The wiseman/foolishman

Title: The do’s and don’ts of faith pt6

Text: Matthew 7:24-39

D.T Our problems become catastrophes when we reject the words of Jesus.

Introduction: On January 28th 1986 the space shuttle challenger would explode 73 seconds after launch. In the wake of this disaster an investigation was launched by a team which included famous astronaut Neil Armstrong. The commission determined the explosion was caused by faulty o-rings which prevented flame and heat from being properly sealed. Ironically enough these o-rings had been a cause of concern for many within NASA for quite some time. However the general consensus of the superiors indicated that conditions of their failure didn’t pose a substantial threat. Obviously the threat was bigger than expected, since it was the cause of one of NASA’s greatest disasters. So what was the cause? The weather conditions of Cape Canaveral reveals the answer. That evening temperatures would drop as low as 18 degrees that evening, and they would only reach a high of 26 degrees. This wouldn’t be unusual in many places in the US, however in Florida it’s uncommon, even in January. These cold temperatures would cause these o-rings to contract, making their ability to provide a proper seal impossible. This mechanical failure would cause fire to consume the o-rings, eventually leading to their complete failure, causing the space shuttle challenger to explode. Choices were made which caused a routine problem to be elevated to catastrophe. This is common in many stories of disaster. Problems are something we are guaranteed to experience in life. Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Years prior to Edward Murphy, Jesus made a similar proclamation saying (READ John 16:33

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

If problems are assured, then we must take every precaution we can to ensure that we don’t make choices which cause a routine problem to become a catastrophe. Today we will be concluding our study on the sermon on the mount. In his conclusion of this sermon Jesus tells a parable, the parable teaches us the importance of not allowing a common problem and allowing it to become a catastrophe. So what’s the key? What must we do to ensure that we don’t allow our problems to elevate to Catastrophes? We listen and apply the words of Jesus. Starting with the beatitudes, and ending with the importance of evaluating the fruit of ourselves as well as others, Jesus tells us the sermon on the mount is something more than a message that we listen to but something we must put into practice! .

READ Matthew 7:24-29

Matthew 7:24–29 ESV

“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.” And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus says the one who listens to the words of this sermon, but does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who builds his house upon the sand. The one who listens to the words and does what they say is like the wiseman who builds his house upon the rock. We know what happens next, the rain, the storm, the flood, the storm surge. The wiseman’s house holds up because it’s built upon the rock, it stands firm. The house of the foolish man, which is built upon sand, comes crashing down to the ground.

Here are a couple things of note regarding Jesus' illustration here.

Notice Jesus “if” the rains came down, the foolish man's house would fall while the wise man stood firm. No the rains came, there is no question. Because Jesus understands the storms of life are not an issue of if, but of when. For the wiseman, this problem is certainly unpleasant and inconvenient. However it does not become a Catastrophe. Why? Because of his poor choices. He rejects the words of Jesus. Our problems become catastrophes when we reject the words of Jesus.

The simple application of this sermon is to ensure that we listen and apply the words of Jesus, so our everyday problems don’t become catastrophes. However we must realize that applying the words and teachings of Jesus requires us to be proactive and be intentional. Applying the words of Jesus requires work.

In Sunday School we sing the song “the rains came down and the floods came up” in Sunday school. I always pictured a man building his house on a sandy beach. However the people of Jesus day would be familiar with a major problem that many people faced when trying to build a house in Israel. Remember the geography of Israel is extremely complex. Among its many landforms are deserts, who would have guessed. There would have been the Palestinian desert, and of course the Arabian desert just a little ways to the east. When people would build their houses in the desert, many people would take the easy route. They would simply build their house on the top of the sandy surface. However a secure way to build a house in the Palestinian desert was to dig down to the bed rock. Building a secure house required it’s builders the extra work that people who simply built their house on the sand weren’t willing to do. Those who only listen to the word are like the foolish man. They aren’t willing to do the extra work obeying the words of Jesus requires.

If you want to build your house upon the rock, you’re going to have to dig. Each of us has sand we have to dig through in order to build upon the foundation of Christ. What does this look like? It looks like removing all the things that stand in the way of Jesus. In Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

In other words, in order to build upon the rock, we have to dig through the sand.

Conclusion: Each of us in life have problems, these problems have the potential to be elevated to catastrophe.Our problems become catastrophes when we reject the words of Jesus.

We must make sure our choices have Christ as their foundation. However, in order for us to build upon the rock, we have to be willing to dig through the sand and dirt in our lives. So that when the problems come, the rains come down, our house and foundation stands firm.