Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
It would serve us well to remember that all the things Jesus taught in the seventh chapter of Matthew, while He was still teaching in person, was addressed explicitly to a Jewish audience. However, since the "chosen" status, that had thus far been granted exclusively to the Jews, was soon (After Jesus completed His sacrificial ordeal and ascension.) to include the believing Gentiles also, it is safe to assume that these same rules would apply to anyone who might become a part of His Church. Including those of us who make up His Church today.
I said all that because much of what Jesus taught was aimed directly at the Jewish nation, and has no bearing on the Gentiles or those of us who are under the new law of grace through faith. We will confront some of this as we continue these lessons.
Now to get to the essence of today's lesson: Jesus said the lives (houses) of those who learn His gospel and obey it, will last forever. He goes on to say that the lives (houses) of those who learn His gospel and choose to ignore it, will ultimately fail.
Did Jesus demand therefore, that we live our lives to perfection and in absolute compliance with all the rules He laid out here in Matthew chapter seven? The answer is and emphatic and lour YES!!
You might ask; Does that not contradict the idea that grace alone saves? Don't your assertion establish that the works of man/woman will indeed be the determining factor that decides his/her eternal destiny? The answer to that question is an emphatic and loud NO!!
OK then, how do we make salvation by grace fit into what Jesus taught in Matthew seven? How can a person sin and still be perfect in the eyes of God? The answer is an easy one and is explicitly explained by the Apostle Paul in Romans 4:2-8, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
Paul addressed this issue with a reference to Abraham because it was NOT the fact that Abraham started to sacrifice his son that demonstrated his love for God, it WAS the fact that Abraham had enough FAITH in God to be willing to kill his own son knowing, that no matter what he did, God would make it right in the end. Therefore, for those of us who have faith in God, that faith accomplishes all the requirements that Jesus laid out in Matthew seven. That faith also "justifies" ANY action of which a believer might be found guilty.
Being a sinner, as I am, it is a great comfort to know that those sins I commit daily are JUSTIFIED by my faith in my Lord Jesus Christ, and that those sins will NOT be charged against my eternal soul, before God.~
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