Sermon: “What You’re Building on Will be Known.” Scripture: Mt. 7:24-29
Type: Expos/Fireside Chat #2 Where: GNBC 3-29-20/RW 9-17-23
Intro: In 1174 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous/infamous structure: “The Leaning Tower of Pisa”. The problem, as we now know, what that the builders quickly discovered the soil was not as firm as needed. Before long the tower began to lean. Try as they might, neither architect nor builders were able to do anything to correct the tilt. The tower took an amazing 176 years to build! During which time many different attempts to shore up the structure were employed. Nothing worked. So for the last 800+ years the tower has stood with a list of about 20 feet. Experts agree that one day it will fall…all because not enough care was made in securing a sure foundation. Pastor Brian Bill has said: “The builders were in such a hurry to go up that they didn’t take the time to go down.” The foundations that a lot of Americans have built their lives upon have been found to be pretty flimsy these past two weeks: work, retirement/investment portfolios, sports, entertainment, travel, even our health…much has been taken away. Maybe we haven’t built on the sure foundation.
Prop: In Mt. 7:24-29 Jesus makes 4 Important Comparisons that are Applicable to each of our lives.
BG: 1. Jesus teaches this parable at the end of the greatest sermon ever preached: SOM. Parable was a summary or application of the entire message that had gone on before. “If you have heard what I have said, apply them.” Is essentially what Jesus is saying. 2. IN this section Jesus is teaching on the definition of what is “true faith”.
Prop: In Mt. 7:24-29 Xst makes 4 important Comparisons applicable to each of our lives.
I. 1st Comparison: Two Builders are Compared.
A. In this parable Jesus points out the fact that there were two builders employed in their task.
1. Jesus introduces us to these two imaginary, yet universally representative men. For all we know these men looked similar. Used the same tools. Maybe went to same school or apprenticed under same individual. Both were committed to their trade. Used the same materials, both had the same goal in mind: build a house.
2. Notice however, that Jesus makes a distinction between two men.
a. from the get go: v.24 – “wise” and v. 26 “foolish”. Interesting. Not “talented” or “smart”, but “wise and foolish”. To be ‘wise” means to have understanding and demonstrate prudence. The Gk word for “foolish” is “moros”, from which we get the term “moron”. Obviously not a complimentary term. Why did Jesus call this man a moron? What did he do or didn’t he do? We’ll see later, because how we act and how we prepare comes out in the storms and pressures of life.
b. Illust: In v.21, Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” What is Jesus saying here? He is saying that “True faith is more than simply an orthodox profession of faith.” I know of a couple of men in this church that lived life as “God fearers”, for many years. If individuals would have looked at their lives they would have assumed they were Christians. Most likely they themselves assumed they were Christians. Would have agreed with the Apostle’s Creed, or some other doctrinal test. However, they weren’t truly saved. Then one day, in each of their lives, the Holy Spirit, using the Word of God, quickened their souls, imparting new life from that which was spiritual death.
B. Are lives can be compared to these two builders.
1. This passage applies to all of us. Everyone in life is building something. In our childhood and youth we are attempting to build skills and knowledge that will help us as we grow older. We build friendships and relationships, some are focused on building their careers and influence and power, some their fortunes, others their marriages and families. Over time, a structure begins to rise in one’s life. Illust: A year or twos ago we had the opportunity to go visit our grandchildren in Texas. Leaving IC we drove by the new I-80/380 interchange that was being built. Massive cranes and steel girders, concrete. Came back a week and a half later and another section had been added. Over time the structure is rising. Very few buildings and structures are built over night. Neither is a life of faith.
2. Illust: On May 28 of this past summer, at approximately 5pm, the apartment complex known as “The Davenport”, partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa. On that day three men lost their lives, several more were injured. Being quoted in the Quad Cities Times, Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of R. A. Masonry, told of how in February he was working near the structure when approached by the apartment’s owner. Shaffer said the owner asked him to supply a quote for work on the nearby apartment building. When he did, he said, the bid was rejected because it was too high. “He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of the building," Shaffer said. Shoring is done to prop up a building when the structure is deemed unsafe, Shaffer explained. The bid for that work alone came in at about $50,000. “I said, ‘If we don’t do it this way exactly, I’m not putting my guys in there. Somebody is going to die.” I believe it’s a lot easier for us to be convinced of the need for a sure foundation in the physical world, but what about in the spiritual realm? We all to a man or woman will line up to cast dispersion upon the owner of that property for his alleged negligence. However, which one of us takes any better care or concern for the foundation of his or her soul?
C. Applic: A great definition for “wisdom” is seeing the world from God’s perspective.” A biblical definition of a fool is found in Psalms 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Are you a wise or a foolish person? The answer isn’t found in the number of degrees you may or may not have earned, the answer is are you wise or foolish according to Christ? Are you building to last or are you building to crash?
II. 2nd Comparison: Two Homes are Compared.
A. The 2nd comparison Jesus makes in this parable is between the two homes the 2 men built.
1. Most likely both of the homes looked similar to the uninitiated observer. Both appeared to be well built. No visible defects, nice trim, stylish paint job, maybe the latest back splash for their kitchen with high end fixtures and finishes, granite or quartz countertops/open concept living! (Whoops, I am sounding like an ad for HGTV!!!) Most likely a simple structure of a few rooms and possibly a second floor. If wealthy a courtyard. These were common styles at the time of Christ.
2. Both houses were built in roughly the same time. Both houses were finished and furnished but there was a major difference between them, that lay hidden, out of sight. Something that would compromise the entire integrity of the structure, something that might take years and the crisis of a huge storm to expose. Illust: Not too long ago I was talking to a couple who had bought a home in a community where they were moving. Fine home on lovely piece of property. Began to do a little work to put their “stamp” on the house…paint, wallpaper. When took down what appeared to be new wallpaper in a bathroom, were shocked to find the wall riddled with termite damage! Fine piece of wallpaper was covering $1000’s damage. What looked so nice on the surface wasn’t so nice below. (What does your life look like behind closed doors? You may have the praise of your community, but does your wife love you and kids respect you?)
B. All around us we see people whose lives look similar on the surface but great may actually have great problems below the surface.
1. Often the homes of our lives look quite respectable to the casual observer. We live in the nice neighborhood. Our kids go to the good schools. We have all the airs of success. Yet, deep down we know it’s a sham. A cheating husband, an addicted wife, children feeling unloved and unwanted addicted to their phones and computers, never interacting as a family. .
2. Illust: I have a friend who has been in the construction trade for about 40 years. He is a very skilled individual. He is the man to call if you have a project or a problem. However, he also makes you a bit uncomfortable because when he comes into your house, he looks around, with his arms folded over his stomach and says: “Hmmpf, why did you/they do that?” “That’s wrong/that won’t work!” “Well, that was dumb!” You see, with all of his expertise and years in the business, my friend can see through the defects of things that to the uninitiated eye look good. Listen friend, God isn’t mocked. Christ sees your and my soul.
C. Applic: We are living in stressful times right now. Housing is out of reach for the average young family today. Between corporate greed and run-away inflation, the American Dream of home ownership is a bad joke. Median home price 1st qt. 2023 was $429k that’s up nearly 30% in 3 years! Maybe we need to take time to really examine our lives and ask who and what we’re living for. If Jesus Christ were to look at the house of your and my life, would He, with discerning eye, see through the fancy finishes to see the underlying faults? The Bible tells us that “All have sinned and fallen short of glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) And, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
III. 3rd Comparison: 2 Foundations are Compared.
A. Jesus Next Makes a Comparison to the 2 Foundations the 2 Houses Were Built Upon.
1. Jesus compares the man who should hear and obey him to a man who built his house on a rock. Israel has a lot of mountains, hills, valleys and plains. Then and today it is subject to sudden and violent rains. The Jordan river would often flood annually. The streams which ran among the hills, became suddenly swollen with the rain, and would furiously pour into the plains below. Everything in the way of these torrents would be swept off. Even houses, in the vicinity of those swollen streams, if built or sand or on any unsolid basis, would be swept away. The rising, bursting storms and streams would shake a structure to its very foundation.
2. So, what were the foundations of these two homes? This is the key to the passage. Two similar builders. Two similar structures. Two very different foundations. One builder took the time and the effort to dig down to the solid rock and anchor his house to a sure foundation. The other, settled on sand. Now, 99% of the time, it apparently wouldn’t have mattered…until a severe storm set in. And here we see it. The nature of sand is to shift and to slide and to sink, whereas a rock is solid! Illust: A few weeks ago I alluded to the fact that I tore off and built a new front entry to our home this summer. After demolition was complete, guess what the county wanted to inspect before they gave approval for me to go forward? Wanted to check the depth of the footers, the holes had to dig upon which the entire structure would be supported. (Act out man getting out of car. “Got a tape?” “Put er in.” “Looks good!” Have to go a depth of 42”. Why? Go below the frost line. Otherwise frost heave can damage a structure. (Glad to still have a son at home use that post hole digger!)
B. What are you building your life on my friend? Shifting sand or the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ
1. A lot of people have built the foundation of their lives on something that is like the shifting sands of Christ’s parable, and when times of distress and upheaval hit them, they realize what they based their trust and security upon is nothing more than a shifty, sandy foundation
2. Illust: When I was in seminary in the late 1980’s I worked several jobs to pay for my tuition. During that time, my brother worked as a drill rig operator for an engineering firm in Columbia, SC. He would often hire me to help him on jobs where he needed a second set of hands. One of those times was a job in a sandy, swampy field outside of a little town called Blacksville, SC. We set up the derrick, hooked up the pump, began to run the drill and the casing. All the while flushing water into the hole. Mosquitos were horrible until we were covered in so much mud they couldn’t get to us! Why did we do it? An investor wanted to see if the soil could sustain building a structure on it. Had to know how far down to reach bedrock for pilings, didn’t want his investment to wash away. A wise investor spends time and money to see if foundation is secure. What are you investing in for the foundation and security of your soul?
C. Applic: Again, 99% of the time we are going to sail through life w/o any major problems. But when that one storm, that one crisis hits, it’s going to test the very foundations of what we believe. How are you doing? Is your foundation firm? To quote Pastor Bill again, the foolish man “he was so busy going up that he forgot to take the necessary time to go down.”
IV. 4th Comparison: 2 Outcomes are Compared.
A. The Final Comparison Jesus makes is between the two outcomes.
1. Both houses were hit by the same storm. Neither home was immune from the adversity of the storm. Both homes were put to the test when as it says in v.25/27 (READ). Rains fall, floods come, winds blow and burst against the house. Notice the violence of the storm! Christ describes two builders who built houses on different foundations—rock and sand. Both builders hear God’s Word. This could mean they potentially attend the same church and hear the same biblical sermons. They both read the Bible and probably use the same Christian lingo. On the exterior they look the same, but on the foundation, or heart level, they were completely different. One of them was just a listener—he never put what was learned into practice. He was just a hearer of God’s Word. He may have enjoyed learning and might have been a seminary professor, Christian author, or pastor. Like the Pharisees and scribes, this person loved Scripture; however, he failed to properly apply it. James, whose epistle many believe is a practical commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, said this: “But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves” (Jam 1:22). What are they deceived about? They are deceived about their faith. It is not genuine.
2. No individual is immune from adversity. Illust: Charles Spurgeon once said: “Whether your religion is true or not, it will be tested.” Foundations are usually hidden and are only proved by storms. One house stood the test of the storm, the other fell and “great was its fall”. Storms on the outside reveal what’s on the inside or what’s below the surface.
B. You can be certain storm will come to test the foundations of what you and I believe.
1. Friend, I am no meteorologist, but I can predict with 100% certainty that there is going to come a storm in your and my life.
2. Storms are a normal part of life and our foundations will be tested in the storms of life.
a. I can also tell you with 100% certainty that storms are a normal part of life. James 1:2 describes it that way when he says, “To consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” The trials of life are nothing unusual. They are a normal part of living. As we walk earth we encounter them. The Christian can consider these trials, these storms of life, as joyful encounters because, as James continues, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” And if we let endurance have its perfect result, we will be made mature and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4). It is not joy in the storm, but joy over the product the storm produces which is maturity. The late JI Packer once said: “To know that nothing happens in God’s world apart from God’s will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.” That statement resonates with your spirit if you have built your life on Christ.
b. Illust:
C. Applic: What’s the point of the parable? The two men represent two groups of people. Both listened to the words of Christ, yet only one believed enough to put them into practice. The Bible tells us in Heb. 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” I once read a story of a boat capsized off the coast of England in the 19th century during a furious storm. Sadly, even though close to shore, several died. However, one teenager was found clinging to a craggy rock. After he was rescue someone asked him had he been terrified. His response was classic: “Yes, I was shaking all the time…but the rock wasn’t.” Psalm 18:2 “the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my Rock in whom I take refuge.” “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
