There's something important about how we finish the things we start, isn't there? The last thing we do is what people tend to remember, so generally we try to finish strong. Athletes know about the importance of a strong finish. Who doesn't like to kick it in across a finish line? It's similar for musicians and actors. The chill producing song is usually the last one in the program. And who here has not had an ending to a movie either make you totally love it or totally hate it? Even preachers like to finish strong when we can. We want to craft a conclusion that will remain in the hearts and minds of our congregants at least until we get another shot next week.
     Jesus' version of a strong finish is what we get in the Gospel for today as he concludes his great sermon in chapters 5-7 of Matthew. A sermon we have come to know as the Sermon on the Mount. He begins the sermon with the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Not a bad way to catch people's attention. Then he moves to the body, the meat of his sermon. It seems as if his teaching has no bounds as he moves from teaching about how to witness to how to practice your faith; from how to get along in community to how not to worry (like we talked about last week.) Finally, it's time for his conclusion. So, how does he wrap up a sermon of such proportion? What does he do to finish strong? First, he gives his hearers a challenge. And second, he paints a picture of two outcomes: what it looks like if we meet the challenge and what it looks like if we don't.
     The challenge is two-fold. It has to do with hearing Jesus' words and acting on them. For Jesus, these two things go together. You can't do one without the other. Hearing the word of God without putting it into action is dead faith. It is knowledge, but Jesus expects more from us than to simply be knowledgeable. He expects us to be wise. And what Jesus is telling us in his conclusion is that wisdom is knowledge in action. Wisdom is knowledge with arms - arms reaching out to our neighbor in love. Wisdom is knowledge with legs - legs walking around this neighborhood taking Jesus' teachings out to those who have not yet heard or experienced the depth of his grace. Wisdom is knowledge with heart - a heart yearning for justice and peace that the world cannot give, but God can. "Hear my words and act on them," Jesus challenges. Act on them not once, not twice, but all the time. Every day. Every chance you get. That is the recipe for wisdom.
     And wisdom is a good thing. Jesus makes this clear as he paints a picture contrasting the wise builder with the foolish builder. "Hear my words and act on them," Jesus says. Be wise, build your house on rock, and it will stand despite the storms that life inevitably brings. "Hear my words and act on them," Jesus says. But if you don't, if you build your house on sand, it might be OK for a while, but the storms that life inevitably brings will knock it down.
     Talk about a strong finish. Is there any question about what Jesus expected of his mountain congregation that day? Is there any question about where you will make every effort to build your house? Jesus is nothing if he is not clear. As his disciples, he tells us to hear his words and act on them. He lovingly commands us not to be satisfied with knowledge, but to seek wisdom by making what we do match what we have been taught. This is the rock-solid foundation on which we are to build our lives. We know what to do. But, there's one little problem.
     As clear as Jesus is, there are days that we're just not up for the challenge. It seems easier to just let our knowledge suffice. Wisdom is a bit overrated anyway, isn't it? As strong a finish as Jesus gives in this sermon on the mount, there are still days when we choose to act the fool. There are days when we build our house on the sand. My guess is that there's not a single person here who hasn't had your metaphorical house fall flat before your very eyes at least once. We can never do what Jesus is asking of us in this sermon to perfection. We'll get it right a lot. But, there will be times when we'll fall short. We won't be willing or able to act on his teachings. We'll build our house on the sand. The storms of life will knock us down. But, our actions, or inactions, do not have the last say. Jesus helps us finish strong.
     This isn't the only sermon that Jesus preached in his three year call on earth. In fact, this was only the beginning. At the end of his ministry, he preached the sermon to end all sermons. It was a sermon preached in action more than words. Its introduction drew us in right away. Jesus was abandoned by his closest followers and friends, arrested, questioned, accused and beaten. How's that for getting our attention?
     The body - the meat - of his sermon was almost infathomable to comprehend. Bearing the sins of the whole world, our shortcomings, he was nailed to a cross and died. Women cried, disciples hid in fear, hope seemed to be buried with him. The observers of this sermon all but gave up on any chance of a strong finish. But, Jesus did not disappoint. This was the greatest sermon he would ever give. His conclusion would be the strongest finish the world has ever known. God raised him. God raised him. And because of it, Jesus' strong finish becomes our own. Because he was raised, we will be raised. Because he is eternally with God, we will be eternally with God. Whether we're foolish or wise. No matter what we do or don't do.
"Hear my words and act on them," Jesus said. This is his message to you today. Hear his words and act on them. Not to gain salvation. Jesus has taken care of that for you already. Hear his words and act on them so you may become wise. Hear his words and act on them to help you weather life's storms. Hear his words and act on them so that your life may be founded on the rock. Your rock. Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.







Kid's Sermon

The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock, (3X)
And the rains came tumbling down!
The rains came down and the floods came up, (3X)
And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand, (3X)
And the rains came tumbling down!
The rains came down and the floods came up, (3X)
And the house on the sand went SPLAT!
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ, (3X)
and the Blessings will come down.
The blessings will come down as your prayers go up, (3X)
So build your house on the Lord!