Two foundations

Matthew 7:24-29

a. The consequences of acting upon the words of Christ (7:24-25)

b. The consequences of not acting upon the words of Christ (7:26-29)

1. INTRODUCTION

a. The is the final section in the Sermon on the Mount. I hope it was as exciting and fun for you as it was for me. But this final section, as any movie, the ending is the most important. It’s no different than this last section. This last section helps us to understand the whole purpose of the Sermon on the Mount. What is the Sermon on the Mount about? It’s about our bankruptcy (파산). It details to us how we can’t earn our salvation and we don’t have the righteousness to get into Heaven.

b. Therefore, we need a righteousness (의로움) outside of ourselves. We need the righteousness of Jesus Christ so that we can enter into Heaven. But what must we do? We must believe He is Lord and Savior and act upon these truths. We can’t simply listen to His words. We must heed His words and act upon them. This is how Jesus concludes His message today. It is on the topic of authority (권위). Who’s authority are you living by?

c. With that said, I have two headings. First, the consequences of acting upon the words of Christ is found in 7:24-25. Secondly, the consequences of not acting upon the words of Christ (7:26-29).

2. BODY

a. The consequences of acting upon the words of Christ (7:24-25)

i. I really appreciate Jesus’s clarity in verse 24. Jesus really hits the nail on the head. He summarizes what he’s been saying up to now by stating in verse 24, that everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, this is what will happen.

ii. Jesus basically outlines if you listen to what I tell you and you act upon it, this is what will happen. He then outlines if you listen to my words and don’t choose to act upon them, then this is the result.

iii. This is the purpose of Jesus’s ending on the sermon on the Mount. This is the purpose of any sermon. What is the purpose of preaching? It is to move and persuade people to act upon the things that are preached. It is no different in Jesus’s sermons. Jesus is preaching and teaching that if you hear my words, what must you do? You must act upon them. It is not good enough to listen to the words of Jesus. Jesus makes it clear that you must act upon His teaching.

iv. It’s not simply hearing the words. Hearing the words and not acting upon is ultimately apathy and ignorance. When we listen to what someone says and don’t act upon those words, we are choosing to ignore what is said. Jesus makes it clear that if we hear His words and we accept Him as Lord, then we must put it into practice.

v. This is critically important. This idea that everyone who hears these words of Mine. Who’s words are we talking about here? It’s Jesus’s words. He’s been preaching and telling us this is what I want you to do. This is what I expect you to do. This is why you should do them. But you must understand who He is. Notice in 7:21-22. They call Him what? They call Him Lord. Is He your Lord? Is He the person that you submit to? If you hear these words of His and act upon them, then you will not fail. This is the promise. The wise man, the man who understands who God is and understands what He has accomplished on His behalf, this person will hear and act upon them. This is the wise person.

vi. So what is Jesus talking about here? He compares it to a wise man who built his house on a rock. We know here that this is a person who built his house on a cliff (절벽). He choose a place to build his house where it has a beautiful view. It’s a beautiful beach house by the shore and it has a fantastic view. It’s one of those homes in Malibu so you can get a picture of what kind of house it is.

vii. Not only this, he is a wise man. He is a man who planned everything and had an extensive plan of how he would build his home. He did the due diligence of seeking out the land and balancing out the land, working out the foundation and built his home upon that foundation. He leveled the ground, and not only that, but laid a strong cement foundation on the ground so that the house wouldn’t move.

viii. Verse 25, so when the rain fell, and not only the rain but it started to flood, and the winds blew against the home, it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock. This parable helps us understand that the rock, the foundation, held the house in place.

ix. A lot of people think that all we have to do is build a home and even if we build the home on a cliff, if we reinforce the house on the cliff, the house will be strong. Jesus teaches us exactly the opposite. A home must be built upon a strong foundation. A couple of months ago, mansions in California were on the brink of being washed away from a cliff because they built homes perched on the edge of a cliff that was basically dirt. So when the rain came, what happened? The mud (진흙) softened and erosion (침식) happened and the foundation of the home started to become undone.

x. Even if the home was belted down deeply into the earth, in this case, the dirt, the foundation is not solid. What Jesus teaches here is that the foundation of the home must be secure. We must fill build our home on a foundation so that when the rains and storms come, it won’t erode and be washed away.

xi. We know from Jesus’s teaching that this home did not fall because it was founded on strong foundation. It was built upon Christ, but more specifically on the words of Christ. What words? If you go back to the Sermon on the Mount, look at what He teaches. The ethical sections in 5:21-47 tell us how we are to live. We are called to decide every day to choose to follow what He teaches us. Everyone who listens and acts upon these words, this person will not fall, meaning when you get into a difficult situation, you will not falter, but do the right thing, because that’s what you have filled your heart and your mind with. You are continually practicing which is why when the rain and floods come, you will be ready to handle it.

xii. This is what makes the man wise. He calculated and prepared and practiced everything before he built the home. Similar to Luke 14:26-30, Jesus teaches that if you wish to come after Jesus, you must count the cost. But before you count the cost, which one of you, when you want to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him.

xiii. Notice this statement. It goes back to the idea of laying a foundation because those who built buildings at that time, know what we know today. Before you build any structure, you have to sit down and calculate what you need and see if you have enough money to complete it. After, you build the foundation the then build the tower. But if you were to not calculate and not know how much material you will need, when it comes to building, and you run out of material, how foolish would you look if you start and can’t finish it?

xiv. Jesus’s point here is that if you must know what you have signed up for, and decide every day to follow Him. You must understand the cost of what it means to follow Jesus and decide every day to follow Him by living in obedience to Him. That is the essence of entering the narrow gate. It’s understanding what it means to follow Jesus and making an active decision to follow Him. This is the means in which we bear fruit. Following Christ and living in obedience to His word, bears fruit in our life. We become more like Jesus as we attempt to live according to His will. This is what it means to do according to the will of the Father. It is to submit ourselves to what God wants us to do. It is to live in obedience to His word, by submitting ourselves to His Son.

b. The consequences of not acting upon the words of Christ (7:26-29)

i. In the same way, Jesus says in verse 26, that all those who hear His words and don’t act upon them, this is a foolish person. Look at the adverse. The person who hears the words of Jesus, the Lord and Savior of the universe, and does not act on them. He is a foolish man. Why? Because of what it says in Psalm 14. Who is the fool? The fool is the man who says there is no God.

ii. Why is he a fool? Because he hears the words of Christ and ignores them. He hears and lives as if God’s words are insignificant. So instead of acting upon them, he decides to not listen to God and build his home on a sound foundation.

iii. This fool, what does He do? He builds his house on sand. He finds the cliff he wants to build his home on. He doesn’t really care about the foundation. He just cares about what the house looks like, and cares about the functionality of the house. He is the person who builds his home, and it is standing. The house is erect and he even lives in it.

iv. Verse 27, but one day, just like the first man, the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against the house and it fell. It says that great was its fall. Why is it great? Because the home was great. Homes in Southern California as you know is extremely expensive. This person built his home and didn’t have insurance on the home. He was told if you build it this way, to save cost, the home will not be covered and if anything happens, you will incur all the cost. This man, thinking that he lives in Southern California doesn’t need these insurance and cuts his costs.

v. So what happens? The rains come and destroy his home. He loses the home. What does this all mean? Obviously when dealing with a parable, the rain and the winds and the flood is the final judgment. The fool is the man who builds his confidence on his own thinking. He thinks that he must do everything and the even more foolish thing is, he believes that he can do everything. He builds his foundation on himself. So when the final judgment comes, and he is confronted with eternity, just as you and I will be confronted by eternity, he will lose everything. He will spend his eternity in Hell because He did not build His life upon the rock of Christ.

vi. Verse 28, when Jesus had finished his sermon, the crowd were amazed at His teaching. They were amazed as He had now concluded the Sermon on the Mount. They were amazed because He was teaching as one having authority. What’s interesting by this idea that He was teaching as one having authority and not as their scribes is incredible considering the scribes were the authorized teachers of the law who because of their expertise in the law, were authorized to make legal rulings. This sets the stage for Jesus’ ministry. It will all be about authority. Who’s authority will you live according to? Will you live according to the authority of men, or the authority of God? Will you live according to the words of men, or the words of Christ?

vii. Folks, you might think this is talking about other people. But the reality is, if you don’t put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior, this is the reality of your own life. If you leave here today and you don’t accept Him as Lord and Savior, great will be your fall. I urge you. Don’t hear these words today and walk away. Consider, think, about these things. Don’t be the fool. Don’t just listen and ignore His words. Listen to His words today. Tell Jesus you want to build your life upon the only foundation that can stand the test of judgment. It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the narrow gate and the narrow gate is the only entrance into Heaven. Put your trust in Him.

3. CONCLUSION