Sermon on the Mount Series: Matthew 7:13-29

Wonderful atmosphere of God's presence to go into his word and certainly thank everyone for taking the time to be in God's house. Um on a somewhat humorous note, I got a little nervous when Amber mentioned last Wednesday that I'd be teaching. I thought, uh oh, there goes the attendance. But you came back, so thank you. I do appreciate that. And somehow, uh we're wrapping up the series on the sermon on the mount. Somehow I ended up with two lessons. When the original plan was gamed out, I only had one, but something happened. I think maybe when the missionary came last month, it changed the schedule and I ended up with another one. So if you're upset about that, talk to your pastor after church. But tonight does wrap up this series. And I suppose if you've endured it, you're feeling one way toward the end of it. If you've enjoyed it, you're feeling another way. I for one have very much enjoyed it. I think I mentioned that when I had my first goround in July. uh these three chapters of Matthew 5,6 and 7. I first became acquainted with them because of Bible quizzing 1976. We quizzed on the book that year and found those chapters fascinating then as a teenager and uh they have continued to speak to me all through these years. And so we're glad to be able to get involved in it these last several weeks and to wrap it up tonight. Uh last week we did enter chapter seven of the three chapters comprising the sermon on the mount and you heard some insights on the important subject of judgment. First verse saying judge not that you be not judged. And if you missed that you certainly could pick it up by watching again or um talking to others that did if they had some notes. But tonight we're going to pick up in chapter 7 with verse 13 and finish up the chapter together. God willing. I guess that's my cue to get my clock out here. We should be fine. Uh let me at the outset as I did a few weeks ago offer my sources for studying here. I did use the book Meet Your King by Warren Wearsby. Meet your king. Um and then the Sermon on the Mount by Amy Jill Lavine. And I did take advantage of the Bible project uh podcasts. They were mentioned I think man you kicked this off in May. I think the last Wednesday of May. They were mentioned and I did listen to them uh quite extensively. the ones that affected the areas I would be teaching and gleaned a lot from them. And then for this lesson, I also added John Maxwell's leadership bible just a little bit from it. Uh the UPCI's apostolic study bible. And last but not least, I got my hands on a copy of the kingdom exception by our own Dennis Carden. And uh that helped me for the study of this lesson. So I will not likely slow down and cite my source all throughout this just for the sake of letting things flow. And so if I say something and you're wondering where on earth did he get that, I'll be happy to talk to you afterward, but I probably won't cite every source, but that's generally um where I glean from. So verse 13, let's get started. Enter by the narrow gate. This is chapter 7:13. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. 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. Generally speaking these two ways or roads if you will are representing heaven and hell or salvation and condemnation. Weby cite him on this. He says that we must not judge spiritual profession by statistics because the majority is not always correct. The scripture says wide is the gate broad is the way that leads to destruction. So the fact that quote unquote everybody is doing it doesn't mean that it's right or that they're doing it right. uh the wide gate just by its definition and the broadway accommodates all kinds of things and under the heading of religion all kinds of teachings all kinds of beliefs and philosophies and so forth. I guess uh that's where the little saying could come from about the the wide gate, the Broadway that all roads lead to heaven. And the idea with that little statement is you choose your pathway, I'll choose my pathway. Well, we'll all get there eventually. But universal acceptance isn't found in the narrow way as you read the scripture. Uh consequently, I think it's few that find it for that reason. Uh the narrow gate is an entry point and Jesus proclaimed uh he uses a little different analogy here in John chapter 10:9. He says,"I am the door, but it's the same idea. I'm the entryway. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved." A bold statement yet true. If you want to be saved, Jesus is your answer. Jesus is your savior. And then of course John 14:6, he said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes under the father except by me. Again, I'm the only means of salvation. And Jesus is exclusively that path as the apostle proclaimed Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." And Jesus, Hebrews tells us, is the author and the finisher of our faith. And so, he's the entry point. He's the only way for us to be saved. And he's telling us that the uh gate is narrow. The pathway is difficult and it that leads to life, and few there be that find it. And as far as the few finding it, if you consider it, uh God's people have typically been a remnant, especially in the Old Testament as you read about his people, uh a small minority in the world. And per perhaps it's because the way to life is narrow and can be difficult. It requires us to give up some things. Uh here's what Jesus said in Matthew's gospel a little later, chapter 10, verse 38. and he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. And then in Matthew 16:24, Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." And so from those two passages as well as this narrow gate and difficult way, we recognize that sacrifice and surrender are a part of following Jesus Christ. When we are first experiencing salvation, it's on the basis of our repentance, which is a sense of dying or sacrifice or surrendering and then certainly to experience his salvation. uh there is some sacrifice along the way and that's likely why if not the exclusive reason why uh the majority take the easier pass path of pleasing themselves. They don't want to sacrifice. They don't want to surrender and so they take the the broad path. But remember uh from our lesson a few weeks ago on chapter 5, Jesus taught a greater righteousness in these three chapters and uh he used some case studies that I had the privilege of bringing to you uh that one Wednesday night. use some case studies to show a superior way of doing God's will. And just to take one example, Jesus's extended teaching in Matthew 5 there uh you he said, you've heard it said, love your neighbor, hate your enemies. But I say unto you that you love your enemies. And so just that very instruction to love your enemies uh is that narrow pathway or even a difficult pathway. That's what he instructs his fathers to do. you know, hating your enemies. Uh, that's that's the Broadway if you ask me. That just comes naturally, right? Enemies. Well, yeah, you better believe I hate my enemies. And it's just natural and and that broad path. But it is the narrow way or difficult way that calls on us to love our enemies. And in that Wednesday night lesson, I even uh gave the example of having recently been at the DAO concentration camp, which I said, is Tim Price here, by the way, in the darkness. I said it was outside Berlin. I knew better. It's outside Munich. He was so kind to point that out. Just kidding. Just kidding. You were right. Outside Munich and uh I having a little light moment there, but a very serious situation. I noted to you that those prisoners I I put what I was learning about what they suffered in the context of Jesus standing in front of them saying, "Love your enemies." And that's mind-boggling. How on earth you talk about a narrow gate, a a difficult pathway. Love your enemies. love those that are beating you and and starving you and working you in that just to use that one particular example. So it is a narrow pathway uh that we are called on and suffice it to say the higher righteousness taught by Jesus isn't popular. Uh it isn't welcome to our carnal nature but it and it can be correctly described as the narrow pathway. And if anyone uh hearing about all that uh would find that unappealing, I like to use an Old Testament situation as a little example. From my reading uh when the Old Testament tabernacle was traveling through the wilderness being set up place to place, uh to look at that from the outside, it wasn't much. It was badger skins dyed red and other animal hides and just an average ordinary looking tent. Nothing to really catch your eye in terms of beauty. But the real beauty was on the inside. That's where you found the altar of incense and the table of showbread. And behind the veil was the ark of the covenant. The real beauty was inside. And I see a direct parallel to this Christian life from the outside looking in. Yeah, it might look restrictive. It might look confining. It might look I don't I don't want to go down that path. Too many rules for me. And uh but once you taste and see for yourself that the Lord is good as God invites us all to do, then you get on the inside and you realize, whoa, yeah, I've given up a few things, but I've got joy unspeakable and full of glory. I've got peace that passes understanding, life and that more abundantly. There's just blessing after blessing, benefit after benefit that comes when you walk with Jesus Christ. So the real beauty is inside. And you find that what I do give up, uh, what I do turn my back on, what I do sacrifice, it's worth it to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and certainly to have the hope of everlasting life. And so, if it sounds unappealing, this narrow pathway, you recognize tonight that it's when you're on the inside, that's where the real beauty is discovered. And I'm glad that God has allowed us as individuals here tonight to find that narrow pathway. Then going on verse 15, uh we kind of get back to the subject of judging here a little bit uh from last week. 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 fruit, good tree cannot bear bad fruit. This was tough when I was back in quizzing, too, trying to memorize all this. 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. So, at the outset, when you hear see that word beware, it's really just saying pay attention. uh take heed listen to what I am saying and everything in nature we know this uh produces after its kind and it's also true Jesus is telling us in the spiritual realm you produce after your kind so good fruit uh comes from a good tree or a good life good character but good fruit isn't always obvious is it because as Jesus is telling us in this passage the outward appearance of false prophets seems to show they're in Christ. From the outside looking in, they they seem like they're uh part of the body, but their actions say otherwise. The fruit that they produce. They preach, to put it one way, but don't practice. And at times, false prophets do sway people by substituting charisma for obedience to scripture. Or they might give a lot of promises, but no real concrete actions. But when you inspect or scrutinize their lives, uh that's when you find false prophets aren't producing or acting in accordance with the scripture. And that's the real key or the real test because you've got to use God's word as a gauge. So, uh if you're hearing a message, yes, listen to it. A prophecy, a proclamation, a dream maybe that's shared, I don't know. Listen to the message. But you do have the authority to question it. uh you have the authority to to listen uh with a a critical ear to make sure it lines up with the Bible because that's the gauge even uh I'll say this even uh with messages in tongues and interpretation that we are blessed to hear we according to scripture are supposed to judge if if those if something is said whoa it doesn't line up with the Bible uh we're not obligated to that the Bible is our gauge the Bible is our guide so you don't throw out all your judgment or good common sense uh in walking with Jesus Christ. But you in the end you just have to consider what are they producing because evil will not end up in good. Evil will not produce good. Jesus says it plainly. I've just read it for you. And so the gauge is God's word is God's will being followed by this person or this group. Is his instruction being obeyed. And Jesus uh talks of recognizing the truth by the fruit of a tree. And so you've got to look at the trajectory of somebody's life. If they're proclaiming something to you, you know, if someone walks up to me and says, you know, thus sayeth the Lord, move to uh Florida or something, which might not be a bad deal, right? No, I'm kidding. Uh but, you know, I'm just not going to, you know, maybe you question my faith or something, but I'm going to I want to know something about who's talking to me. I want to find out a little bit about their background, the fruit of their lives. And so, uh, that's what Jesus is getting at here. How they act over a long period of time tells the most reliable truth about their life and ministry. Now, here's the catch. We all know that sometimes you don't have that luxury, do you? You hear a messenger one time, you hear a teacher one time, you hear a a prophecy or a proclamation one time, and and you really don't have the time for lengthy observation. To me, that's when you need to remind yourself, I don't know a lot about this person. I'm hearing it and I don't want to, you know, lack faith and and say God's not speaking to me, but I I I don't know a lot about this person and I I need to keep that in mind about the teacher in question or the counselor or the advice that's being given to me. And so, I would just say this, can you find out through other people about the individual? Can you learn uh through other sources about them or can you just give it time? I will say this and this isn't foolproof but I think it is a it's worth noting that one of the benefits of an organization such as United Pentecostal Church is that most most well all ministers are vetted. Now granted some to use the analogy here there are some bad apples that can show up in the bunch but uh they are vetted by going through an organization and there's lots of leadership levels and and approval level layers uh that are given. So, and that is a blessing, at least in my mind. I don't mind admitting it or saying it, I should say, but uh you can try to find out a little bit about them. So, the whole point is the fruit of their life. And even though you might not have some time in an instant to do that, if you can give it time or if you can find other people or sources or your pastor to talk to, I think that would be advantageous. So, as much as you can, you want to watch the pattern of your lives because good trees will produce good fruit. That's what Jesus said. And so, what does their fruit lead to? You know, it's not just as simple as performing a miracle or declaring a prophecy. You can do that. But what's the long pattern of their lives? That's the question. That's what really what Jesus is getting at here. What's the long pattern of their lives for the confidence level to be there? So, uh, that wraps up that little portion. And then, uh, verse 21 and through 23. Let me read that to you. Not everyone, this is an interesting passage. I found going back to my quizzing this was kind of puzzling to me as a teenager. 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. And as you see, this is from the New King James Version. I think iniquity is in the King James if you're more familiar with that. Obedience to God's will, these few verses are telling us, is the true test of faith and fellowship with Jesus Christ. Miracles can be performed, prophecy can be declared, but he's saying, "Are you doing the will of my father which is in heaven?" That's the test. Obedience to God's will. False prophets, they tend to proclaim the the broad path, the easy way. But we've got to recognize it's not words, but actions that count. It's obedience to the will of the father that we are given. And of course, where is the will of God found for us? In scripture, the Bible, that's God's authority. That's our supreme court, if you will. There's no higher appeal than the written word. That's what we have to go by. That's where you find the will of God revealed. And good deeds can be done in the name of Jesus. But if a person isn't following the stated will of God or the Bible and its instructions, Jesus is saying there really isn't a relationship. I don't know you if you're not doing the will of the father. And there is a leadership of glam and glitter just to put that one way. Uh that impresses people. But Jesus is looking for people who live in accordance with his will. That's what these few verses are telling us. So if we don't enter the straight gate, if we don't walk the the narrow or difficult way and diligently stay on it, uh we can end up with the many uh that Jesus talked about who don't have a biblical relationship with God. In other words, uh they don't do the will of my father in heaven as Jesus stated it. We can end up that way. So it's very vital that we enter in that straight gate and walk that narrow way because those are the ones following scripture that have the relationship with him. We could be involved in good religious and spiritual activities, but we have to be doing his will according to what it says there in verse 21. He said, "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." And when they protested, saying they' done all these good deeds, he said, he declared to them, "Depart from me. I do not know you." In Matthew 24, I'm trying to for the most part stay in the Gospel of Matthew just because we're studying the sermon on the mount from it, but in Matthew 24, Jesus, I won't read these verses, but he talks about false prophets and messiahs and said they are those that produce great wonders and signs. And notice this, to lead astray, even the elect if possible. So in that, you can look it up in the 24th chapter there of Matthew, he's saying that they are are engaged in signs and wonders for the purpose of trying to lead people astray away from what? The Bible, the scripture, uh the will of the father. And so we must recognize that Paul, he expressed a a godly jealousy to the Corinthian church. And I'm going to share these verses with you. Uh his jealousy was this. He was so concerned that after coming and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ that somebody else would come along and try to sway them from it. And so he was expressing to them uh a jealousy over this apostolic doctrine. And he was afraid that they might be led astray by false teachers. And and here's what he had to say in 2 Corinthians uh 11 uh verses three uh and down a couple uh verse three. But I fear less somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness. If you're not familiar with that Garden of Eden episode, uh, Satan came with in the form of the serpent, which was the most subtle of all the beasts of the field, God had made. And, uh, through trickery, he beguiled Eve into taking of that tree that God said, "Do not eat." And so, he's using that comparison. He's saying in the same way that the serpent deceived Eve and got her to to think, "Ah, it's not going to hurt if you eat of that fruit." you know, God, he just doesn't want you to be like him and and you, you know, go ahead and eat it. It's not going to hurt you. He tricked her into doing that. And Paul is saying this that through craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. He was so worried that somebody else was going to come along much like the serpent did with Eve and just ah come on it. You don't have to be so strict about that point. You don't have to be so narrow-minded about uh steps of salvation or whatever it might be, whatever teaching might come along. He said, "For he who pre comes preaching another Jesus whom we have not preached or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it." That was his he wasn't saying they weren't necessarily going to but he said, "I'm worried that it could happen." That was his uh as a heart of a pastor, that was his concern. That was his fear to them. And so the point we glean from that is it can happen to us and we need to be wary and on our guard. And then Peter the apostle also addressed the subject of false teachers in second Peter chapter 1 and verse 20. He said above all you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man. But men spoke from God as they were carried along or moved upon by the Holy Spirit. And then remember uh chapter divisions weren't in the original writings. And so it kind of goes on in the next chapter, chapter 2 and verse one. He says, "But there were also false prophets among the people just as there will be false teachers among you." So the apostle Peter is saying it's going to happen. They will secretly in introduce destructive heresies even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them and their destruction has not been sleeping. And so again, here uh we are called on to remain true to God's word and to be wary and be on guard knowing that there will be false teachers. It's told to us in the Bible. And so, we just need to not be afraid of that, but just be wary, just be alert, just be listening, and know that there are guides and gauges for us when it comes to judging them. And that's my next point here. Uh there is opportunity for us to test prophets, I'll just use that word, or teachers, uh counselors, whatever you want to call them. Um in Deuteronomy chapter 13, here's one test. And I don't have these in front of me. I may have to read these from the screen if I can. uh testing a prophet uh is talked about here in in Deuteronomy 13:1. It says if there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign of the wonder comes to pass. So in other words what he declared it happens of which he spoke to you saying but here's the catch. Let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Verse four, you shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice. You shall serve him and hold fast to him. And then the fifth verse. But that prophet or of that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he hath spoken. He has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. So here is a test of a prophet or a teacher. uh what he declares might come to pass. But if it's pulling you away from the one true God, if it's pulling you away from the truth that's in Jesus Christ, that he's the way, the truth, and the life, uh then even though that might have come to pass, you said in that case, the Old Testament, they put the guy to death. Uh we don't go that far. But the idea is don't put up with it. Uh be, you know, walk away and don't feel any obligation toward it even though a sign or a wonder came to pass. And that might wow you or amaze you. But if they're in the end pulling you away from God and his word, uh they're not anyone you should listen to is what that says. That's the test. You can use that test. And then in 1 John 4:1, uh John the Apostle wrote, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits." So we do have authority for this, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And I look at that as saying anybody that's teaching something besides one God uh revealed in Jesus Christ uh is someone that uh you can ignore someone that you can realize is not teaching the truth if that's not the basis of their teaching. And then one more test. This goes back to Deuteronomy. I call this the duh test. uh the obvious one, but it's worth noting. Deuteronomy 18 and verse 20 says, "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name uh which I have not commanded him to speak or who spake in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." And here verse 21 is the crux of it. And if you say in your heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. That's where I get the idea of duh for you. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him. So the other test is if there's a prophecy, a proclamation, and it doesn't come to pass, well, obviously they weren't a true prophet. Uh that's a test that we can also use from scripture. So again, back to Matthew 7:23, Jesus said,"Then will I declare to them,"I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness." So he was telling them, "Go away." Uh you act as if there's no Torah or no law of the Old Testament or what you do is contrary to it. Uh the word there is actually anti-law literally, but we think of it as lawlessness. He's saying you're you're acting as if the law doesn't even exist in relationship to me. And so he's saying if we don't uh he's saying that he doesn't know those who practice lawlessness, anti-law, in other words, those who do not heed its teachings, that's who he condemns, those that deny them. So that's what that little short passage of three verses is talking about there. It's the idea of having a a relationship with him based on the will of the father in heaven or the Bible. Verse 24, uh coming to a close here, a wrap-up at least. Uh, therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his h built his house on a rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it did not fail, for it was founded upon the rock. And then verse 26, but everyone who hears these sayings of mine. Now remember, he's at the end of the sermon on the mount as we know it, uh, coming to his close, saying, if you hear these sayings of mine and don't do them, you'll be as a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat on that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. So this was the conclusion of the sermon. And when Jesus says uh these sayings of mine, uh he he makes his words what he's been teaching the solid foundation for life. He said, "If you hear these words of mine and practice them, do them, incorporate them into your lifestyle, it's going to be a life built on me and my teachings, and that'll end in your salvation. That'll result in your safety." Uh this passage is really closely aligned with a passage we find in the book of James instructing us, I think a lot of you are familiar with it, to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Let me quickly read it to you. James chapter 1 and verse 22. James says, "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. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, which is a description of God's word, and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the one will be blessed in what he does. So, uh, James is saying much the same as what Jesus is wrapping up his sermon on the mount with. If you will hear the word and do it, practice it, live it out, uh it's going to bring blessing in your life and you're going to be safe and protected to use the analogy, you'll be like a house built on a firm foundation. And when everything comes crashing in, uh it's not going to destroy you. So obedience to God, that's the sure foundation uh for our living. Uh to hear the word of God and not heed them provides an unsure foundation. Conversely, uh if we don't listen or we hear it and don't listen or don't do it, it provides a very unsure foundations which causes you to crumble. But the key is build your life on God's word. And I I can't go into all these little examples, but I was trying to think of some uh if you'll build your life on the principles of scripture, then uh when various life circumstances come along, and they do, don't they? Or curves in life come, you're going to find stability. You know, if you're if you're confronted with doctrinal error, uh if you find yourself with illness or a family illness or a betrayal or a loss of a job or loss of a loved one, uh a broken relationship, whatever curve might be throwing you in life, if you're built on the scripture, if your life is founded on the principles of it, uh we we're going to all face it just like anybody else, but we're going to have a firm foundation that'll keep us because of God's word in our lives. And so it's so vital and such a blessing too that we not only hear the word of God but do it and it will provide a strong stable foundation in the storms of life. Just to use this analogy that Jesus has when the rains descend, the floods come and the winds blow. If you are founded on God's word, your life is going to stand. Doesn't mean it won't hurt. Doesn't mean it won't be uncomfortable. Doesn't mean you wouldn't like to get out from under it or get out of the storm. But you can make it. You can survive. you can be kept secure and safe when it's all said and done because it's going to come even the one on the foolish the foolish man same things came to him but his house crumbled because he didn't have the type of foundation needed so yeah it's not pleasant when uh life goes sour on us and things go ary it's not fun it's not enjoyable I'm not for one split second suggesting that but I am saying if you're founded on Jesus Christ and his word you can stand you can survive you can remain secure and end up ultimately saved. And then verse 28, uh, and so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings. And someone's thinking that would be so nice, brother Reaver, if you would do that, too. And I'm about done. Calm down. Calm down. Uh, and so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching. Now, that won't be true of me. I know. For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. If you recall one more time back in chapter five when Jesus shared those six Old Testament teachings or uh we called them case studies I believe uh he started out by saying you have heard and then he cited uh the passage from the Old Testament or at least a teaching that the Old Testament had given to the Jewish people. He said, "You have heard this." But then he followed that quotation or reference with this, "But I say unto you." And with that phrase, "But I say unto you," Jesus was giving a contrast of his authority. He he was giving that. Now, prophets typically when they have a pronouncement or a prophecy, they will preface it by saying, "Thus says the Lord." But Jesus didn't do that, did he? And when a rabbi or a teacher is teaching, they're doing so on the authority of the oral or written word of God. Uh when I teach, I don't stand up here and say, "This is the way it is because I say it." No, I said this is what the Bible says and we need to pay attention to that because I'm just a messenger. I'm just a a teacher of it. But Jesus, he didn't claim to speak on anyone's behalf. He was saying, "These are my words. This is what I'm saying to you. This is the way it is." And it's very important that we recognize it. It didn't mean that the Old Testament was wrong or the Torah, the law, but rather Jesus was expanding. Remember we talked about that expanding or extending the teaching uh to get to matters of the heart or motivations and that. And he was claiming to be the author of it all. He was claiming to be the Lord of it all. And he was claiming to be the true interpreter of it all. I can't do that tonight. I just have to point you to God's word. But he could stand there and say, "This is me talking. this is my word. This is what I'm saying. And you you there's no other authority, no appeal to it. And I will uh give credit to this uh quote because I loved it in brother Carden's book. He said, "When Jesus spoke, it was if he owned the words." I love that. And he not only seemed that way, he did own them. They were his. He was speaking the word of life to these individuals. And that was the kind of authority that astonished the hearers. It wasn't just like, "Well, that's a preacher up there appealing to God's word and telling us what it says." He was saying this is what I say. I'm the authority. I'm the one telling you how to live. I'm the one telling you how you need to interpret this. And that's what astonished them. That's what left them open mouth thinking, whoa, what kind of authority is this? And so it was very very eyeopening for the people then and I trust for us as well. So in summary uh of our subjects, we talked a little bit about the biatitudes in this portion uh salt and light. How that we are both to this world. Uh we did those case studies that I mentioned giving extended or expansive meanings to Old Testament teachings. Uh correct motives in spiritual disciplines and ministry. Uh talked about treasures in heaven. Last week was judging and being judged. And then of course tonight the two roads, two trees, and two houses. And I'll just say this, this is just my two cents here. I Nathan speak and not the Lord or the pastor. But uh if you are not in your own mind and heart finished with this uh topic of the sermon on the mount and maybe even missed some lessons uh I would encourage you don't feel like you have to stop reading or studying. You can watch and rewatch lessons that are archived for you. You can read study further and and I don't get any commission for this but you could even get on Amazon and buy Brother Carden's book, The Kingdom Exception. That's exceedd exception. Uh, unless you want to give me a commission, I can, you know, I'm kidding. But, uh, you could. So, my point is, you don't have to stop looking into this sermon on the mount just because we're officially coming to a close, but you can do more reading and study, and there's all kinds of books and resources out there uh, to help you because it's just fascinating and so helpful if we hear it and do it, if we listen to it and apply it to our lives. And so, may God add his blessing to this study here that wraps up tonight. And I don't know, pastor may even want to put a capstone on this or not, but I'm going to invite you to stand and just pray. Uh, and in that prayer, offer yourself to the Lord. Uh, that he will allow his word to be stamped upon your heart. The scripture says, receive with meekness the engrafted or implanted word which is able to save your soul. So meekness without fighting or fussing or pushing it away. Just just accept it as it is and let it save your soul. So let's pray to that end together. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your word which is vital to our existence. We thank you for the insights of it, how it helps us live day by day. And we're praying that you would help us as individuals and as a church family to have open minds, open hearts to your word, your truth, not just this portion only, but all of God's counsel. Help us to have this outlook and to live out these things until you come back for us. I pray your particular blessing upon each one here and their bless their hunger for your word and let it oh Lord continue to be satisfied as they study and read and pray and look to you for answers and these things we pray in Jesus name and everyone said amen. Amen.