The Sermon on the Mount: Building Godly Character for a Life Built on the Rock

This year, I had the privilege of walking through the Sermon on the Mount with a 17-week series I titled “Godly Character.” Together, we unpacked the words of Jesus that challenge, convict, and transform. Week after week, we’ve asked ourselves, “Are we being conformed into the image of Christ, or are we merely playing a role?”

The series culminated in a sobering reminder: Beware of false prophets. These are not just old-fashioned villains from ancient times. They are alive today, shape-shifting to fit our culture, using platforms like YouTube, blogs, and social media to draw you in. Some promise doom and gloom; others offer prosperity and success. But are they calling you to follow Christ, or are they calling you to follow them?

The Lord taught us that we would recognize these false prophets by their fruits. “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16-20).

We must ask ourselves: Are the voices we follow producing good, godly fruit in our lives, or are they leading us astray?

It’s a question I’ve posed to myself throughout this journey: "Am I truly following Christ, or have I become distracted by the noise?" The culture around us, with its many false teachers, offers endless paths that appear spiritual but ultimately lead us away from the true, transformative power of the Gospel.

The Narrow Road

Jesus didn’t mince words. He reminded us that “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. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).

It’s not enough to perform religious works—casting out demons, prophesying, or doing mighty miracles—if we’re not intimately known by Jesus. He must know us, and we must live in obedience to Him.

The contrast is clear: mere words, even good works, are worthless without the will of God behind them. It's a sobering thought—how many will be terrified when they hear, "I never knew you"?

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Jesus closed His sermon with the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The wise build their house on the rock—obedience to Jesus’ words—while the foolish build on the sand. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).

This is where the rubber meets the road. What have we been building our lives on this year? Have we been storing up treasures in heaven, trusting in God's provision (Matthew 6:19-21), or chasing worldly success, clicks and likes, followers and fame?

Have we been hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matthew 5:6), or have we been seeking satisfaction from the fleeting pleasures of this world?

A Call to Obedience

Throughout this series, we’ve been challenged to live counter-culturally, to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We’ve been called to live out the Beatitudes—humility, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking (Matthew 5:3-12)—and to love our enemies, give in secret, and pray privately (Matthew 5:43-48; Matthew 6:1-6). These are the marks of someone building on the rock, someone being conformed into the image of Christ.

The world has enough false prophets, self-help gurus, and spiritual celebrities offering quick fixes and shallow solutions. But Jesus calls us to something far deeper, far more eternal. He calls us to live for Him, to bear fruit that lasts, and to build our lives on His words.

As I look back over this series, I’m reminded that the choice is always before us: sand or rock? Life or destruction? Obedience or mere words? My prayer is that we, as a church, the ekklesia, will continue to choose the rock, to stand firm in our faith, and to follow Christ wherever He leads, even when the storms come.

Because they will come.

And when they do, only those who have built their lives on the solid foundation of Christ will stand.

Pastor Niel