Living Wise - Sermon on the MountSample

Jesus gathered His disciples and followers on the side of a mountain and taught them about God’s Kingdom, we call this His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had taught them that they would be blessed when they care for others, rely on God and put Him first. He told them what it really meant to love others, including your enemies. Jesus shared with them how to pray and not give up. Jesus told His followers how they could live a life of wisdom. How would Jesus conclude His Sermon on the Mount? What would He say that could sum up everything He had taught so far?

Jesus told a story to help people understand the most important thing about His mountainside teaching. He told them about a man who built his house on a rock. When rain and wind batter against the house it remains standing. Jesus explained that He wanted them not to just hear what He said, but put it into practice. If they do, they would be like this wise man.

Jesus warned that if they just listen to His words and don’t put them into practice, they would be like a foolish man. A foolish man builds his house on the sand. The rain comes, the water rises up, the wind howls and beats against the house and it falls and is washed away.

The same challenge is ours today. We can choose to be like the wise man or the foolish man that Jesus spoke about. If we want our house to stand, we need to listen to Jesus’ wisdom AND put it into practice. Living wise means putting God’s word into practice, be like the wise man and build your house on the rock.