5. Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 424.
The Certainty of Judgement
continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast." James 1:22, a familiar verse, says, "Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." First John 2:3 – 4 says, "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep his commandments." Titus 1:15 – 16 says, "Those who are defiled and unbelieving . . . profess to know God but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed."
All those passages teach that genuine believers receive Christ and continue in Him. They hear His Word and do it. They know His commandments and they keep them. They do not claim to know God yet deny Him with their deeds. The validation of salvation is a life of obedience. It is the only possible proof that a person really knows Jesus Christ. If one does not obey Christ as a pattern of life, then professing to know Him is an empty verbal exercise.
Think for a moment about this: One man built his house the quick and easy way, while the other built the hard way. Building on sand requires no preparation. You do not have to dig. You do not have to prepare. You just slap it up. It is a short-cut, bringing quick results but not lasting ones.
Much of modern evangelism is building on the sand. It allows no time for conviction of sin, no opportunity for deep repentance, no chance to understand why we must come to grips with the reality of our lostness, and no occasion for the Holy Spirit to work. The bandwagon is moving, and if you want to jump on, you had better do it. Arthur Pink wrote, "There are some who say they are saved before they have any feeling sense that they are lost."5 Multitudes who name the name of Jesus have foolishly built on the shallow, shifting sand of hearing but not obeying (cf. Matt. 7:26). The contemporary brand of Chris tian ity has become superficial, tolerant of people who have not dug deep and put in the right foundation.
Jesus said a wise man does not build a tower without counting the cost (Luke 14:28). He is willing to dig deep, he has thought out the responsibility, he understands what he is committing to, and he wants to do it right. This is the man who hears and obeys (Matt. 7:24).
The day of judgment is coming. That is what the wind, rain, and flood (vv. 25, 27) speak of. God is sending the storm of judgment. Some will stand, and some will fall. Those who stand are true believers; those who fall are those who never really believed at all. The difference will be seen in whether obedience followed the hearing, whether a life of righ teous ness followed the profession of faith.
This illustration is marvelously consistent with the warning of verses 21 – 23. In both cases, the test of true faith is whether or not it produces obedience.
5. Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 424.
Jesus Explains His Gospel
Thus Jesus' Sermon on the Mount ends with a devastating warning of judgment: "and great was its fall" (v. 27). It is a warning of doom, characteristic of Jesus' preaching, but again, markedly different from the trend of contemporary evangelism. The gospel according to Jesus clearly calls for a radical difference — not merely a new opinion, but a response of full commitment.
What was the result of the sermon? A great revival? Thousands of conversions? No. If anyone repented, it is not mentioned. Verses 28 – 29 tell us, "The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes."
All they did was analyze Jesus' style! Exactly what He had counseled them not to do. They were "amazed." The Greek word literally means they were "struck out of their senses." In the vernacular of today, we would say the sermon blew their minds. This was not a negative reaction; in fact, many today might interpret it as a saving response. After all, these people admitted they had never heard such wisdom, never seen such depth, never understood such rich truth. No one had ever issued such fearful warnings about hell. And certainly no one had ever confronted the religious leaders like that! Jesus spoke with such boldness! He did not quote other rabbis, but He stood on His own authority. He touched every dimension of human life in an economy of words that was breathtaking. Never had such profound insight been expressed in a single, powerful message. The crowds thought He was wonderful.
But it was not a saving response; they had already started building on the sand. There was no repentance, no expression of obedience — only analysis.
And that's where it ends. It cannot end there for a true believer. One with genuine faith cannot hear the Lord's words and walk away without acting on them. The faithful will be more than shocked, more than amazed, more than admiring — they will be obedient. They are building a structure on solid rock.