A Lesson on the Sermon on the Mount

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Matthew 7:24

Family Devotion

Today friends we are going to read a real life, true story from the Bible in Matthew 7.  Today, we’re going to hear a parable.  A parable is just a fancy word for a lesson taught through the telling of a story.  Jesus taught by telling many stories.

But before we get into Jesus’ story, let’s set the stage, give some context.  Let’s back up to Matthew 5.

Here we find Jesus sitting on a hillside talking with his friends.  There were a lot of people that He knew, some of His close friends. And some folks He probably didn’t know yet. Most of which I’m sure became His new friends.

So as Jesus sat and began to chat with His old and new friends, He started to teach some very important things loud and clear for all to hear.  In fact, Matthew 5:2 ESV says “And he opened his mouth and taught them,”

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SIDE NOTE: I love what Charles Spurgeon says about how Jesus taught in this moment.

“It is not superfluous to say that ‘he opened his mouth, and taught them,’ for he had taught them often when his mouth was closed.”  -Charles Spurgeon

This is just a little reminder for all the parents, grandparents, and caregivers.  Your children WATCH you more than they HEAR you.  Like Jesus, make sure you’re teaching His ways in what you SAY and in what you DO.

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Back on the hillside, Jesus began to teach His friends.

• He told them that they should be humble and recognize that they are nothing without God.
• He said that they should desire His righteousness rather than the things of this world.
• He taught that it’s better to bring about peace than to be a troublemaker.
• Jesus even told them that being a Christian, serving God, would not be easy.  In fact, sometimes it would be very hard. But that they should rejoice and be glad when it gets hard.
• He said they should be light-givers, sharing His love through their words and actions.
• He warned against doing good just to please people and to get attention.
• Jesus even took time to teach them how to pray.
• He taught them what it looked like to be a citizen of His Kingdom.

Everything He taught seemed totally opposite of what the world teaches us. It even goes against our very human nature, what we feel as humans.  But what He taught was so special and so right and so true because He is God.

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In Matthew 7, as Jesus is wrapping up what we call the Sermon on the Mount, He said these words in verse 24-27.

²⁴ Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ And 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. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Whew! I don’t want my house to fall like that, do you? I don’t want it to fall at all!

Jesus taught us SOOO much.  His Words were, are, and always will be true.  They are so strong, so firm, so good, so true, so eternal that we could build a house on them.  Well, maybe not a house, but certainly our lives. When we build our lives on Jesus and His Word, it looks something like this…

• We are humble and recognize that we are nothing without God.
• We serve and help others.
• We seek God first before all the things in this world.
• We always strive to live at peace with everyone.
• And even though we know following Jesus is hard at times, we follow Him anyway because it’s worth it.
• We tell everyone about Jesus through what we say and what we do.
• We pray to our Heavenly Father with whom we have a real relationship asking for His way instead of our own.

Is it always easy to live this way?  NO!  Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy.  It goes against our very human nature. We must have the help of the Holy Spirit.  And when the storms come, storms that are scary and dark and loud and uncertain, we will be safe. We will not fall.

But what happens if we build our lives on the sand?  What happens if we hear God’s Word and DON’T DO what it says? Yes!  We will fall down in the storm.  In fact, Matthew 7:27 says, “Great was the fall of it.”

Now, I don’t think the foolish man meant to build his house on the sand.  I just don’t think he paid attention to the foundation of his life.  So it’s very important for us to pay attention to the foundation of our lives.  It’s important to pay attention to the principles, values, and people we build our lives on and around. It should always be Jesus and His Word. He is what keeps us safe through the storm.  So let’s build our house, our lives, on the Word of God, on Jesus Himself.

Family Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for your Word that is true and eternal.  We can count on Your Word! Help us to build our lives on Your Word. Helps us to live our lives for You!!! Open our ears to hear Your Word. Holy Spirit, give us the strength to DO Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Family Challenge

Parents, grandparents, and caregivers, use the following discussion questions to have an intentional conversation about The Sermon on the Mount with your children. Get outside: find a hillside, take a picnic to the park, etc., read this devotion to your family and ask these simple questions.

For the little ones, take them on a scavenger hunt for sticks, leaves, etc. before you sit down to the discussion. While you read the article and engage in meaningful conversation, challenge them to build a house using the materials they collected on your scavenger hunt.

1. Go through each bullet point of what Jesus taught on the hillside. Ask the kids what they think each of them mean.  Be ready to guide and correct their interpretations.
2. Review Matthew 7:24-27 allowing the kids to make up actions to some of the words. (IE rock, rain, flood, wind)
3. What does it mean to build our house on the sand? What are some examples of how people today hear God’s Word but don’t do what it says? What happens when we choose to hear God’s Word and not do what it says?
4. What does it mean to build our house on the rock? In our daily routines, what does it look like to build our lives on Jesus and His Word?