Sand Castles vs Stone Castles

is where we're gonna continue. And we are at the end of our current series called What is Truth? And so we've been walking through the Sermon on the Mount for the last eight weeks uh 8 to 10 weeks, some somewhere in that range. And uh we're going to be wrapping it up today um and then kicking off a new series uh next week called Letters to the Church by looking at the seven churches in Revelation and kind of walking through those and seeing what the intended meaning to those context and those audiences were and then how it might apply and affect us today. And so I'll be looking forward to that as well. But as you're there in Matthew chapter 7, I want to say one thing kind of as a caveat right out of the gate is um when I was in my senior year of high school and so I feel like anytime there's like an anniversary time, you just kind of go back and reminisce on things.

But um my 20-y year ann reunion is actually coming up in two weeks. And so it's been on my mind, but um in my senior year, eighth game of my senior football season, um I had an injury that's called an osteocchondrial fracture. Um and basically, if you're not medical, it doesn't matter, but your kneecap splits. Um and so my kneecap split and then it created what's called a loose body. So there was a part that broke off. Um, and sometimes it would get lodged in the joint, but most of the time it was just kind of like stuck in the ligaments.

So, it was annoying, but not crazy. Now, I didn't know that's what happened in the moment. Um, and so because I was so smart back then, I played six more games without telling anybody that had it happened. And so, that led to two knee surgeries after high school. Um, the first knee surgery was to literally go in and just remove that loose body that was kind of floating around. Um, which was a successful knee surgery.

thought everything was great. And then a few months later, my knee, like after I rehabilitated and felt like I was back to 100%. Uh, I started having more issues with it to where it was getting harder to walk. I could not run anymore. Even just walking upstairs was proving really difficult. And so I went and saw another doctor and the doctor essentially said like, "Well, you've had this surgery already and so this is just going to be something that you have to deal with like just the the the cartilage and the tissue like has it kind of repaired itself um is just weaker than what it used to be."

And so but he kind of tried to like inspire me and encourage me and just say here's how you can manage and live with this for the rest of your life, but you might not be able to get back to being able to run or climb stairs. And I'm like, I'm 19 years old. Like, how in the world can you tell someone that you can't do that for the rest of your life? And I even remember in that moment like um just think I was like the one thing I want to do is be able to run with my kids one day. Um now this is obviously way before I have now I barely can run with my kids just because I'm getting older. But um but the reality was I didn't take that advice from that doctor and said I'm going to go and see a second opinion.

So, I go to another doctor and this doctor looks at the X-rays, looks at the MRIs, and like I don't see anything, but I'm going to trust that there's something going on and so let's do exploratory surgery. He's like, "Now, if we don't find anything, it's just going to be what it is, but I'm willing to essentially wound you in order to maybe heal you once again." And so going through the the um surgery, he did find that after an osteocchondrial fracture, you can have something called fibro cartilage that comes up to where essentially where it split. The cartilage that grew in grew in too much. And so it just kind of looked like a little plant sticking out of my kneecap. So he goes in and he shaves it all off and was literally able to actually get me back to 100%.

And I've never had like an issue with it since then. The reason why I bring that up is because if I would have went with the first one, it was just a an encouraging message from a doctor telling me how to deal with the pain. The second one was a doctor who was willing to not just encourage me and give me an inspirational speech, but actually wound me again and cut me open and perform surgery in order to actually heal the process, the the the situation that was going on. A lot of sermons can be a sermon that just try to help encourage you and inspire you to deal with the pain. And then there are other sermons that are going to open up the heart and perform surgery and wound you in order to hopefully heal you. This is that kind of sermon.

Okay, that's the uh caveat of of right out of the gate of what I am hoping for for our people today. And so because what we see in this is as Jesus comes to the end of the greatest sermon that's ever been preached, the sermon on the mount, he doesn't end it with a warm benediction, but with a diagnosis. And he's giving this message to a crowd that includes pagans for sure, but it also includes religious people who viewed themselves as righteous, who viewed themselves as great, who viewed themselves as holy in the Lord's eyes. just because of their activity that they accomplished. At the same time, it also includes his disciples who have been following him, walking with him. And he gives this message so that all may hear and come to a conclusion about their lives for the hope that they actually get to the right spot, the right place rather than staying where they are.

And so what he does is he gives us a couple of analogies. He talks about two roads. He talks about two trees. He talks about two houses. And then his conclusion is that only one of them truly leads to life, getting back to 100%. So this is not a sermon for spectators.

It's a moment of decision for each of us as if we're at a fork in the road. And it's a call to come and ultimately see what Jesus has done for us and then what his invitation is for us when we get to that. And because my iPad is so wonderful, it just kicked me out. Let me sign back in real quick. Don't you love technology? Okay.

Matthew 7, picking up in verse 13. Let me read it for us. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly their ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and is thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me,"Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.

On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you? Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Then the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and they beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching for he was teaching them as one who had authority, not as their scribes. Father, we just pray this morning that as we unpack what it is that you were teaching to your disciples and to those who were in your presence during the sermon on the mount, I pray that that intended meaning that you wanted them to be able to hear and understand, we today would be able to hear and understand. So that we do not go down a path that leads to destruction. So that we don't build a house that's on sand, but that we're actually founded on the rock on your son, Jesus. that we actually are entering through his way rather than our way or the way of the world.

And so, Father, help us to see that. Help us to understand that. Help us to respond to it by faith, trusting Jesus is who he says he is and he's done what he's said he's done. And may it lead to life for us. It's in your name we pray. Amen.

Amen. So the big idea I want to give you from this sermon on the mount is that it again does not end with inspiration but with confrontation and invitation. Again Jesus is calling us to essentially a narrow path. He warns us about false prophets. He exposes counterfeit faith and then he lays before us the only foundation that will stand when the storms of life come. And so looking at the first point, this idea of two roads, two destinations, he gives us an illustration.

And that's really what a lot of his message is here is just illustrations in order to prove a point. Enter by the narrow gate because the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few. Here's his open illustration for us. A road trip with eternal consequences. like everyone's on a road trip and there's going to be eternal consequences depending upon the destination in which you are heading and also the road that you take to get there. You know how sometimes when when you put directions into a GPS um it might give you alternate routes in order to get there and one of the routes might be this avoids tolls or this avoids wrecks or this avoids traffic.

Um but you'll eventually get there. It might just take longer and it might be more difficult to get there. Or you can go this easy route that has fewer turns, less traffic, and it gets you there quicker. What do we always select? The quickest way to get there without the all the turns and the easiest way possible. And what he's telling us here is that's exactly how the world is operating.

It's trying to give you the easiest, quickest way to life that they would understand life to be. And what the Lord is ultimately telling us is that the way to life is going to be difficult. It's going to have multiple turns. It's not going to be the most efficient way possible to be able to get there. There's a broad road. It's well traveled.

It's smooth. It's lined with convenience stores all the way through it of compromise. It's the path of culture, self-fulfillment, casual religion. They make it feel right. They make it feel like this is a good road to be on. There's probably a Bies on the road, I would assume.

It's one that you would want to go through in order to see the scenic view, if you will. But Jesus says it ends in destruction. Then there's a road, a narrow one. It's marked by repentance. It's marked by self-denial and surrender. It's not the sexy road to go on.

It's not crowded. Gas stations are spread far apart to where at times you don't even know if you're going to be able to make it to the next gas station in order to fill up. But yet, he says, "This one leads to life." Here's what we do know that the scriptures teach us is that no one drifts onto the narrow road. No one drifts onto the narrow road. The flesh doesn't take you there.

yourself doesn't steer you in that direction. And absolutely, the world's not going to provide you that route and say, "Check this one out." The Holy Spirit draws you to it. Or as Carrie Underwood would say, Jesus takes your will for you and steers you in that direction. John 6:44 says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." draws him, and I will raise him up on that last day.

Again, the narrow gate is for those who've been made alive by grace. Listen to this in Ephesians 2 1-9. You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience that would like you know they say walk because at that time they weren't driving like what we do I mean this would in our context it would be like this in which you once drove in which you once flew in which you once like the direction that you were heading with the destination in mind was not a good one, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. So, it's saying we're on that road because it's where our desires have placed us. It's where our longings have placed us.

It it's it's what we were born with that we have no other option of going down. We didn't even know there was a narrow gate. We didn't even know there was a different road that we could take. But this is the one we found ourselves on. And the greatest but God in scripture is this one in verse four. That while we were on that road towards destruction, God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ.

for it's by grace that you have been saved. And then he raised us up with him and he seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. And then the verse we all know for by grace you have been saved through faith and that this is not your own doing. And so we weren't on a road and then thought, man, this road is too easy. Let me go on a different road. Let me take a harder path.

It's not your own doing. It's the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. Here's the key concept from that is that dead people don't walk toward life unless Jesus speaks and says, "Come." And then by faith, you walk through that gate. It's like arriving at the airport and walking toward the gate that says first class luxury VIP lounge. Come on in.

That's the one we're all heading toward naturally. And then there's another gate, smaller, hidden, unassuming, no lights, no glamour. But Jesus is standing there and he says, "Trust me, come through this one. Come through this one." John 14:5-6 Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?

And Jesus said to him, "I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the father except through me." In this first part of this passage, what he's trying to explain to the audience is that there's there's all kinds of different beliefs that they can believe in their pagan culture, in their false ideology, false god culture, even in the mythologies that have been spread throughout all of our history. There's so many things that you can believe in. And he said, naturally, you're going to believe in those things because you're born a sinner and you're going to believe sin. But he's telling us there's a different way. Jesus is showing up and saying, "I'm the way that leads to life."

And this is the truth that you need to hear instead of the lies that you have been living in and believing your entire life. Because at the end of Jesus's gate, glory, heaven, eternal life with God. So here's the question. Which road are you on? Because the road you're on will determine the destination that you ultimately reach. Now, here's the thing.

The world is full of travel agents trying to tell you which road to take. It's full of travel agents trying to tell you which road to take. Which is why I believe he goes to the next thing in verses 15- 20. Beware of false prophets. You'll recognize them by their fruits. Jesus turns next to the influencers, the prophets, the preachers, the content creators, the podcasters, the pastors.

He says, "Not all of them are leading you to the correct gate. Not all of them are leading you to Jesus." Wolves don't bark. They blend in. False teachers don't wear name tags. They quote scripture.

They lead ministries. They smile wide, but they don't feed the sheep. They feed on the sheep. And we in this age of algorithmic disciplehip, we have to ask the question, who's forming me? Who's discipling me? Is it culture or is it the church?

Is it Tik Tok or is it the text? And listen, I I'm not antisocial media. I heard in a podcast that uh social media the digital age is the current Aropagus. And if you're like, I have no idea what you mean by that. In Acts 17:16-21, listen to what the Aropagus was of Paul's day. And then think about it in terms of what you see in social media.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols, which meant they were willing to believe anything that they saw and they were worshiping whatever that thing was. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons and also in the marketplace every day with those who happen to be there. I love that Paul's basically looking at two contexts. Let me go to where they're pretending to preach the Bible and then let me also go where the people are just living out their lives. So go where the people are in order to then reason with them and say, "Hey, this is what you are believing. This is what you're trusting in.

This is what you're following. Let me also show you what the truth is in regards to these things. So he reasoned there with them and then some of the Epicurian and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him and some said what does this babler wish to say and others said well he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection something that they had not heard of yet. And they took him and they brought him to the Aropagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting, for you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know, therefore, what these things mean." Now, all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there, they would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

So, when you think about that, where where do we go to get our information these days? Where do we go to learn something new? Or what are we just so glued to that regardless if we're actually seeking out truth from it, we're receiving truth from it or some version of a truth, we're receiving information from it. It is forming you. I mean, I'm not saying as far as what side of the aisle that I landed on when it comes to this last election, but what we can say is that it was not mainstream media that actually swung people who were on the fence about where they were going to vote. It was podcasts.

It was social media that swung it in a specific direction because that's where the people are. That's where they're going. That's where they're engaging. That's where they're learning about what's going on in this day and age. But here's the thing is that that then opens up Pandora's box for anybody and everybody to receive information and be shaped by it, be formed by it, start believing whatever it might be. Everyone's being discipled.

The question is by who and what are you being discipled and therefore becoming. This is not just about discerning heresy. It's about understanding that God preserves his people through his truth. Who you listen to and what you believe leads to who you become and what you do. That's why Jesus says you'll know them by their fruits. Because what they believe leads to what they do, how they act, what they engage in.

A fake apple may look like an apple, may even smell like an apple, but you bite into it and you'll realize it's not an apple. It's hollow. In the same way, false teaching looks great, looks sweet, but it's empty. I want to show you an example of how a message can be taught, how it can disciple a generation and then lead them into an unbiblical world view. Take the trendy principle, God is love. I mean, that's been a hashtag, God is love.

There's been other hashtags that kind of branch off of that. Hash love is love, right? Sounds biblically principled, right? Sounds like it would be something that we would get behind and say, "Absolutely." I mean, what's the greatest commandment? Love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Love is love. God is love, right? What when did that hashtag peak? When did it trend? In the years 2013 to 2015.

Now, why is that significant? Why is that significant? Because that's when the Supreme Court handed down the decision to legalize samesex marriage nationwide. The hashtag loveislove was not a pursuit of biblical truth, but actually an agenda or play being run by a non-Christian community in order to shape society at large. And it and it won. It won.

At least in that day and age, it conquered. And so they'll say things like, "Why do you care about who we love? We're not hurting anyone." Now, they want to dive into a little bit of your empathy. Your love is love. God is love.

God loves. He doesn't hurt. So, as long as they're loving and not hurting, what's what's the problem with it? Here's the hard truth. They may not know they are hurting themselves, their partners, and society at large. Again, why am I bringing this up?

Because it's a message being preached and then shaping people in order to believe it. that then leads to a fruit that comes from it. Once again, love is love. Sounds tolerant, sounds inclusive, but just because something sounds loving doesn't mean it's actually loving. According to scripture, not all love is good love. In fact, some love leads to death.

Let's talk about the love of money. That's not good. So when you look at just the individual, when someone builds their identity around a feeling rather than the truth that the creator's given to us, they're stepping onto shaky ground. Again, one of my favorite verses. You hear me say it all the time. Proverbs 14:12.

There's a way that seems right to a man and it leads to death. There's a way that seems right. There's a way that feels right. Just because I feel this way doesn't mean it's going to lead me to life. Even though whatever I think the thing is feels good, looks good, sounds good, sounds right, but it actually if it's not anchored in God's truth and his word and his design can actually be leading me to death. And so the sexual revolution that was really kind of came to this head with this idea of let's put this slogan on it, love is love, it's discipled people into believing that our desires are the truest thing about us.

Our desires are the truest thing about us. But God says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick in Jeremiah 17:9 which basically is saying don't trust your desires. Don't trust your feelings. Like feelings are great in the like it's a part of you. It needs to be in your vehicle but never needs to have the wheel. This is why Romans 1 speaks so strongly about those who exchanged the truth of God for a lie and then they were given over to the consequences of that rebellion, confusion, dishonor, and spiritual lossness.

Again, the more we seek God to understand ourselves, the more clarity we actually have. But the more we seek ourselves, to understand ourselves, the more confused we end up being. Now, zoom out a little bit. What does it do to a person's partner that's in this sexual revolution? Well, if love is redefined to mean whatever makes you feel good, commitment becomes conditional. So, if you no longer make me feel good, then then you're no longer good for me.

So, now I need to move on from something else because what what again? What's the goal? The goal is my desire to be satisfied. And so if I feel like I need to enter into this relationship in order for my desire to be satisfied and you're no longer doing that for me, then then I'm done with you. Or maybe I need to change something about me and start running a different play, loving a different person, doing something, becoming something different. That's why 1 Corinthians 6:18 warns us, "Flee from this idea of sexual immorality."

Because when sex is stripped from covenant, it no longer protects, it exploits one another. Sin doesn't just break God's law, it breaks people. And when sex becomes self-expression instead of self-giving, people are treated like experiences, not image bearsers. That's not love. That's damage dressed up in desire. Relationships become what you can do for me for the glory of me instead of what I can do for you for the glory of God.

And then what about society? When you redefine marriage because love is love. Anybody can love anybody. The family begins to crumble. And when you teach generations that male and female are interchangeable and that sexual boundaries are oppressive, you weaken the very structures God created for human thriving. Romans 1 shows that when a society rejects God's design, it's not just scriptural chaos or spiritual chaos that follows.

It's moral collapse that follows. And that's actually the God, that's the mercy of God given to a society to actually let them crumble on themselves. When they give themselves over to something and believe something that's not God's design and is false, he gives them a judgment and his mercy is letting them fall. So that when they come to his truth, they're able to see maybe that gate's better than this gate. Maybe that road's better than this road. Because this road we fell, it crumbled.

It led to destruction. It did not work. So no, love isn't just love. Love is patient, kind, holy, truthful, designed by God. Love doesn't just affirm anything. It transforms people how God wanted them to be.

Love doesn't just feel, it commits. It covenants. Love doesn't destroy. It lays down its life. Most importantly, true love always begins with God. Never, who should I love, how should I love, what should I love?

We don't ask those questions. We ask, what does God love? How does God love? Who does God love? What does that look like? It's got to start there.

Here's a check engine light thought. If your gospel always agrees with your feelings, always affirms you, and never confronts you, it's probably not the gospel of Jesus. Now, who or what you listen to forms you to become who you are, what you believe, and what you do. But even greater than that, who you know makes all the difference. Look at the third thing here, verses 21- 23. Do you know about Jesus or do you know Jesus?

Because not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will answer. Instead, he'll say, "I never knew you." Now, this one hits different because it's possibly the most terrifying verse in all the Bible, I believe. Because we, what do we say? I know you, Lord. And he's literally saying, "Not everyone who says to me,"Lord, Lord," will enter through the gate, the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is talking to people who did the church thing. People who preached, who cast out demons, who led small group, like these are people who that when you look at their resume and and what they're saying they accomplished for the Lord. I'm looking at that saying they're better than me as a Christian, as a pastor. I mean, I've never like cast out a demon that I'm aware of. I joked a few months ago that the closest I got to casting out a demon was sending a middle schooler home at a camp. These are people who would have in their bios on their social media, daughter of the king and Jesus is my homeboy.

And yet they missed it. They missed it because they never had a relationship, only a resume. You can be around Jesus, you can work for Jesus and still not be known by Jesus. And this is the sobering reminder that salvation is not found in works, but in grace. You can't serve your way into the kingdom. You have to be born into it.

Think of the difference between a stalker and a spouse. Both know facts. One even follows closely. But only one has intimacy. Only one has a covenant. Only one has a relationship that gives birth to children.

And I don't think I need to go into more detail. In the case with our relationship with Jesus, does it bear fruit? And what's the fruit that it's bearing? Do you know him or do you just know about him? Because if you know Jesus, your life will bear fruit that reflects the fact that your life is built on the solid rock of Jesus and not the sands of culture. Here's the last thing he says here.

Everyone who hears these words and does them is like a man who built his house on the rock. Now Jesus gets a little architectural here. Two people, same storm. One house stands, the other falls. What's the difference? The foundation.

The foundation is the difference. Both heard the word. Only one believed Jesus was right, repented of his ways, and followed Jesus by faith. Only one obeyed Jesus as evidence of transformation. Only one built on stone. Ultimately, the chief cornerstone known as Jesus.

Now, let's not miss this because the reality is that storms come for all of us. Like, everyone in this room is going to experience the storms of life. Cancer diagnosis, job loss, fractured friendships, crisis of faith, emotional, mental anxieties. We're all going to experience these kinds of things. And when we do, it exposes our foundation. It exposes our foundation.

Jesus is calling us to a life built not on circumstantial stability or emotional desire or experiential hype or cultural trends, but on him. Him. That's all he's calling us to is to be built on him. Think of a sand castle. Beautiful, intricate. post it on Instagram, but wait six hours for when the tide rolls in and see if there's something left for you to be able to post.

Or if the tide doesn't come in, just wait for a toddler to walk by. That sand castle's gone. Now, think of a stone fortress carved into the mountain. You probably see quite a few of those in Scotland. Time, pressure, storms, nothing moves it. There's still cobblestone Roman roads built 2,000 years ago being used today.

If we could only get them to come and build something here in India, that'd be great. But that's the difference between false faith and true faith. Remember, both builders heard, both sat in the pew, both walked the aisle, both only or but only one had a new heart that took the word seriously. And you'll know the difference by the fruit produced in their life. When things get hard, what do they run to? What do they trust in?

What are they hoping for? And I think one of the ways that you see the difference is how he finishes here, not with a truth from him, but a reaction from the people. They believe that he taught as one who had authority. They were amazed. Amazed. Again, do you believe Jesus because he was good or do you believe him because he's God?

Like we can be amazed by eloquent speakers and so forth, but I'm always going to say this like um I don't try to come in here and craft a message that will come across as like a TED talk. I know that there's like it's spotchy at times and it's like, you know, is he even did he even prepare this week? Like what's going on here? But what I will always say is this is is if I'm trying to craft a message that just inspires you, that inspiration's going to go away in about two hours when you leave this place. But if I come in here and make sure that the word of God is what's central because it's coming from Jesus Christ who is the word embodied and he's the only one who possesses all authority in the heavens and the earth that when we preach what he said and what his truth stands for it's the only thing that has the ability for you to actually be amazed by it and it lasts. because it's building a rock foundation instead of a sand castle.

Just creating a message that inspires you from a sand castle perspective is not going to last and it's not what you need. What you need is the type of messages that preach the word of God, open the word of God and say Jesus is telling you that life is going to be hard. It's going to be difficult. And what you need is to rely on him and trust in him and and literally do what he's asking you to do instead of these other things that say try to make your circumstances better by doing this, by changing this, by believing this. And it never ultimately leads to anything. Again, I always say like when we try to clean up our own mess with all these different kind of cultural trends and whatnot, we clean up our mess just like my my kids clean up their mess.

There's a reason why we have to come behind them and clean it up again because they just smeared into the cracks when we try to clean up our mess. Because again, even the people who are on this side, they're still trying to find life. It's the reason why everyone doesn't wake up every single day and just commit suicide. We're still longing for life. We still want a good life. We still want to be satisfied.

We still want to find pleasure. The reality is though is we just go through life on this endless cycle of trying to well maybe it's I'm the problem and so let me change me. No, no, no. Maybe it's my spouse that's the problem. Let me change my spouse. Ah maybe it's my work that's the problem.

Let me change work. Oh it's my kids that are the problem and so let me become a distant, you know, let me get away from them. Maybe it's money that's the problem. Let me get more of that. I mean, you can live. That's what all of society is doing is just trying to change what their circumstance is in hopes that it actually fills that void in their heart that will actually satisfy them.

And it's impossible. It's impossible. And what God is doing is he's saying, "Actually, you were designed to be satisfied, but your satisfaction is ever only going to be found in a relationship with me because I'm the one who created you and gives you life." And I want to breathe into you satisfaction when you find it in your creator, not in creation. And the great thing is that when we actually do find it in our creator, he throws creation in. Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you.

We talked about that in Matthew 6. And so it's not a God who just wants us on this this this narrow road, never being happy, like always difficult, life is hard. Well, first of all, he sustains us in that. And that's why I believe again following being the fruit that a Christian produces is not always going to look like, well, they just have such a great way in which they manage their budget. that's going to be a part of it, sure, because you're going to mature and grow in stewarding the resources that God has provided for you. But rather, the fruit that's going to be more produced is when someone in your life who you love dies and you don't lose your mind because you have a hope that's greater than something temporary.

We're able to grieve with hope because we know the Lord. Whenever something awful happens and there's a there's a crazy diagnosis or you lose your job or whatever it is, you don't lose your mind because there's a peace that God provides for us that surpasses all understanding. And in that moment, we can remember, look at the birds of the air. Consider the liies of the field. Man, he so provides for those things. How much more is he going to provide for me?

So, I don't have to worry right now. He's got a job lined up. I'm going to throw out some resumes and figure it out. That'll be great. But I'm not going to lose my mind over this. And that's why in the end of the day, the fruit that is produced, the the way you know a Christian is trusting in Jesus, how patient are they?

How loving are they? How kind and gentle are they? Don't look like the world. Trust in Jesus and it'll change. because we are amazed at his authority and we say I want to trust and follow that rather than following the world because I don't want to be like the crazy posters on Facebook who lose their mind when you say this dress is blue and white and they're like it's black and gold or whatever the thing was like we just want to argue about everything and what we're saying is trust in Jesus so that you can be calm regardless of the calamities in your life you can be patient regardless of the persecution in your life because we're resting in Jesus and we're secure in that relationship. We know our destination.

And that's why I always like Paul was the craziest Christian you could possibly think of. What I mean by that is they would say things like he frustrates everybody. Well, if we let him live, he's just going to tell everyone about Jesus. Well, then let's kill him. And he's like, "Well, to die is gain because I get to go be with Jesus." And they're like, "No, no, no.

We're trying to crush your spirit." And he's like, "It's impossible. You can't crush my spirit because my spirit's the Holy Spirit who who lives inside me and dwells within me and there's nothing you can do. He has all authority. So try to change, try to harm me, try to do something towards me. It ain't going to work."

That's the kind of people you become when you're not formed by culture, but you're formed by Christ. And that's the kind of church we want to be. So here's the question. What do you believe in? Why do you believe Jesus? Do you know about him or do you know him?

Do you believe in him just because you're afraid of hell or because your heart has been awakened to the beauty and authority of Jesus Christ as the only son of God? And I remember that was the easiest way in which we could evangelize people is we just described hell. They're like, "I don't want to go there." But there's a reason why so many of those people who just want to escape hell and escape judgment don't actually follow Jesus because they've never actually been told about who Jesus is and what his character is like and what he's accomplished for them at the cross. Fire insurance faith can scare you into church, but it won't sustain you in suffering. Only love for Jesus will do that.

Again, a groom doesn't marry his bride just to avoid loneliness. He does it because he loves her. And so, too, we follow Jesus not just to escape judgment, but because we're captivated by his presence. We're captivated by him. And so, this is the final exam of the sermon on the mount. Two roads, two voices, two relationships, two foundations, two motivations, only one savior.

His name is Jesus. Do you know him? Where do you stand with him? On the sands of culture or on the rock of ages? If you find yourself broken, convicted, aware that maybe your house is on sand or you're walking the wrong road, good. Good.

Like, if you're thinking right now, I don't know if I know Jesus, I might still be on the sand based on the fruit of my life. Good that you understand that and come to that awareness because that's the Lord drawing you and saying you're right. You're not on the right road, but I'm bringing you over to the correct one. I'm building a foundation in which I want you to believe in and trust in and follow. It's the grace and mercy of Jesus to allow us to be able to understand that we are broken sinners on this path and he's welcoming us home by bringing us over to this side. So where do you stand?

Again, if you're coming to that understanding, Jesus would actually tell you, "Blessed are you." I started the sermon on the mount by actually going to the end of it and saying, "Not everyone will say,"Lord, Lord." I'm going to end it by going back to the beginning. If you've walked through the sermon on the mount and you get to the end of it and you say, "Who in the world can be saved? Who can make it?" He told us at the end of chapter 5 to be perfect as the heavenly father is perfect.

He told us in chapter six, seek first the kingdom of God. If you don't do that, basically you're on the wrong team. And now he's telling us ultimately you got to go through the the narrow gate. Few find it. So it kind of leads us to this question, who in the world can possibly be saved? We can't be perfect enough.

We never seek God, his kingdom perfectly. And at the end of the day, how do I know? How can I switch lanes if I can't do that myself because I'm dead in my transgressions? And he'll say to you, "Blessed are you." Congratulations for those who are poor in spirit because you realize that you are spiritually bankrupt, that you can't pay back what you owe. Jesus came to pay it for you.

Blessed are you who mourn. You realize, yeah, I am this sinner and I have sinned against a perfect and holy God. I'm amazed at the authority in which he possesses that nothing else in all the world has. And I sinned against him like my sins put him on the cross. That causes me to mourn. Why would I do that to such a good and glorious Jesus?

And blessed are you who are meek, who give up the reigns of your life for someone else to steer you. Over here, we're trying to steer ourselves. And he's saying, "Be meek. I'm going to take charge of your life. I'm going to take your wheel and I'm going to steer your life this direction, and you're going to trust me." Blessed are you when that happens.

which is just another way of saying congratulations. Jesus loves you and he saves you. He saves you. Father, we thank you this morning that we had this opportunity to come to you. We thank you for what your son Jesus taught in this sermon on the mount. this message that he ultimately embodied that we are called to be perfect and we could not.

And so he came and he was perfect. He lived a perfect life that we could not live. And because we're not perfect, we are on a road, a path that leads to destruction. And Jesus says, "I'm going to actually put myself on that path. And I'm going to go to their destruction, the cross, and I'm going to pay their penalty, death." And because Jesus did that and the wrath of God towards our sin was satisfied, Jesus became the first fruit of the kingdom of God when he rose three days later.

Jesus, thank you. Thank you. there was nothing we could do, but you revealed to us what you have done. And I just pray this morning that if there's anyone in this room who's not truly believe that and that maybe this is the first time that they're knowing Jesus instead of just knowing about Jesus. I pray that they would let us know after the service just to be able to come up and say, "Hey, I I'd like to have a deeper conversation about what it means to truly know Jesus rather than just knowing about him. And for the rest of us, let us just continue to rest in the fact that we're called to be perfect, but the only way that we get to be perfect is by receiving the righteousness of Jesus.

For God to see us as sons and daughters because of his son, Jesus. Because of all the work that he has provided towards our account that we cannot do for ourselves. So we just thank Jesus for that. We worship him him this morning. It's in his name we pray.