Holy Boldness

tell us the truth. The first one we should seek out is the Lord Himself. Ask the Lord to tell you the truth! Another prayer is found in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, O Lord and try me: Test my mind and my heart.” Such a prayer proves the sincerity of our hearts. But such a prayer demands a commitment to transparency and honesty. This is the fear of the Lord. Those who have it and cultivate it will not be caught by surprise. “God tells the man who cares.” (A. W. Tozer). “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7: 21) Obedience is not negotiable but is the door into the kingdom. This brings us to the final passage of the Sermon on the Mount and There are so many implications wrapped up in this final install ment of Jesus’ magisterial message. The last section of Sermon on the Mount is a parable of two men, one wise and one foolish. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Mat 7:24-27) The parable is simple and still profound. It is picturesque and the point of the story sits in plain sight. It is the kind of story that songs are made of and that children sing about. And yet, shockingly, there is a host of so-called Christians who denies the validity of the core message. The message of this short parable of Jesus that finishes and sums up His great sermon is that in the kingdom of God obedience is not voluntary but rather required. Two Builders/ Foolish and Wise

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