The Bible has been unchanged for nearly 2,000 years. With estimated total sales of over 5 billion copies, it is widely considered to be the most influential and best-selling book of all time. The Bible does not merely contain the words of God, It is the word of God. We have explored how God inspired its writing, and also important, how the Holy Spirit inspires and guides us in understanding the Bible. The Bible has been thoroughly examined, investigated, and questioned like no other book in history. In Islam, no one dares or is permitted to question anything in the Koran. Yet the Bible, the holy word of God has stood up with intense scrutiny for centuries, and has never been disproven in anything that it says.
Why Trust the Word? Why trust the Bible? Why should we live according to its dictates? We can trust the Word because: The Word is the Solid Rock. As we will see. Trusting the word and doing what the word says go hand-in-hand.
Matthew 7:24–29 (NKJV)
Back in September 2010, a test was conducted at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina. Researchers constructed two 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory and then observed how a simulated hurricane would impact the homes.
The first home was built according to conventional standards. The second home included reinforcement straps that connected every level of the building, from the foundation all the way to the roof.
Then the researchers turned on giant fans, creating gusts of wind up to 110 miles per hour (equal to a category 3 hurricane). In the first two experiments, which lasted under ten minutes, both homes survived the intense winds.
But when they tried a third experiment, turning on the fans for more than ten minutes, the conventional home began to shake and then collapsed. In contrast, the home with the floors and roof reinforced to the foundation sustained only cosmetic damage.
Tim Reingold, an engineer working on the experiment, summarized the results with a pointed question: "The bottom line you have to ask yourself is, which house would you rather be living in?" [1]
With us starting getting into the high part of Hurricane season here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we understand high winds and torrential rainfall. We know about houses on the beach, those built on sand foundations. We fully understand this illustration of Jesus all too well.
As we look at this teaching of Jesus, I want to put it into context, into perspective that we often overlook. Let’s start at the end of today’s passage
Matthew 7:28–29 (NKJV) And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
This Sermon on the Mount, the people had not heard anything quite like Jesus before. They “were astonished.” Other translations will have “amazed or astounded” This word in the Greek is used 4 times in Matthew and at a total of 13 times in the NT confined to the Synoptic Gospels and Acts. Every time this word is used, it is always concerning the people or the disciples at the teaching of Jesus or His miracles. The word is in the imperfect tense meaning it is an ongoing event. The people cannot get over what they heard from Jesus.
And what was it that astonished, astounded and amazed them? “He taught them as one having authority” and not like the scribes. The authority of Jesus is a central theme of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus taught as one having authority. Jesus demonstrated His authority over nature. He calm the storm. He had authority over the demons and cast many out. Jesus had authority over disease and illnesses and He healed many. Jesus had authority over life and death and brought some back from the dead and Jesus Himself conquered the grave. Jesus, before He ascended back into heaven, He reminded them of this:
Matthew 28:18 (NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Jesus did not leave it to the crowd to perceive his authority. He claimed it openly. This is quite an audacious claim, unless he actually had the authority to make it. Jesus did not give his skeptics much room to maneuver in their opinion of who he was—he was either everything he says he was … or he was nothing at all. Jesus must be fully accepted or fully rejected, for no “good moral teacher” would say the astonishing things Jesus did unless they were true. Jesus is God’s Son. [2] And Jesus words has authority as we read in the scriptures:
Matthew 7:24 (NKJV) “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:
The word sayings in the Greek is “logos” meaning Word. Next week we will look at Jesus being the “Logos” or Word from John 1:1. These words of Scripture have authority. No other book in history can compete with the Bible. Do we stand amazed, astounded, and astonished, when we encounter the Word?
This short little parable of Jesus starts with very significant word. “Therefore” Jesus is about to make application and draw a conclusion based on what we had just preached to them. Lets go back in this Sermon on the Mount, just back in chapter 7 for just a moment and consider where Jesus has just come from:
Matthew 7:13 (NKJV) “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
There are two paths to follow. Narrow is the gate and the way the leads to life and broad is the way to destruction.
There are two types of trees:
Matthew 7:17 (NKJV) Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Everyone either bears good fruit or bad fruit. We are called to be fruit inspectors among those who are in our midst. It also begs the question: Are we bearing good or bad fruit?
And then the most convicting of all:
Matthew 7:21 (NKJV) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
There are two types of people, those who do the will of God and those who do not. Two paths, two trees, and two types of people, and now we will consider two different foundations and those who build on them. We will compare the two.
Matthew 7:24 (NKJV) “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:
And the next part in this parable is similar but opposite:
Matthew 7:26 (NKJV) “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:
Notice first the similarities: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine” verse 24 and “Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine” verse 26.
Jesus isn’t talking to the lost world here. He not talking to those who never hear the Gospel. He is talking to church folks. He is talking to those who have heard the heard the word. But this is where it gets personal, the difference between these two:
Those who hear the words of Jesus “and does them” (verse 24) and likewise those who hear the words of Jesus “and does not do them” (vere 26).
Hearing the Word or merely reading the Word are not a substitute for obedience, and neither are religious works. Preaching, casting out demons, and performing miracles can be divinely inspired, but they give no assurance of salvation. It is likely that even Judas participated in some or all of these activities, and yet he was not a true believer. We are to hear God’s words and do them.
James 1:22 (NKJV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
We must not stop with only hearing (or studying) His words. Our hearing must result in doing. This is what it means to build on the rock foundation.[3]
In the same way professing Christians (both the genuine and the counterfeit) often look alike. You cannot easily tell which is which. Both appear to be building Christian lives.
For Jesus is not contrasting professing Christians with non-Christians who make no profession. On the contrary, what is common to both spiritual housebuilders is that they
hear these words of mine. So both are members of the visible Christian community. Both read the Bible, go to church, listen to sermons and buy Christian literature. The reason you often cannot tell the difference between them is that the deep foundations of their lives are hidden from view.
Remember the two houses in the hurricane test? Both looked identical on the outside. In the fortified house, you did not see the reinforcement straps which held it together to the foundation.
The real question is not whether they hear Christ’s teaching (nor even whether they respect or believe it), but whether they do what they hear. Only a storm will reveal the truth. [4] And the storms will come. We have many people claiming to have faith. But unless that faith is lived out every day, it is dead.
James 2:20 (NKJV) But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
It is not the works that save you. But because of our salvation, because of what Jesus has done for us, because of the Holy Spirit and the word of God living within us, obedience to the words of God is not an option, it is something we live out day in and day out. Our faith, our salvation is shown by the works the Holy Spirit enables us to do. Doing and living out the word, Jesus likens to wise man:
Matthew 7:24 (NKJV) “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:
Doing the word of God is building our house on the rock. So Jesus likens those who do not live out His word like the foolish man:
Matthew 7:26 (NKJV) “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:
But not doing the word leaves our salvation in doubt. If you or I are not living out the word every day, especially in those areas that the world cannot see, those areas where only you and God sees, then you may have good reason to question your salvation. John tells us:
1 John 2:4 (NKJV) He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
The rains the floods , the winds are coming. It is not if but when. It’s like living here in the panhandle of Florida, it is not if a hurricane will come, but when.
The storm in this passage is judgement. Judgment, both in the temporal sense and the eternal sense. Those that not only hear the word of God, but lives out the word is on the rock. They are fasten down and will not be moved.
Matthew 7:25 (NKJV) 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.
It matter little what the world may throw at us. We who live out the word on the rock.
The so called Christians, who clearly hears the word, but who does not live out the word, but merely plays the game, uses the church vocabulary, and do all the church stuff, but down deep, lives their lives far from the word, they have much to be concerned about.
Matthew 7:27 (NKJV) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
It matters little who you are. God knows us through and through. It matter little to God if you’re the preacher, a deacon, a Sunday school Teacher, one who is always faithful to be at church whenever the doors open. If you’re not living out the word every day, trials and judgment are coming and the storm will tell whether you built on the rock or on the sand.
You can trust the Word, but only if you are living the Word. If you living out the word every day, then you are on the rock and will not be moved when the storms of life come. Are you living out the word or are you putting on a show? Jesus knows. Do you?
[1] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/79626/on-stories-by-sermoncentral?ref=TextIllustrationSerps and https://disastersafety.org/hurricane/2010-ibhs-research-center-grand-opening/
[2] Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 103.
[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 31.
[4] John R. W. Stott and John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 209.
