Sermon On The Mount: Conclusion #1, Built On The Rock

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.

Matthew 7:24-25 (NKJV)

I like stories that are wrapped up neatly. But what if that wrap is tissue paper? A flimsy layer on top of the truth.

  • If the Good Book might be called a story, do God’s great stories ever really end?

  • Don’t they move on, like ripples in a pond or steps on a path into the unknown?

  • Aren’t everyone’s journeys, from birth to death, a trail of actions and consequences?

  • What if the stories of our lives on Earth are just pivot points, springboards, or prequels…

  • Setting up our course for eternity, as Jesus preached throughout His ministry?

  • What if the choices we make here and now matter infinitely more than we know?

God enlightens us! 'Unto you, it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God' (Mark 4:11).

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, we have two choices: each one with a different conclusion. Frankly, it's a life or death decision:

'I call Heaven and Earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live' (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Satan encourages us to believe we have many choices and lots of time, but he’s a liar.

Here's the truth: Every day we make many decisions, but each boils down to one of two choices:

  1. Seeking God’s will, which helps others AND US.

  2. Seeking our will, which harms others AND US.

Our spiritual lives are different. They grow choice-by-choice: to God… or away. It's that simple. 'But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ' (2 Corinthians 11:3).

So don’t be deceived. Build your story on Jesus Christ, The Rock! 

  • Follow the Master Planner, our Father. He speaks quietly--in a still, small Voice. Hear Him!

  • Follow the Master Builder, our Savior. He speaks boldly--in Words that transform us. Read Him!

Sermon On The Mount: Conclusion #1, Built On The Rock (Part 31)

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban