The Folly of the Fool and the Sermon on the Mount
by admin ~ December 10th, 2009
As a regular reader, you will know that we have spent many weeks now in our DSR covering the Sermon on the Mount. Great effort has been put forth to bring out the sublime teaching found therein. In this post we finish up our review of some of the conclusions we can draw from our Lord’s words.
We begin by noting that as our Lord taught the parable of the wise man building his house upon the rock, He also taught of the fool who built his house upon the sand, even saying,
“And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and the fall thereof was great.”
Now of whom does He speak these words? Is it not those who refuse to believe in Christ, even those who refuse to implement His law in their own lives? Indeed it is, for these are the ones who can never find peace in this world, let alone the next wherein they will meet a horrific end.
Consider the unbeliever (the fool according to Christ): He toils as hard as the wise man, doing all the work in this present life necessary to sustain and maintain his certain standard of living; but then, in the end, receives none of the rewards of a life well lived. What could be more foolish than this?
Why would one wish to toil without receiving the rewards thereof? And the rewards are clear, eternal life in the Heavenly realm!
But is it just the rewards in the next life which the Lord provides? No, not really, for in this life the Lord has promised us abundance in all that He knows we have need of, if we but seek first the Kingdom of God.
So the wise man, seeking first the Kingdom of God, receives with gratitude the blessings of his maker–a gentle and content heart receiving the tender mercies of a loving and caring God.
The fool, on the other hand, seeking first the things of the world, receives instead his gifts not with gratitude but with a prideful heart, insisting he has earned them–thus bringing upon himself the fearsome judgment of a righteous God.
So the one, receiving with gratitude and living in contentment, excels in both this life and the one to come; while the fool is in constant fright, always looking over his shoulder in this world for his enemy–too busy to even calculate the destruction awaiting him in the next.
Can you think of some rich and/or famous people who fall into this latter category? They might have riches galore, but no contentment. They may have the best houses, the best cars, the best of every material thing, but yet they seem always to be seeking the next best thing, never content with what they have. Christ calls such “fools.” Not because they can’t understand, but because they choose not to.
Well, as we proceed on into this season of Christmas, we remind you not to celebrate the birth of Christ as immature children able only to handle the milk of the word, but instead to celebrate the fullness of the Incarnation of the living God as men and women ready for the meat of God’s word. As you do, remember this parable of the the wise among us, and so too the foolish. You have all you need to build your house upon the rock–the precepts, laws and commandments of our Lord and God Jesus Christ–you need but make that free will choice to do so. Remember, by making such choice, you will bring down upon yourself the tender mercies of our gracious God Who wishes for us all that peace which passes all understanding.
That’s all for today. . . if you are already walking daily with us through the New Testament–we trust God is blessing your time in His Word. If you are not already enrolled, but you would like to be, you can join us by enrolling here: DSR Teaching Service. No matter your choice, please remember in the meantime to keep yourself in the Word!
And remember to speak God’s love into someone’s life today!
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(c) Copyright – Paul Rakowicz. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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