Choosing His Kingdom: Matthew 7:21-29

[Music] this is truly one of those Sundays that I kind of consider to be bittersweet sweet because I get to teach to you God's Word once again a little bit bitter because we're coming to the end of a series that I've really enjoyed this is our 22nd and final message through the series on the Sermon on the Mount and I think it's important that we just remind ourselves that when Jesus came and taught this message he and I'll tell you this for the last time in this series and show you this picture for the last time he sat on a hillside on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee if it was the right time of year that would've been grass and flowers everywhere we know this because we've been on that exact same hillside matter of fact we're going on an Israel tour in the end of November we're gonna be at this exact place again February what did I say November February it's hard to keep these things in my mind sometimes and at this particular Jesus no doubt would have spoke up the hill because the acoustics were better the people would have been looking with that same vantage point you see in the picture right there and he taught them about the kingdom of God what it was like to be a citizen of Jesus's kingdom if you travel around the world to different places and different cultures you know that different cultures sort of have different characteristics sometimes we call those stereotypes and sometimes they can be exaggerated but you know there's some truth to it there's some truth in that the Germans are kind of basically a certain way that the Italians are kind of a certain way the Japanese are sort of a certain way and if they have their exceptions of course but there's certain values there's certain ideas there's certain things that are important to certain kingdoms and cultures in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us what's important what are the values what reigns in his kingdom and at the end of this message he calls all of his listeners to the idea of a true decision a choice and I want you to consider before we read our text starting at verse 21 of Matthew chapter 7 I just want you to get this concept in your mind God gives us real choice now sometimes when we discuss this idea of a real choice sometimes people use the words free will I don't like that phrase so much because I think it can be legitimately argued that our will isn't really free people are oftentimes enslaved in some aspect of their will they're addicted to that they're obsessed by this there's an idolatry to that and maybe their will isn't really free in that sense so you can argue about the afraid free will but I don't think you can dispute at all that the Bible tells us that men and women have a real choice to make God didn't make us robots God made his people who could respond to the invitation and the information that he gives and in this closing of the Sermon on the Mount you're gonna see that Jesus calls us to make three specific choices the choice of number one you would say the choice of whether we're gonna have a true or a false relationship with him number two it'd be the choice of the kind of foundation that we build our life on and number three would be the choice of the kind of authority that we're going to recognize in our life so let's look to that together here beginning at verse 21 of Matthew chapter 7 here we read 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 have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name and I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness at the end of the message Jesus does this as a very skillful preacher he drops a bomb on his audience matter of fact you could say there's several bombs in those few verses that I just read here's the first one the first one is the idea that not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven Jesus has spoken very eloquently throughout the Sermon on the Mount of the nature of God's kingdom and this is what the kingdom is all about and listen if there's anything important you want to enter into that kingdom you want to go to heaven I don't want to spend eternity separated from God separated from Jesus Christ I want to be in the kingdom of heaven but Jesus says entering into the kingdom of heaven it isn't just a matter of looking at Jesus and saying well I call you Lord now it's an important beginning place you can't really come to Jesus unless you recognize him as Lord we have to recognize him as Lord as master as God in our life it's an essential beginning place but you and I know that there are more than a few people for whom calling Jesus Lord is very superficial it goes just a little bit deep in their life and there's no sincere conviction they call Jesus master but he's not really master of their life they called Jesus Lord but he's not really Lord in any meaningful sense and Jesus says that if you speak or say things about Jesus but don't really mean it then Jesus says you're not going to enter into the kingdom of heaven I don't know much about the technology but you and I we know they exist the idea of a lie detector they took a person up with these machines and they can tell whether or not you're lying now don't you think God has a pretty good lie detector doesn't have to hook you up to a machine I personally I don't have a very good lie detector I'm kind of naive about people probably pretty easy to fool me but you can't fool God God knows God looks at you're an 11 and he knows that whether or not what we say if it matches up with how we really live and how we really believe it's possible have a very superficial surfacy relationship commitment to Jesus you you believe in Jesus but it's a very bare thing of just words you'll act out some religious duty but there's no heart behind it there's no soul behind it there's no spirit it's just bare words passing thoughts it's not enough Jesus says it has to be a real commitment unto Him and there are those they say Lord Lord but they say it between 11:00 o'clock and 12:30 on Sunday and I'm glad you're here and I hope you would say Lord Lord but you know it's really not much of a commitment unless it goes beyond 11:00 o'clock and 12:30 on Sunday then it has to be a Lord Lord Jesus your Lord over my whole life not just over an hour and a half a week and then the other staggering thing that Jesus said not only that it has to be a real commitment not a superficial word but he says look at it in verse 21 and 22 verse 21 he says whoever says to me verse 22 he says they will say to me in that day do you understand what Jesus explained here he looked out over a hundred or a couple hundred people and he spoke these words to a multitude and he said to all of them this basic idea you're gonna stand before me on the day of judgment me Jesus of Nazareth a real flesh-and-blood human being who spoke to them do you realize how audacious that was what if I tried to sell that to you you're gonna stand before me David guzik on the day of judgment you just laugh who does he think he is but Jesus is God and when Jesus said it it was real and he meant it Jesus is not only the savior of the world do you believe that with all your heart he's also the judge of the world and all humanity will stand before Jesus and when they do Jesus will judge their profession maybe they didn't say Lord about Jesus at all well okay that then you're not gonna spend eternity with him but then maybe they said it but it wasn't real when they said it maybe it was superficial and then Jesus imagined the scene he did this in verse 22 about people protesting what Jesus says well your commitment wasn't real it wasn't it wasn't beyond the surface he depth he said well Lord haven't we not that didn't we prophesy in your name didn't we cast out demons in you and did we do many miracles in your name says that's not enough Jesus says and that is another astounding thing that Jesus said I believe that God works miracles I have seen and experienced the miraculous work of God I know that we serve a miracle working God however let me say this sometimes I think we can put too much emphasis or too much credit to miracles because Jesus says here he envisions himself speaking to people on the day of judgment who were involved in the miraculous and they did it in his name yet they themselves had no real relationship with him and it's not like their miracles are gonna save him on that day it's not like their prophecies or anything else will save them no matter of fact Jesus didn't even seem to doubt their claims of doing the miraculous in this little thing that he envisioned he didn't say you didn't really prophesy you didn't really cast out demons you didn't really do the miraculous you says okay you did them so what what's your real relationship with me is your claim of my lordship beyond the surface and then the penalty look at that in verse 23 I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness in the end there's one way to God and it's not about what you do it's about who you know and who you relate to and that's Jesus Christ himself do you ever hear the phrase you know we use it kind of in hiring and office politics and stuff sometimes people use the phrase it's not what you know it's who you know there's some truth to that statement when it comes to eternal things oh no I know all the subtleties of theology man I got it out great it's wonderful that you do do you really know Jesus oh no no my life is an amazing thing it's amazing work with God man do I do miracles in Jesus name do you really know him and does he know you is there a true real relationship there because that's what God is looking for and connected to Jesus we're secure without that connection to him all the miracles all the great works they prove nothing and I'll tell you that's a terrible word to have Jesus say to you depart from me to have Jesus say to you get out of here I don't want you around me what an awful thing for Jesus to say I mean we don't find Jesus saying that to people during the day's earthly ministry do we he wouldn't even associate with sinners he associated with the religious leaders but there's gonna come a day on the day of judgment what Jesus will say to people who have hardened in their rejection of him get away from me I don't want you around me and let me tell you it's the nearness and the presence of Jesus that makes heaven heaven streets of gold did not make heaven heaven a pearly gates do not make heaven heaven what makes heaven heaven is the nearness of Jesus and to hear words depart from me it's the worst thing you could ever hear God gives you a real choice between having a real relationship with Jesus or just a false and superficial relationship with Jesus what'll it be it's as if God says to you right here right now today on this Sunday what's it going to be you choose then there's a second choice starting here at verse 24 Jesus says 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 and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall Jesus used the illustration of two builders they each built houses and do you understand that each house looked the same from the outside each house was designed each house had walls each house had a roof each house had their windows and their doors from the outside you couldn't tell any difference you put each one of those houses side-by-side the difference would not be revealed know that revelation of the difference came in the midst of the storm because the difference between the two houses wasn't anything immediately observable it was something that only the inspector would notice now if you ever sold or bought a house you know they'd come and they'd do the property inspection and that can be a little bit traumatic because you know like if you've got a garden gnome that's misplaced there in the front yard the property inspections gonna note it it's their job to notice everything and these people are experts at seeing what's good and what's bad about a house things that we wouldn't notice with our eye at all they see let me tell you something by this analogy God knows how to look at our life and you and I we might not notice any difference between the two lives God looks in the goes this one it's built upon the rock that one it's built upon the sand now we can notice the difference between the two when the storm comes and what's the storm I don't know the storm could be any adversity of life some of you you have experienced severe storms in your life you've endured crises that you never thought you'd faced you've had trauma in your family you've had trauma in your health and your professional life and on and on and on you've had it some of you that storms yet to come but I'll tell you this whether you've had the storm now whether it's to come or whether the storm comes on the day of judgment because will that not also be a storm weather storm comes then now or earlier in your life it's gonna reveal what the foundation of your life was all along now it's better to test the foundation of your life now than later but remember this as well you don't build the foundation of your life during the storm you build the foundation of your life when it's calm when it's good that's building season and many many people I've seen it throughout the years of my pastoral work when the storm comes then they want to build the foundation brothers/sisters you look now to building the right foundation in your life now even if it's not a storm especially if it's not a storm because a storm will come in your life either in this life or the next now's the time to build the strong foundation what does a strong foundation look like look at it here verse 26 everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does them or does not do them you see what Jesus is trying to say from verse 26 is that merely hearing God's Word isn't enough to provide a secure foundation it's necessary that we're also doers of the word and if we commit the sin it could be and if we fail to be doers of the word we're gonna commit the sin that will surely find you out in the Book of Numbers there's a famous phrase it's in numbers chapter 32 verse 23 and the phrase goes something like this your sin will find you out you ever heard that phrase before it's a great one maybe your parents told it to you when you were a child maybe you should have listened when your parents told you that your sin will find you out when you go back to the Book of Numbers do you know what the sin was that he said would find them out it was the sin of doing nothing and that was the sin here exposed in this bad foundation the sin of doing nothing because people don't intentionally build a lousy house do you think a builder would do that now let's build the worst house can bill yeah the snow builders haven't they want to build an ice house they want to do the very best they can but here's the point it's that when you build something poorly through ignorance or neglect that's where it'll come back to get you and this is what Jesus spoke about right here you see the second builder didn't set out to build a bad foundation he didn't say let's make the foundation really awful but it happened through neglect it happened because he didn't pay attention and we need to pay attention and do what Jesus tells us to do now if there's anybody here who breathes a sigh of relief at that okay good all I got to do is do what Jesus tells me to do do you understand what Jesus tells you to do let's just think about the Sermon on the Mount let's just think about what Jesus told you and I to do in the Sermon on the Mount are you ready for this Jesus told us to endure persecution Jesus told us to let our light shine in a dark world Jesus told us to not murder and to not hate Jesus told us to not commit adultery and not to lust Jesus told us not to seek revenge Jesus told us to love those who hate us Jesus told us to give of our material resources and to do it right Jesus told us to pray and to do it right Jesus told us to fast and to do it right Jesus told us to store up treasure in heaven more than on earth Jesus told us to not worry but to trust a loving father in heaven Jesus told us not to be judgmental or hypocritical Jesus told us to beware of false prophets and I could go on and on now when I give just that that that partial list to you how do you measure up well some things you go yeah I'm good on that other things go I haven't done that at all this is one thing I want you to know when we think about the foundation to build upon the foundation is not your doing the foundation is or trusting in the one who is the chief foundation cornerstone Jesus Christ Himself the rock to build upon is Jesus if you walk away from the saying okay great I'll do and save myself you missed the whole point of what Jesus is talking about here he's the foundation he's the rock you see no one can read the Sermon on the Mount without the sense that they have not they will not and they will never completely do what Jesus tells us to do and even if we do it in a general sense which we all should the revelation of the kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount drives us again and again as needy sinners upon our Savior let me put it to you this way the Sermon on the Mount shows us the need for the mount of Calvary where Jesus died let one mountain lead you to the other mountain we see in the Sermon on the Mount how Jesus tells us to live and we say yes Lord I really want to live that way but then it drives us to the Mount of Calvary where Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins to pay for our failure to not do this but ladies gentlemen it's before you and I you're just gonna hear the word are you gonna do it he's just gonna hear nice messages are you gonna do it a fear that any pastor has for his people is that the people become a sermon appreciation society now that may be flattering to the pastor but it's not good for the kingdom of God and it's not good for your soul lord help us to do your word not merely to hear now let's take a look at the final and third choice indicated by our text verses 28 and 29 it says this 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 notice this first of all it says that Jesus them as one having Authority and not as the scribes those who listen to Jesus as he taught the Sermon on the Mount they couldn't help but notice that there was something authoritative as he brought forth God's Word it wasn't just human speculation human ideas but there was something divine in this this was a message from God this had the authority of God himself you see the ancient rabbis they spoke by Authority but Jesus spoke with authority the authority of God's revealed word now listen in Jesus's day it was not unusual to have a rabbi who traveled around with a group of disciples and taught people that was very normal there were many rabbis in Jesus's day doing that but when they compared Jesus to all the other guys who were doing that thing they said I don't know what those guys are teaching but this man teaches with authority we notice it and it astonishes us ladies and gentleman I think we need to understand that if we will teach and receive the Word of God correctly we will be astonished at its authority I want you to know how I regard myself I really don't regard myself as any smarter or wiser than the average person in our congregation if you were to ask me about politics or economics or cultural things apart from what God's Word reveals I don't think my opinions anymore of important than your opinion but I'll tell you this when I speak from the Word of God when I speak from the Bible itself I feel bold as a lion I feel like I have apostolic Authority because this is the Word of God I'd never regard myself as an apostle but this is the writing of the apostles and the prophets for us this is God's Word and this has Authority and when I deliver it faithfully unto you I feel that authority of God's very own word now Jesus amen to that indeed listen Jesus Jesus not only being one who could speak the Word of God but go God Himself can you imagine the authority that Jesus talked with what you get here as I teach is you get hopefully when it works right you get the Word of God through the personality of David guzik for whatever that's worth but could you imagine what it would be like to get the Word of God through the personality of Jesus Christ himself what authority that would be now Jesus taught with that authority and it says there the people were astonished at his teachings that they said we see the authority what are we going to do with it and that's my challenge that's my choice to you today what are you gonna have be the authority in your life you have an authority in your life maybe it's a news channel that's the authority in your life maybe it's a social media feed and the opinion of your friends maybe you let all that you around you that sets the authority of your life maybe the authority of your life is and I don't say this to insult anybody but I got to talk to you honestly maybe the authority of your life is your own heart you need a better authority than your own heart your own thort heart fart fart you don't know how grateful that I didn't pronounce an F right there your own heart has its own ignorance is its own weaknesses its own failings lazy and don't trust your own heart no know what you need to do is you need to let Jesus Christ be the authority of your life the man the god man Jesus Christ and Jesus communicates his heart his will his mind to you through his word that's what you can take as the expression of the heart and the mind and the will of Jesus this needs to be your authority and my authority and by the way I never mind it when somebody uses the Word of God as authority towards me Pastor David you said this but the scriptures say that what's up with that anybody has any right to do that because I'm not the authority you're not the authority this the heart and mind of Jesus Christ as it's expressed in and through his revealed word this is the authority so the people were astonished and I suppose it's a good thing to have astonished people if people can be astonished at the word and the message of God that's a good thing but you know what it has to go beyond astonished I imagine somebody listening to Jesus on that hillside up by the Sea of Galilee and they listen to them and there's I never heard anything like that man that blew my mind this is amazing and then they walk away and an hour later they forget it all what good did that astonishment do for them please general my my earnest desire here is not to astonish you it it's not to make you leave here saying oh this the most amazing thing ever wow that's wonderful because you know what what good would it be is if you genuinely thought that and then on the way out to your car in the parking lot you forgot all about it but to bring God's Word before people so they can understand and hear and and believe that's life change that's impact it goes beyond astonishment to real change of life how does it change come well Jesus left you with three choices you can choose your relationship with him is it going to be true errs are gonna be superficial you can choose the foundation of your life are you gonna really hear and do God's Word are you just gonna hear it and you can choose your authority are you gonna make up the own authority or choose one from people around you or is the authority of your life going to be God as he's revealed it in your word god loves you and can I use this phrase respects you enough to give you the choice now you may be flattered by that and there's some room for you to be flattered but God loves me and respects me enough to give me that choice let me give you the downside of it you having that choice means that you have that responsibility what are you gonna say before Jesus on the day of judgment you're not gonna say that you never heard you're gonna have to say Jesus I heard it plainly I either accepted it and did it or I rejected it and did not do it it would be pastoral malpractice if I did not speak to you now and offer anyone here this morning who needs to make that choice if I did not offer it to you to make that choice the worship team is gonna come on out now and in a few moments we're gonna sing a song and during that song I'm gonna give an invitation and in that invitation I'm gonna invite people simply to come up and to stand here in front of the platform to declare their faith in Jesus and their choice to build their life on the route right foundation their choice to make a real relationship with God and not just a superficial one their choice to say I want Jesus to be the authority of my life and nothing else it's not going to happen by accident God gives you the privilege and the responsibility to choose and I'm just a messenger of that choice here this morning so I'm gonna pray then after that prayer I'm gonna give an invitation as we sing together with the responsibilities you have with this choice how could you choose poorly how could you fall into the deception to say I don't have to choose now I can choose later you gotta choose don't let another hour go by fooling yourself that you're undecided father we thank you for the glory of the Sermon on the Mount we thank you for King Jesus who told us how to be citizens of his kingdom the Lord were stirred by the end of this message were stirred by the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells us we got to choose an Lord um we're grateful that you give us the choice but we tremble at the responsibility of it lord I pray that you would help people now to choose you that if there's even one person here this morning who hasn't made that choice or if there's one person here who's made it in the past but they've fallen so far away from it Lord they just know they got to do it all over again lord I pray that you give them the courage to choose Jesus right here right now do it Lord in our midst we pray Jesus [Music] you

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 3,752

Rating: 4.8709679 out of 5

Keywords: sermon on the mount, david guzik, guzik, matthew, gospel of matthew, matthew 7, kingdom, seek ye first his kingdom, enduring word

Id: z3u89wy5ZUw

Length: 32min 32sec (1952 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 01 2019