1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,640 You have your Bible, you can open the Matthew Chapter 7. 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:12,640 Matthew Chapter 7 will be in verses 24 through 27 today. 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,720 And in our passage, we're coming to the final paragraph of 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,800 Jesus's sermon on the mounts. So for the last couple of weeks, 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:28,240 and today included, Jesus has been pressing his hears toward a 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,640 decision. He's been pressing us as we've 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:32,640 been hearing these things, toward a decision. 8 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,280 He's not. He's not simply giving us 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,800 religious information. All right, The Sermon on the 10 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,200 Mount has not been a bunch of moral advice. 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:47,760 Jesus has been setting before us the way of the Kingdom. 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,880 In other words, if you are in Christ, if you're a believer in 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,200 Jesus, he is showing you how you were called to live and how are 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:01:00,040 you were called to respond to him in these last few passages 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,160 that we've looked at. So what's happening is as he's 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,160 bringing the sermon to the close, he's presenting a series 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,520 of contrasts, right? And they've been coupled 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,880 together in twos, right? There are two paths Christ has 19 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:18,040 shown US1 is the narrow way that leads to life, and then there's 20 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,080 the Broadway that leads to destruction, all right? 21 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,840 There's also 2 trees, right? There was a good tree that 22 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,160 produces good fruit or bears good fruits, and then there was 23 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,680 a diseased tree that bears bad fruits. 24 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:35,520 There are two ways to call on Christ. 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,400 This is what Dustin preached last week so faithfully for us. 26 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:44,320 There was one that was empty and it's merely verbal. 27 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:48,040 Lord, Lord, right? And then there was another, a 28 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,280 true faith that's marked by doing the Father's will, by 29 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,280 walking in accordance with all that he said and taught. 30 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,960 And, and so now in the text that we come to this morning, Jesus 31 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,840 is presenting us with one final contrast. 32 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,040 All right, one final set of two. All right, there are two 33 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,920 foundations. All right, Christ wants you to 34 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,640 see there are two foundations. There is a wise man who builds 35 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:16,840 his house on the rock, and there is a foolish man who builds his 36 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,800 house on the sand. Now what I want you to notice as 37 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,400 we go through this are a couple of things here. 1 is that both 38 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:31,360 men hear Christ's words. Not one of them gets to say, 39 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:32,600 well, I didn't hear what you said. 40 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,080 Now both men hear Christ's words. 41 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,320 Both men build a structure that they build a house, right? 42 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,680 Both men face the storm, the rains come, the winds beat on 43 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,960 the House. And yet only one of the houses 44 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,480 that has been built actually stands in the end, right? 45 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:01,360 So that's, it's kind of a warning for us right as we read. 46 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,040 I want you to listen carefully to what Christ is saying. 47 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,800 Jesus is showing us in the passage today that it's not 48 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,400 enough just to hear the words of Christ. 49 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,880 It's not enough to admire them or even to agree with them. 50 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,760 The question is, the question that Christ is pressing home is 51 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:27,160 whether you're going to build your life on His words or not. 52 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,800 All right, so if you're able, would you please stand to your 53 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,760 feet in honor of the reading of God's Word. 54 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,160 Matthew Chapter 7, verses 24 through 27. 55 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,320 Jesus is speaking, He says this. Everyone then who hears these 56 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:50,240 words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his 57 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,240 house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the 58 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:59,320 floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it 59 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,440 did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 60 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:08,280 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do 61 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:13,240 them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 62 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,000 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew 63 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:24,360 and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall 64 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,720 of it. This is the word of the Lord. 65 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:32,040 Thanks be to God, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we think that 66 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,640 we can come before you with Bibles in hand, knowing that we 67 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:41,240 hold in our hand we hear the very words from your mouth being 68 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,280 spoken. Father, we thank you for these 69 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:46,440 words that we have from Christ today. 70 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,800 So we come to the close of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus 71 00:04:50,800 --> 00:05:00,400 now presses on us a decision on which words will we build our 72 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,960 house? Which foundation will we choose? 73 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:07,720 And so, Father, I ask that you would help us as we hear this 74 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,840 word today. Help us not to think of all 75 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:15,600 those people over there, or all those out there, or this person 76 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,960 or that person. Father, help us first as we hear 77 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:25,840 this message, to examine our own hearts, our own lives, and to 78 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:29,040 see a Lord. On which foundation are we 79 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,240 trusting? Have we built our house on the 80 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,200 rock or have we built our house on sand? 81 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,360 And Lord, would you reveal that to us in your great mercy and 82 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,760 your kindness, and by your grace, would you call us to 83 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,880 repentance and faith today? Lord, we thank you for your 84 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:49,400 word. We thank you for the time we 85 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,880 have in it. Help us to have hearts that are 86 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,920 fertile soil today. It's in the name of Christ, I 87 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:57,280 pray. Amen. 88 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:58,880 Amen. You may be seated. 89 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,920 Now, one of the strange things about house building or houses 90 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:14,320 all together is that you don't usually think about the 91 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:19,080 foundation when everything is calm, all right, when all is 92 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:25,240 going well, nobody walks into your home and says, wow, look at 93 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,640 this slab you have. All right, you'll hear that very 94 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:30,480 much. Nobody visits somebody's house 95 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,320 and says, brother, these footings you have, they are 96 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,040 wonderful, right? You just don't hear that very 97 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,080 often. You might notice the paints, 98 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:42,120 right? It's a great color. 99 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,840 You'll notice the the decor on the walls. 100 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,800 You might notice the floors. You might even take a look at 101 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,360 the furniture, the kitchen or the yard, right? 102 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,200 All those exterior things, those things that draw our attention. 103 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,080 But when the storm comes and it beats against the house, well, 104 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,480 the foundation of the house suddenly becomes very, very 105 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,200 important to the whole thing, right? 106 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,360 And that's what Jesus is pressing home here in the text. 107 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,320 He's saying the same is true for our lives. 108 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,840 The foundation matters a great deal. 109 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,800 And really what he's getting at is that it's possible to have a 110 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,880 life that looks stable. It's possible to have a life 111 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,280 that looks respectable, or that's built on morality, or 112 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,680 that's even religious and its appearance. 113 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,160 It's possible to hear the words of Jesus. 114 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,520 It's possible to know the language of Christianity. 115 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,720 It's possible to appear like the building is well put together. 116 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,880 But but when the storm comes right, what matters most is not 117 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,840 what the house looks like on the outside or from the streets. 118 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,200 It it matters what the house has been built on, right? 119 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,840 And that's where Jesus brings the sermon on the Mount to a 120 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:04,120 close here, right? He presses this question home. 121 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,600 And it's, it's really the question of what lies beneath 122 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,920 everything else. What foundation do you have? 123 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,360 What is your life built on right. 124 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,120 So the main point of the passage is this taking notes. 125 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:17,520 You can use your worship guide for this. 126 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:21,160 It's in there. Kingdom citizens stand firm 127 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,720 through life's storms by building their lives on the 128 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,360 words of Christ. Kingdom citizens stand firm 129 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,600 through life's storms by building their lives on the 130 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,080 words of Christ. Now He's going to show this. 131 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,000 Show us this with two builders, right? 132 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,000 We have the wise man who builds on Christ's words in verses 24 133 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:45,240 and 25, and then we have the foolish man who builds apart 134 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,240 from Christ's words in 26 and 27. 135 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,040 So let's begin here with the first builder #1 the wise man 136 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:59,280 builds on Christ's words, right? So Jesus begins this by saying, 137 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,120 everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will 138 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,400 be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 139 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,800 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and 140 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:15,120 beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been 141 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:19,200 founded on the rock. So he begins with the word 142 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:23,880 everyone, right? Jesus is bringing the entire 143 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,200 sermon, 5 through 7, right? Chapters 5 through 7. 144 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:32,040 He's bringing the whole thing to bear on every listener, right? 145 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,480 No one gets to step outside of this conclusion that he's 146 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,960 offering, right? No one can say, well, that 147 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:44,560 decision, that question, that analogy is for somebody else. 148 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:47,520 It's not for me. Now Jesus is speaking to 149 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:51,360 everyone who has heard him, and he's speaking to you and to me 150 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,000 today, right? And what does he say? 151 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,120 He says there is a kind of person who is wise. 152 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,600 And this kind of person who's wise, I want you to know, wisdom 153 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,480 in the Scripture is not merely intelligence, right? 154 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,360 Wisdom in Scripture is not only about the knowledge that you 155 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:11,600 have. It's not about what you know so 156 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,720 much. It's not just knowing facts. 157 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,760 It's not just being clever. It's not just being practical. 158 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,080 It's not just, hey, is your life successful or are you well 159 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,080 educated? That's not wisdom in the 160 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,680 Scriptures. Biblical wisdom, don't miss 161 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:27,120 this. Biblical wisdom is skillful, 162 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:30,240 living under the rule of God, right? 163 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,880 Biblical wisdom is knowing how to apply the knowledge of God, 164 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:38,800 and it's walking wisely. It's the skillful living that 165 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,720 comes under the rule of God. So it's the idea of hearing 166 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:47,720 God's truths, yes, but it also consists of the idea of fearing 167 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:53,920 God's name, trusting God's way, and ordering your life according 168 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,080 to his word, right? So it's not just what you know, 169 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,680 right? It's how you Orient your life 170 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:03,120 under His rule. So who is the wise man in the 171 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,480 passage? Well, Jesus tells us very 172 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:10,160 playfully, all right, it's everyone who then hears these 173 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:14,160 words of mine and does them all right. 174 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,600 It's the one who hears and does that. 175 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,040 That means the wise man is not wise because he heard the 176 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,920 sermon, right? Lots of people are standing 177 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:24,880 around and have heard the sermon. 178 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,720 Both men in the passage, the wise and the foolish man, hear 179 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,640 the sermon, right? The wise man is not wise because 180 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,240 he's exposed to the truth that that can be helpful. 181 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:38,520 But that's not where it rests, right? 182 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,680 The foolish man also was exposed to the truth that the wise man 183 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:47,360 is not wise because he can remember or he can quote certain 184 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,680 parts of it, or he admires the words like, hey, what? 185 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,640 All those things Jesus said, those, those were really good. 186 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:55,080 He said some really good things there. 187 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,680 No, it's not even that. They can go then and discuss 188 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,840 Jesus's words with some understanding. 189 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:07,760 The wise man is wise because he builds his life on the words of 190 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:12,760 Christ. Notice how Jesus frames this. 191 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:20,480 He says these words of mine right now that that ought to be 192 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,880 somewhat astonishing to us. All right. 193 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,440 Jesus is not in the Sermon on the Mount by saying whoever 194 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:31,440 builds or whoever hears the words of Moses, right, though he 195 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:35,440 has affirmed the law. He doesn't say whoever hears the 196 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,280 tradition of your religious leaders now, he's already 197 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,600 corrected those. He doesn't even say whoever 198 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:47,800 hears general, general religious wisdom today, though, He says, 199 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:53,160 whoever hears these words of mine right now, what Jesus is 200 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:58,120 doing here is placing his own words in the position of final 201 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,560 authority. All right, So we can't look at 202 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:06,200 Jesus's words and be like the world and say, well, he said 203 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,120 some really good things, or I like those things he said, but I 204 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,240 don't so much like those. No, Jesus has placed himself in 205 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:19,280 the place of final authority. He's revealing here that he is 206 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,120 the Son of God, right? This means this passage is not 207 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,200 merely about the importance of morality, right? 208 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,680 It's not merely about building your life on good values or 209 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:33,920 strong discipline or family principles or religious habits. 210 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,120 But Jesus is saying that the only stable foundation for human 211 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,920 life is his Word. That's it, right? 212 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:50,360 In other words, the words of Christ are the words of God. 213 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:55,040 All right. The Son speaks here with divine 214 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,600 authority. His words are not shifting sand. 215 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,840 They're not one opinion among a bunch of other opinions, but 216 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,080 they're not just helpful suggestions to consider when it 217 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,160 might be convenient for you. No, His. 218 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:15,200 His words are truth. His words are life, right? 219 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:20,680 His words reveal the Father. His words are exposing our 220 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,680 hearts, right? We we can all agree, if you've 221 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,480 been here through this series so far, that the Sermon on the 222 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:31,320 Mount has absolutely exposed our hearts, right? 223 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,320 His words have called us to repentance. 224 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,680 His words have taught us the way of the Kingdom and what it looks 225 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,560 like to live under His rule. It's very much in line with what 226 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,040 the psalmist says in Psalm 1/19. He says forever, O Lord, your 227 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,600 word is firmly fixed in the heavens, right? 228 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,240 That's rock like language, isn't it? 229 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:04,160 Forever, firmly fixed, right? God's word is fixed, it's 230 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,560 settled, right? It's unmoving, it's solid, it's 231 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,080 forever. The world changes, the opinions 232 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,160 change. Fads come and go, right? 233 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,000 Opinions will shift, cultures rise and they fall. 234 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:25,120 But our feelings, right? Our feelings can move all over 235 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,720 the place. Just depends on what you had for 236 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,440 breakfast some days, or what bad news you got, or what good news 237 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:35,120 you got. But God's Word, his promises, 238 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,960 his truths, they stand forever, right? 239 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,800 Psalm 119 also says the sum of your word is truth, and every 240 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,840 one of your righteous rules endures forever. 241 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:52,480 So, So when Jesus says the wise man builds on his words, right, 242 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:57,560 He means the wise man builds his life on what is eternally true. 243 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,520 But we need to be clear, I think, about what this means to 244 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:07,560 build on Christ's words. Jesus says the wise man hears, 245 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,560 and he does what else he does all right. 246 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:14,720 This is what it means to be the wise man. 247 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:21,960 This means that real hearing produces obedient faith, right? 248 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:27,600 Not perfect obedience. We're not looking for sinless 249 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,520 obedience. We're not looking for obedience 250 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:35,120 that earns salvation, right, But real living repentance, 251 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,640 submissive obedience. That's what real hearing 252 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,880 produces. This is exactly what James, the 253 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,840 little brother of Christ says. He says, but be doers of the 254 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:50,480 Word and not hearers only. Deceiving yourselves, right? 255 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:54,200 So James is warning us that it's possible to sit under the word 256 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:59,520 of Christ, to sit under the preached word week in and week 257 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:06,000 outs, to read the Word daily and still to deceive yourself. 258 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,400 It's possible to hear sermons, to read scriptures, to nod our 259 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:15,880 heads and say Amen and still not obey what God's word says, 260 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,599 right? It's it's possible to to mistake 261 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:26,280 exposure to truth for submission to truth. 262 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:30,040 All right, we should be careful about this. 263 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,640 And so that's why Jesus says the wise man does not merely listen, 264 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:37,400 he builds, right? He he takes the words of Christ 265 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:42,040 and he says, this is where my life must rest. 266 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:46,840 This is what I must trust in. This is what I must obey, right? 267 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,400 This is what I must. This is what must shape my 268 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:54,160 desires, my decisions, my relationships, my priorities, my 269 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:58,360 worship, my money, my marriage, my parenting, my speech, my 270 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:02,200 private life. The words of Christ must shape 271 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,560 me in every way. That's what it means to build on 272 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,000 the rock, right? Matthew Henry says this. 273 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:17,720 He says those build upon Christ who, having sincerely consented 274 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:23,160 to him as their Prince and Savior, or as their King and 275 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:27,640 Savior, make it their constant care to conform to all the rules 276 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,280 of his holy religion, right? In other words, what Matthew 277 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:36,880 Henry saying is building on Christ means receiving Christ 278 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:42,280 not only as your Savior, but as your King, right? 279 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:47,320 As your Lord. And then Jesus says the storm 280 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:51,000 comes, right? So he's talked about this wise 281 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:54,560 man who's built his house on the word of Christ. 282 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,000 He's built it on the rock, right? 283 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,280 How did he do that? He heard and obeyed. 284 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,440 And then the rain comes and the floods come. 285 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,240 The winds blow and they beat against the house. 286 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,200 I think this is important for you and I as Christians in a lot 287 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:18,080 of ways, but one of them is this Jesus does not say that the wise 288 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:24,760 man avoids the storm. All right, some of us get kind 289 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,080 of messed up in our minds and in our hearts and in the way we 290 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,280 pursue God or don't pursue God, or the way we get frustrated or, 291 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,120 or the way we get down or depressed or despair or 292 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:38,040 whatever, based solely upon the fact that storms are happening 293 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,240 in our lives and we just can't believe it. 294 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:44,960 I'm serving Christ, I'm living for Him. 295 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,360 I'm trying to order my life According to him or I'm not. 296 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,240 And storms are coming. What gives, right? 297 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,760 Well, building your life on Christ's words does not mean 298 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:02,200 that your life will be easy. I mean, just think about the 12 299 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:07,200 men who were responsible for carrying the gospel to the world 300 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:12,360 initially. One that we know of gets out of 301 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:16,360 life with an age-old kind of death and the rest are brutally 302 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:21,480 martyred, right? Christ himself brutally 303 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:26,720 murdered. Many Saints have gone before us, 304 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:34,480 brutally martyred, torn to bits by lions, burned at stakes. 305 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,520 Also they could preserve the word of Christ. 306 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,680 Also that they could teach it truthfully. 307 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,320 Also, that they could hand the gospel down to the next 308 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:49,360 generations to preserve it for people like you and I to sit in 309 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:53,000 churches where we're free to open up the scriptures and to 310 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:59,160 read. And you and I get messed up if 311 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,880 the rain interrupts our satellite TV watching for an 312 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,400 evening. All right. 313 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,560 We just think about how inconvenience, how small 314 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:11,080 inconvenience we can be, and we become frustrated. 315 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,000 What do you think we're going to do when persecution really 316 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,960 knocks or when grief really shows up at our front door? 317 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,680 So you have to ask the questions, Am I really building 318 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:30,240 my life on Christ? Am I really making decisions 319 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:34,920 that would honor the Lord Jesus, that would be good for my wife 320 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,000 and good for my children and good for, you know, the people 321 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,320 around me in my church and in my community? 322 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,040 Am I really building my life on Christ? 323 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:51,680 Or have I just, you know, syncretized some truths about 324 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,080 God with the way I really want to live? 325 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,320 And I've kind of built a God in my own image. 326 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:01,680 I've bent him to my will and to my desires, right? 327 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,840 Jesus is not saying your life is going to be easy. 328 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,520 He's not. Nothing about building your life 329 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,800 on Christ means that suffering is going to pass you by. 330 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,000 It doesn't mean that grief will never enter your home. 331 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,280 It doesn't mean that temptation will never beat against your 332 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,120 soul. It doesn't mean that your body 333 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:26,600 will never weaken right, That your plans will never collapse, 334 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,880 that your heart will never ache, or that your faith will never be 335 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,520 tested. You will face all of those 336 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,000 things as a Christian. Please hear that you will, 337 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,720 right? You don't get out of life having 338 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,760 not suffered. You don't get out of life having 339 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,000 not endured temptation. You don't get out of life having 340 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:54,400 not sinned against God and needing to repent. 341 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,200 It just doesn't happen, right? So you've got to ask yourself 342 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:05,240 today, am I building my life on the words of Christ, or if I 343 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:12,120 built a God in my own image who bends to my will and he makes 344 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:15,600 provisions for my flesh and he allows me to do what I want to 345 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:20,240 do day in and day out? That's not the God of the Bible, 346 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:26,360 right? So the rain falls on the wise 347 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:29,480 man's house also. It does. 348 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,080 The floods come against his house. 349 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,280 The winds beat on it. The difference is not that one 350 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,200 man has storms and the other doesn't. 351 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,640 That's not the difference in the in the passage today. 352 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,920 But that's not Christ does not want you to walk away from 353 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:48,520 hearing his words, thinking, if I obey Christ, it'll be rainbows 354 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:53,160 and sunshines forever. Oh, it's going to be hard days. 355 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,480 But the difference is that one man has a firm foundation and 356 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,920 the other doesn't, right? He has a foundation. 357 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,680 Jesus says it did not fall. His house didn't fall because it 358 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:11,920 had been founded on the rock. Now, that's the promise in the 359 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:13,840 passage. That's the part that ought to 360 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,720 make you kind of perk up and get excited about what the Lord is 361 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,680 telling you in the Scriptures today. 362 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:21,120 It's not that the house will never be hit. 363 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:25,120 It's that it'll never finally fall, right? 364 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,800 It's, it's the truths of Romans 831 through 39 being spoken in a 365 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:35,640 shorter form here, right? Either death, nor life, nor 366 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:40,240 angels, nor demons, nor powers above or powers below, either 367 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,640 persecution nor famine, like none of these things are going 368 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,360 to separate you from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus your 369 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:51,400 Lord. That's my summary. 370 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,400 OK? It says more than that. 371 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:02,040 I mean, think about the hope that Christ gives to you when he 372 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:07,480 says it was founded upon the rock and so it did not fall. 373 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:13,720 But that's great hope, right? He gives you a foundation here. 374 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,960 He gives you the kind of foundation that can withstand 375 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:23,280 the pressures of life. He is saying to us, When trials 376 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:31,320 come, my words hold true. When temptation comes, my word 377 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:38,160 holds. When grief comes, my word holds. 378 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:44,960 When death comes, my word holds. When final judgment comes, my 379 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:50,000 word holds. So the the life built on Christ. 380 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:57,040 It might tremble, it'll endure difficulties and trials, but it 381 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,040 will not finally collapse, right? 382 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,680 Remember when the storm comes, that unseen foundation, the 383 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,480 thing you never compliment in your brother's house, right? 384 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:11,240 That thing becomes the most important thing in your life. 385 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,760 And Jesus is saying your life is like this. 386 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,680 There are many visible things about your life that people 387 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,200 might admire from the outside, right? 388 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,720 They may admire your morality, your church attendance, your 389 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,720 family, your knowledge, your giftedness, your reputation, 390 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,080 your service, right? Your discipline. 391 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:31,520 They may admire all of those things. 392 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:33,960 And some of those things might be the fruit of a good tree, 393 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:35,360 right? We're not saying they don't 394 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:40,320 matter, but those are the kinds of things that can be seen from 395 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,400 the street, so to speak. And you have to ask what's on 396 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,480 the inside because that's what Jesus is doing here. 397 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:51,200 He's pressing just a bit deeper than the tree analogy, just a 398 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,320 bit deeper than the two ways analogy, right? 399 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:59,600 He's asking his listeners to consider this question. 400 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:04,800 What is underneath all of those things, right? 401 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,600 What am I founded on? What have I built my life on? 402 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,760 And the question is really coming to us this way from 403 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,640 Christ. Are you building your life on my 404 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,600 word and on me, or have you built it on something else? 405 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,480 And so I think we can apply this very, very plainly today. 406 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:31,840 First, you should not confuse hearing Christ's words with 407 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:36,480 building on Christ's words. We cannot confuse the two. 408 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:43,880 Many of us have heard a lot of God's word through our lives. 409 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,800 You've grown up in church. You've been taught the ways of 410 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:53,440 truth, so now you're being told by Christ you must consider your 411 00:27:53,440 --> 00:28:00,600 foundation. Does my life reflect the kind of 412 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:06,240 house that's been built on the rock, or does it reflect sinking 413 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,680 sand? Pardon. 414 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,120 That's the most serious warning in this passage. 415 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:19,480 When you, you have to notice both men here, both men are 416 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,320 close enough to the truth and know what Jesus has said. 417 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,200 So the question can't be, have I heard? 418 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,680 No, the question becomes, have I obeyed? 419 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:32,520 Right you. You can say that Jesus is wise. 420 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:34,480 You can say he's good. You can say he's true. 421 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:38,680 You say all those nice things about Him and yet still refuse 422 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:42,800 to build your life on him. So we have to ask, where are the 423 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:47,120 words of Christ pressing on my life right now, right? 424 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,240 Where is He pressing against me today? 425 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:55,080 Where am I hearing, but I'm not doing, I'm not willing to obey. 426 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:00,520 Secondly, similar application, maybe just a little further down 427 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,960 the road here, you must bring every part of your life under 428 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:08,000 the authority of Christ's words. Not not just the outward parts, 429 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,360 not just the parts that need to look good for everyone else. 430 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,440 No, every part of your life, but especially those things that you 431 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:18,480 do in secrets. You need to bring those things 432 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:20,480 under the authority of Christ's words. 433 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:27,120 In this sermon from Matthew 5 to 7, right, Jesus has spoken about 434 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:30,680 anger. He has spoken about lust. 435 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,040 He's spoken about adultery and divorce, truthfulness, 436 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:38,040 retaliation, loving your enemies, giving, praying, 437 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,720 fasting, how we handle money, how we think about anxiety. 438 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,480 He's spoken about judging others. 439 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,760 He's spoken about how we talk to the Father and asking for 440 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,600 things. He's spoken about the narrow 441 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,760 gate. He's spoken about false prophets 442 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:56,480 and false professions. I mean, he, he has laid it out 443 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,800 for us. And so we should ask, when you 444 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,360 hear all of those things, you should ask, am I building my 445 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:08,480 relationship on my relationships in life on Christ words? 446 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:16,000 Am I building my marriage on Christ words? 447 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:23,280 Am I building my parenting on Christ words? 448 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,880 Am I building my private thoughts on Christ words? 449 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:37,280 Am I building my use of money on Christ words? 450 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:44,440 Am I building my response to anxiety and worry on Christ 451 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,800 words? Am I building my understanding 452 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:56,240 of salvation and sanctification on Christ's words? 453 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:03,960 But the wise man in the story does not pick just a room or two 454 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,400 and say, Jesus, you can have authority in those places. 455 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:15,320 Now the wise man says, I'm going to build my whole house on the 456 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,840 rock of Christ's words, meaning he's going to have authority 457 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:26,920 over the whole structure. 3rd application here, I think is 458 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,720 this. You need to take comfort. 459 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,200 Take comfort that Christ's words are strong enough to hold you. 460 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:48,680 Some of you feel the storm beating against your life right 461 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:54,840 now. The rain's falling, the floods 462 00:31:54,840 --> 00:32:00,040 are coming, winds are blowing, beating against the house, and 463 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:07,240 you feel very weak. But I want you to know that the 464 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,720 strength of the house is not finally in the house itself, is 465 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:14,320 it? That's not what Jesus is 466 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,080 teaching here. The strength of the house is in 467 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:21,640 the foundation of the house. It's Christ in His word. 468 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:30,120 Psalm 19, the psalmist pleads with God and he says this. 469 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:35,520 He says uphold me. Uphold me according to your 470 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:42,240 promise that I may live. That's the Christians hope, 471 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:44,680 right? We're not upheld because you're 472 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:48,000 naturally strong. Maybe you are. 473 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:51,800 Maybe you don't get rocked around by life very often, 474 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,000 right? But it's not natural strength 475 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:57,880 that upholds you. You're upheld because Christ is 476 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,960 strong. We're not steady because our 477 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,760 faith never trembles. No, we're steady because His 478 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,080 word is firm beneath us. It's the foundation for us. 479 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,160 So I want you to take comfort that His words are strong enough 480 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,680 to hold you. And if you're going to believe 481 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,000 that, then my encouragement for you is build on Him. 482 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,440 Build on his word. Build on his character. 483 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:29,520 Build on all that He says He is and all that He's done for you. 484 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,200 How do we build? We obey. 485 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:37,360 We obey His word. Jesus says in John 15, If you 486 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:40,000 love me, you will obey my commandments. 487 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:48,560 We return to His word. There will be seasons where you 488 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:52,760 have walked away from God, where you've stopped obeying, you 489 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:58,000 stopped caring, you've been deceived. 490 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:02,960 And when those times come, you are called by God, by Christ 491 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,000 here. Return to His word. 492 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:10,520 Let His Word correct you. Let His Word comfort, Let His 493 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,840 Word bring exposure to you. Let it strengthen you right? 494 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:21,199 Let it lead you. Kingdom citizens will stand firm 495 00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:24,600 through life storms by building their lives on the words of 496 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:30,600 Christ, a love in the passage. Jesus doesn't just stop with the 497 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,120 wise man, right? He also gives us a warning, a 498 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:37,719 very clear warning. There is another builder. 499 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:43,639 There is a builder who hears he he also builds. 500 00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:48,719 He faces the storm, but his house doesn't stand. 501 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:54,120 Point #2 The foolish man builds apart from Christ's words. 502 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,640 Leo verses 26 and 27. And everyone who hears these 503 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:02,920 words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man 504 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,880 who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods 505 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:10,160 came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it 506 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:14,760 fell, and great was the fall of it. 507 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,600 You have to notice again how similar these men are at first. 508 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:26,480 Both here, both build, both appear to be doing something 509 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:30,640 constructive, both experience the same storm, and from the 510 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,720 outside their houses may have even looked very similar. 511 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:37,320 Charles Spurgeon said this of these two builders, he said the 512 00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:40,440 one builder is wise, the other foolish. 513 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,280 The one is superficial, the other substantial. 514 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:50,200 The the one has pretend is pretentious and the other is 515 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,960 sincere. Now that's the same issue that 516 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:57,600 Jesus is pressing here, not merely what is visible above the 517 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,280 ground, but what is real beneath the surface. 518 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,840 He says one man is wise and the other is foolish. 519 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,400 Why? Well, not because one heard and 520 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,120 the other didn't, both here, right? 521 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:10,640 I've said it a lot because I think it's really important for 522 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:14,800 us to understand we can be raised up in this and yet still 523 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:21,640 be a foolish builder. The difference is 1 heard and 524 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,840 obeyed while the other heard and did not obey. 525 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:31,200 Then I'll be sobering for us. The foolish man is not 526 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,440 irreligious in the sense of never have, never having heard 527 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:38,520 the truth. He's not someone without 528 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,960 exposure to Christ's words. He's heard them. 529 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:45,680 He knows what Jesus has said. He's listened to the sermon. 530 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,800 He's been there for all of it. He does not build his life on 531 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:52,040 what he has heard. That's the difference. 532 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:59,880 And Jesus is calling that foolishness right in Scripture. 533 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:03,160 Foolishness. Foolishness is not merely a lack 534 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:08,160 of intelligence, right? The fool is not simply someone 535 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,080 who struggles to understand difficult things. 536 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:19,400 The fool is the fool is the one who rejects God's wisdom and 537 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:24,360 chooses his own way. Yet you see it in Proverbs, you 538 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,040 see it in the Psalms, you see it throughout the Scriptures, this 539 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:29,760 idea of a fool. And it's always the one who's 540 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:33,000 rejecting wisdom, doing things their own way. 541 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,720 But the fool, on the outside, he might appear smart, he he might 542 00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:40,960 be successful, he might be gifted, and he might have some 543 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,240 good morals. He may even appear religious. 544 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,960 But if he hears the words of Christ and he refuses to obey 545 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:52,600 them, Jesus says he is building on the sand. 546 00:37:56,520 --> 00:38:03,920 Now, sand can look fairly stable for a while, right? 547 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,560 It may seem firm enough on a calm day, right? 548 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,880 You could build on it, and you could even admire what you've 549 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:15,720 built. But sand cannot hold when the 550 00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:20,040 floods come, right? And that's what makes the 551 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,760 warning so serious. Jesus does not say to us that 552 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,480 the foolish man failed to build. No, he built. 553 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:31,400 He built something that was probably respectable looking. 554 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,400 It was a house. He had a structure. 555 00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:37,840 He he had something visible to show off to his neighbors. 556 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:41,720 But his foundation was flawed, right? 557 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:47,000 This is why we must not confuse visible religious activity with 558 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:52,280 true submission to Christ. A person can build a life on 559 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,800 outward morality, but it's on sand. 560 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:01,000 A person can build a life of church attendance on sand. 561 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:04,840 A person can build a life of ministry involvement on sand. 562 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,920 A person can build a life of Bible knowledge on sand. 563 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:17,960 A person can even say Lord, Lord and still be building on sand. 564 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:23,440 That was the passage last week. There will be people who say, 565 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:30,800 Lord, Lord, who did many mighty works, and yet Jesus will say to 566 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:36,120 them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of 567 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:41,320 lawlessness. The issue is not whether we can 568 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,360 point to something we've built. The issue is whether our lives 569 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,200 are founded on Christ himself and his words. 570 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:53,560 Right, the storm comes, right? The rain fell, the floods came, 571 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,280 the winds blew and beat against his house. 572 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:02,240 And by all appearances it's the very same kind of storm that 573 00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:07,280 struck the wise man's house. But the same rainfalls, the same 574 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,480 floods rise, the same wind blows, but the outcome is 575 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:16,080 different this time. Jesus says, and it fell, and 576 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:22,960 great was the fall of it. This is so true, isn't it? 577 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:26,600 I don't have to get a show of hands, but you all know the 578 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:30,000 stories. Of men and women who had the 579 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,080 appearance of godliness, who lived the lives that maybe you 580 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,080 respected. Maybe they were a hero to you in 581 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:42,680 some sense. But then temptation comes, or 582 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,040 difficulties in life, trials, tribulations, whatever they may 583 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,440 be, those things come. And that person's structure 584 00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:54,200 doesn't last. And it's a great fall. 585 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,200 It's not just a fall, it's a great fall. 586 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:00,360 It's very humbling when those things happen. 587 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:06,560 So the issue is not whether we can point to something we built. 588 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,400 That's what have we built our lives on. 589 00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:15,160 Jesus warns here that that phrase great was the fall of it. 590 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:19,040 Jesus warns us that a life built apart from obedience to his 591 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:23,880 words will not stand. It may stand for a while. 592 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:27,720 It does make that clear. It may look sturdy and fair 593 00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:33,440 weather. It might be impressive, and it 594 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:36,760 might even deceive the one who's taken residence in the house. 595 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:42,040 But when the storm of testing comes, when suffering exposes 596 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:46,000 his heart, when temptation reveals what he truly loves, 597 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,920 when death arrives at his doorstep, and especially when 598 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,600 final judgment comes, no foundation but Christ will 599 00:41:55,600 --> 00:42:04,530 stand. Sometimes people hear things 600 00:42:04,530 --> 00:42:08,330 like this from the pulpit or from God's Word, and they think, 601 00:42:08,330 --> 00:42:13,690 man, that's really tough. How could Jesus be so hard? 602 00:42:13,690 --> 00:42:15,690 Or how could the preacher be so mean? 603 00:42:18,810 --> 00:42:21,010 I think that's the kind of thing people say when they feel 604 00:42:21,010 --> 00:42:26,440 defensive. When the truth's landing, you 605 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:29,120 start to say, well, that's a little mean spirited or you 606 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:31,800 can't say those things. It's like, well, that's exactly 607 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:35,280 what Christ is saying. But Christ does not mean 608 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:39,840 spirited, is he? No, Christ is loving, He's kind, 609 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:44,400 and all that he does, Romans tells us it's the kindness of 610 00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:47,120 God's God that leads us to repentance. 611 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:54,000 So when we hear words like this, when we see things like this, I 612 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:57,000 think it's important for us to feel the mercy behind the 613 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,640 warning. All right, If you as a father, 614 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:05,480 your child's about to run out into a busy St. 615 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:10,240 It's not an ugly thing to say. Hey, stop. 616 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:15,400 It would be an unloving thing to not say a word. 617 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:20,280 But you know that giving the warning and chasing after them 618 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:22,440 is the most loving thing you could do in a moment. 619 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:25,880 It's the most merciful thing you could do for them, right? 620 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:29,440 None of us as loving fathers would deny that. 621 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:31,880 That's exactly what Christ is doing here. 622 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:38,000 He's offering mercy here. He's not warning you because He 623 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,000 delights in the fall of the foolish. 624 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:47,560 Please understand that He warns us so that we will not fall, so 625 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:49,440 that we won't run out into the street. 626 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:53,680 He tells us the truth before the storm shows up. 627 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:57,480 You need to examine the foundation of your home before 628 00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:03,920 the storm comes. He's showing us the danger while 629 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:08,880 there's still time to repent. And so He's exposing false 630 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:14,240 foundations here so that sinners may flee to the true foundation. 631 00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:18,160 This is merciful. This is the language of mercy. 632 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:24,960 And so again, we we can apply this very plainly first 633 00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:29,080 application. You must examine what you were 634 00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:36,960 actually building your life on. Do not ask. 635 00:44:38,120 --> 00:44:45,000 Do I hear Christ's words? Ask yourself, am I building my 636 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:50,640 life on Christ's words? Right When Christ speaks about 637 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:55,880 anger, you can ask yourself, do I repent of my anger? 638 00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:00,360 What When Christ speaks about lust? 639 00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:06,040 You can ask, do I make war against the lust of my flesh? 640 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:09,280 Do I go to battle against those things? 641 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:12,880 What when Christ speaks about loving your enemies? 642 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,800 You can ask yourself, do I obey this command? 643 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:21,280 I love my enemies? What when Christ speaks about 644 00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:24,440 prayer? You can ask in what ways this 645 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:27,440 week or today have I sought the Father? 646 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:34,840 What when Christ speaks about money, you can ask yourself, do 647 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:38,280 I treasure heaven above worldly possessions? 648 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,160 Am IA good steward with the financial resources that God's 649 00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:46,000 given to me? When Christ speaks about 650 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:52,040 anxiety, you can ask yourself, do I trust my Heavenly Father? 651 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:58,080 When Christ speaks about the narrow way versus the wide way, 652 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:02,120 the way of life versus the way of destruction, you can ask, do 653 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:05,760 I enter Have I entered the narrow way by faith? 654 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:14,680 When Christ speaks about false profession, false prophets, 655 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:20,560 false professors, you can ask yourself, do I examine my own 656 00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:23,320 heart? Let's see. 657 00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:25,560 The question is not whether Christ's words have passed 658 00:46:25,560 --> 00:46:29,960 through your ears, Brothers and sisters, I'm sure that they have 659 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:33,240 that. The question is whether they 660 00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:35,240 have become the foundation of your life. 661 00:46:36,680 --> 00:46:38,160 That's a totally different question. 662 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:45,280 A second application. Do you build your hope on 663 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:51,120 religious appearance? The foolish man's house was 664 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:55,760 still a house, right? That's part of what makes the 665 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:59,320 illustration that Christ offers so impactful, to be honest. 666 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:06,320 Sand foundation lives are not always obviously wicked, right? 667 00:47:06,320 --> 00:47:10,320 Sometimes they're respectable, they're moral, they're busy 668 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:15,200 religious lives. But if the foundation of that 669 00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:18,440 house is self righteousness, then it's sand. 670 00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:22,280 If the foundation is human approval, then it's sand. 671 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:26,760 If the foundation is family heritage and you're like, man, 672 00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:30,320 we've been Christians in my family for generations. 673 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,520 Well then as you read the Old Testament and you see how the 674 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:37,640 generations that came after the faithful ones straight so 675 00:47:37,640 --> 00:47:40,440 quickly, you should really ask yourself some questions. 676 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:46,040 It's not just about MyHeritage. Is Christ my own? 677 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:48,480 Do I know him? Does he know me? 678 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:53,560 Does he approve of my way? Would Psalm one call me a wise 679 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:55,560 man or would I be the foolish one? 680 00:47:55,640 --> 00:47:58,200 In Psalm one, would I be the wicked one? 681 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:04,080 If the foundation in your life is church attendance, you're 682 00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:06,040 like man, Every time you guys open the doors, every time a 683 00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:08,120 home group's available, I'm in it. 684 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:11,400 I'm at Sunday school, I'm at worship, I'm at Home group. 685 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:13,920 I come to Sunday night services. I don't miss members meetings. 686 00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:15,680 Praise God, we love you for that. 687 00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:20,720 But if that's all your hope is in, that's a life of sand. 688 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:27,760 If your foundation is well, call. 689 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:34,720 I know the right answers, right? I can I can apply the gospel and 690 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:39,280 you know, real quick situations. I know the right things to say 691 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:45,400 and when to say them. I've got a lot of knowledge of 692 00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:50,640 again, if that's what you're hoping in, then you're building 693 00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:53,640 on sand. The question becomes, have you 694 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:57,880 bowed to the King? All right, Only Christ in his 695 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:04,360 words or the rock. And so the third application I 696 00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:10,800 think that Christ is inviting here is this, Come to Christ 697 00:49:10,800 --> 00:49:19,880 now, come to Christ today. That's the gracious invitation 698 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:23,040 beneath the warning. Jesus is not merely saying look 699 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:27,360 at the foolish man, but let's all look and point and laugh at 700 00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:28,920 him. No, that's not what Christ is 701 00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:34,440 saying at all. Christ is saying to everyone who 702 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:40,720 hears, examine your heart. Look at your own heart, your own 703 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:44,280 life. Do not be the foolish man. 704 00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:50,160 He's let you know that the storm is coming, that's certain. 705 00:49:51,440 --> 00:49:54,720 But the collapse of your life does not have to be inevitable, 706 00:49:55,920 --> 00:49:57,800 right? The foolish man can become wise 707 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:04,720 today by hearing Christ's words, by repenting of his sin, by 708 00:50:04,720 --> 00:50:08,760 turning in faith to the Lord, trusting Christ for his 709 00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:12,840 forgiveness, trusting Christ and His work on the cross for your 710 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:18,560 salvation, building your life from this point forward on him. 711 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:24,320 The foolish man can become wise and so the encouragement from 712 00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:31,200 Christ here is not to delay. Christ is not inviting you to 713 00:50:31,200 --> 00:50:36,080 admire the rock from far away. He's not telling you, hey, 714 00:50:36,600 --> 00:50:39,960 you've built on sand. You need to go do some work to 715 00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:42,680 correct that and then you can come back to me and I'll help 716 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:46,760 you with the rock part. No, Christ is saying come today, 717 00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:52,720 come now, completing for forgiveness from seeking 718 00:50:52,720 --> 00:50:55,800 reconciliation with God and with those around you. 719 00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:02,520 He's saying build on Him. And that's the warning. 720 00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:05,520 If we build apart from Christ's words, then the fall is going to 721 00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:07,720 be great. It's not going to be a small 722 00:51:07,720 --> 00:51:09,840 fall. It's going to be ugly. 723 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:16,480 Christ is mercifully warning you this morning to turn from that 724 00:51:16,480 --> 00:51:21,760 sand structure and to build on Him and His words. 725 00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:25,920 Again, the storm may beat against the house, but those who 726 00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:28,600 have built on the rock of Christ will not fall. 727 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:36,000 And so as Jesus brings the sermon to the close, he leaves 728 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:38,040 us with a picture that you can't miss, right? 729 00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:41,280 There's two builders, there's two houses, there's two 730 00:51:41,280 --> 00:51:45,040 foundations, there's one storm, and there's two outcomes. 731 00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:49,320 The difference is not that one man heard Christ and the other 732 00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:51,600 didn't. Both heard. 733 00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:56,280 The difference is 1 heard and obeyed and the other heard and 734 00:51:56,280 --> 00:51:58,840 disobeyed. He kept building apart from 735 00:51:58,840 --> 00:52:03,400 Christ's words. So the question before you today 736 00:52:03,400 --> 00:52:06,760 is simple. What are you building your life 737 00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:10,200 on? Not, not merely what do you 738 00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:12,680 claim, not merely what do you others see in you? 739 00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:15,960 Not merely what religious words? Do you know what is underneath 740 00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:24,760 your life today? Jesus, in the last few stanzas 741 00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:28,480 here, right the last few paragraphs, has set before you 742 00:52:28,480 --> 00:52:31,960 the narrow gate, the good tree, the true confession, and the 743 00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:35,560 solid rock. He's calling us not merely to 744 00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:38,440 admire the sermon, but to obey his words. 745 00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:42,360 So let us not be the kind of people who are hearers, only 746 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:44,680 deceiving ourselves. Let us be those who hear the 747 00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:49,640 words of Christ and we build our lives on Him because Kingdom 748 00:52:49,640 --> 00:52:54,480 citizens will stand firm through life's storms by building their 749 00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:59,120 lives on the words of Christ. Let's pray. 750 00:52:59,680 --> 00:53:03,680 Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. 751 00:53:03,680 --> 00:53:05,360 I thank you for this warning today. 752 00:53:07,720 --> 00:53:14,520 I ask Lord that you would use it to expose us so often. 753 00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:19,680 We are like Adam and Eve, having sinned in the garden. 754 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:24,760 We recognize our sin, but rather than run to God, who can heal 755 00:53:24,760 --> 00:53:30,680 us, who can save us, who can set us free, we run and we hide. 756 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:36,080 We put fig leaves together to make clothes for ourselves, to 757 00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:40,840 cover up our sinfulness. And Father, I just ask that you 758 00:53:40,840 --> 00:53:48,760 would graciously, mercifully expose us this morning, Lord, 759 00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:51,920 that you would lead us to repentance by your kindness. 760 00:53:54,520 --> 00:53:56,720 Lord, help us not to walk in pride. 761 00:53:57,680 --> 00:53:59,840 Help us to be repentant, to be humble. 762 00:54:02,720 --> 00:54:06,200 And Father, I pray for anyone here who doesn't know Christ is 763 00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:11,600 Lord, who's never submitted themselves to him, who's never 764 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:14,920 believed in His death and resurrection for their own 765 00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:19,440 salvation. God, would you graciously save 766 00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:23,560 them today? Would you draw them to yourself 767 00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:25,520 and let nothing hinder them from coming? 768 00:54:25,520 --> 00:54:34,440 I'm going to give you a moment now there in your seat to seek 769 00:54:34,440 --> 00:54:42,000 the Lord, to respond to His word, to examine your own heart, 770 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:46,160 your own life, and to see what foundation have you been 771 00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:51,280 building on. If it's sand, brother, sister, 772 00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:56,040 friend, I ask you to repent, to come to Christ. 773 00:54:57,400 --> 00:55:00,560 And if you've been building on the rock faithfully, then praise 774 00:55:00,560 --> 00:55:03,960 God for that. Thank Him for His kindness in 775 00:55:03,960 --> 00:56:08,960 your life. Heavenly Father, we praise you 776 00:56:08,960 --> 00:56:13,960 for the gift of Christ, for the salvation that you have brought 777 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:17,840 to us in Him. I thank you for the lives that 778 00:56:17,840 --> 00:56:21,480 you've granted us, that you have raised us up from death and 779 00:56:21,480 --> 00:56:24,920 given us life in Him. We ask that you would help us to 780 00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:30,240 walk faithfully with Jesus, to be obedient to His Word, to 781 00:56:30,240 --> 00:56:35,880 build our lives on it. Father, I, I do ask again for 782 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:39,800 anyone unsaved today that you would save their souls, that you 783 00:56:39,800 --> 00:56:43,080 would lead them to repentance and faith, that you would grant 784 00:56:43,080 --> 00:56:48,560 them mercy and grace today. But Lord, again, we thank you 785 00:56:48,560 --> 00:56:49,960 for your word. We thank You for the way it 786 00:56:49,960 --> 00:56:54,040 presses on us. It truly is living an active. 787 00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:55,880 It's sharper than any double edged sword. 788 00:56:55,880 --> 00:57:00,880 It pierces down to the joints and the marrow of our hearts and 789 00:57:00,880 --> 00:57:06,080 lives and all of that because you love us greatly. 790 00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:10,440 So Lord, help us to love you in return. 791 00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:13,560 Help us to worship you and glorify your great name. 792 00:57:15,080 --> 00:57:16,600 It's in the name of Christ, I ask. 793 00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:17,480 Amen.