Matthew 7:24-27. 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.” (ESV)
A recent study by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) reported that Municipal inefficiencies and delays are not only slowing the addition of housing supply, but they are also adding directly and indirectly up to $3.30 per square foot to the cost of a new home”. “To put that in context, each month of delay in approvals adds $2,600 per month to the cost of a new 800-square-foot apartment and over double that for a new single-family home.” Building permit approval times average anywhere from 10-34 months. Nine of the 16 municipalities in the (Greater Toronto Area) now have combined municipal charges (including development charges, parkland charges, community benefits charges, planning fees etc) for a ground-oriented development (mix of singles and townhouses) that exceed $100,000 per unit. Seven exceed $125,000 per unit. (https://nationalpost.com/news/municipal-red-tape-and-delays-adding-100k-to-cost-of-a-new-home-in-toronto-area-study)
Building is a biblical metaphor for life. Jesus uses the parable building your house on the rock to talk about the fact that the many (vv. 13, 22) who are on the broad way will not enter the kingdom of God. Their lives are not built on the foundation of Christ and His Word. Jesus picks up the theme of humanities own righteousness, the righteousness that is totally unacceptable to God and that will in no way qualify a person for His kingdom (Matt. 5:20).
In the first illustration (Matthew 7:21–23) we see a contrast between the true and false verbal professions of faith and good works. Here in Matthew 7:24-27 we see contrasts between obedient and disobedient hearers. Both groups hear God’s true Word, but some hear and obey, and some hear and disobey; some turn their trust to God’s righteousness, and some continue trusting in their own, though that does not become visible until the judgment. The implication is that even those who disobey believe that they belong to Christ and make a convincing profession of faith in Him. They hear God’s Word and recognize it as God’s Word, but wrongly believe that simply knowing and recognizing it are enough to please God and guarantee them a place in His kingdom. Like those who say, “Lord, Lord (Mt. 7:21),” and do amazing religious works but really “practice lawlessness,” the false hearers build their religious house, but are self-deceived as to its viability.
In the illustration of those who make false professions, the true believers are mentioned only by implication (“not everyone who says to me,” v 21). In the illustration of the hearers and builders, however, both the true and the false believers are clearly described.
Whatever we build our lives upon, determines the sturdiness of our existence. Far from being a peripheral matter, it is literally foundational for every element of our lives both now, and eternal. We would do well to consider what our lives are build upon and if or how the foundation can withstand the storms of life.
In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus presents a blueprint for life that we can build a life that can withstand every storm from attacks all the way to our fears. We can build a life that can withstand storms by building upon: 1) A Wise Foundation (Matthew 7:24) which is also 2) A Withstanding Foundation (Matthew 7:25) instead of just a 3) A Wishful Foundation (Matthew 7:26-27).
We can build a life that can withstand storms by building upon:
1) A Wise Foundation (Matthew 7:24) 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. (ESV)
First of all, both builders have heard the gospel. Everyone then who hears these words of Mine applies both to the wise man (v 24) and to the foolish man (v 26). They both know the way of salvation. Second, they both proceed to build a house after they have heard the way of salvation. The wise man builds his house, which represents his life, on the words of Jesus. The implication is that the foolish man, although he does not do/act upon Christ’s words, thinks that his house is secure simply because he has heard and acknowledged the words. He believes the life he lives is Christian and therefore pleasing to God. He does not intentionally build a house he thinks is going to fall. Both builders have confidence their houses will stand; but one person's confidence is in the Lord and the other person's is in themselves. It is quite possible for (someone) to have heard all Jesus’ teachings and to have said, “It is true. These are great sayings. They are the key to morality. I’ll just go out and try a bit harder.” But if you are thinking that way, you have missed the whole point of what Jesus is saying. He says, “I am not asking you to go out and try harder. You will never be able to do it. To go out and try harder and to try to construct that kind of character in your own strength is like trying to build a mansion upon sand. Actually, you will only achieve that kind of character when you build on me.” (Boice, J. M. (2002). The Sermon on the Mount: An expositional commentary (265). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.)
The wise believer who does the words of Jesus does not mean mere outward compliance. This would only repeat the folly of the scribes and Pharisees, the old error of work-righteousness. The action of one who does the words of Jesus represent one who is in condition described in 5:3–6, which 3:2 expresses by the command µeta??e?te, “repent,” and Mark 1:15: µeta??e?te ?a? p?ste?ete ?? t? e?a??e???, “repent and believe in the gospel.” The essential doing is faith, v. 21 (which see: “doing the Father’s will”), John 6:29, 39, 40; 1 John 3:23. Then will follow the true evidence of repentance and faith indicated in the other beatitudes, 5:7–12, and in the body of the sermon. This doing of the words of Christ is the whole life of faith, including contrition, the confidence of the heart (conversion, regeneration), and the new obedience, all as one grand whole and all in the power of the grace coming to us in the Word as the divine means of grace (Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (309–310). Minneapolis, MN.: Augsburg Publishing House.).
In the context of this parable, both the wise and foolish built the same kind of house. Outwardly their houses were very much alike. From all appearances the foolish man lived much in the same way as the wise man. We might say they were both religious, theologically orthodox, moral, served in the church, supported it financially, and were responsible citizens of the community. They seemed to believe alike and live alike. Both builders build their houses in the same general location, evidenced by their apparently being hit by the same storm. In other words, the outward circumstances of their lives were essentially the same. One had no advantage over the other. They lived in the same town and possibly attended the same church, heard the same preaching, went to the same Bible study, and fellowshipped with the same friends. The wise man builds carefully, because there is substance and great importance to what he is building. In the parallel passage in Luke, Jesus says, he “dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock” (Luke 6:48). Sometimes a builder in Palestine had to go down as deep as thirty feet before he found rock. This was hard work! It would produce much perspiration to dig deeply for a good foundation. The Sears Tower in Chicago had to go down over a thousand feet before the builders found rock upon which to construct one of the tallest buildings in the world (Butler, J. G. (2008). Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew (123–124). Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.).
• The wise man who goes deep is not satisfied with superficial confessions of faith, with quickie conversions that involve no repentance, no mourning over sin, and no despairing of self. Knowing that he owes everything to the Lord, this man desires to give Him his maximum effort. After he does everything his Lord commands he declares that he has only done his duty (Luke 17:10). Yet he does not consider his work for the Lord burdensome. For one thing, the work we truly do for the Lord is the work He does through us. For another, the work that is truly done for the Lord is done out of love, not out of compulsion or fear.
Please turn to Matthew 16
The differences between the two builders and the two houses they built were not noticeable from the outside. But they were immeasurably more important than the similarities. The key is to understand that one does act upon God’s Word (obedience) and the other does not do/act upon His Word (disobedience). One builds using the divine specifications, the other uses their own. By far the greatest difference between the specifications of these builders and the way they build is in the foundations they laid. The wise man … built his house upon the rock, whereas the foolish man … built his house upon the sand. Petra (rock) does not mean a stone or even a boulder, but a great outcropping of rock, a large expanse of bedrock. It is solid, stable, and unmovable. Sand, by contrast, is loose, unstable, and extremely movable. The land agents selling lots on the sand are the false prophets Jesus has just warned about (vv. 15–20). the wise man builds his house upon a rock, and I believe the rock spoken of here is God’s Word-these words of Mine. This builder is one who hears Jesus’ words … and does/acts on them. Building on the rock is equivalent to obeying God’s Word. We teach children to sing, “So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.” But this is not a matter of merely giving our hearts to Jesus; it is a matter of building on what Jesus says. Rippon’s hymn states it correctly: “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word.” The beatitudes were built on Scripture, the first two coming from Isaiah 61:1–2, the third from Psalm 37:11, the sixth from Psalm 24:3–4, and so on. The next section of the sermon dealt with the Bible directly, teaching that Jesus did not come to abolish the Bible’s teachings but to fulfill them. The next three sections explained the meaning of several Old Testament commands and practices and taught how Christians are to relate to the world and its concerns. The Golden Rule summed up “the Law and the Prophets.” Now, at the very end, Jesus teaches that the one who would be his disciple must build his or her entire life on the Bible. Building on Jesus’ words will save you both in life and in death (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (116–117). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
Jesus explained what this is in Matthew 16:
Matthew 16:13-18. [13]Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" [14] And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." [15] He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" [16] Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. [18]And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (ESV)
• This “rock” (petra) is the same rock as that in Matthew 7:24–25. It is the bedrock of God’s Word, His divine revelation. It is the divine revelation such as was given to Peter by the “Father who is heaven,” and is the only rock on which the Christian life can be built. The house built on the rock is the life that empties itself of self-righteousness and pride, that is overwhelmed by and mourns over its own sin, that makes the maximum effort to enter the narrow gate and be faithful in the narrow way of Christ and His Word. Such a builder does not build their life or place their hope on ceremony, ritual, visions, experiences, feelings, or miracles but on the Word of God and that alone.
• There is a basic test to see if your life is truly putting your full trust in Christ. Does your profession of faith publically exercise that faith in times of distress? You see there is a great deal of difference between possession and mere profession. Many can give the right answers but not take the right actions. Just as a fire extinguisher is useless if it is not deployed in a fire, so too faith that is not deployed when tested is not true faith.
Hymn: That is the true sense of Christ’s teaching. He is saying, “If you want a construction that will last for this life and for eternity, build on me.” Are you doing it? If so you can sing: “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” Christianity is Jesus Christ. Thus, the life of blessing promised by Christianity must be constructed on him (Boice, J. M. (2002). The Sermon on the Mount : An expositional commentary (266). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
• What are you building upon the foundation that is given you by God? Are you living for yourself? It is entirely possible for Christians to do that. Or are you living for him?
We can build a life that can withstand storms by building upon:
2) A Withstanding Foundation (Matthew 7:25)
Matthew 7:25 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. (ESV)
Whether one’s professed faith is true or false, one day it is going to be tried. And that trial will prove with absolute finality what is wheat and what is chaff, who are sheep and who are goats, who have entered by the narrow gate to walk the narrow way and who have entered by the wide gate to walk the broad way. In regards to the parable of building upon the rock (Matthew 7:25), the rain, the floods, and the winds do not represent specific types of physical judgment but simply sum up God’s final judgment. The storm is the ultimate test that the house of every human life will face. As the angel of death in Egypt passed by the blood-sprinkled homes of Israel’s children while slaughtering all the first-born in the rest, so the same judgment that harmlessly passes over the house that is founded upon the rock of Christ and His Word will utterly destroy the one that is built … upon the sand (Matthew 7:26)-which is anything other than Christ and His Word. For every hearer of the gospel, whether he be sensible or foolish, the test or crisis is surely coming. It comes in various forms: trial (Gen. 22:1; book of Job), temptation (Gen. 39:7–18; Matt. 26:69–75), bereavement (Gen. 42:36; Job 1:18–22; Luke 7:11–17; John 11:1 ff.), death (Acts 7:59, 60; 9:37), and in the present context (note verse 22: “in that day”) especially the judgment day. Its coming cannot be prevented. Often it arrives with dramatic suddenness (Matt. 24:43; 25:6; I Thess. 5:2) (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 9: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. New Testament Commentary (381). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.). People build upon the sand because it is easy. It requires little effort. Just a little change here, and a little change there, and they can fool themselves, and everyone around them in to thinking they are right with the Lord. A life built upon the sand requires no commitment, no sacrifice, and no faith (Carr, A. (2015). A Tale of Two Builders (Matthew 7:24–27). In The Sermon Notebook: New Testament (p. 146). Alan Carr.)
The parable itself is simple and self-explanatory in a country where heavy rain can send flash floods surging down the normally dry wadis with devastating effect. No particular building-site or type of construction need be specified, though a mud-brick house such as was envisaged also in 6:19 would be particularly susceptible to the effects of flooding. The point is not, as in 1 Cor 3:10–15, the suitability of the building material, but the solidity of the foundation. Cf. Isaiah’s image of the firm foundation-stone which provides the only security when the floods sweep through (Isa 28:15–19), the foundations washed away by a flood in Job 22:16, and the wall which collapses under the pressure of the elements in Ezek 13:10–16 (where the target of the imagery is the false prophets who proclaim peace when there is no peace) (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (296–297). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.)
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 3
There is a crucial point in all of this for Christians. What are you building? Oh, you are on the foundation all right. Christ is your Savior. But do you know that it is possible for him to be your foundation and yet for you to go through life building things that are worthless and will not remain as fruit for eternity even though you will be saved personally? Listen to Paul:
1 Corinthians 3:11-15. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- [13] 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. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (ESV)
The only difference about the storm in regard to the wise and the foolish men is in the way it affects their houses. The house of the wise man may have been shaken, yet it did not fall, for it had been rounded upon the rock (Matthew 7:25. Those whose houses are on the rock of Jesus Christ and His Word will be delivered “from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10), and will only have praise from God, says Paul (1 Cor. 4:5). That wrath is ultimately poured out at the judgment at the great white throne, which John describes in Revelation 20. “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. … And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (vv. 12, 15). The house built on the rock is the life that empties itself of self-righteousness and pride, that is overwhelmed by and mourns over its own sin, that makes the maximum effort to enter the narrow gate and be faithful in the narrow way of Christ and His Word. Such a builder does not build their life or place their hope on ceremony, ritual, visions, experiences, feelings, or miracles but on the Word of God and that alone. The house built on the rock is the life of obedience, the life Jesus has been explaining throughout the Sermon on the Mount. It is the life that has a scriptural view of itself, as described in the Beatitudes. It is the life that has a scriptural view of the world, and sees itself as God’s means for preserving and enlightening the world while not being a part of it. It is the life that has the divine view of Scripture and that determines not to alter God’s Word in the slightest degree. It is a life that is concerned about internal righteousness rather than external form. It is a life that has a godly attitude toward what is said and what is done, toward motives, things, money, and other people. It is a life of genuineness rather than hypocrisy, and of God’s righteousness rather than self-righteousness. People who agree in theory that a house should be built on a solid foundation may still go out and construct their lives on a swamp. Part of sharing the gospel with someone involves helping them really look at the foundation of their lives. We must also be able to demonstrate our own foundation. People need to hear and see that we have made Jesus’ teaching the basis of our lives (Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (p. 144). Tyndale House Publishers.)
• For those who have truly put their trust on Christ as their sure foundation they are not only ready for the storms of life but there is an urgent need in our day for Christians to stand up with a godly confidence and the world to see us stand unafraid as the storms of life hit.
Illustration: Dr. Joseph Parker was a popular English preacher. He tells in his autobiography how at one time he placed too much weight on the destructive theories of his day and found himself undervaluing the Bible. At this point a great sorrow entered his life. His wife of many years became sick and died within a few hours. Parker was unable to share his grief with anyone else, and walking through the empty rooms of his house, he felt for some footing in the theories of his day and found none. “But then,” he said, addressing a company of his fellow pastors, “in those dark hours of my soul’s anguish, when filled with doubt and trembling in fear, I [recalled] the old gospel of redemption alone through the blood of Christ, the gospel I had preached in those earlier days, and I put my foot down on that, and … I found firm standing. I stand there today, and I shall die resting upon that blessed glorious truth of salvation alone through the precious blood of Christ.” (The story is told by H. A. Ironside, In the Heavenlies (Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux Brothers, 1937), 56–57.)
Finally, we see the warning to the foolish who build their lives upon:
3) A Wishful Foundation (Matthew 7:26-27).
Matthew 7:26-27. 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.” (ESV)
Jesus here offers a choice. This is a make-or-break choice with eternal consequences. It is Jesus himself who is the key to this choice; it is his words (and not, as one might have expected, God’s words) which must be done. Indeed to do Jesus’ words here seems to be the equivalent of “doing the will of my Father in heaven” in v. 21. To ignore his words therefore will result in total spiritual disaster (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (296). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.)
Please turn to 1 John 2
Throughout this sermon Jesus has been pointing out what it means to put his words into practice. So, on the basis of Jesus’ own words, we can say that the wise man who built his house on the rock is one who is poor in spirit, who mourns, who is meek, who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, who is pure in heart, who is a peacemaker, and who is persecuted because of righteousness. He is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. His righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. He does not resist an evil person but turns the other cheek. He goes the extra mile. He loves even his enemies. He gives to the needy without letting his left hand know what his right hand is doing. He prays humbly and sincerely. He stores up treasures in heaven and does not attempt to serve two masters, God and Money. He trusts God to provide for all his needs. He does not judge other people’s hearts. He watches out for false prophets. He enters through the narrow gate. All these God-pleasing works are included when Jesus speaks of the wise man building his house on the rock (Albrecht, G. J., & Albrecht, M. J. (1996). Matthew. The People's Bible (115). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House.).
John Declares:
1 John 2:3-6. [3]And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. [4]Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, [5]but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: [6]whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (ESV)
• The only validation we can ever have of salvation is a life of obedience. That is the only proof Scripture mentions of our being under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Obedience is the sine qua non, the indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. of salvation.
The word translated “Foolish” back in Matthew 7:26 is the word from which we get our English word “moron.” Those who reject the rock of Christ Jesus and only hear what He says and do not do what He says are called “morons” by Christ. It is not a word that appeals to the world, but rejecting Christ does not appeal to God (Butler, J. G. (2008). Analytical Bible Expositor: Matthew (124). Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.).
• The most foolish and dangerous thing you can do right now is either not think you need a foundation or be standing on the wrong foundation, unprepared for the inevitable coming storm.
The sand is composed of human opinions, attitudes, and wills, which are always shifting and always unstable. To build on sand is to build on self-will, self-fulfillment, self-purpose, self-sufficiency, self-satisfaction, and self-righteousness. To build on sand is to be as Paul warned Timothy: 2 Timothy 3:7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (ESV).To build the house of one’s life on the sand is to follow the ultimate deception of Satan, which is to make a person believe he or she is saved when they are not. Because that person is under the delusion that they are safe, they see no reason either to resist Satan or to seek God. Besides the great difference in the foundations they lay, the wise man builds his house the hard way, whereas the foolish man builds his the easy way. The one chooses the narrow gate and the other the broad. The one searches carefully for a solid foundation of rock on which to build; the other simply finds a section of sand in a desirable location and starts to build. Why would someone do this? To simply find a section of sand in a desirable location and start to build there? The easy way is attractive for several reasons, the first of which is that it is quick. The foolish person is always in a hurry. Their first desire is to please themselves, and they take the shortest route to that end. But as with all difficulties, as character is revealed by fruit (7:20), so faith is revealed by storms. (Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (pp. 143–144). Tyndale House Publishers.)
The same adversity that comes to the wise often comes the house of the foolish man, but it’s effect in verse 27 is that it disintegrated-and great was its fall. It was utterly demolished, leaving its builder with absolutely nothing. That is the destiny of those who build on the sand of human ideas, philosophies, and religions. It is not that such people will have little left, but nothing left. Their way is not an inferior way to God, but no way to God at all. Always and inevitably it leads to destruction; its absolute destiny is to fall. The scribes and Pharisees had a complex and involved set of religious traditions which they regarded as having great value before God, But all those traditions were external, superficial, and unstable. They had no spiritual or moral substance or stability. They were shifting sand, composed entirely of the opinions, speculations, and human standards. Those who created and followed them took no account of obedience to God’s Word, purity of the heart, spirituality of the soul, or integrity of behavior. Their only concern was for appearance, the compelling desire to be seen and “honored by others” (Matt. 6:2). The most tragic difference between the builders is in their final destinies. Jesus’ unequaled and unparalleled sermon masterpiece ends with a devastating warning of judgment. Its final words are: and great was its fall of it. The bottom line of the gospel for those who reject Christ is not that they forfeit a great deal of blessing or even that they forfeit a life of eternal bliss with God in heaven-though those things are absolutely true. The bottom line for those who reject Christ is that they are destined for everlasting torment, destruction that keeps on destroying forever. To reject Christ is to look forward to being as described in Mark 9:48 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' (ESV). For a house built on sand there is in the end no other fate than complete destruction. So it is with anyone who hears Jesus’ teaching without heeding it (Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (p. 183). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.)
Quote: Arthur Pink warns those who are merely outwardly religious: “They bring their bodies to the house of prayer but not their souls; they worship with their mouths, but not “in spirit and in truth.” They are sticklers for immersion or early morning communion, yet take no thought about keeping their hearts with all diligence. They boast of their orthodoxy; but disregard the precepts of Christ. Multitudes of professing Christians abstain from external acts of violence, yet hesitate not to rob their neighbors of a good name by spreading evil reports against them. They contribute regularly to the “pastor’s salary,” but shrink not from misrepresenting their goods and cheating their customers, persuading themselves that “business is business.” They have more regard for the laws of man than those of God, for His fear is not before their eyes.
• There are thousands of people in churches today who, when the storms hit, they will be gone—some of them in this building today. When the storm comes, rather than standing up, (they) will fold up. It happens if you don’t have or don’t stand on a solid foundation that can withstand the storms. The storm is going to come for all of us—not some; all of us. You’d better make certain that you have a sure foundation. And, be ready to stand on that foundation when the storms of life come. Remember: there is no other foundation that can be laid other than Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11) (Rogers, A. (2017). How to Weather the Storms of Life. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Mt 7:24–27). Rogers Family Trust.)
(Format Note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1989). Matthew (481–487). Chicago: Moody Press.)
