Christ - The Solid Rock

Well, what took Jesus one teaching session to communicate has taken us 25 Sundays to cover. That’s probably because I’m not as good a teacher as Jesus, but its also because there is so much packed into these words of Jesus.

As we will see in this text, there was no shortage of teachers in Jesus’ day. There were many students who came up through their formative years and became teachers and interpreters of the law. But as Jesus’ disciples and the crowds around listened to every word, there was something different about this teacher. There was something different about this person. The words he spoke and the way he spoke, and the claims that he made, set Him apart.

Last week we talked about the idea that every good sermon “calls for a verdict.” there is a decision that has to be made. Am I going to do this, or ignore it? And we were faced with that last week with the idea of entering the narrow gate. Jesus, of course, is the gate. He is the way. Jesus’ life and ministry, his teaching and his work of redemption take away any wonder about questions like “is there more than one way of salvation?” or “are there multiple roads to heaven?” The answer is simply no - Christ is the narrow way.

In this closing section, Jesus has used three illustrations to show the seriousness of His teaching. He used the illustration of the two gates, broad and narrow. He then used the illustration of two trees - healthy and unhealthy. Now he uses the illustration of two builders - wise and foolish.

All these comparisons come down the examining what the person’s relation to Christ is. Do they enter by His narrow gate? Are they a good tree that produces the fruit of righteousness? And here, finally, are they a person who builds solidly upon the foundation of Christ and His Words.

This illustration about the wise and foolish builder could almost be considered Christ’s first parable. As a child this story was memorialized in my mind by the little tune that was sung in Sunday School.

Its a vivid picture, a relatable image, but as always, the ramifications in reality are bigger than the picture lets on. In the story, it is the fate of houses at stake - but in reality, it is lives that are at stake.

In all of these closing remarks - the broad and narrow way, the good and bad trees, the wise and foolish builders, Jesus is making clear that there really are only two choices in life.

There are genuine followers of Christ, who trust in His righteousness and stake their lives on Him, and there are all others. All others are in varying degrees of ignorance, deceit, or rebellion. But there are really two ways.

At the end of Jesus’ teaching, nobody has the excuse to say “I simply didn’t understand the stakes. I didn’t understand my options.” The call to follow Jesus is a call to righteousness, peace, and eternal life, and it is also a call to righteousness, peace, and joy within this life. It is the here and now, and it is the eternal aspect at stake.

At the end of the day, we must know Christ is the foundation, and we must follow Him in building upon that foundation.

Luke 6:46–49 ESV

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 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. 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.”

It is not enough to know Christ is a foundation. It is not enough to see Him and admire his ways. It is not enough to mentally assent to what He says as being true.

In the final analysis, simply hearing or knowing Jesus’ words does not ensure security. We must build upon the firm foundation of Christ.

1. The Foundation

Matthew 7:24–27 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.”

Let’s start by getting the scene in this equation. Who is involved here? In both cases it is “everyone who hears these words of mine...”

So there are two parties involved at the onset. There is Jesus, the one speaking the words, and those who have heard. On that day, it included literally everyone in that crowd. Everyone listening.

Extend that out a bit, and that includes us as well. We haven’t heard Jesus speak the words audibly, but we have heard and read them. And let me say, just because myself or another person has been up here teaching these words, that does not exclude me or another teacher from “everyone who hears them.”

Going a bit further in the analysis though, the group of hearers are divided into two. Those who hear and do, and those who hear and ignore.

So there are three parties involved - Jesus, and the two types of hearers.

The two types of hearers are equated to two types of builders. One who builds on a solid foundation, and one who build upon an inadequate foundation, or really no foundation at all.

The scenario is quite simple - and the question behind the illustration become immediately obvious. When you’ve heard these words, how will you respond to Jesus? What will you do with Him?

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.

The example in James there is absurd in a sense. If you look in the mirror and realize your face is covered in mud, your inclination would be to wipe your face. But if you step away from the mirror, and forget and do nothing, then the mirror did you no good. None at all. There is no blessing from that interaction, only a curse.

The same is true of the two builders. Both built a house, seemingly the same kind of house in the same general area. Both put much work into the building of their house. Both expended time and resources and materials in making a home to dwell in. But when the storm came, one of them received no benefit from his house at all - in fact, he was worse off than if he had never built at all.

The foundation matters - and in this case, it is “hearing and doing.” But it is not just hearing and doing anything. Again, both builders were probably hard workers. Jesus is not denying that many people work very hard to build their lives upon something. The Pharisees were extremely hard workers when it came to keeping their regulations. But they were not building upon the solid foundation. “These words of mine” which obviously refers to the sermon on the mount itself, but it also says something about Jesus Himself as a person.

The question is, then, not are you working hard. Not are you a diligent builder - but what is the foundation you are building on? If you are not building upon Christ and His Words, then you are building on no foundation at all.

Around Christmastime, Myself and my coworkers took on a project in which we had to rebuild a garage that was falling down. This garage was attached to a house, it was built in the same manner, the same architectural style, the same materials as the house. The garage itself was constructed with diligence, but the problem was the foundation had totally failed. It had sunk, broken, and was literally crumbling, and the garage was falling down. The builders worked hard. They used good material. But there was no foundation.

Are you working hard to build a good life? That is commendable, but it is not sufficient. Your work ethic is a good thing, but it is not the answer. Christ is the solid rock. He is the foundation.

Do you admire Christ for who He is, but fail to follow Him? Knowing that Christ is a firm foundation is not enough. You must build upon Him, which in this case includes following and obeying Him. If I as a builder show up to a job site where the concrete crew had just finished their work. They had put down footings, and included steel and rebar, and poured 8’ walls on top of the footings, and the concrete was cured and wonderfully prepared. If i show up and say, “what a rugged foundation! That is the specimen of strength! That would be a great place to build a house!” but then build 100 feet away on a pile of dirt in stead, then what good did that foundation do?

So it is with everyone who is faced with Jesus, who He is, what He has said, and turns away from Him. Many admire Jesus, but few admit His Lordship. Few come to Him and submit to Him for who He is. Few are poor in spirit, few are mourning, few are truly hungering for righteousness.

But the Gospel is here as well, at least in foreshadowing. No, Jesus’ followers aren’t really keenly aware of his death and resurrection yet, but look at the good news for those who follow him.

The storm here can be taken either as sever storms of life, or it can be taken as the final judgment. Given what Jesus had said about the false prophets and the wolves in sheep’s clothing, I tend to think He is referring to the judgment. That final storm, that final day - the day of the Lord as the prophets called it. Who can stand on that day?

It reminds me of Psalm 130:3-4

Psalm 130:3–4 ESV

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Who can stand on that final day? Only those with the proper relationship to Christ Jesus.

And even if Jesus is referring to the final judgment, the ramifications are earthly anyways. The promise is blessing - all the way through the Sermon on the mount - the promise is blessing for those who follow Christ.

I’m reflecting on something that was said in our Bible Study on Thursday - The life with Christ as Lord is the blessed life. Life has its storms, sometimes severe. Who can stand when there is no hope in these earthly things? Who can stand when there is no foundation, no source, no fountainhead of life and peace? With Christ, the house can stand.

2. The Building

Now, that comparison between the wise and foolish builders is primarily a comparison between those who follow Christ and those who reject Christ. It is a basic comparison, and a rather simple one - as there isn’t really any middle ground. And, i reiterate, there really isn’t a middle way. There isn’t a way to have Christ’s blessings without Christ.

But, for many in the room today, the question may not be whether Christ is your foundation, but rather how are you building?

I don’t normally do this, but I want to turn to another passage for the second point, because the apostle Paul sort of “ builds” on this theme in 1 Corinthians 3.

1 Corinthians 3:10–15 ESV

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Paul says that by God’s grace, that is, through God’s enabling and strength, he has laid an excellent foundation for the Corinthians. And why was the foundation excellent? Not because Paul laid it, but because the foundation is Jesus Christ.

Paul uses this language in other places.

Ephesians 2:19–20 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

Peter also refers to Christ as the foundation.

1 Peter 2:4–6 ESV

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So Christ is the foundation - He is the solid rock. Like we sang earlier, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Back to 1 Corinthians. Paul said, the foundation is laid - that is Christ. But now people are building upon it. Paul is absent, there are other teachers in the church, and he refers to them as “building upon the foundation” of Jesus Christ. In other words, these people already have Christ - Paul assumes for most of them that He is their foundation. The question is, what is being build upon that foundation?

Paul then gives this list of various building materials. Gold, Silver, Precious Stones, Wood, Hay, and Straw.

He doesn’t elaborate on exactly what each material represents, but the goal is that whatever is build will stand on “the day.” There is that theme again, the Day of the Lord, where “fire will test what sort of work each has done.”

Paul is referring mainly to the teachers here - what are they building upon the foundation of Christ with? Is the building also following Christ, is it true to Him? Or is ti strawy and weak, and will be whisped away by the flame?

The same can be said of us as individuals, because we are all walking the road of discipleship, of following Christ (or attempting to), and we all interact with what we have been taught and what we know. In this example, those who build upon the foundation of Christ with the weaker matierials “suffer loss.”

If Christ is your foundation, in a big-picture sense. If you know Christ as Savior and Lord, if you know He is your redeemer, then what are you building upon that foundation? Do the things you build your life with reflect Christ and His teachings? Do they reflect the work of the Kingdom? Do they reflect heavenly treasures that will not pass away?

It is possible to be a true believer, a disciple of Jesus, but for a season turn to build your life with weak and strawy materials. The promise from Paul is that you will be saved still, but your work will have been proven worthless. The question becomes, what do we want to spend our life building?

As a teacher, I have to ask myself, am I building soundly upon the foundation of Christ by continuing to follow and obey him in my teaching? As a husband, i have to ask myself, am I building soundly upon the foundation of Christ by loving my wife as Christ loves the church, sacrificially, selflessly, and tenderly? As a Father, I have to ask myself, am I building soundly upon the foundation of Christ with my children by bringing them up to know and follow Him, or am I allowing lesser things to be the focus in our life and home?

If Christ is your firm foundation, and I pray that He is, then that is the next question? What are you building? Earlier I shared an illustration about that garage with the failed foundation. In that case, the whole garage had to be torn down because the foundation had failed.

But what about another scenario? What if someone ventured out to build a home, and they started with an excellent foundation, expertly dug and poured, and ready to be built upon. Well, what if they started to build that house, but built such a shoddy home that it would fall apart in the days to come? That foundation will last and last and last, but the building crumbles and rots and collapses. What good is that building?

And how do we build primarily in our lives? By obedience. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, as we follow Christ, we seek to obey. We hear Christ’s words, we read the scriptures, we see the unchanging truths, and we obey. Seasons of disobedience in the lives of Christians will not send you to hell, but that period in your life doesn’t produce anything of lasting worth. Will you build soundly upon Christ, as you follow and obey Him?

3. The Authority

Well, back to Matthew. verse 27 is the last of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. So we’ve made it through! Finally, you might say. But right after, Matthew adds a little commentary that helps us to understand the circumstances around his teaching.

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.

When He had finished these sayings - that marks a transition in matthew’s Gospel. Do you remember last year when we started, and I said Matthew’s Gospel is really broken into 5 main sections, each with a section of narrative and then a section of teaching? Well, we’ve just finished the first section. Much more to come!

The crowd that heard Jesus’ teaching on that day was “Astonished.” And the word Matthew uses there isn’t an insignificant one. It isn’t the word for “intrigued,” and it isn’t the word for “interested.” A synonym for us might be stunned, overwhelmed, driven off course. The people were shaken in their sandals, so to speak.

Now, why was that? Well, Matthew gives the answer - it was because Jesus was teaching them as one who possessed authority, and not as their scribes - not as their teachers of the law.

Authority was a word that they would have been familiar with. In the life of a young Jewish man in Jesus’ day, there was a series of “markers” for a serious student of the Law.

The “Mishnah” records this. “At five years old [one is fit] for the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others)”

It is interesting, because we see Jesus sort of come up through those ranks, don’t we? As a young boy He knows the scriptures. He reasons in the temple with the authorities when he is probably 12. Though he never married, he did have a vocation as a helper to Joseph, his earthly father-figure. And Luke records for us that He was about 30 years of age when he started his ministry. That was similar to the lives of the other teachers, except for one thing.

Jesus is never recorded as being a disciple of another teacher. He isn’t recorded as learning at the feet of a Rabbi. You see, every other teacher of the law who was called an authority received that authority by way of the traditions, by way of the teachings that were passed down to them. But Jesus? He was different.

That is why the crowds were astonished at His teaching. He didn’t cite the Mishnah when he interpreted the Law. Rather, he said he came to fulfill the law! When he commented on common teachings on things like adultery, murder, divorce, he didn’t say “I follow this line of teaching.” He said “I say unto you - this is the truth.”

Yes, Jesus was much different - He wasn’t just another teacher, and we cannot be so foolish in our thinking to take Him as just another teacher.

Even within the Sermon on the Mount, we already see His true person - who He really is - coming out.

He Makes promises for God the Father that would have otherwise been presumptuous at best. He claims the place of Judge and Master of the Kingdom, and he claims to know precisely who will and won’t be allowed entrance in the kingdom. He says Kingdom blessing comes for those who are persecuted on his account - a bold statement if you are just another teacher.

But perhaps the most striking is this. In this last section, he gives the warning that “not everyone who says to me ‘Lord Lord will enter the kindgom, but he who does the will of my Father.”

And then just a few lines later he says, “everyone who hears these words of mine and does them” will stand in the judgment day. Is it the Father’s words, or is it Jesus’ words? Yes - it is. Because Jesus is not just another teacher, He is not a teacher with authority derived from tradition - He is the authority. What He says is truth because He is the truth. What he says gives life because He is the life. And His way is the way because He is the way!

He is the solid rock, He is the Lord of all, he is the authority, He is the Messiah.

And when we come back to Mathew, we will see that authority come to life in a whole new way. As Jesus comes down off the mountain, we will see that He is more than just a good teacher, but His power will show that He is the Lord of Creation.

Friends, Jesus is God - He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is creator, sustainer, giver of life. Do you take Him for who He truly is? Do you follow Him? Is he your Solid Rock, your Firm Foundation?

I urge you to reckon with Jesus’ words. Come to Him, poor in Spirit, mourning and weak, hungering for righteousness. Ask, Seek, and Knock - He will give you grace, He will give you help, He will give you the Holy Spirit to strengthen and comfort you.

And if Christ is your firm foundation, are you in a season of strawy building? are you in a season of wavering? You too must reckon with Christ’s words, knowing that the life you build in disobedience will not stand. You will be saved, but it will be as through the fire, and your work will suffer loss. Are you wavering? Come back to Christ as Lord! See His promises, His truths, His ways!

Christ is the Solid Rock - may we build soundly upon that foundation as we follow and trust Him.