rock. If we found our lives on Jesus Christ and the principles that Christ lived and died for, and lives again for, then our spiritual house, our spiritual foundation will be secure. Everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened unto a foolish man. We've given 11 sermons on the Sermon on the Mount. We've covered many different principles. Today, we covered at least six different major principles or points. There was probably an average of five or six every time. That's a lot of different principles to live by. I think it's good to go back and review the Sermon on the Mount from time to time and ask ourselves, are we living by the Sermon on the Mount? Is that something that we're all doing? If not, how can we do better? How can we repent and do better?

Everyone that hears these sayings and does not do them shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon that house. It fell, and great was the fall of it. It's really very foolish to build your house upon the sand. When water hits sand, it goes everywhere, doesn't it? In fact, that's why people go down to the beach, sand castles, and bring the water around. If they're not careful, the water will quickly destroy the castle that they were building. If they're not careful how they build it, then it won't last long. The rains descend, the floods came, the winds blew, and it will beat upon the house. It's talking about our spiritual house. If we have a strong spiritual house that's built on the rock of Christ, then Satan's not going to be able to destroy us. Satan's not going to be able to sift us as wheat, or at least if we are being sifted, we will come out as wheat, not tares. The scripture talks about there being tares among us as well. Leave the tares there, lest you root out some of those who are more righteous. It's not surprising that now and then someone comes among us who isn't setting the best example and isn't the person to follow. Hopefully those people will repent and they will no longer be tares. They will be also converted members of God's Church. But again, that's why it's important to be able to discern. By their fruit, you'll know. Look at the fruits. So again, we've discussed a lot of godly principles in the Sermon on the Mount. These are all principles that we can build our lives upon. They're all solid principles. That's the solid foundation that God wants us to build our lives on. So again, if you will go back and listen either to these sermons or go back and at least read the scriptures from time to time, think about them thoroughly. Be sure you're living by the godly principles that we've talked about in the Sermon on the Mount. Again, Christ is the rock that we should follow and build our lives upon. He is our faithful engineer. He's the real engineer that we need to make sure we're allowing to engineer our lives. He's the author and finisher of our faith. He is the captain of our salvation. He's the chief cornerstone. He's the firm foundation. He's the rock upon which our lives are built. And of course, the Father, He said, I and my Father are one. When we worship Christ, obviously we worship the Father as well. So if you want to build your spiritual house on a rock, then take heed to what Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount.