Sermon Tone Analysis

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"“As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses.

One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord!’ "So my people come to you in crowds, sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them.

Their mouths go on passionately, but their hearts pursue dishonest profit.

"Yes, to them you are like a singer of passionate songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument.

They hear your words, but they don’t obey them.”

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Now please flip back to .

What you have throughout the Scriptures are contrasts.

This is the final paragraph of the Sermon on the mount.

This last part is a parable in which Jesus wants us to imagine

two kinds of builders as two sorts of responses to the Sermon.

Contrasts are a favorite way to gain an audience’s attention in order to press the Word of God to our hearts!

Jesus has been doing this to us the whole way through.

His Sermon is filled with two option thinking:

Pharisees versus followers of Jesus (5:17–20),

hypocrites versus followers of Jesus (6:1–18),

good treasure versus bad treasure (6:19–21),

good eyes versus bad eyes (6:22–23),

God versus money (6:24),

anxiety versus seeking the kingdom (6:33)

—and this all swirls into a vortex of warnings in 7:13–27:

broad way versus narrow way,

good tree versus bad tree,

and here: doing versus not doing.

The parable is the final warning in the sermon, warning His listeners of what’s going to happen to them in the final judgement.

Now here we sit before the word of God, just as Israel did.

There’s absolutely nothing new here!

The WISE builder.

The WISE builder.

The WISE builder.

"“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

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FIRST.

His EFFORT

FIRST.

“built his house on the rock.”

(v24) His EFFORT.

He had to dig!

FIRST.

Listen to the parallel verse in Luke, he supplies this crucial detail: "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.

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The wise man spent a great deal of time in underground work.

Rock blasting, carving, cutting of the hard granite, consumes days and possibly weeks in the home building process.

FIRST.

“…built his house on the sand.”

(v26) His EAGERNESS.

He didn’t take the time to dig deep.

It may be (today) that some mourner is lamenting bitterly that you make very slow progress in grace.

SECOND.

“…a wise man...” (v24).

His ENLIGHTENMENT.

He has been enlightened to the truth of building upon the solid rock.

“I have been seeking God in prayer,” you say, “these months.

I have been humbled and broken down under a sense of sin for weeks,

and (as yet) have had only a glimpse of hope every now and then,

when I have been able to turn my eye to the crucified Savior.

I have (only )a few comforts, and many doubts.

I desire to have the full light of love in my heart,

but the breaking in of the dawn is slow.”

Well, brother, sister, you are building slowly,

but if it be securely,

you shall have no cause to regret that deep digging.

Certainly, there’s more effort from the wise than the foolish man.

Digging foundation in hard rocks takes time and super intensive effort.

Certainly there were many times, that the effort was so intense that

there was a stoppage to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Nights spent going to bed spiritually wore out.

Waking up and the across the street is the other house with his walls up and starting the roof already!

Worse, the sandy builder laughingly yells over that all that hard work isn’t even paying off.

“You have nothing to show for it!

Those ancient ways that you’re building are absurd!"

“Away with all that sighing and groaning, do as I do and rejoice at once!”

SECOND.

“…built his house on the sand.”

(v26) His EXTERNALS.

All the work he did, he did to be seen by man.

Be thankful, dear hearer, if you are among the wise builders.

For you are among the true sons of God, and heirs of eternal life.

There is his EFFORT.

SECOND.

“…a wise man...” (v24).

His ENLIGHTENMENT.

He has been enlightened to the truth of building upon the solid rock.

Your house costs you more to build, but it will be worth the cost.

O beware of wearing the sheep’s clothing without the sheep’s nature;

beware of saying “Lord, Lord,” while you are the servant of sin.

Beware of picking up godliness at second-hand from your mothers and fathers, and friends and acquaintances.

Whatever it may cost you of heart-breaking and agony, see to it that the sure foundation is reached,

and that the house is built!

Built so that it will endure the trials which will inevitably test it.

Beloved, this is so weighty and so needful, I feel this caution to be, both to myself and you.

The Spirit’s work in indwelling this man gave the wise man foresight.

He knew that the dry season would not last!

Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit’s wounding and killing sword of conviction?

Do you flee from known sin as a fleeing from a lion?

When I meet with people who justify and speak lightly of their sin, certainly,

they’ve built their house w/out a foundation!

Wise builders received the word in the power of the Holy Spirit, so as to have it sealed in their hearts!

I pray, (the Lord) for you, dear flock, that you may know the truth

know the truth by being taught of the Lord, for then you will not be led aside.

The thieves and robbers will come, but as Christ’s sheep you will not hear them.

by being taught of the Lord,

for then you will not be led astray.