with me in your Bibles to Matthew's gospel. We're in Matthew chapter seven. A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the two claims in verses 21 to 23. This evening, I want to look at the two builders in verses 24 to 29.
So the end of the sermon on the Mount It teaches us something concerning the importance of God's holy word and the necessity for us, as those hearers, to be doers of that word. I want to begin reading in chapter 7 at verse 13, as this is the beginning of the end with reference to the Sermon on the Mount. So 7.13, enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
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. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, 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. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. 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.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.
And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Amen. Well, let us pray. God, thank you for the Sermon on the Mount.
Thank you for Matthew's Gospel. Thank you for the entirety of the Word of God. And we pray now for the Holy Spirit to guide us, the Spirit who gave us this Word. We pray that He would lead us and teach us and help us now to appreciate what we have in the passage before us.
And grant us the grace, Lord God, to not only hear the Word, but to be doers of that Word. Grant us the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, not just on the Lord's day, but each and every day. Our desire is to bring glory and honor and praise unto you. Again, forgive us for our sins and our unrighteousness and everything that would cloud our understanding.
And we ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Well, it's an obviously pointed passage, and it has affinity with Proverbs 9. Wisdom builds a house, and then that wicked woman builds a house. The wisdom, of course, brings in those who want to find refuge and safety, and then the wicked woman brings in the simple, the naive, those who are rebellious at heart, those who resist and reject the word of the living and true God. Obviously, as well, that hymn that we just sang, in my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, certainly sees some affinity or connection with this present passage.
And this whole section, beginning in verse 13, is Christ applying the Sermon on the Mount. In other words, he's not just providing information, but he is calling upon persons to exercise their will. Now, I realize in a Calvinistic situation, people will freak out about that, but we shouldn't freak out about that because God, the Lord Most High, calls us to believe. He calls us to listen.
He calls us to obey. And so as we come to this particular section, Christ highlights two ways in verses 13 and 14, two types of trees in verses 15 to 20, two claims in verses 21 to 23, and then these two builders in verses 24 to 27. And as we reflect upon this, I think that R.T. France is right.
He says, the resultant four sections, therefore, press increasingly closer to home. The first, the two ways, is a simple contrast between saved and lost. The second concerns outsiders who merely pretend to be insiders. The third looks at those who think they are insiders but are not.
And the fourth draws a line even within the group of insiders, those who hear Jesus' words between those who respond and those who do not. So what we're dealing with in verses 24 to 27 isn't the heathen, it isn't the pagan, it isn't the person outside of the sound of the preaching of God's word, but rather both builders hear the words of Christ. Both builders are then marked by either A, acceptance of it and obedience to it, or rejection of it and disobedience to it.
Outline of the Two Builders
So let's look first at the wise builder, secondly the foolish builder, and then finally we'll close off by looking at the authoritative preacher. as verses 28 and 29 set Christ forth. But
The Wise Builder
notice the description. It is the conclusion of this particular section of the sermon and the sermon as a whole. It says, therefore. This brings it all to a conclusion and a very pointed and a very powerful way to end the message.
And it actually ends on the negative. It ends on the foolish builder. So notice in the first place the object in view. Whoever hears these sayings of mine, ultimately man is judged by and man is governed by the word that proceeds from the mouth of Christ.
This is the standard. This is the measuring tool. This is what all men are supposed to respond to favorably. And then the specific response with reference to the wise builder, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them.
That's the emphasis that we need to take away from this. Not only do we hear the word of Christ, but we do what the word of Christ bids us. Previously in verses 21 to 23, we saw that that applied specifically to the judgment seat of Christ on that day of judgment prior to our entrance either into the kingdom of heaven or excluded and off to hell itself. But this does speak more to that sort of James 2 sanctification or James 1 being doers of the word.
And again, it's in a fitting and appropriate section. Christ has spoken to many things in Matthew chapters five to seven. He's spoken the Beatitudes. He has spoken concerning the law of Moses.
He has spoken concerning acts of righteousness or piety. He has spoken concerning anxiety, carnality, all those sorts of things. And now he brings it all home and says that the wise man is the one who hears these words of mine and he does what I say. This is the emphasis.
The Wise Builder's Obedience
The scene described previously is the day of judgment. The scene described here is the one who does what God's Word says. It is not perfect. It is not spotless.
It is not perpetual. It is not exact. It is not entire. But by the grace of God, with the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit of God, the orientation of the wise man is to do God's will.
It is to embrace what is told us, and it is not to resist it, or reject it, or to try to argue our way out of it, but rather to go with what God has said.
Gill on the Doer of the Word
John Gill says, he is not only an hearer, but a doer of the word of the gospel. The doctrines of it, he receives in the love of them. and exercises faith on them. Upon Christ is grace and righteousness held forth in them, which is the great work and business of a Christian, he is to do, and does do in this life. The ordinances of it he cheerfully obeys, and all the duties of religion he performs from love to Christ, without any view to obtain eternal life hereby, which he only expects from Christ as his sayings and doctrines direct him.
So the one who walks on the narrow way, the one who avoids the false prophets, the one who does the will of the Father, that means specifically believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, is the wise man who hears the words of Jesus Christ and does what he says. And then Christ uses this most appropriate illustration to give us the powerful message behind this. Notice.
The Rock Foundation Illustrated
He says, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. It is my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I'm not a builder, I'm not a contractor, but I have some familiarity with such things. If you are laying a foundation, it has to be rock.
You cannot lay foundation in the sand and hope that your house is going to stand. You have to dig deep, you have to pour the concrete, and it's upon that basis that you build. And that's what Christ said. I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
He goes on in verse 25 to say, the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now, as Jesus says that, we are reminded of the reality that building on the rock, being the sort of wise man or woman that receives the Word of Christ and does them, does not make us immune from the trials of life. It does not make us immune from the hardships and the difficulties and the afflictions that are associated with life in a sin-cursed world. This is the reality that the people of God face. the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat on that house.
Later on in Matthew chapter 8, we see Christ in the midst of the storm. Christ is with the disciples in the boat, and there is this great storm such that seasoned fishermen, men that knew this particular a lake, they knew this particular weather stream, they knew these particular threats, were afraid at the thought of even dying. And Christ is right there, and Christ, of course, settles them and steadies them, and Christ speaks the word, and the winds stop, and the rains stop, and the waves stop. But the primary lesson is that even though Christ is in the boat with you, it doesn't mean there's not going to be storms.
It doesn't mean there's not going to be waves. It doesn't mean there's not going to be hardships. There's rain in the Christian life as well. I haven't noticed that when it rains in Chilliwack, all of our homes are somehow immune.
No, rain falls on us. Wind falls on our houses. Storms affect the people of God. But the difference between the people of God and the non-people of God is that our houses are built firmly on the rock, and therefore they weather the storm.
They're able to stand. It's not based on the wisdom of the builder, but rather on the steadiness of the foundation. That is what is highlighted. John Gilligan says, the foundation, the person, the blood and righteousness of Christ is as a rock, firm and strong.
It will bear the whole weight that is laid upon it. It is sure and certain. It will never give way. It is immovable and everlasting.
The house built on it stands safe and sure. So it's not the wisdom of the builder that's in view primarily, it's the foundation upon which he builds. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. If that is not your confession, if that is not your profession, if that is not what makes your heart beat and sore, then may I appeal to you to hear the words of Christ and to do them.
In the first instance, believe on him, come to him in faith with repentance, looking unto him alone for salvation, for forgiveness, and for a righteousness that ultimately avails with God. Because there is a storm coming, a storm that far exceeds anything that you have faced in this world. It is the storm of God's holy wrath. You see it back in chapter seven at verses 21 to 23.
When Christ says, depart from me, I never knew you. That is gonna make anything you have seen up to that point a walk in the park. It's gonna make everything you have seen in terms of hardship and affliction and trial and difficulty look like chump change. When Christ cast you away, that is the worst storm. the very fury and wrath of God Almighty.
That is something to be feared. That is something to seek refuge in Christ for. That is something that will hopefully function as an impetus to call you out of your sloth and slumber into the very arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes we hear, you can't scare people into the presence of God.
Well, you can preach the Bible, and the Bible certainly highlights the fear of God. The Bible certainly highlights that coming day of dread and terror. The Bible certainly highlights the reality that there is a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, and that's where all unwise builders will ultimately go, and that's what Christ proceeds to speak to next.
The Foolish Builder
Notice the foolish builder in verses 26 and 27. He says, everyone who hears these sayings of mine, again, not pagans, not heathens, not atheists, not Islam, not, you know, Buddhists. These are persons within the context of the preaching of Christ's word. These are persons that occupy spaces in our churches.
These are persons who come into contact with the scriptures, the written word of God. They come into contact with preaching, the spoken word of God. They may listen to sermon audio. They may, you know, listen to the Bible on tape.
They may listen to a whole host of things. So it's not the case that he's dealing with the heathen at this particular instance. He is dealing with those who at least occupy space with reference to the reception of God's holy word. So everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them.
You see the difference there? Does not do them. This particular fellow walks on the Broadway. He listens to false prophets.
He is not a doer of the will of God. That is, he doesn't have faith in Christ. He is the one who hears the word of Christ and doesn't do it.
Ezekiel's Hearers as Mirror
And I think the prophet Ezekiel speaks to this very clearly in his book, well, God to Ezekiel. God is highlighting the response of Israel to the preaching of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 33, 30 to 33, God the Lord says, as for you, son of man, The children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses. And they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.
There was a buzz created. during Ezekiel's preaching ministry. There was interest generated over Ezekiel's preaching. Persons would talk, hey, have you heard the prophet? Have you heard the man of God?
Have you heard his preaching? Have you heard what he's saying? He is, in many respects, the conduit by which God the Lord is speaking to the nation. So there was this curiosity or there was this interest.
It says, so they come to you as people do. They sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them. See, it's the same sort of thing that obtains here at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Whoever hears the words or hears my words and does not do them, that is precisely what's going on in Ezekiel's day.
He goes on to say, for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. In other words, they come up to Ezekiel afterwards and they say, good sermon. They say, good word. They say, we really enjoyed what you had to say.
There is that external expression of appreciation concerning the word of the living God. But as he says, their hearts pursue their own gain. Better to do God's word than to commend God's prophet. Better to obey the will of Jesus Christ than to simply say, what a good sermon.
Better to internalize and act upon it than simply to pay lip service. Jesus deals with that in his ministry as well, citing the prophet Isaiah, this idea of lip service. And then God through Ezekiel says, or to Ezekiel says indeed, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. For they hear your words, but they don't do them.
They like to hear it the way that persons like to listen to a good violinist. They like to hear it the way that a person likes to hear a good pianist. They like to hear it, but they don't do it. Simply liking it in some external fashion without the application of it is what God is condemning in Israel at the time of the prophet.
You are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. For they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass, surely it will come, then they will know that a prophet has been among them. Now, intriguingly, the particular context of Ezekiel 33 is the fall of the southern kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar.
This was Israel's problem. God had sent them prophets. God had dispatched to them men like Ezekiel, men like Isaiah, men like Jeremiah, men like all sorts of prophets that we find in the Old Testament scriptures. and Israel would receive it. They might even pay that external lip service to how good it was, but they didn't obey it.
And their failure to obey it ultimately resulted in the curses of the covenant coming down upon the country, the nation as a whole, vis-a-vis the Babylonians and that captivity. They spent 70 years there for their having violated the covenant of God Almighty. They are released. They are freed.
The decree goes out from Cyrus. There are many that returned back to Judah, about 55,000. A lot of them stayed back in Babylon, which is intriguing. They got Babylon in them and they didn't want to leave.
They didn't want to depart. But about 55,000, 58,000 people after the exile go back to Judah. But even then, what happens? They build the temple.
They rebuild the temple. And in that setting, in that situation, same sort of thing. They might have liked to hear the word of God in some external sense, paying lip service, but they didn't do it. They went through the motions with reference to the temple.
They went through the motions with reference to sacrifice. The prophet Malachi speaks to this. In the prophet Malachi, the Lord God indicts the people for their having brought the lame and the blind and the mangy and the defective sacrifice. Leviticus 23 is very clear.
When you bring an animal out of your flock to present a sacrifice unto Yahweh, It needs to be the best of the flock. It's not supposed to have defect. It's not supposed to be the three-legged goat. It is not supposed to be the one that won't fetch much money.
It's supposed to be the best for God. And yet they brought the lame. They brought the blind. They brought the maimed.
And they even, in certain instances, stole sacrifices on the way to the temple in order to present those as sacrifice to God. You see, all of this to indicate that the previous history of Israel, it is marked by this reception externally of the Word of God, and yet a failure to do what God says.
James on Hearing Without Doing
It is very much akin to what James speaks in James 1, 22-25, but be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, He is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." This is probably more appropriate to younger people. You kind of look at the mirror, and you walk away, and you kind of forget. Older people, you start to look at the mirror and say, I don't remember that kind of neck thing there.
I don't remember looking like that. And it kind of sticks in your head. What's happening here? I remember all these wrinkles.
The point is very clear. It's kind of like a man who looks in the mirror, walks away, and forgets what it is that he saw. It's the same thing. We hear the Word of God.
We hear a lot of sermons. We hear a lot of sermons in our church. We have Sunday morning, Sunday evening. We have a confession study every other Sunday morning.
We have a Bible study every Wednesday night. We have a theology meeting every other Saturday morning. We have a lot of stuff with reference to hearing the word of God, but are we acting upon it? Are we internalizing it?
Are we building our houses upon the rock? Or are we building on the sand like this wretched man that pays lip service externally to the word of God, but does not do what God says? This is where we need to be. Obedient.
He says, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. I don't want to get too much onto what James is saying here, but I think it illustrates well what Jesus is saying. But one of the things that James says, he says, he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, Christianity is not just a fitness start.
Okay, I made this confession, I made this profession, I went forward in a tent meeting, I said my sinner's prayer, now I can just sort of live however it is I want. No, you need to continue in it. And you need to continue in it day in and day out until the day that you die. If God saves you as a young man or a young woman, you got 30, 40, 50, 60 years of life ahead of you.
You've got to pace yourself and you've got to formulate the mindset that I'm not going to stop, I'm not going to shrink back, I'm not going to be the delicate little child that doesn't persevere, that isn't steadfast. Brethren, if there was ever a time where the church should look differently from the world, it is now. We have a generation of people that can't handle basic stress in their lives. As Christians, there are storms.
As Christians, there's wind. As Christians, there's rain. Are we going to melt under this or are we going to persevere by the grace of God, having built our foundation upon the rock and seeking to honor and glorify God? That's what is different about the persons that are matched up Here, the wise man hears the word, he internalizes that word, and he's a doer of that word.
The fool isn't. The fool hears it, he may like it, he may pay lip service to it, but he builds his house in the sand. He rejects, he resists, he disobeys. He doesn't do what God says.
And then notice the illustration.
The Sand Foundation and Its Fall
He built his house on the sand. This can't be good. Absolutely, positively can't be good. Building a foundation in the sand is never a wise move.
Don't build your house upon the sand. But notice, the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. Notice that the unrighteous are not immune to suffering. The unrighteous are not immune to difficulties.
The unrighteous face the same sorts of things in this present world that we do, but they don't have any stability. They don't have any security. They don't have any foundation upon which to stand. It's really a pathetic picture.
It's really sad. Doesn't that encourage you that even though you go through afflictions and even though you go through hardships and trials and difficulties, even though there are storms and rains and floods and winds, You've got Jesus, you've got Christ, you've got the solid rock upon which to stand and you see others that go through these sorts of things and they don't have that. It really is a pitiable condition that these persons find themselves in. It's really not an enviable position whatsoever.
So the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and notice it fell. That's not surprising. It fell. Of course it fell because it wasn't founded upon the rock.
It was founded upon the sand. It didn't have the stability. It didn't have the foundation. It didn't have Christ to secure and stabilize it.
And then notice how he ends the sermon on the mount, and great was its fall. Christ would fail homiletics 101 today. Christ would fail in the church growth movement. Christ would fail at this point.
He's too negative. He is too negative. He ends the sermon on this negative Nelly note. He says that the bad guys are ultimately going to fall and great will be their fall.
Christ knows the hearts better than any of us, and Christ ends where he ends to make an impact, so that you will ponder, so that you will consider, so that you will contemplate, where am I at tonight? Have I built my house upon the rock? Have I, by the grace of God, staked it upon that rock, which is Jesus, or have I built on sinking sand? Because if I built on sinking sand, this is my future.
This is my end. This is going to be what happens to me. It says that it fell and great was its fall. I would encourage each and every one of you to go to Ezekiel 33 and ask yourself, is this the way that I appreciate preaching?
Go to James chapter one and ask yourself, is this the way that I approach the word of God? And obviously go to 724 to 27 and ask yourself, which one am I? Am I the wise man who built on the rock or am I the foolish man who built on the sand? because ultimately your future depends upon it. And I would encourage that you do not tarry and you do not wait.
If you conclude I've built on the sand, then repent and believe the gospel. Go to the Lord Jesus Christ. Go to this one that in Matthew chapter 11 says this, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight.
All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Notice what he says in verses 28 to 30 in Matthew 11. Come to me. all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Isn't that a beautiful statement? Come to me and I will.
Come to me and I will. Not come to me and I'll make you grovel. Come to me and I'll send you back to your experience. Come to me and I'll make you, you know, wonder.
Come to me and I will give you rest if you are weary and heavy laden. And in the context, this isn't you had a rough week at work. That's not what's in view here. I worked a 70-hour week, and I'm really tired, I'm really weary.
That's not what's in view. It's sin. It's the heavy burden of sin. It's the ladenness with sin.
The psalmist is the backdrop for this when he talks about sins going over, as it were, his head. And here the Lord Christ says, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And then this goes right into Matthew chapter 12 in the Sabbath controversies. Christ is the giver of rest.
Christ is the one who brings that relief to sinners. Christ is the one who invites, in this particular passage, all those who are weary, all those who labor, all those who are heavy laden, to come to him. That's the emphasis, come to him. Not sit and look at yourself, but rather come to Him.
John 3, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up. When we look to Him, we live. When we believe on Him, we live. Metaphorically, this is said to receive Him and to rest upon Him.
It is to seek refuge in the Lord Jesus. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And then comes the life of sanctification in verse 29, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Friend, if you're here tonight and you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are this sinking sand builder, you listen to Christ's words there in Matthew 11, 28, and come.
Notice that he says, I will give you rest. I love it. It's a come to me and I will. not come to me and I might, come to me and I hope to, come to me and I'll assist you, but come to me and I will give you rest.
The Authoritative Preacher
Now back to our text in Matthew 7, let's look at the authoritative preacher. We've got a wise builder, we've got a foolish builder, but the sermon ends with a statement by Matthew concerning the response of the people. Verse 28, and so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching. One commentator, Grant Osborne, says, all five of Matthew's discourses end with some form of, quote, it happened when Jesus had finished.
But this is the only one that continues with the crowd's reaction. In other words, how did the crowd respond to what Christ had taught in Matthew chapters five to seven? And we see specifically the people were astonished at his teaching. Now the tense of the verb indicates that it was continuous.
It wasn't something like they said, well, that was interesting. No, they were amazed and astonished at the teaching of the Savior on this particular occasion. Spurgeon said it was no fault on their part to be astonished, but it was a grave crime to be astonished and nothing more. See, simply to be astonished puts them in the same category as those eager hearers in Ezekiel's day.
They love to hear you the way that one loves to hear a good singer. They love to hear you the way that one loves to hear a good violinist, but they don't do your words. And in this instance, it just simply tells us that they were astonished, but it doesn't indicate that they came. They believed, and by grace, they built upon that rock, which was Jesus Christ the Lord.
Now, note the reason for this astonishment. They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. He taught them as one having authority and not as one of the scribes. Now, perhaps you have read a little bit in scripture or outside of scripture.
It was very rabbinic, that means the Jews who taught, to tell us what Jews who taught before us taught on something. In other words, rabbinic teaching oftentimes included what Rabbi Hillel said, or Rabbi Shammai said, or Rabbi whoever said. That was very common. And even in my own preaching, I'll cite Rabbi John Gill.
I'll cite Rabbi John Calvin. I'll cite these various men that have shed light upon the pages of Holy Scripture. That was a joke. But anyways, that was pretty much symptomatic, typical of their teaching.
And when Jesus taught, he didn't do that. Certainly he cited Isaiah, he cited Ezekiel, he would cite the prophets, he would cite Moses to be sure, but he didn't look at rabbinic tradition. Christ was a chief rabbi. Christ knew perfectly the interpretation of the Word of God.
He didn't have to cite Hillel. He didn't have to cite Shema. He didn't have to cite these various persons because he spoke authoritatively as the prophet of God Almighty. Remember that scene later on in Matthew chapter 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The Lord God Most High shows his approbation to his son. The son is transfigured before the eyes of the disciples. His garments are shining whiter than anything that a launderer can do. And the Lord God Most High says, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
And then he says, hear him. When he says, hear him, he doesn't mean don't listen to Isaiah, don't listen to Jeremiah, don't listen to the rest of the Old Testament prophets and lawgiver Moses, but he's saying that Christ is the prophet who has come in accordance with what those men spoke, and he is the authoritative interpreter of what those men wrote. That's why back in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus engages in the antitheses, he says to them, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, but I say to you, persons are wrong who think that Jesus there is correcting Moses. No, Jesus is interpreting Moses.
Jesus is correcting the scribes and the Pharisees. They taught that as long as you didn't actually stop someone's heart from beating, then you fulfilled the command. Jesus says, no, you're not supposed to call your brother, Raka. You're not supposed to engage in character assassination.
You're not supposed to say things that are ungodly or untoward, because that is a violation of the sixth commandment. The antitheses are not Jesus and Moses, it's Jesus and scribal interpretation, those who had botched Moses. So Christ as the prophet is able to speak authoritatively in the hearing of men. And that's what astonished these people.
I would also suggest, he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes, that his subject matter was different. His doctrine was different. He was, or he put himself up as the right to legislate for the kingdom of God. But I say to you, I mean, he takes this position upon himself as the prophet of God, speaking authoritatively the word of God and as the interpreter of that blessed word.
And then as well, with reference to what he's already said in the Sermon on the Mount, he is the one for whom the disciples are persecuted. Look at Matthew 5, 10 to 12. No rabbi before him or after him could ever do this. No human, normal earthly human, coming through ordinary generation could ever say what Jesus says in Matthew 5, 10 to 12.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. For what? For my sake.
And that's a pretty powerful statement for a man to make. That man must be special. That man must be unique. That man must be the second person of the blessed Trinity who came into this world for us men and for our salvation, who took on our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof and yet without sin.
He says in verse 12, rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Notice he is the one who fulfills the law and the prophets. Verse 17 in chapter five, do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
It's an amazing statement, isn't it? Brethren, I don't care how good your rabbi is, he can't say that. I don't care how good your pastor is, he can't say that. None of us can say that, but Christ can.
And in this particular instance, what Christ is showing is the continuity that he bears with the Old Testament prophets and the law. In other words, he's a new religious teacher. He's a man who's just embarked on his public ministry. Crowds are attracting to him.
There are multitudes gathered before him. Persons no doubt are wondering, how is he connected to Moses? How is he connected to Isaiah? How is he going to deal with the law and the prophets?
Well, he tells us, don't think that I came to destroy. Don't think that I came to remove. Don't think that I came to abrogate the law and the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
And praise God Almighty that He does fulfill because in His fulfillment of the law and the prophets, we have His righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone. He is the one who condemned the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. Notice in 520. 520, for I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now here's where I believe that Christ is using the Sermon on the Mount as a child tutor, as the law to encourage the hearers to seek refuge in him.
In other words, your righteousness must exceed the best righteousness on display in modern society. Well, that must mean I need a perfect righteousness. And if that's what that means, it casts me at the foot of the cross so that I can find this alien righteousness, which is given by God and received by faith alone. He is the one who accurately expounds the law of God.
Chapter 5, 21 to 48. Again, the antitheses. Not between him and Moses, but between him and the scribal tradition. As well, the text we looked at a couple of weeks ago.
He is the one who determines the eternal destiny of all mankind. Notice in verse 23 in chapter 7. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.
It's up to Christ where men go. It's up to Christ whether we enter into the kingdom of heaven. It's up to Christ whether we are excluded from that kingdom of heaven and find ourselves in that place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. He is the one alone upon whom all of mankind's eternal destiny depends.
So that they were astonished because he taught as one having authority really shouldn't surprise those of us who have been at this for any amount of time, because we know that Christ is the prophet, Christ is the priest, Christ is the king, and he is the best interpreter of Moses. He is the best interpreter of the prophets. He is the one who has all authority.
Application
Well, in conclusion, I want to remind us with reference to the similarities between the builders. You know, if we're not contractors, if we're not those who are present when a structure is built, we don't know what the foundation is. You know, sometimes people get into problems like that, don't they? They get a big crack in their garage.
I'm mindful that my wife told me recently we got a big crack in our garage. You know, it kind of terrifies me. Big crack in the garage might mean there's a crack somewhere else. I don't like that thought.
But unless we see a crack in the foundation or we're present when the foundation is laid, we don't know. And in this instance, both persons hear the words of Christ. Both persons are in the right place at the right time. They're similarities.
Remember the false prophets. They're wolves, but they don't dress like wolves. They dress like sheep, don't they? They try to finagle their way in.
They don't come in with big horns and big teeth and big fangs and say, I'm a wolf and I'm here to destroy your church. That's not what they do. They are wolves dressed as sheep so that they can, from within, destroy. And so when it comes to the similarities between these two builders, we're not really sure if we haven't seen the foundation.
The wolves look like sheep, so the foolish builder may appear like the wise builder. The foolish and the wise both hear the word of Christ. The separating issue is what they do with that word of Christ. But you know what oftentimes manifests this?
You know what oftentimes demonstrates this? Is trial. It is affliction. It is hardship.
It is storms. It is winds. It is rains. Now, I'm not suggesting that every one of the blood-bought children of God are always the stalwart when it comes to affliction.
They may have an episode. They may fall apart. They may have some issues where they come unglued, at least for a time. But by the grace of God, they get back up.
Though I fall, I will rise, the prophet Micah said, and that by the grace of God. Affliction and trial and hardship and difficulty more often than not manifest where we have built. If we lose it, if we panic, if we freak out and are never recovered, that is indicative that our foundation was built upon the sand. In fact, Calvin comments, true piety is not fully distinguished from its counterfeit till it comes to the trial.
You see, God has purposes for trial. You've heard my thoughts on the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. I don't want to duplicate that here except to say that it's completely and absolutely heretical. Afflictions and trials and hardships are used by our gracious Heavenly Father for good in the lives of his people.
God causes all things to work for good to those who love him, to those who are the called according to his purposes. Brethren, the moment we think that the trials and the afflictions and the hardships are evidences that God is mad or angry or leaving us, we are wrong. God uses those things for his glory and for our good. I mentioned this morning the analogy and the marriage relationship.
A marriage, a good marriage, doesn't just happen. It's not just luck. There's a lot of work that goes into such a situation. Well, how does a good marriage oftentimes prosper and flourish and thrive?
But by experiencing trials together. It makes persons come together even more. See, we have the completely contrary approach to trials and afflictions than what God's word demands. We look at it and say, oh, it's terrible, it's horrible, I gotta run and hide and avoid any trial.
Brethren, trial is a necessary part of life. Can I give you parents some encouragement? Let your kids eat dirt. Let your kids develop their immune system.
Let them have some hardship in their lives. Because if you don't, they're going to be the kinds of people that need safe spaces on college campuses. We need to let our children learn. Trials and afflictions.
And I'm not saying let them run through the house with scissors at their door. I'm not suggesting that. But brethren, if we try to over-protect and over-sanitize and over-control everything in their lives or in ours, we're avoiding a means that God uses for good. Affliction.
What's the psalmist say in Psalm 119? It was good for me that I was afflicted. It was good for me that I tasted the rod. What's the apostle say in Hebrews chapter 12?
No discipline for the moment is joyful, but it yields the fruit of righteousness. That's God's purposes and means. And when the trials come, instead of freaking out and losing it, we submit to God. and we trust in that foundation, which is Christ. Now in terms of obvious differences, the wise man builds on Christ, the fool builds on everything but Christ.
He builds on his own works, he builds on his own wisdom, he builds on perhaps money, he builds on whatever it is. But it's falling, it's sand, it's sinking. We just sang, on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. The wise man may battle, Well, he will battle.
The wise man may fall at times. We see it in the history of redemption. We see it in scripture. We see it in our own hearts.
He may suffer these various things, but by the grace of God, he gets back up. By the grace of God, he lives to fight another day. By God's grace, he faces the various things that confront him, and he stands fast. We just sang that.
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest upon unchanging grace. In every rough and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. Isn't that a beautiful statement? When darkness veils his lovely face, I conclude that he's not my God anymore.
That's how we are. Oh, well, darkness has veiled his lovely face, so I'm just gonna give up everything. I'm just gonna say, forget it. What does that evidence?
If God doesn't give me what I want, I'm done. If the Canucks don't win, I'm gonna turn to whatever other hockey team is out there. We're fair weather fans, brethren, if God doesn't give us good things. Wasn't this the devil's accusation with reference to Joe?
He only serves you because you give him good things. What does God do? Take his good things and see what happens. Brethren, if that is our attitude, we are mercenaries and we are in this for what God gives and not for God himself.
But Edward Moat nails it when he says, when darkness veils his lovely face, I rest upon unchanging grace. I don't live based on feeling, I don't live based on experience, I don't live based on whim, but rather I have built my house on the solid rock which is Jesus Christ, I'm going to trust in unchanging grace. In every rough and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil." He goes on to write, His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the overwhelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
When it comes to us, we don't ponder the oath of God. He seals our salvation with an oath. He seals the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, or he appoints Christ by an oath. Covenant.
We hear the word covenant, hopefully not us, but people hear that and they say, well, that's, you know, covenant theology, that's for the few guys in the church that like to read Berkhoff and those sorts of things. Brethren, if you have not learned the value and the comfort of covenant by this point, may I encourage you to study more? Because it's covenant that stabilizes the people of God. It's covenant that keeps our feet grounded.
It's covenant that keeps us connected to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Edward Mote realized that. Edward Mote said, his oath, his covenant, his blood, support me in the overwhelming flood. When the overwhelming flood comes, what's your encouragement?
Man, I'm a great guy. I've done so well." That's never the encouragement of the true people of God. The true people of God say, His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the overwhelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
And then finally, the wise man will stand ready on the day of judgment when the great storm of God's wrath is unleashed. We sang this, when I shall launch in worlds unseen, oh, may I then be found in him, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. That's it right there. You want to stand before God faultless before the throne on that day?
Come to the Savior. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear His words and do them. We need a righteousness.
We need to be able to stand before that throne. We need to be clothed in something that we have not wrought, something that we have not produced, something that we have not provided. We need the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. We need the forgiveness or the pardon of our sins, that remission that comes from God when he justifies us freely by his grace.
When I shall launch and world's unseen, oh, may I then be found in him, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. May God in heaven, may God almighty bring us all to that place where we can sing that hymn out of genuine hearts of gratitude and faith to our God for his having worked in us. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the clarity and the power of Jesus' words here in the end of Matthew 7. I pray that each and every one here would be clothed in that righteousness, that each and every one here would be believing on the Lord Christ, that each one here would hear those words of the Savior. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. May sinners come by your grace, and may saints continue to come by your grace, and may we know the joy of being found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from you through faith in Jesus Christ.
Go with us now, Father, help us in this coming week to bring glory to you, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.