Built on a Rock

 

Built on the Rock

At the close of the The Gospel of Matthew Sermon on the Mount, Jesus leaves His listeners with a powerful challenge. In Matthew 7:24–29, He compares two builders—one wise and one foolish. Both men hear His words, but only one obeys them.

The wise man built his house on the rock. When the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds beat against the house, it stood firm because its foundation was secure. The foolish man, however, built on sand. He may have worked hard and built something that looked strong on the outside, but when the storm came, everything collapsed.

Jesus makes it clear that the difference was not hearing His teachings. Both builders heard the same words. The difference was obedience. One applied the truth; the other ignored it.

This is the final challenge Jesus gives after teaching about anger, forgiveness, prayer, purity, love for enemies, generosity, judging others, and true righteousness. Hearing truth is not enough. Agreeing with truth is not enough. Even admiring Jesus’ teachings is not enough. A life built on Christ must actually obey Him.

Storms will come to every life. Trials, temptations, disappointments, suffering, and uncertainty are unavoidable. The question is not whether storms will come, but what foundation we are standing on when they arrive. A foundation built on feelings, culture, popularity, wealth, or self-reliance will eventually crumble. Only a life rooted in Jesus Christ and His Word can endure.

Jesus also taught with authority unlike the religious leaders of His day. The crowds recognized that His words carried truth and power because He was not merely sharing opinions—He was revealing the very heart of God. His message demanded a response.

Today, Christ still calls us to build wisely. Every decision, habit, and priority is like laying another brick in the foundation of our lives. When we trust His Word, obey Him faithfully, and remain close to Him daily, we build on the Rock that cannot be shaken.

Prayer:
Father, help me not only to hear Your Word but to obey it. Build my life on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ so that when trials come, my faith will remain strong. Teach me to trust You, follow You faithfully, and live according to Your truth each day. Amen.

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Knowing About Jesus or Knowing Jesus?

 

Knowing About Jesus or Knowing Jesus?

In the The Gospel of Matthew Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes a sobering statement: not everyone who calls Him “Lord” truly belongs to Him. Some people know the right words, attend church, study the Bible, and even appear religious on the outside, yet their hearts remain distant from God. Jesus teaches that a real relationship with Him is shown through obedience, surrender, and a transformed life.

Knowledge of God is important. Scripture repeatedly calls us to learn truth and reject deception. But knowledge alone is not enough. A person can know Bible verses without allowing those verses to shape their character. They can understand doctrine without developing love, humility, forgiveness, or faithfulness. God never intended truth to remain only in our minds; He wants it to change our hearts and direct our lives.

Jesus is not looking for empty religion or outward performance. He desires a genuine relationship. When we truly know Him, our choices begin to change. We grow more compassionate, more obedient, more honest, and more dependent on Him. Our walk with God becomes more than information—it becomes transformation.

The warning in Matthew 7:21 is also an invitation. Christ invites us to move beyond merely knowing about Him and into daily fellowship with Him. The goal of Christianity is not simply to collect biblical facts but to become people who love God deeply and reflect His character in the world around us.

Today is a good time to ask: Has my knowledge of God changed the way I live? Am I growing closer to Jesus, or am I only familiar with Him? True faith is not just heard with the ears; it is lived with the heart.

Prayer:
Lord, help me not to settle for knowing about You while remaining distant from You. Let Your truth transform my heart, my actions, and my relationships. Teach me to walk closely with You each day and to do Your will with sincerity and love. Amen.

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Knowing and Doing

 Sabbath School

Growing in a Relationship with God 

Sin, the Gospel, and the Law 

Lesson 9 - Thursday 

Hearing and Doing the Words of Jesus

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most powerful teachings ever given. In it, Jesus spoke about anger, lust, forgiveness, love for enemies, prayer, worry, judging others, and true righteousness. But as He came to the end of the sermon, He did not simply leave His listeners with inspiring ideas. He gave them a serious and deeply personal challenge.

In Matthew 7:21–29, Jesus makes it clear that hearing truth is not enough. What matters is whether we truly surrender to Him and live according to His words.

Jesus begins with a sobering warning:

“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” (Matthew 7:21).

These are some of the most startling words in Scripture. Jesus describes people who appear outwardly religious. They call Him “Lord.” Some even perform miracles and do mighty works in His name. Yet Jesus says to them:

“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).

Notice the issue was not that they lacked religious activity. The problem was that they lacked a genuine relationship with Christ and lives transformed by obedience. They knew about Jesus, but they did not truly know Him.

This is an important warning for every believer. Christianity is not merely attending church, knowing Bible verses, defending doctrines, or appearing spiritual before others. A person can be deeply involved in religious things while still resisting God in the heart.

Jesus is calling His followers to authenticity.

The Christian life is not about perfection, but it is about surrender. Real faith produces change. When Christ lives within a person, there will be evidence—not to earn salvation, but because salvation changes the heart.

Jesus then illustrates this truth with the parable of the wise and foolish builders.

“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Both builders heard the words of Jesus. Both built houses. Both experienced storms. But only one house stood firm. Why? Because one builder acted upon Christ’s words while the other merely listened.

The storms represent the trials of life, temptations, suffering, disappointment, and ultimately the final judgment. Sooner or later, every foundation is tested. Popularity cannot save us. Emotions cannot save us. Religious appearances cannot save us. Only a life anchored in Christ can endure.

The foolish builder likely thought the rock foundation was unnecessary work. Sand is easier. Faster. More comfortable. But convenience is a terrible foundation for eternity.

Many people today want the blessings of Christianity without the surrender that comes with following Christ. They admire Jesus as a teacher but resist Him as Lord. They want inspiration without repentance, grace without transformation, and heaven without obedience.

Jesus lovingly warns us that such faith cannot stand when the storms come.

The wise builder, however, digs deep. He builds on the rock even when it costs more time, effort, and sacrifice. That rock is Christ Himself and the truth of His Word. A believer who daily trusts Christ, studies His teachings, prays, repents, forgives others, and obeys God through faith is building on solid ground.

This does not mean the wise builder never struggles. Storms still come to faithful Christians. They face sickness, loss, temptation, doubt, and persecution just like everyone else. But because their lives are rooted in Christ, they are not destroyed.

At the end of the chapter, the crowds are astonished because Jesus taught “as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). Jesus was not merely giving advice or philosophy. He was speaking as the Son of God who has authority over eternity itself.

That same authority confronts us today with a decision.

Will we simply admire the teachings of Jesus, or will we build our lives upon them?

The Sermon on the Mount is not meant to be read casually and forgotten. It is an invitation to a completely different way of living—a life of humility, purity, forgiveness, trust, mercy, and wholehearted obedience to God.

The challenge Jesus leaves us with is simple but life-changing: hearing is not enough. We must respond.

A person who truly belongs to Christ does not merely say “Lord” with their lips. They surrender to Him with their life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the words of Jesus and the truth He taught with such love and authority. Forgive us for the times we have heard Your Word without truly applying it to our lives. Help us not to settle for outward religion or empty profession, but to build our lives firmly upon Christ, the solid Rock. Give us hearts that obey You out of faith and love. Strengthen us when storms come, and keep us rooted in Your truth. Teach us to follow Jesus sincerely, not just with our words, but with our actions and our character. May our lives reflect that we truly know You.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Love Beyond Retaliation

 

Love Beyond Retaliation

Text: Matthew 5:38–48

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes us deep into the heart of God’s law, showing us that righteousness is not just about outward obedience, but about inward transformation. Today, we come to one of the most challenging teachings in all of Scripture: how to respond when wronged. Jesus addresses the famous principle, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

The Original Meaning of the Retaliation Law

In Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21, God gave Israel the law of retaliation, or lex talionis. At first glance, it sounds harsh, but in its original context it was actually merciful. It was designed to limit revenge. Without this law, retaliation could escalate—one injury leading to a feud, and a feud leading to bloodshed. This principle made justice proportional. If someone knocked out a tooth, you could not take their life. It was a safeguard for fairness.

How Jesus Interprets the Law

But in Matthew 5, Jesus says something shocking:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

What is Jesus doing here? He is not abolishing the law of Moses, but fulfilling it (Matthew 5:17). He is showing that God’s true intention is not to create a people obsessed with strict justice, but a people marked by grace, mercy, and love.

The problem in Jesus’ day was that people had taken this principle, originally meant for courtrooms and judges, and applied it to personal relationships. Instead of seeking justice through proper authority, individuals used it to justify personal revenge. Jesus corrects this by teaching His disciples that personal vengeance has no place in the kingdom of God.

What This Means for Us Today

This teaching confronts us directly, because human nature still craves revenge. If someone insults us, our instinct is to insult back. If someone hurts us, we want to hurt them worse. But Jesus calls us to live differently.

1. Responding with Grace Instead of Retaliation
   Jesus gives practical illustrations: turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, giving your cloak. These examples teach us not to be controlled by a spirit of retaliation but by a spirit of generosity.

2. Loving Our Enemies
   Jesus goes even further: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44). This is radical love—the kind that reflects the very heart of God. When we love those who hate us, we show that we are children of our Father in heaven.

3. The Call to Perfection
   Jesus ends with these words: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48). Here, “perfect” means complete or mature in love. God’s love extends to the just and unjust alike. He sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. Our calling is to mirror that same love to all people, even those who mistreat us.

Practical Application

• At work: When someone gossips about you, instead of plotting to get even, pray for them.

• In family life: When tempers flare, respond with gentleness rather than harsh words.

• In society: Instead of fueling cycles of hatred, Christians are called to be peacemakers, breaking the chain of retaliation through forgiveness.

How About Us?

The law of retaliation was never meant to promote personal vengeance; it was meant to restrain it. Jesus reveals that the ultimate fulfillment of that law is not in measured justice, but in unmeasured love. To follow Christ is to choose the harder path—to forgive when wronged, to bless when cursed, to love even when hated.

This is not weakness—it is strength. It is the strength of the cross, where Jesus, though reviled, did not retaliate, but prayed, “Father, forgive them.” And it is by His Spirit that we, too, can live as children of our Father in heaven, perfect in love.