Thursday November 24, 2022

Today is Thanksgiving Day and this week we complete our study of the Sermon on the Mount.

As I enter this time of prayer, I still my body, quiet my mind and slow my breathing. I close my eyes and relax in the presence of the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Holy and Loving God, I long for You to speak into my life and circumstances. Give me ears to listen and eyes to see the good message You have for me today as I study the holy scriptures. Amen.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2022, I praise God with a grateful heart and rejoice with the words of Psalm 102.

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. Psalm 102:25-27

Pause and Pray

In these last verses from Matthew chapter seven, Jesus comes to the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount. In the first century, the original sermon may have taken thirty minutes to preach out in the open fields near the rocky coastline of the Sea of Galilee. The words have been treasured for thousands of years. Generations have memorized the sayings, handed down the teachings and practiced the wisdom. In the eighteenth century, John Wesley wrote thirteen sermons on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Wesley required his traveling preachers to preach these sermons to the budding Methodist movement. Wesley believed it was essential for Christians to learn what Jesus said, not merely what people said about Him. Our church has been studying the Sermon on the Mount for over three months this fall, with twenty-six sermons preached between Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, multiple small groups studying the scripture and numerous faithful individuals daily praying verse by verse for new understanding and insights from the Lord Jesus Himself.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a strong exhortation to not only hear His words but put them into practice. Now that I have thoroughly refreshed my understanding of His teaching, I am challenged to live my life in this way. If I put his words into practice, I am considered wise. I am building my life on a foundation of rock. If I do not put His words into practice, I am considered foolish. I am building my life on a foundation of sand. The storms of life will come to me regardless as they come for everyone – the rains will fall, the floods will rise, the winds of circumstance will blow against me and my loved ones. Will the life that I am building stand strong or collapse?

Ask: What is the foundation upon which I am building my life? Have I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my unshakable rock and firm foundation or have I put my trust in something else?

Pause and Pray

Jesus, You are Lord of my life. Thank You for your timeless teaching preserved in the words of Matthew. I am grateful for the months of deep study of Your words in the Sermon on the Mount. I have heard Your words and now I choose to put them into practice. I want to build my life daily on the firm and trustworthy foundation that is You. I read Matthew again, listening for the message You have for me today.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I consider how the study of the Sermon on the Mount has changed me over the last three months. I reflect on the difference these timeless words of Jesus have made in my life today. How might I better put Christ’s words into action in my daily life? How might I more fully rely on the Holy Spirit to enable me to mature in my faith and grow in my service? How might God want me to shore up the foundation of my life and prepare me for the coming storms of the future?

Pause and Pray

Come Lord Jesus, open the scriptures to me, help me understand how I can grow in my faith and put into practice the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. As I complete this season of Real Christianity, I ask for the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit to move me on to maturity as I humbly realize I cannot do any of this in my own power. I am confident of what You are able to accomplish in me through Your power. Amen.

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Isaiah 28:16-17

I leave this time of prayer and go into a lost, broken and hurting world to put into practice the teachings of Jesus my Lord and Savior.

Amen