^{By Jenna Walmer}

“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. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,  because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Matthew 7: 24-29

We have finished the Sermon on the Mount! Through this long process, we have learned about many topics. In his final section, Jesus suggests that his disciples should build “on the rock” by being hearing and responding disciple, not a fake one. He asks for their obedience, which provides a solid foundation for the disciples.

At the end of the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus compares the lives of these two men. First off, they have several points in common. They both are building houses, they both are listening to Jesus’ teachings, and they both are living under the same set of circumstances, the rain and the wind. However, the difference is the wise man listened to Jesus’ teaching and the foolish man did not. Circumstantially, their lives look similar; but, the structural and eternal differences are revealed through the storm.

Like a tower that is built out of cards, the fool’s life crumbles. Fools don’t realize they are headed for destruction. They just don’t think about life’s purpose. As believers, we are called to help the “fools” think about where they are headed with their life in correspondence with God’s call for them.

When you follow Jesus, you may not recognize the immediate differences, but they will affect your destiny.

How does your life reflect Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount?

Over the past six months, we have studied the entire Sermon on the Mount. We have learned Jesus’ thoughts about anger, lust, revenge, divorce, prayer, fasting, money, worry, and judgement. Jesus gave us insight on the way to heaven and how to be disciples of Jesus. He provided advice on how to love our enemies. He also teaches us how to be salt and the light. As we take Jesus’ teachings and continue to apply theme to our lives, let us be bold, step OUT of the crowd, show and share the light of Christ, explain our beliefs to others, embrace the needs of our brothers and sisters and build relationships with them, be a blessing of compassion to all of humanity, love radically, pray sincerely, live simply, and trust in the Lord. 

Jenna Walmer is from Lancaster County and is currently in 12th grade. In school, she loves to research historical events. If she were to live in a specific time period, she would want to be a hippie and live in the 60s or 70s. Her favorite past times are swimming and playing her trombone. If you want to know more about her random life, follow her on twitter: @jaymarie2100