Wise And Foolish Builders

Some years ago, one of our church members asked me to go with him and find a house for him. We went to different neighborhoods, all sorts of towns, and several places. — After a long search, He finally found a home he liked. But there was a problem in the house. There was a crack on the plaster of the bedroom wall. The realtor said that the crack could be repaired and fixed. So he called a contractor. But the contractor said, “ I can't fix your problem.” He said that the cracks on the wall were not the problem. The problem was the shifting foundation under the home. The foundation is moving and that's why you have cracks on your wall. — He said that the cracks on your walls are just symptoms of a much deeper problem, if you don't stabilize your foundation you will forever be doing patchwork on the cracks.

Everywhere you look there are cracks on the wall. You're seeing cracks in our culture, in our relationships, in our families, and in our lives. And a lot of time and energy — is being spent patching them up. The question that we must answer today is what is the foundation that needs to be fixed? I want to call your attention today to a story with Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 7. It's about two men. The question: which one are you? Now these two men had comparisons & contrasts. Let's start with the comparison: What made these two men alike? We read in verse 24 that everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock verse 26 says everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. So let's compare them. The first comparison between these two men is they both have the same dream. They both wanted to build a house.

Now to build a house in Scripture can refer to a number of things. In this passage it refers to building a life. He's talking about two men who wanted to build their lives. Nobody wants a failed life. Nobody wants to live a life of defeat. No one wants to live a life of destruction. Most people don't plan to waste their lives, and so you have dreams, dreams that affect your career, dreams that affect your desires, dreams that fit your design.

Both men wanted to build a house. They wanted to build a life of significance. We want to build a house because building a house in the Bible can refer to your life and your family, building a good family life. No couple gets married planning on their wedding day to have a divorce. Most families don't desire for a breakdown between parents and children. Most families don't want to live in constant conflict. That's not their desire. They want to build a house that is a happy home.

The second thing that these two men had in common is that they were both believers. They both knew about the word of God. — You may be wondering, how do I know that these two men know the word of God? Because Jesus said both men heard these words of mine. They were sitting under the best possible teaching that anyone could be exposed to. Because they were sitting at the feet of Jesus. So the first comparison is they both had the same dream the second comparison is they were both exposed to the truth. Behold, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah . . . For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33).

Then there's a third comparison: both men faced the same storm. The storms that are referred to — in the Bible are trouble, tribulation, challenges, difficulties, and trials. It has been said you're either in a storm or just come out of a storm. Jesus said in John 16:33 “in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

So let's review these three things in common . They both had a dream because they both wanted to build a house. They both were exposed to the truth because they both listened to the words of Jesus. And they both had struggles in life because they were both facing a storm. However that's where the comparison ends and now that's where the contrasts begin. Because both men have things that set them apart from each other.