The Wise And Foolish Man Series

So, a few weeks ago we started a new sermon series called the Sermon on the mount. I love this series because we honestly get to see Jesus’ ministry at it’s core…we see Him speaking to His followers, His people, and we hear exactly what He is all about…we also get a glimpse into the type of teacher He was…when we began this series, I asked everyone what they could remember about His teachings…and many said that he had a way of making the scripture come to life…a way of making it plain, and understandable…the scripture itself says that there was nothing special or unusual about his appearance, but that people were drawn to him…he just had a way about him…

Jesus taught the people in a way that they could understand…he used scenarios that they had been in before…a lost coin, or a lost sheep…they understood how important these things were…he used metaphors and jargon that were familiar to the group…he got on their level and spoke their language…

The scripture we are going to speak about this morning…is one of my favorites…because it is so simple, but so deep…

And when Jesus begins to tell the short story…the audience becomes lost in it…the scripture says that they were amazed at how he taught them…because he was not like the others…he taught them in a way that they could understand…

He uses imagery that is so descriptive, that when he tells the story, we can see it happening in our minds…we know the characters, because we have been them before, or we know someone like that…the situations are relatable, and we can see it playing out as the story unfolds…and when Jesus turns the story on its head and says, “don’t be like this, or this is how we should be…” we are able to see and understand exactly what he is saying to us, and we get it…we don’t forget it…it becomes a part of us…

I’ve met some good story tellers in my life, some good preachers…and sometimes they tell a story that just becomes a part of you, that you never forget it…

Pastor Chuck Swindell tells a story about a man named Frank he met who had a hound dog…you know hound dogs are great hunters, and one evening, while sitting around the house, the man heard a scratching at his door, and knew his dog was ready to come in for the night…so he goes to open the door, and he sees his beloved dog sitting proudly, with the neighbors beloved pet bunny proudly displayed in his mouth…the bunny was covered in dirt and slobber and quite obviously dead…

Dreading any repercussions with his neighbor, the man took the bunny inside…cleaned it up, washed it, and for good measure, even blow-dried so that it would be nice and fluffy…and in the middle of the night, crept over to his neighbor’s yard, and put the bunny back into its cage like nothing ever happened…

The next morning, the man heard his doorbell ring and was quite shocked and embarrassed when he realized that it was his neighbor at the door…the neighbor was quite upset, and said Frank, we’ve got ourselves a sicko in the neighborhood…

Shocked and confused, the man said, what do you mean…

The neighbor replied, well frank, our pet bunny died three days ago, and someone dug him up and put him back in the cage…

Now, you will always remember that story!

Christ’s stories are the same way…and here, at the end of his sermon on the mount, we hear another story about foundations, that stick with us, and hopefully help others to see the light…

Matthew, chapter 7, and we are going to read it together…

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Here…Jesus gives us two different people, who do two similar things, with two different outcomes…

How many of us know the song that goes with this story? “Oh the wise man built his house upon the rock…”