Parables, The Foundation, Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 (ESV)

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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.”

This parable stands at the end of the most famous sermon in history, a sermon we call the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon begins in Matthew 5. Matthew 5:1–2 (ESV), “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:”

The words that Jesus is referring to at the beginning of the parable are the words he has just delivered to them while sitting on the mountain. And, the words of this sermon are consistent with everything that He has ever said, going all the way back to when he said “Let there be light!” That’s right, Jesus was present at creation… in fact, Jesus is the Word by which the world was made!

John 1:10 (ESV)

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 1:2 (ESV)

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

So, it is right for us to believe that Jesus is telling us that if we do what He has said in the sermon on the mount we will like a wise man.

It is also true that if we do what He has said from the beginning of time we will be a wise man.

So, it’s a truth for all times and all peoples that wisdom is knowing and doing what God wants. And, God has told us what he wants.

What did Jesus say in the sermon on the mount? Well, we spent about 20 weeks preaching through Matthew 5-7 back in the summer of 2020. You are welcome to go back and listen to them if you want, they are all online on our website, Facebook, and I think YouTube.

To help summarize what all Jesus has said let me offer the following as a summary of context and content:

The Pharisees and religious leaders misunderstood who belongs in God’s kingdom, their relationship with the world, and what it takes to be righteous. Jesus teaches us the kind of character you find in His people and the blessing that are promised to them. (Matthew 5:2-16) In Matthew 5:17-48 Jesus teaches that he is the goal and the fulfillment of the law. Jesus takes time to walk through how deep the law goes and how apart from Him there is no hope that anyone will keep it perfectly. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:1-17 about prayer, fasting, hypocrisy. He is teaching in this moment about true discipleships and how they go about relating to God and depending on him. In Matthew 6:19-34 Jesus teaches that we can only have one master. He tells us that you cannot serve God and any other, he even mentions money… and He makes sure that we know that only God is worthy of our lives. Matthew 7 brings the sermon to a close, and Jesus finishes by aiming our attention to our relationship with one another. Where the Pharisees were judging themselves according to how they related to one another, Jesus teaches us what we call the Golden Rule, that we should treat other people the way that we want to be treated. This last section tells us that we are judge ourselves by the same standard we judge others, to always be praying, and that way of salvation is the narrow way… not the wide and broad road that so many were teaching.

The parable at the end of the sermon drives home the point that you are either following Him, or you are following false teaching. What that means is that you are either building your life on a foundation of lessons, ideas, and philosophies that don’t hold up in the end; or you are building your life on the truth of who Jesus, what Jesus says, and what Jesus has done… and if you do that, then in the end you will receive the promises that God has given to all of those who are His.

Matthew 7:13–23 (ESV) provides a closer context to understand where Jesus is going with the parable.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

When Jesus compares those who hear and obey with those who hear and ignore he intends fo the weight of these three illustrations to be present.

Entrance into God’s kingdom is narrow and hard, and anyone who tells you that the way is easy and wide is a false teacher. Those who are in God’s kingdom will bear fruit consistent with the life and teaching of Jesus, and they will do this by the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Entrance into the kingdom is about Jesus knowing you. Just because you say you belong to the Lord and are doing things for the Lord it doesn’t mean that the Lord knows you. Matthew 5:2-16 teaches us what those who know the Lord are like. And everyone who believes that eternity is built on what they have done, misunderstands the gospel and the point Jesus is consistently making.

Which is where this incredible little parable comes into play to drive the point home.

In this parable there are two people, two houses, and two foundations.

Read back through the parable

From all appearances there is no visible difference between the two men and their homes.

Think of it in relation to Matthew 7:21-23… You have two people standing before the Lord on the final day of judgment.

Both built houses, or you might say that both did the things God said to do. And yet, in Matthew 7:21 Jesus said that only those who do the will of the Father in heaven will enter the kingdom.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:23 that even though the houses can look the same, the men who built them are very different, one is considered lawless and the other is considered to have done the will of God.

According to the parable in our verses for today, the difference is found in the foundation… and the foundation is established at the beginning.

Let me take you back to Matthew 5:2-12… here we find the heart and character of those who build their lives on the foundation of Jesus.

According to Matthew 5:2-12, the will of the Father is seen in those who:

… are poor in spirit

… who mourn

… are meek

… who hunger and thirst for righteousness

… are merciful

… are pure in heart

… are peacemakers

… are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

… are reviled, persecuted, have evil things said about them, and blatant lies told about them.

Those who are like this, receive:

… the kingdom of heaven

… comfort

… they inherit the earth

… satisfaction

… mercy

… they will see God

… they are called sons of God

… a great reward!

The foundation is determined by the presence of faith in Jesus

What I mean is that based on all that Jesus has said, you will either build your life trusting and depending on him, or you will build your life trusting and depending on what you can do. So, the two men are very different in their hearts and minds, even though they both build homes… and it is the foundation that matters, and faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation that withstands the rain, floods, and wind.

The wise man builds his house on the foundation of faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and the foolish man builds his house on the foundation of trust in his own actions.

The foolish man hears the word of Christ, and never trusts or depends on the work of Christ. When he stands before God, he points to all that he has done for God as the basis for his entrance into the kingdom. The foolish man points to all that he has done and all that he plans to do while he is still living. The wise man hears the word of Christ responds with repentance and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. When the wise man stands before God, he points to what Jesus Christ did and who Jesus Christ is as the basis for his entrance into the kingdom.

There are ways to apply this truth in an ongoing manner in your relationship with the Lord:

Ongoing life-application

Foolishness hears the Word and ignores it

It’s not just that its foolish to build your life by depending on your self. It’s also foolish every time you hear what the Word says and ignore it. Ignoring it means that even though you know what God wants, you continue in the wrong direction and believe that you know better.

Psalm 53:1 (ESV)

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Ignoring what God says is the practical equivalent to believing that there is no God…

Wisdom hears the Word and obeys it.

The person who establishes their life on Jesus, should also be the person who lives the rest of his life based on what God has said.

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

One of the greatest obstacles we face is the pressure of the world around us. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV) we see the way the world looks at faith. “18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The world calls it foolish to trust the Lord and not yourself. The world calls it foolish to have self-control and follow the Bible. The world calls it foolish to believe there is more to life than what we can see?

The world calls us fools when we hear the Word and do it… but God calls us wise.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

As we close today, we are going to do this a little different. Before we sing I want us to take a minute with some music playing to consider the following questions that will be on the screen. You will have a few minutes of uninterrupted space to think about them. Then we will stand to sing and if you want to talk and pray with one of our team members we are here for you.

On screens… wait 30 seconds and then click to the next one: (I will explain in the morning)

Which man are you?

Wise Foolish

Which man do you want to be?

Wise Foolish

What needs to change in your day to day life for you to be wise?

Pray and spend time in the Word Learn to think about my decisions as either wise or foolish Trust God enough to live differently than the world around me.