Matthew 6–7 finishes the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus teaches about doing good quietly instead of showing off. He teaches how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer, and to forgive others. He talks about treasures in heaven and trusting Heavenly Father like the birds and the lilies do. He teaches not to judge, and to ask, seek and knock. He gives the Golden Rule and says we’ll know people by their fruits. When He finished, the people were astonished. He taught “as one having authority,” in Matthew 7:28–29. He didn’t quote other teachers. He spoke as the Son of God.
The sermon ends with the wise and foolish builders, in Matthew 7:24–27. Notice two things kids often miss. First, BOTH builders heard Jesus’s words. The only difference was that one did them. Second, BOTH houses got the rain, floods and wind. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we never have storms. It means we’re still standing when they pass. The Book of Mormon teaches the same idea in Helaman 5:12. Build on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and the devil’s storms will have no power to drag us down.
Prayer is a big part of these chapters. Jesus taught us to pray sincerely, not to show off and not with empty repeated words. He also taught us to talk to our Father in private, in Matthew 6:5–13. Heavenly Father already knows what we need, in 6:8. And He still invites us to ask, seek and knock, in 7:7–11. Jesus compares Him to a loving dad who’d never hand his hungry child a stone instead of bread. Answers come in His way and His time, and they’re always good.
Your kids just made baptismal covenants, so the builder story is their story. They promised to follow Jesus. Every prayer, every kind choice and every “I forgive you” is another stone set on the Rock. Treasures in heaven, in 6:19–21, are the things that last forever. That’s a testimony, covenants, kindness, and the people we love.
