Christian Counter-Culture: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (John Stott) Part 13

This passage can be confusing, but Stott explains it well. I'll let him take you through it.

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"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father 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 deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"

Matthew 7.21-27 (NRSV)

Notes from my HarperCollins Study Bible

• The issue is obedience to God's will.

A Christian's commitment: the radical choice.

• Obedience vs disobedience.
• Unconditional commitment of mind, will, and life.
• Neutrality is impossible.
• Active practical obedience can't be replaced with words or knowledge.

The danger of a merely verbal profession.

• What we say to or about Christ isn't what matters; we have to act accordingly.
• Yes, we must proclaim Christ!
• In the parable:

1. They are polite.
2. They ascribe to Him His power and status.
3. They are enthusiastic!
4. They are being public about it.

• But they were not obedient to Him. Their morals were corrupt.
• Talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?
• Conversion = private.
  Baptism & confirmation = public.
• Services = public words. But when we are sent out into the world at the end, do we walk in obedience?

The danger of a merely intellectual knowledge.

• The foundation matters.
• The contrast is between Christians who do, who internalize what they hear, and those who hear and don't change anything.

The question is not whether we say nice, polite, orthodox, enthusiastic things to or about Jesus; nor whether we hear his words, listening, studying, pondering, and memorizing until our minds are stuffed with His teaching; but whether we do what we say and do what we know, in other words whether the lordship of Jesus which we profess is one of our life's major realities. (p.209)

• No, works ≠ salvation. You get that through faith and grace.
• However, if you really internalize the gospel, then you will obey Him and show your faith via your works.

The Bible is a dangerous book to read; the church is a dangerous society to join. (p.210)

• Doing these things grants us the responsibility of ensuring that we do what we say and know.
• It's not ethical rules but a set of values and ideals.
• Renounce secular culture in favour of Christian counter-culture.
• Dare to be different!

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The entirety of the Sermon on the Mount is about individual behaviours. Are we letting ourselves be changed by our faith, by our relationship with God, or do we "acknowledge Jesus with [our] lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by [our] lifestyle" (Brennan Manning)? There's a cost to living our faith in step with Christ, but given the eternal consequences why are we choosing anything else?

Some thoughts to ponder.

Peace & Blessings.