Matthew 7:24-29

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Build Your House on the Rock

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.”

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Build Your House on the Rock

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.”

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with further words of warning. He warns his disciples of the dangers associated with calling Jesus their Lord, while ignoring his commands. And again, he demonstrates that their faith must be genuine, that their faith must be evidenced by being doers of his word.

Jesus warns his disciples again

In many respects Jesus is simply repeating himself with only small distinctions between illustrations. Last week we read verse 21 that says,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.

and this week we read in verse 24,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.

There’s a positive promise for those who do the will of God, and there’s a negative consequence for those who do not obey the will of God. In fact, in Luke’s gospel account he records Jesus combining these two teachings in chapter 6, starting in verse 46. If you would turn with me we’ll read it together,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Build Your House on the Rock

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Two groups of people

Jesus is laboring the point that there are two groups of people, and both groups have been exposed to the word of God, both groups have heard the words of Jesus and what he has commanded, yet they’re distinguished by their response to his words. That’s why this text is particularly relevant to everyone in this room. All of you are hearing the words of Jesus, you’re being exposed to his teachings, and many of you have probably been exposed to far more than what you’ve heard thus far today.

Hearing and responding

And Jesus is warning all of us here in this room, all of us who are listening to his words, that if we do not respond to him by obeying his words that we will be like “a foolish man who has built his house on the sand.” That there are disastrous spiritual consequences for those who hear the words of Jesus' but neglect not do them.

Therefore, it isn't enough that we gather together to hear the word of God preached, it isn't enough to understand the Bible, it isn't even enough to be interested in the Bible, no, rather it's only those who hear and obey the words in this book who will inherit eternal life. It's only those who obey the words of Jesus who will enter the kingdom of heaven. Obedience is the litmus test for those of us who call Jesus our Lord. Genuine obedience is the way we know that we're not merely giving Jesus lip service. Are we obeying Jesus from a heart of faith, are we seeking to please him? Do our lives reflect such a reality?

, so he gives them an analogy of two houses to illustrate his point.

We’re accountable to Jesus’ words

Luke in his Gospel account records this same teaching by Jesus and writes,

In this passage here today, Jesus continues his effort to warn his disciples of the dangers associated with calling Jesus their Lord, while ignoring his commands. And again, he demonstrates that their faith must be genuine, that their faith is proven by being doers of Christ’s words.

If you'll remember, on the outset of Jesus' sermon on the mount, his disciples were gathered around him as he sat down to teach, and the text seemed to indicate that a crowd that had been following him had also gathered around to listen in. But little did they know that as they listened to words of Christ they were becoming accountable to those words, that they would be faced with a choice, to hear and obey, or to hear and ignore. To be wise and build their house upon the rock or to be foolish and build their house upon the sand. You see, “to be there in the audience [was] no more [a] guarantee of salvation than to have called Jesus “Lord! Lord!” and performed miracles in his name.”

The need for a foundation

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Build Your House on the Rock

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Most of us are familiar with the need to build our homes on a firm foundation. It’s why we have zoning laws that typically require building contractors to pour a cement foundation of a certain depth for the houses they build. These laws protect not only the homeowner but the homeowner’s neighbors. We understand that building a home without a foundation is dangerous, that it’s only a matter of time that a future catastrophic event, such as an earthquake or a flood, will displace and destroy the home. In fact, most home insurance companies know this and therefore will not insure a home that doesn’t have a foundation.

And so it is here in verse 26,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.”

Judgement Day

Jesus isn’t speaking merely of the storms of this life like losing your job, or suffering from disease, the Bible certainly speaks to those issues, but here he’s speaking of whether or not we will be protected from the wrath of God that is to come. There is a day that is coming when God will hold all men accountable for their actions (even every idle word), and unless they’ve taken refuge in the righteousness of Christ they will not stand. It’s why Jesus says in verse 27,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.”

Solomon

King Solomon in his book of wisdom (known as Ecclesiastes) concluded with these words in chapter 12, verses 13-14,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

We read last week in , verse 3,

English Standard Version Psalm 130

3  If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

The question is, of course, rhetorical - the answer is no one will stand, and Jesus is warning his disciples that unless their house is built upon the rock it will not stand. And how do we build our lives upon the rock? We rely wholly upon Christ for our salvation from the wrath that is to come, we become not merely hears of his word but doers of it.

It’s vitally important that we understand this because the unbelieving world believes that God will simply weigh a person’s good deeds against their bad deeds and if their good deeds are heavier

Whereas the unbelieving world overwhelmingly believes that

Whereas the unbelieving world overwhelmingly believes that

What’s

If God were to mark iniquities

Now, the vast majority of the unbelieving world, and even many professing Christians, believe that they’ll go to heaven because of their good deeds. Many believe that they’re, generally speaking, a good person and that God will simply wink at their sin and welcome them into the kingdom of heaven. Yet, this simply isn’t the case. If God were to mark iniquities none of us would stand, none of us would be saved, and if he were to wink at our sin he would not be just, he would not be a righteous judge.

Withstanding the wrath to come

So it’s why Jesus came, it’s why he lived a sinless life and it’s why he died, to save us from the wrath of God. He bore the wrath that we deserved, and obtained a righteousness that he gives freely to those who turn from their sin and trust in Christ for their righteous standing before God. He clothes that person in his righteousness.

With you there is forgiveness

We read in , verse 3, that no one will stand if the Lord marks our iniquities, but here’s what the rest of Psalm 130 says, starting in verse 4,

English Standard Version Psalm 130

4  But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

5  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

6  my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

7  O Israel, hope in the LORD!

For with the LORD there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8  And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

This promise of forgiveness and redemption is also for the church, for God’s people. This is the good news of verses 24-25 in Matthew 7,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.

Building on the rock

Those who build their lives upon the rock will withstand the coming storm. Those who build their lives upon Christ will stand on the day of judgement. That’s the good news of the Gospel, that because of the work of Christ, we will withstand the day of judgement, and be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. Our sin will have already have been judged, and its due penalty borne on the back of our Savior.

Therefore, Jesus’ closing admonition to his disciples is to build their lives upon his, to build their lives on the rock.

The authority of Jesus

Now, Matthew ends his record of the sermon on the mount by saying,

English Standard Version Chapter 7

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

What made Jesus stand out above all the other teachers was that he spoke as though his very words were from God, and because he spoke with such authority his words came in power. “He did not speak as one who had opinions,” but as “one having authority.” His words “were binding on the consciences of all who heard [him].” (R.C. Sproul, Matthew Commentary, p. 217)

While the scribes and other teachers of the law derived their authority from the Scriptures, Jesus derived his authority by the very nature of who he was as the Son of God. This authority was one that was given to him by his Father in heaven as seen in when Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And it’s why the Apostle John could say in ,

This authority was one that was given to him by his Father in heaven as seen in when Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And it’s why the Apostle John says in ,

The scribes

There’s an inseparable connection between those who are doers of the word of God and those who trust in his Son. Genuine trust produces genuine obedience. It’s the reason Jesus harps on the issue of obedience so much, not because we’re saved by our obedience but because obedience is the outworking of genuine faith in Jesus. When you repent and turn away from sin, you’re also simultaneously turning toward Christ and obedience to his words.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

esus could say in , verse 16,

In other words the one who rejects God the Father rejects the Son, and the one who rejects the Son rejects the Father. One cannot have the Father without the Son. They both share the same divine authority, therefore to reject the one is to reject the other.

And so it is with his Apostles, and it’s the reason we obey the words of the NT as though they’re from very lips of our Lord himself. Jesus tells his disciples

English Standard Version Chapter 10

16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

In other words the one who rejects God the Father rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the Father. One cannot have the Father without the Son.

Conclusion

And it’s because Jesus gives this same authority to his Apostles that we obey the words of the NT as though they’re from lips of our Lord himself.

Therefore, it isn’t the preacher who carries with him any authority over God’s people, but it’s God’s word that carries with it divine authority, it’s the words of Jesus, and the inspired words of the Holy Spirit, both in the old and new testaments. It’s why the preaching of God’s word is central to our worship. It drives everything that we say, everything that we sing, and everything that we do. And it isn’t that we worship the print on the page, it’s that we cherish the author and seek to build our lives upon his words, that we may know him, and that we might stand on the day of judgement.

And so it is today, it isn’t the preacher who carries with him any authority over God’s people, but it is God’s word that carries with it divine authority. It’s why the proclamation of God’s word is central to our worship. It drives everything that we say, everything that we sing, and everything that we do.

While

Prayer