This concludes our study of the Sermon on the Mount, and there will be a two week interruption in

these weekly bible studies. I am sending this from Brazil where I have the privilege of visiting the
Colegio Batista in Belo Horizonte. It was here that my father grew up with five brothers, one sister,
and his missionary parents. In 1918, his father, Otis Maddox, started a number of churches and
founded this school which has thrived for all these years and now includes a college and a seminary.
My father, Samuel Maddox, was the first student enrolled at the school at three years of age.
Katy and I will be there for a special celebration of the school. My father, now with the Lord,
would have been one hundred years old on Wednesday, February 25 th. I have the honor of speaking
at the school, and will tell a number of stories about my dad. When he was twelve years old, he
accompanied his father, Otis Maddox, on a trip into the interior of Brazil. Otis became ill and was
unable to speak at the meeting. Dad convinced his father to allow him to take his place and
believed he could tell the story of the prodigal son, which he had heard preached many times. My
grandfather felt he had no choice, and allowed his young son to do so. As a result, a number of
adults trusted Christ. My father knew at that moment that God had called him to preach the gospel,
and so he spent his life doing so. I will also share my dads experience of travelling to the states for
the first time as a seventeen year old. He had more experiences of sharing the Good News of Jesus
Christ, and seeing men twice his age respond to the Gospel. I am honored to represent my dad, but
most importantly want to honor God by what I say. I would greatly appreciate your prayer as I
address students and faculty at this wonderful school.

Sermon on the Mount Review and Summary

Matthew 7
Just as Jesus had reinterpreted the law (5:21-48) and had challenged superficial and
hypocritical spirituality in common religious practices (6:1-18), so He clarifies our role of
confrontation and judgment
Jesus warns do not judge, or you too will be judged (7:1), for the position of making
ultimate judgment belongs to God He is the one lawgiver and judge (James 4:12)
We do not condemn, but we constructively confront brothers and sisters who need correction
But this correction comes after self-examination (first take the speck out of your own eye
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye (7:5)
Confrontation is to be made with discernment, otherwise you give dogs what is sacred
and you will throw pearls to pigs (7:6)
It is sin to judge others as an act of condemnation, but our duty to reprove them
Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock (7:7) reassuring us that our heavenly Father
desires to give good gifts to His children, just as earthly fathers desire to give to their
children
He tells us to enter the narrow gate and to take the narrow road which leads to life ,
though most choose the wide gate and broad road which leads to destruction (7:13-14)
Following Christ is neither popular nor easy, and we are to are to beware of false prophets
who encourage this wide gate and broad road as we examine the fruit of those proclaiming a
false message (7:15)

 In this context, Jesus gives the sobering warning that not everyone who says to Me, Lord,
Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father
(7:21)
After warning of us a false gospel (the wide gate and broad way), of false teachers (those
who come to you in sheeps clothing), of false disciples (not everyone who says to Me,
Lord, Lord), Jesus concludes with a story of two houses and two foundations (7:24-27)
Jesus teaches that the wise man who built his house on the rock is the one who hears
these words of Mine and puts them into practice (7:24), and the foolish man is the one
who hears these words of Mine but does not put them into practice (7:26)
The difference between the two builders is not in the hearing of the words of Jesus both the
wise man and the foolish man heard these words but the wise man heard and obeyed (Jas
1:22)
Just as the narrow way leads to life and the broad road to destruction, so the house built on
the rock will stand and the house built on the shifting sand of human wisdom will fall with
a great crash (7:27)
Those listening were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had
authority (7:28-29) this refreshing authenticity of the kingdom life was not only what
Jesus taught, but demonstrated in action by His life
The content of the Sermon on the Mount reflects life in the kingdom of God, and Jesus
demonstrated the beatitudes and the re-interpretations of the law in contrast to the present
day teachers of the law
To live in accordance with this teaching is impossible through mere human effort, but with
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ-follower, this transformation takes
place
Following the encounter with the rich young ruler and hearing of the difficulty of following
Christ, the discouraged disciples questioned Jesus about the impossibility of experiencing
the kingdom of God His answer: with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)
Living out the truth of the Sermon on the Mount is humanly impossible, but the character
traits and the behavior taught gradually finds expression resulting from our faith-walk with
Christ living the Christian life is impossible without Christ