Two Foundations
Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
This is the final teaching in our series through the SotM
Jesus is now concluding everything he has had to say
And he leaves his audience with an enlightening illustration
Scripture Reading:
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 7:24–29 (CSB)
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
The Two Men
The Two Men
Jesus ends his sermon with this vivid picture
He has been hammering down two groups - there is no middle ground
People who store treasures on earth vs heaven
People full of darkness or light
People serving money or God
People that take the wide road to destruction vs the narrow difficult road to life
Bad trees with bad fruit vs Good trees with good fruit
People that say they know Jesus vs People that actually know Jesus
And now here we see a story about two men
ASK: What is the difference between these men?
Built on sand vs Rock
Heard doesn’t act vs heard and acts
I don’t want us to miss something super important here
In this sermon, Jesus is offering us great wisdom not just moral advice
He’s not just saying this is the right things to do so just do it
“Loving your enemy is the high ground so just do it”
Sometimes we see Jesus like this and it misses the whole point of following Jesus
We often forget that Jesus was the wisest man to ever live
He knew how to live a meaningful life
He knows how humans are meant to live
He’s not just saying these things just because they are the morally right things to do
He’s telling us these things because they are the best way we could ever live our lives
Listen to the imagery Jesus gives us:
Both men heard the words of Jesus but only one decides to do them
He is like a wise man building his house on a solid foundation
The second man decides to build his house on sand
He knows it’s not secure but he’s not thinking in the long run
He is foolish
Houses are a big investment of our time and resources
How much more are our lives?
What are you building your life on?
You have all heard the word of Jesus
You know how you should be living your life
You know the sin that you struggle with
You know the people in your life that you are called to love
Are you building your life on the foundation of Jesus’s teachings?
Sometimes we are unsure where our live is built
But what in the story reveals the foundation?
A storm
Storms in Our Life
Storms in Our Life
Storms in our lives often reveal where our foundations are and how strong they are
If your foundation is on being the top athlete, an injury could come your way and your life could come crashing down
1930s or 2008 stock market crash
If your foundation is a relationship you are in and you break up
Storms can be good things, because they show us where we place our hope and trust
And notice that the storm comes and batters both houses
We said this last week, but following Jesus does not mean a life free from problems and storms in our lives
But it does offer us a strong foundation
So that when (not if) a storm comes, our lives don’t collapse
So when we feel like a storm in our life is causing everything to crash down
We must ask ourselves: What foundation am I set on?
Why am I disappointed? What is my hope in?
I think a lot of time we turn this into an all or nothing storm
A storm that comes and wipes our whole life from underneath us
We may experience that a few times, but more regularly we have small mini-storms that come our way
Our lives aren’t necessarily one of the two men but probably somewhere in between
I hope that all of us in some form or another in this room have Jesus as the foundation of our life
But there are also other parts of our lives where Jesus is not the foundation
We are on part rock and part sand
And storms come and the parts of our lives crumble
Our lives (in the long span) is a constant cycle of storms coming and destroying our foundation and then us rebuilding it on Christ
Slowly, more and more of our lives are on the strong foundation
Storms come and we do not shake or collapse
And you don’t build a house overnight
This is a long process, our entire lives
The slow, day-by-day process of building our lives on Jesus
The Exhortation
The Exhortation
I think it is crazy how Jesus ends this sermon
This is one of the most amazing collections of Jesus’s teachings on how we relate to God and others
And he ends it abruptly with this story
This is a mic drop moment
Matthew 7:26–29 (CSB)
But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
This is serious
Later Paul picks up this metaphor of us as builders:
1 Corinthians 3:10–15 (CSB)
According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I want to leave you with the same question Jesus left his listeners with:
What are you building your life on?
Serious think about this:
What is my foundation, what is my goal in life?
Sports, Academics, Career, Family, Music, Art, etc.
Through the SotM, Jesus has been sharing with us what it means to live life like Jesus
How to enjoy and partake in the life of Jesus
Life of Jesus vs. Lifestyle of Jesus
Guys, it is so simple yet so difficult
It is a simple singular goal - following Jesus
But it looks different for each of us and often means doing things we don’t want to do/like to do
I know you all have some free time,
I want to encourage you all to reread the Sermon on the Mount sometime
It’s only 3 chapters and shouldn’t take very long
Ask God to show you what it means to follow Jesus in your circumstances
It might be regarding how to deal with lust or anger
It might be a calling to love those who hate us
It might be a deeper conviction to pray and give to those in need
Jesus has a plan for your life
And I don’t mean this in a cliche way
And I also don’t mean it in a trite way
(He has a good plan that entails no hardships or suffering)
He has a real plan, with ups and downs, with conflict and growth, filled with other people in community
He’s asking for your whole life
Matthew 6:33 (CSB)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Build your life on Jesus