It is rather obvious going through life that heeding warnings are important. When hiking through some rugged areas, one should obey the warning signs to stay on the specifically marked paths. One should certainly follow the warning signs about poisonous materials. And when people warn us about getting involved with some dangerous person, we should heed their warnings, as well. In our Scripture today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus gives us some warnings that would be wise to follow, along with the results of not heeding the warning.
Our Scripture verses come at the end of one of Jesus’ most well known messages, the Sermon on the Mount. As He concludes that important sermon, He gives two warnings - the first that true salvation is evidenced by obedience, not empty profession, and the second that one must not just hear God’s words, but also follow what they hear. As we will see, not everyone who claims Christ truly belongs to Christ.
In the first of these two warnings, Jesus confronted verbal profession of faith without true heart submission to God (vs. 21-23). There are plenty of people who go tossing the Name of Jesus around, they may wear a cross around their neck or a T-shirt with some religious saying and a Bible verse on it, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a genuine Christian. Calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough. Doing the will of the Father is the evidence of true conversion. Do they truly follow what the Bible says, or do they just pick out some favorite verses, and that is all? This is not supporting salvation by works. It is salvation evidenced by works (James 2:17-26). A person can be religious, and verbally orthodox, but still be lost.
These are one of the most serious and solemn verses in the Bible. Jesus says that there will be many who will be self-deceived, not just a few. They appeal to their own works, not to Jesus’ finished work on the Cross. And their works are impressive - preaching, casting out demons, and other miracles. However, that activity is not proof of their salvation. False converts often rely on what they did, rather than on what Jesus did.
Frequently they will preach an all-inclusive, non-condemning, watered-down gospel, where no mention of sin or need of repentance is ever mentioned. That may give no offense, but no souls are ever saved. Those who preach such a gospel will one day stand before Jesus and expect a reward, yet He will say for them to depart as He does not know them. This is the final verdict of Jesus on false professors. A person who lives in continual rebellion against God’s complete Word while claiming to be His follower is deceiving themselves.
The second warning that the Lord Jesus gave at the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount was about the wise builder versus the foolish one (vs. 24-27). Jesus described two different groups of people. The first are those who hear His Words and do them. They are the wise ones who build their house (life) upon the Rock of God. They don’t just merely hear the Scriptures, but they are obedient to God’s teachings therein.
The foolish person also hears God’s Word, but they do not obey it, or they pick and choose what they want to obey and what they won’t obey, saying that some parts are “problematic” for today’s world, or just don’t fit in with their lifestyle. Both houses experience storms, which symbolize the trials of life and temptations. One house stands, and the other falls. The difference is not the storm but the foundation. Judgment reveals the true nature of a person’s faith.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a famous tourist attraction. It was built on a mixture of clay, sand, and shells. As the tower was being built the ground shifted beneath the foundation. While we might like to see this tilting structure, we don’t want our own homes to slip and crumble. When building our life, we need to make sure our foundation is firm, made up of wisdom and faith in Jesus. We must listen to His Word, and then do what He asks of us. Our life’s foundation will be tested by storms. Will it stand up to the test? Have we chosen to build on a firm foundation? If our spiritual house is solidly based on Jesus and His Word, we can have complete confidence that no matter what happens, our souls are secure.
In closing, we learn from this Scripture passage that religious activity is not salvation. Neither is emotions or miracles salvation. Jesus Christ alone saves. Not all who profess faith actually possess faith. Reading and obeying Scripture, and repenting of sin helps us to build daily upon the Rock of the Lord Jesus. True believers obey the Lord. Trials will come. Temptations will come. Judgment will come. Only a life built upon Jesus Christ will endure.
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