The Foundation of a Disciple

Perhaps you have heard the story of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant. One felt the elephant's leg and said, “This is a tree.” One felt the elephant's trunk and said, “It is a vine.” And the third felt the body and said, “No, it is endless, like a mountain.” All three were convinced they had the right answer and all three were dead wrong. Often we convince ourselves that we are right even when we are wrong. And, oh, how we hate to admit that we were wrong. And, oh, how we love being right.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant. One felt the elephant's leg and said, “This is a tree.” One felt the elephant's trunk and said, “It is a vine.” And the third felt the body and said, “No, it is endless, like a mountain.” All three were convinced they had the right answer and all three were dead wrong. Often we convince ourselves that we are right even when we are wrong. And, oh, how we hate to admit that we were wrong. And, oh, how we like being right. In our passage this morning, Jesus describes three men of faith each believing they are the only ones that are right. Now let me explain what I mean by men of faith this morning. A man of faith is not necessarily a Christian. A man dangling from a high tower by a rope has faith in that rope. A man who believes that there is not such thing as life after death has faith that this is true. Obviously, a man who believes in Jesus Christ as God's only Son came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a criminal's death, and rose again on the third day has faith as well. So I just want to make sure that we understand that a man of faith is not necessarily a Christian. With that groundwork laid, let me remind you where we are. This is the conclusion to the sermon on the mount. It is probably one of the most preached on texts in the entire Bible. Jesus has challenged us with His teachings in this sermon. Last week we looked at two perspectives of false prophets. We saw the perspective of those who know the truth and should be throwing out the false teaching. And we have seen the perspective of Truth in Jesus who will be throwing the false prophets out. Today, let's look at three men of faith. In we will see three men of faith. The first man of faith is the wise man. Verses 24-25, Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Jesus gives us a great picture of doing things right. Even today, when you want to build a long-lasting building, you drill down to the bedrock and pour footings on the rock foundation. Good foundations are critical to good buildings. Have you seen the pictures of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina? Even after the cleanup is complete, good foundations are still there. The structure may have been washed away, but the foundation remains. Well constructed buildings on good foundations can handle the wind and the rain and the floods. Jesus' picture here is so we can live our lives in wisdom. He is telling us to listen to what He has just taught. Shall we review? Jesus began this sermon with the beatitudes. He went on to talk about how we need to be the light of the world, helping people come out of the darkness of their own sin. Then Jesus talked about the heart instead of the head in regard to sin. He told us to think about why the commandments were written and not how close we could get to violating them. He taught on giving to the poor and prayer. He taught us to fast and to store up treasure in heaven and not worship money. He told us to quit worrying about our needs and give them to God. Then He told us to expect to be judged by the same standard we judge others. And, finally, He told us to ask for things from our Father in heaven. If we heed all of those things, we will be wise like someone who goes through the efforts to build a house correctly. Drilling down to the bedrock and anchoring the foundation firmly to the unmovable rock. It is only in this way that we can weather the storms life throws at us. If we are truly anchored to the rock of Jesus Christ. Wise men of faith are so because they believe and live Jesus' words. The second man of faith is the foolish man. Verses 26-27, Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." Not only did it fall, but the fall was great. It didn't just come down, it came crashing down. It made noise and caused quite the scene when this foolish man's house came down under life's storms. Why did his house fall? He didn't listen to the teachings of Jesus. He didn't place other's needs before His own. He didn't attempt to be a light to a lost world. He didn't even try to pray or care for the needy. Fasting was never even in his mind. The point is, Jesus is telling us to avoid a great fall by heeding the teaching He is giving. Listen to Jesus and you'll never go wrong. Ignore Him and you will fall, and the fall will be great. I've done a little demolition in homes I've owned. And we were always looking to take out that one thing that would make the rest kind of fall apart. For instance, when you are ripping out lath and plaster walls, you are looking for the easiest way to get to the lath. Because once you break those loose from the studs, the whole wall comes away much easier. Destruction is like that. So, if the foundation is on sand and the storms come and the sands shift as sands will do, then the house begins to move. And then a crack appears and then another. And then in once giant crash, the whole structure turns into a pile of rubble. And the fall was great. When we don't heed the teachings of Jesus, we begin to crumble when the storms of life come our way. Can we all agree that life is hard? And when the storms come, we want to be anchored to rock, not sand. We want to be wise, not foolish. The foolish builder falls and that fall is great. There are lots of people who are foolish people of faith. They believe in something, but not in Jesus and they certainly have no intention of ever following Him. Why do I say they are foolish? Picture it this way. If you were drowning and someone offered you a life preserver, would it not be foolish to refuse the life preserver? The Bible says we are dead in our trespasses and sins. And Jesus offers us forgiveness and eternal life. Can we not agree that anyone who refuses such a thing can be called foolish? The sermon on the Mount is Jesus telling us how to live a life of faith. To deny Jesus is to deny the life of faith He preached about. I think it is foolish. The first man of faith is the wise man. The second man of faith is the foolish man. The third man of faith is the awestruck man. Verses 28-29, When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as {one} having authority, and not as their scribes. This is the best part for me. I love these peeks into the crowds that Matthew gives us. He looks out and notices people whispering about what Jesus has just said. And Matthew records that people were amazed at His teaching because He taught with authority, not like their scribes, or teachers. Jesus spoke like someone who knew just exactly what they were talking about. When our clothes dryer stopped heating, I tried to fix it on my own first. I bought the wrong part. Then I talked around a little bit and folks who had fixed dryers in the past knew what part I needed to buy. They were right. They could speak with authority because they had been there, done that. Jesus spoke with authority because He was there. He was there when man was created. He was there when Adam and Even fell. He was there when the covenant was made with Abraham. He was there when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. He was there when they were freed. He was there when the law was handed down to Moses. He was there when the temple was built. In short, Jesus was there and it was evident to those who had heard Him because He spoke with authority. We sometimes take for granted the fact that we have the Bible in our hands. Most of us probably have more than one copy of the Bible. They sit on shelves at our homes and gather dust. What would happen if we really thought about our Bible the way these people thought about what Jesus had said to them. That it was full of authority. That it was better than any other kind of teaching about life. What would happen if we really began to take it seriously? I can answer that, lives would be transformed. Yet, we have to wonder about these men of faith. They knew they had heard something special, but Matthew gives us absolutely no indication that they acted on the words that they heard. There are plenty of people like that in our world as well. They have heard a message and they recognize that it is a life-altering message. But they only believe intellectually. They only think it is a great message. They never really take what Jesus said and did to heart. Their lives are not transformed. Their faith is in what they can know in their mind. It is not about a relationship, but knowledge. But understand this, the Bible is clear, mere belief that God exists is not enough. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died in your place. In conclusion, today we have looked at three men of faith. We have seen the wise man of faith who not only believes but lives according to God's word. We have seen the foolish man of faith who hears God's word and does absolutely nothing. And we have seen the awestruck man of faith who recognizes the power of the message, but refuses to change anyway. This morning I want to offer you a simple invitation. I want to do something different. Someone here this morning may feel offended because they think I called them a fool. I want you to know I wasn't trying to offend, but God's word is clear. It says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It says that the wages of that sin is death. And it says that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. The message of the Bible is unmistakable. And if you here this message and don't act on it, Jesus said you were like the foolish man who built his house on sand. When life's storms come, will you be able to stand? Of course, some of us here are starting to feel a little proud that we fall in the wise category. I hope that doesn't describe you. The truth about being the wise man in this passage today is that we need to share the message with the foolish man and the awestruck man. We need to tell them that their faith in anything other than Jesus Christ is foolish and it will result in death. We have got to get serious about those who are lost around us. Finally, there may be someone here who is awestruck. You know in your mind, but you have never believed with your heart. You can say all the right things, but you don't have a relationship with God. God wants to know you better. He wants to be a part of your life. But He also wants you to give Him your life. Believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, or boss, of your life. He wants to know you better. Would you like to know Him better? Let's all bow our heads and close our eyes for just a moment. If you are the foolish person or the awestruck person this morning and you would like to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ today, I will lead you in a prayer. I'll give you the words, you pray them in your heart to God. Pray this way. Dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I've rebelled against your ways. I'm tired of being the fool. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying in my place on that cross. Please come into my life. I want to live for you. Amen. If you prayed that prayer with me just now, I want to ask you to lift your hand up and let me know. I want to pray for you and get you some reading material. Christian, Jesus calls us this morning to a changed life. Would you commit this morning to living by the principles found in His word? Take this opportunity to tell God about that commitment. Let's PRAY As we close our service, let's stand and sing #496, Breathe in Me, Fire of God.

In our passage this morning, Jesus describes the foundations of three men of faith, each believing they are the only ones that are right. Now let me explain what I mean by men of faith A man of faith is not necessarily a Christian. A man dangling from a high tower by a rope has faith in that rope. A man who believes that there is not such thing as life after death has faith that this is true. Obviously, a man who believes in Jesus Christ as God's only Son came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a criminal's death, and rose again on the third day has faith as well. So I just want to make sure that we understand that a man of faith is not necessarily a Christian.

With that groundwork laid, let me remind you where we are. This is the conclusion to the sermon on the mount. It is probably one of the most preached on texts in the entire Bible. Jesus has challenged us with His teachings in this sermon. Last week Pastor Gene laid out the walk of a disciple and reminded us that walking in the Footprints of the king requires emulating and obeying the King by following the Golden Rule, making choices leading to life, recognizing false prophets, and doing the will of the Father. Today, let's look at three men of faith. Would you please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

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.

Matthew 7:24-29

PRAY...

In we will see the foundations of three men of faith.

The foundation of a wise man.

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.

A. Verses 24-25, Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

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.

Jesus gives us a great picture of doing things right. Even today, when you want to build a long-lasting building, you drill down to the bedrock and pour footings on the rock foundation. Good foundations are critical to good buildings. In 1979, my dad entered seminary in New Orleans. One weekend we drove over to the Mississippi gulf coast to visit some friends. They showed us places where Hurricane Camille had demolished homes 10 years earlier. In several places, all that remained of the house was the foundation and nothing else. The foundation stood even though the hurricane had leveled the rest of the structure.

B. Jesus gives us a great picture of doing things right. Even today, when you want to build a long-lasting building, you drill down to the bedrock and pour footings on the rock foundation. Good foundations are critical to good buildings. Have you seen the pictures of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina? Even after the cleanup is complete, good foundations are still there. The structure may have been washed away, but the foundation remains. Well constructed buildings on good foundations can handle the wind and the rain and the floods.

Jesus gives us a great picture of doing things right. Even today, when you want to build a long-lasting building, you drill down to the bedrock and pour footings on the rock foundation. Good foundations are critical to good buildings. In 1979, my dad entered seminary in New Orleans. One weekend we drove over to the Mississippi gulf coast to visit some friends. They showed us places where Hurricane Camille had demolished homes 10 years earlier. In several places, all that remained of the house was the foundation and nothing else. The foundation stood even though the hurricane had leveled the rest of the structure. When we see pictures of the aftermath of other hurricanes, or even the tornadoes in Georgia and Alabama, we see the same thing. Good foundations weather the storm.

Jesus' picture here is so we can live our lives in wisdom. He is telling us to listen to and do what He has just taught. Shall we review? Jesus began this sermon with the beatitudes. He went on to talk about how we need to be the light of the world, helping people come out of the darkness of their own sin. Then Jesus talked about the heart instead of the head in regard to sin. He told us to think about why the commandments were written and not how close we could get to violating them. He taught on giving to the poor and prayer. He taught us to fast and to store up treasure in heaven and not worship money. He told us to quit worrying about our needs and give them to God. Then He told us to expect to be judged by the same standard we judge others. And, finally, He told us to ask for things from our Father in heaven.

If we do all of those things, we will be wise like someone who goes through the efforts to build a house correctly. Drilling down to the bedrock and anchoring the foundation firmly to the unmovable rock. It is only in this way that we can weather the storms life throws at us. If we are truly anchored to the rock of Jesus Christ.

To be truly like this wise man, however, we cannot just absorb what Jesus has said. As the Associate Pastor for Discipleship, I want to make sure you are being equipped as disciples, but there is one thing I cannot provide for you. I will keep offering classes and seminars, but Jesus demands more. He says here in this passage, Everyone then who hears these words of mine AND DOES THEM… Even before ministry was my job, I was stunned by Christians who just thought they needed one more class. From what Jesus says here, that is not the case. We don’t need one more class. We need to put into practice what we have already learned. We have to DO what Jesus has called us to do.

Matthew 22:37–42 ESV

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

Matthew 22:37–41 ESV

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,

Matthew 22:37–40 ESV

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If we are not loving God with everything we have and loving people as much as we love ourselves, we cannot be called wise. If we are not making disciples, we cannot be called wise. And when the storms come, and they will come, will your foundation be like the wise man? The one who both learns and obeys what Jesus says?

Wise men of faith are so because they believe and live Jesus' words.

Wise men of faith are so because they believe and live Jesus' words.

The foundation of a foolish man.

A. Verses 26-27, Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

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.”

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.”

B. Not only did it fall, but the fall was great. It didn't just come down, it came crashing down. It made noise and caused quite the scene when this foolish man's house came down under life's storms. Why did his house fall?

mt 7:26-27Not only did it fall, but the fall was great. It didn't just come down, it came crashing down. It made noise and caused quite the scene when this foolish man's house came down under life's storms. Why did his house fall?

Not only did it fall, but the fall was great. It didn't just come down, it came crashing down. It made noise and caused quite the scene when this foolish man's house came down under life's storms. Why did his house fall?

Because he heard what Jesus said, but he DID NOT DO THEM! He didn't place other's needs before His own. He didn't attempt to be a light to a lost world. He didn't even try to pray or care for the needy. Fasting was never even in his mind. He didn’t love God with everything he had. He didn’t attempt to make disciples. He didn’t DO what Jesus taught.

The point is, Jesus is telling us to avoid a great fall by obeying the teaching He is giving. Do what Jesus said and you'll never go wrong. Ignore Him and you will fall, and the fall will be great. I've done a little demolition in homes I've owned. And we were always looking to take out that one thing that would make the rest kind of fall apart. For instance, when you are ripping out lath and plaster walls, you are looking for the easiest way to get to the lath. Because once you break those loose from the studs, the whole wall comes away much easier. Destruction is like that. So, if the foundation is on sand and the storms come and the sands shift as sands will do, then the house begins to move. And then a crack appears and then another. And then in one giant crash, the whole structure turns into a pile of rubble. And the fall was great.

Before I was in ministry, I worked at Union Pacific Railroad in the headquarters building in downtown Omaha. While I worked there, a building just 2 blocks from us was demolished. We watched all of the activity leading up to the implosion. Then the day came. A series of explosions happened. And then, gradually at first, the building began to crumble. And then it fell creating one giant dust cloud. Indeed, the fall was great. You see, they had put dynamite on the foundational beams and taken them out. And once they were gone, the whole thing just fell. That building had a good foundation that got undermined and it crashed down. Now imagine a building with no real foundation. No bedrock. No solid anchor. Yep, it comes crashing down.

When we don't obey the teachings of Jesus, we begin to crumble when the storms of life come our way. Can we all agree that life is hard? And when the storms come, we want to be anchored to rock, not sand. We want to be wise, not foolish. The foolish man falls and that fall is great.

There are lots of people who are foolish people of faith. They believe in something, but not in Jesus and they certainly have no intention of ever following Him. Why do I say they are foolish? Picture it this way. If you were drowning and someone offered you a life preserver, would it not be foolish to refuse the life preserver? The Bible says we are dead in our trespasses and sins. And Jesus offers us forgiveness and eternal life. Can we not agree that anyone who refuses such a thing can be called foolish? The sermon on the Mount is Jesus telling us how to live a life of faith. To deny Jesus is to deny the life of faith He preached about. I think it is foolish.

The first man of faith is the wise man. The second man of faith is the foolish man.

The foundation of a wondering man.

A. Verses 28-29, When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as {one} having authority, and not as their scribes.

Matthew 7:28–29 ESV

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.

B. This is the best part for me. I love these peeks into the crowds that Matthew gives us. He looks out and notices people whispering about what Jesus has just said. And Matthew records that people were amazed at His teaching because He taught with authority, not like their scribes, or teachers.

This is the best part for me. I love these peeks into the crowds that Matthew gives us. He looks out and notices people whispering about what Jesus has just said. And Matthew records that people were amazed at His teaching because He taught with authority, not like their scribes, or teachers.

Jesus spoke like someone who knew just exactly what they were talking about. Several years ago, when our clothes dryer stopped heating, I tried to fix it on my own first. I bought the wrong part. Then I talked around a little bit and folks who had fixed dryers in the past knew what part I needed to buy. They were right. They could speak with authority because they had been there, done that.

Jesus spoke with authority because He was there. He was there when man was created. He was there when Adam and Even fell. He was there when the covenant was made with Abraham. He was there when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. He was there when they were freed. He was there when the law was handed down to Moses. He was there when the temple was built. In short, Jesus was there and it was evident to those who had heard Him because He spoke with authority.

We sometimes take for granted the fact that we have the Bible in our hands. Most of us probably have more than one copy of the Bible. They sit on shelves at our homes and gather dust. What would happen if we really thought about our Bible the way these people thought about what Jesus had said to them. That it was full of authority. That it was better than any other kind of teaching about life. What would happen if we really began to take it seriously? I can answer that, lives would be transformed. In fact, not long ago there was a massive study done by Lifeway called the Transformational Church study. Over 2,000 churches participated. They identified 9 characteristics of people who were growing as disciples. Then they asked what it was these truly transformed people were doing. And the number 1 thing they found that contributed to being a growing disciple was daily Bible reading. Listen, if you want to find the answers to some of life’s questions, look to what God has said in His Word. That is where you will find the answers you are looking for. Will your life be better simply because you read the Bible? No. Probably not. Instead, when you read the Bible you will encounter the living author of the Bible, Almighty God. And then you will have to choose whether to do what He has said, or ignore Him. You’ll go from wondering about Him to either foolish or wise.

Yet, we have to wonder about these men of faith. They knew they had heard something special, but Matthew gives us absolutely no indication that they acted on the words that they heard. There are plenty of people like that in our world as well. They have heard a message and they recognize that it is a life-altering message. But they only believe intellectually. They only think it is a great message. They never really take what Jesus said and did to heart. Their lives are not transformed. Their faith is in what they can know in their mind. It is not about a relationship, but knowledge. But understand this, the Bible is clear, mere belief that God exists is not enough. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died in your place. And you must put into practice everything He taught.

The foundation of a wise man. The foundation of a foolish man. The foundation of a wondering man.

In conclusion, today we have looked at three men of faith. We have seen the wise man of faith who not only believes but lives according to God's word. We have seen the foolish man of faith who hears God's word and does absolutely nothing. And we have seen the wondering man of faith who recognizes the power of the message, but refuses to change anyway.

This morning I want to do something different. Someone here this morning may feel offended because they think I called them a fool. I want you to know I wasn't trying to offend, but God's word is clear. It says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It says that the wages of that sin is death. And it says that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. The message of the Bible is unmistakable. And if you hear this message and don't act on it, Jesus said you were like the foolish man who built his house on sand. When life's storms come, will you be able to stand?

Of course, some of us here are starting to feel a little proud that we fall in the wise category. I hope that doesn't describe you. The truth about being the wise man in this passage today is that we need to share the message with the foolish man and the wondering man. We need to tell them that their faith in anything other than Jesus Christ is foolish and it will result in death. We have got to get serious about those who are lost around us.

Finally, there may be someone here who is wondering. You know in your mind, but you have never believed with your heart. You can say all the right things, but you don't have a relationship with God. God wants to know you better. He wants to be a part of your life. But He also wants you to give Him your life. Believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, or boss, of your life. He wants to know you better. Would you give your life to Him today?

Takeaway: Instead of foolishness or wondering, choose wisdom and follow in the footprints of King Jesus today.

As we pray today, would you take a moment and ask God how He would have you respond to His Word? Is He asking you to change? Is He calling you to believe? Let’s take a moment and you ask God how He would have you respond.

PRAY...