MAtt 7:24-27

This morning we are left with conclusions on what it means to live in Christ or outside of Christ. We are going to see two pictures, two options in our lives.

We are give a choice about what it means to proceed.

But Jesus is very clear about what it is we are being asked to do.

Here we have, at the end of the sotm, the God of the universe granting options. Look at what is happening here. Jesus has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He has shown us what life looks like, He has invited us into that life. He has given direction about how to live out that life. He has even given us a way back if we deviate from that life.

We are not left without anything we need to follow Christ today.

But the God who sustains all things by His strength has not demanded it from us. He has not forced us. He has told us what life looks like and called us back into it.

But as we will see this morning, our rejection, or attempts to do it our way, will result in destruction.

While we are given the choice on where to build, there is one reality that Jesus introduces into our picture that is not a choice.

Years ago I was told a story about my great uncle who was fishing in a remote lake in up north Wisconsin. He was fishing in a canoe alone later into the night when a storm broke over the area. While I don’t remember the details of the storm itself, I do remember hearing that the lake was big enough and the storm was big enough that all he could do all night was to brace himself in the canoe on the lake. He risked getting lost by drifting to an unknown bank and he risked tipping over if he moved too much. Surprised by the storm, he had nothing to do but hold on until morning.

Storms are a constant in life

As we read the stories, the constant that we face is that there are storms in life.

In both sides of the story, there is a storm.

Twice we hear:

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house.”

Jesus gives us an experiential reality. That we will face storms. And the rain will fall. And rain sometimes turn into floods.

And winds blow. And the wind beats against the house.

Jesus begins where we live. Storms are a part of life. Rain comes, floods come. Winds come. And each of these can be destructive.

We face storms of finances

or of family

storms of grief, or mental illness.

We have storms that we can see from a distance, and storms that sneak up on us.

We live in an imperfect world. Jesus never shies away from difficulties we face. In fact I would say He may be the first one to be the most serious about them.

We are not given a choice on the reality of the storms we face, only on whether or not we have a roof.

We are going to look at two options this morning. These are the summary of all the sotm. Jesus says, based on everything that has been stated in the Scripture, here are your options.

The foundation of Jesus is the foundation of all of our faith. You can trust in the foundation that He provides.

We are going to start with the house that falls first.

The house that falls: to embrace and ignore.

Matthew 7:26–27 ESV

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.”

Notice what is normalized here. Jesus says that we build houses. What He means here is that we all have something that we build in our lives. The house here is the totality of your life and how you make decisions.

Jesus states there is a foundation that the house is built on.

What is before us is not that we build house. That is given.

Not that we will face storms, that is given.

What is before us is where we build the house.

and where we build the house matters

nyc is sinking . 1 to 2 mm a year. that is tragic partially because once you start building it is very difficult to move

but if you don’t move, the crash is great .

foundations of sand are ok until something additional happens like rain. The it gets messy. So we are not told what kind of house to build but rather where to build it

Jesus tells us that to build the house is to hear His words and do them.

Belief is two things: hearing and doing.

I think there is a reason that Jesus has to give us this metaphor. It’s because we usually like one part of belief, but not the other.

We are given a clear idea here of what belief is. It is hearing and doing. And to only hear and not do is not belief.

James 1:22–25 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

This is hard for us because we like the idea of being hearers of the word. Because when we are only hearers we can do one of two things

We are not called to embrace and ignore

And we are very good at both. We love embracing the easy and good parts of the Gospel but we are also very good at ignoring the parts we would rather not deal with.

When we do this we develop an uneven belief. It is like trying to take a nap on a couch that is lumpy.

A couch is meant for napping. A good couch is a great nap. But have you ever tried to nap on too old couch? You know what you want to do but you just can’t do it. The couch cannot do what you want it to. You are a bit uneven. You have a desire but the couch cannot satisfy that desire.

That is what happens when we embrace or ignore. We embrace what we like and ignore the rest. It’s like napping on an old lumpy couch. We see what a couch can do, but when we try to do it, we cannot get comfortable.

We love the fact that God is loving. We embrace that easily. We don’t love the fact that we have to be loving.

So we will easily think that we can rest on the love of God but not be loving to others. That actually communicates a belief. It means that your actions point to a lack of belief in God’s call and command in our lives.

Or you like that Jesus is a Savior. You like that He forgives your sins. But it becomes easy to ignore that Christ is not just Savior, He is also Lord. We can’t embrace the Savior and not embrace Christ as Lord.

Jesus is all comfort. He is also all justice. When He speaks He commands. When He speaks He means it.

If we understand Christ’s work and His application of His work in our lives, we are saved and we are secured. We are given new life in Him. And all that means that we enter into relationship with the God who has entered into our lives in the person of Christ.

When He pairs our understanding of hearing and doing, we see how He defines belief and what that means for our own lives.

Christlikeness is not accidental. You don’t trip into being more and more loving. as we intentionally interact with Christ. We are called to intentionally interact with others.

We don’t become perfect at it. But as we hear and do, they become patterns and rhythms and normalities in life.

The house that stands: To Hear and Do

Matthew 7:24–25 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.

We have been given everything we need for life and godliness.

Jesus has not left us without.

But because He has left us with everything we need, He will allow us to choose.

That means we can choose well.

And that means we can choose poorly.

MEaning that knowing and being given the foundation of Christ, we can still build off of the foundation

neighbor and 11acres. Can only build on .5 acres. otherwise flood. HE can technically build where he wants, but it’s going to flood.

We are left with what is most reliable. And Jesus has given use everything we need to know. Our role is to act on it.

Belief is not something we do with our ears alone, it is something we do with our hands. Belief has a duality to it, it is both what we say and what we do. It is not one or the other

We are called to hear and act

what does it mean to hear and act?

belief in Christian faith is always the response to a promise.

What Christ has said He has said as a promise.

I am the bread of life

I am coming soon

I am the resurrection and the life

I am the way and the truth and the life

I am come to seek and save the lost.

These are not just words, these are promises.

That means Jesus is not just saying things. He is promising. And there is a specific way a person has to respond to a promise if they believe it.

The response to a promise is an initial agreement followed with appropriate action.

If someone tells us “I promise to meet you at the coffee shop at three.” Your response must first be a nod in agreement.

“Yes, ok, I will meet you there.” Your agreement is belief that what the person says is true.

But then it is also the included action. To believe someone is to show up at the coffee shop at three.” If both are not included then you cannot say you believe

If you nod your head yes that a person will meet you at three but then do not show up at three, you do not believe them.

I can tell you all I want that I believe that bungee jumping is entirely safe, but if I never bungee jump then I don’t believe it is safe.

We often think that hearing and doing are two different things. They are not. They are two parts to one thing.

Belief only makes sense in what we say accompanied by what we do. Hearing agrees with Christ, acting compliments what Christ has done.

We are given the best plot of land to build. But to build means to agree with Jesus (hear) and to do them (act). That is how you build a proper house.

We have been following Jesus for the last 6 months in the SOTM. We have been told we are blessed when we mourn, but comforted when we do so.

We are called salt and light,

we are called to come to terms quickly with others because our anger is dangerous.

We have been warned on issues of lust and divorce and promises.

We have been commanded to love our enemy and to pray to God who is our Father

We have been told how to act out our works, not with telling everyone but with doing them as a reflection of God’s goodness in the world.

We have been told to be generous, and not to judge, but to guide. That our works are necessary but not enough.

And we get to this point and we find out that there is only enough on the foundation. Everything else will crash. Every storm will come whipping in.

But the foundation of Christ will sustain you.

When we do this we build something that will last. Something that is not easily forgotten. Because it is on a good foundation.

Do you know how much Christ tells us to believe? Don't just stand on the rock of His teachings. Don't just jump up and down on them. Build an entire house. Weigh down His teachings. Camp out. Live in them. He can hold us up.

Weigh down Christs teachings.

He will bear you up as you hear and do.

What have you heard from Christ in His word? What is the next thing you need to do this week?

Re-read the SOTM this week, as you hear from Him, ask Him what are you calling me to do?