Sermon Tone Analysis
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SCRIPTURE TEXT
Matthew 7:24–27 (NKJV)
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall.”
INTRODUCTION
When you hear, “The Leaning Tower of Pisa,” this image probably comes to mind.
The Tower of Pisa is a 7-story bell tower that was built in the city of Pisa, Italy between the 12th and 14th centuries.
Not long after construction began, the structure began to develop its iconic lean.
However, as construction continued, the lean became worse.
The lean has been measured as high as 5.5 degrees from vertical.
Repair work was performed between 1993 and 2001 which reduced the lean to around 4 degrees.
Without this repair work, the tower would eventually fall.
The architect and builders of the Tower of Pisa did not design it to lean.
They obviously wanted it to be vertical.
So what happened?
What caused this structure to lean so severely?
Well the first clue comes from the name of the city where it was built.
Pisa means “marshy land.”
They built the foundation on soft, marshy ground and they didn’t build it strong enough or deep enough to handle the weight of the structure.
The Tower of Pisa leans, because it was not built on a solid foundation.
We can build the most architecturally stunning building, but if the foundation is not right, the building will not be right.
In our Scripture text today, Jesus gives a parable of two house builders.
One is called wise because he built on a solid foundation.
He built on the rock.
The other is called foolish because he built on sinking sands.
The moral of this parable is that we need to make sure that the foundation of our lives is built on the solid foundation of the Word of God.
We need to be Built on the Rock.
Let’s take a look together at this parable and The Comparisons, The Contrasts, and The Consequences of these two builders.
EXPOSITION
The Comparisons
Same Plans
Both wanted to build a house.
Both had plans to build similar houses.
Same Knowledge
Both had access to the same building materials.
Both had access to the same blueprints.
Both had the option to either build the foundation on the rock or on the sand.
Same Difficulties
Both encountered the same storm.
The rains descended,
The floods came,
The winds blew, and
Beat on both houses.
Both houses were equally tested by the storm.
The Contrasts
Different Decisions
One was wise.
The other was foolish.
Different Foundations
One built his house on the rock.
The other built his house on the sand.
Different Results
One foundation was solid.
The other foundation was on sinking sand.
The Consequences
Both Faced a Storm
One House Stood
One House Fell
APPLICATION
Spiritual Application
The house is your life.
Personal Life
Family Life
Business Life
Church Life
The Rock is God’s Word.
The Promises of God’s Word
The Principles of God’s Word
The sand is anything other than God’s Word.
Human wisdom
Selfish ambition
Good works
Money
Fame
The builder is you.
We are either wise or foolish builders.
We are either:
Building our lives on the Rock of Jesus, or
We are building our lives on the shifting sands of the things of this world.
1 Corinthians 3:11 (NKJV)
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
So how do we build our lives Rock of Jesus Christ?
Step one is to be a hearer of God’s Word
We need to read and listen to God’s Word on a regular basis.
We need to know what He is saying to us in the Bible.
We need to be in church services and Bible studies regularly so we can hear God’s Word.
We need to read the Bible for ourselves every day so we know what He is telling us to do.
You can’t obey what you don’t know.
Revelation, Inspiration, and Illumination.
Step two is to be a doer of God’s Word
Jesus said whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them is like a wise man that builds his house on the rock.
Jesus also said whoever hears these sayings of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man that built his house on the sand.
It is not enough just to be a hearer of the Word of God, we must also be a doer of the Word of God.
James 1:22–25 (NKJV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
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