Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

What It’s Like When God Is in Charge (Part 8)

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

There are four word-pictures at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus uses to help us understand what life is like when God is in charge. We looked at the first two yesterday—the wide and narrow gates, and the true and false prophets. Today, we will examine the other two, pictures number 3 and 4.

Picture 3: True and False Disciples

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

There’s going to be a lot of people who call Jesus “Lord” and make claims about all the things they did in His name, but they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Why not?

Because not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” actually does the will of God. True faith in Jesus will never result in empty words. It will always produce genuine obedience. Faith is more than agreeing with the idea that Jesus is Lord. Faith is devoting our entire lives to loving, following, and serving Him. Faith is a pledge of allegiance to the God of heaven and earth and a declaration of dependence on the One who rescued us from darkness and brought us into His glorious kingdom.

What does genuine obedience look like in your life? Are you loving God with all that you are? Are you following Jesus faithfully? Are you serving Him with integrity?

If you want to be a true disciple, you can’t just talk the talk; you have to actually walk the walk.

Picture 4: The Wise and Foolish Builders

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

For the final picture, and the last words in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes two different builders: one who was wise, and one who was foolish. The wise man built his house on a solid foundation. The foolish man didn’t. When the storms of life came, the house built on the rock stayed standing, while the house built on sand came crashing down.

Jesus tells us that everyone who hears His words and puts them into practice is like the wise man. When we take His teachings seriously and build our lives on the truth of His words, our foundation will be solid and unshakable. But, if we hear His words and do not put them into practice, we will be like the foolish man. And our lives will come crumbling down.

What’s an area of your life where you feel really solid and confident? Are you putting Jesus’ words into practice there? What about an area where you feel more shaky and uncertain? What would it look like to practice the way of Jesus there?

If you want to be a wise builder, put Jesus’ words into practice.

So, what’s the point that Jesus is getting at with these four different pictures? Wide and narrow gates, true and false teachers, real and fake followers, and wise and foolish builders. What’s the through line?

Jesus wants to make it crystal clear that the sermon He’s been preaching isn’t just neat advice and nifty sayings. He’s painting a picture of how things work when God is in charge. He’s describing the way God’s kingdom operates and, by extension, the way the world really works. Because God, the rightful King of the Cosmos, is establishing His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. And He has invited everyone everywhere to be a part of it.

Jesus doesn’t want any confusion. When we say yes to God’s invitation, we’re saying yes to Him being our King. If that’s not what you want, then that’s your choice. Jesus wants us to know we’re signing on for a way of life defined by God’s commands and character, not our preferences or desires.

For some people, that may seem like too high of a price. But, the really good news is that what we gain in return is so much more than anything we choose to give up. We gain forgiveness of sins, a renewed purpose, a family to belong to, and eternal life with Jesus.

And that’s the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ three-chapter manifesto on what life is like when God is in charge.

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:28–29 NIV

The people heard all of this and were amazed because Jesus taught with real authority—authority that was born from His integrity. Because the words Jesus spoke weren’t empty claims. He proved the truth of them with His actions. There is no separation between the words Jesus spoke and the life He lived. He is good and true, through and through. That’s what makes Him such a good King. It’s what makes Him worth following.

Application: Consider the four different word-pictures Jesus presented. Ask God to help you honestly assess where you currently are in your faith journey. Are you really walking on the narrow road? Or are you perhaps spending too much time following the crowd? When you think about the leaders and teachers you follow, are you listening to them because the fruit of their lives is righteous? Or are you listening to them because what they say reinforces what you already believe and you like their style? Are you backing up your claims to faith with true obedience, or are you just offering Jesus empty words? As you’ve been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, are you just hearing Jesus’ words and treating them as nice suggestions? Or are you actually doing your best to put them into practice? Wherever you find yourself now, ask God to help you develop the wisdom and the discipline to follow Him more faithfully moving forward.