“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” — Matthew 7:24 (ESV)
After sixteen weeks of walking verse by verse through the greatest sermon ever preached, this Sunday we’ll hear Jesus’ final words in the Sermon on the Mount. If you’ve journeyed with us from Matthew 5 through 7, then you’ve already sensed the power and weight of Jesus’ words as He describes what it looks like to live under His rule and reign.
This week’s sermon will be the conclusion of our series, Kingdom Living: A Study of the Sermon on the Mount. And I don’t want you to miss it.
Why? Because this final section of Jesus’ sermon (Matthew 7:21–29) might be the most piercing of all. In it, Jesus warns of the danger of mere lip service and religious pretense. He contrasts true disciples who build their lives on His Word with those who settle for appearances—and end up with spiritual collapse. This is where the Sermon gets deeply personal. And it’s where Jesus gives both a sober warning and a loving invitation: Come to Me. Hear My words. Do them. Build your life on Me to stand through life’s storms.
Over the past four months, we’ve seen how the Sermon on the Mount turns worldly values upside down. We’ve learned what it means to be poor in spirit, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to love not only our neighbors but our enemies. We’ve been taught to pray for God’s kingdom to come and to seek first His righteousness. We’ve discovered that kingdom living means pursuing God’s approval rather than man’s praise, trusting God for provision, and walking the narrow path of obedience.
And perhaps most importantly, we’ve been reminded again and again that the Sermon on the Mount is not a checklist to earn our way into the kingdom—it’s a description of how those who belong to the kingdom should live.
As D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it: “We are not told in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Live like this and you will become Christian’; rather we are told, ‘Because you are Christian, live like this.’”
Jesus is calling us to a counter-cultural life that is radically shaped by His kingdom values. As John Stott described it, the Sermon is “the most complete description anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture.” And that culture is one of righteousness, peace, mercy, purity, and obedience—not powered by human strength, but by grace through faith in Christ.
Throughout the Sermon, Jesus teaches us about the kingdom’s blessings (Matt. 5:1–12), its righteousness (5:17–48), its priorities (6:1–34), and its pathway (7:13–29). It’s a comprehensive discipleship manual for every follower of Christ. And it climaxes with a call to action—to build our lives not just on hearing, but on doing the words of Jesus.
So this Sunday, July 13th, we’ll ask: How can we have real assurance of our place in God’s Kingdom? Jesus gives three answers in Matthew 7:21–29 that will help us examine the foundation of our faith and the fruit of our lives.
If you’ve been following along, don’t stop short of the final word. And if you’ve missed a few Sundays, this is a great time to jump back in. Jesus ends His sermon with power, clarity, and authority, and we all need to hear it.
Let’s finish strong together. Invite a friend. Bring a Bible. And come ready to respond to Jesus.
Sunday, July 13th
Final Message in the Kingdom Living Series:
“Assurance in the Kingdom” (Matthew 7:21–29)
See you then,
Pastor Gary