The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders • Matthew 7:24-27

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Thanks for listening.

We are wrapping up our series on the Sermon on the Mount.

As you turn there, I just want to kind of remind everybody, we talked about our Discovering

Willow class in the announcements.

If you're looking to make this place your home, or to find out more information about

Willow Ridge Church, but we're excited about the new season that awaits us in the life of

our church, right?

Like, so conversations we're having right now, we're figuring out, giving details about is

the importance of our small groups, and how we're regathering with them back in the fall.

Conversations about baptism, as we've seen people give their life to the Lord over these

last several months.

And so the encouraging part for me, right, is the movement and the work of God is continuing

on, and we're continuing to push forward with that.

So I want to thank you guys, whether you're here joining us, or whether you're at home

joining us as we push forth to be obedient to God together.

So the parable that we are going to look at this morning is the parable of the wise and

the foolish builder.

And it's important that we know that, like every parable that we've talked about in this

series, the context in which Jesus gives this parable.

This parable that Jesus shares is at the very beginning of his earthly ministry.

All right, so Jesus has been out doing some stuff.

Matthew chapter 4 tells us that Jesus had been going into the synagogues and teaching.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

It tells us that he had been out proclaiming the gospel.

And so that from the, whether it's in the synagogue, whether it's out into the streets, the message

that Jesus is teaching is different than any message that they've heard before.

You know, Jesus is surrounded by religious people.

Jesus is surrounded by a people who has, it's been ingrained in them of what to do.

But as Jesus comes and shares something, it's a new message that they're not familiar with.

But then it also tells us that Jesus has been already performing miracles, that Jesus has

been healing people.

And so what is beginning to happen very early on in the stages of Jesus's life, that there's

this large gathering that surrounds Jesus whenever he goes somewhere.

In that group that is surrounding with Jesus, there's the group of people who were his disciples.

Jesus has already started to call that close group that's going to follow him.

There's another group, while they're not in that inner circle, but they've committed their

lives to seeking after Christ and they're following him as well.

But an interesting dynamic that we also find in this group that follows Jesus is there's

the skeptics, there's the critics, and there's the curious.

So even as Jesus goes, right, they've heard stories of the things that Jesus has taught.

They've maybe even been in the synagogue when Jesus begins to teach and they think, wait a

minute, that's different than what all the other teachers are saying.

They've heard about the miracles that he's performed.

And so they too begin to follow Jesus, not necessarily to follow him and surrender their life, but

following out of curiosity.

What is he going to say next?

What is he going to do next?

Whether their hearts are intrigued by him or whether they're disgusted by him because they

disagree.

And so the setting that we find ourselves at the beginning of Matthew chapter 5 is Jesus

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

is on the side of a hill and he looks around and he sees that the crowd is great around

him.

And so Jesus sits down and he begins to give the Sermon on the Mount.

And at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the longest recorded sermon in Scripture that

Jesus gives, he does like a lot of teachers or communicators or pastors do, he ends it with

a story.

And it's the parable that we're going to look at this morning.

And so let's look at Matthew 7 starting in verse 24.

Jesus concludes this long sermon with this, everyone then who hears these words of mine and does

not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell

and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall

because it had been founded on the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish

man who built his house on the sand and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds

blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it.

So everyone who has heard this story of Jesus has all heard the same words.

They've all sat through it.

They've heard Jesus talk about prayer.

They've heard him talk about fasting.

They've all heard him talk about divorce.

They've heard him talk about what it means to be blessed.

They've all heard him talk about retaliation.

Regardless if they're a committed disciple or they're a distant skeptic, everyone who has

come and sat on the side of this hill and listened to the words of Jesus have all heard the exact

same thing.

And so Jesus begins to tell a story about two men who find themselves in the exact same situation,

who find themselves with the exact same knowledge, but choose to do something different based off of

the same information.

And so Jesus says, as you've all sat here and as you've all heard these words of mine,

it's like two builders.

One builder who builds his house and builds his house on the rock and the storms would come,

but the house would stand.

But there's a foolish builder and the foolish builder does not build his house on the rock.

Instead, he builds his house on the sand and the wind comes and the rain comes and the floods come.

The same one that came to the other and his house falls.

Well, one is wise and one is foolish.

And what makes one wise and one foolish?

Their willingness to do what they have been told and they have commanded to do.

And what we begin to find in this parable of what Jesus teaches is that when the storms come,

they will reveal the quality of the work.

That when the same storms come to you, when the same storms come to me,

what's going to happen in our life is the storms of life are going to reveal the quality of the work

of the foundation in which the house or the life is built on.

So let's understand this story that Jesus tells.

One says one built on the rock, one says one built on the sand.

Well, here's the truth.

When you would look at both of the houses,

they both would appear to having been built on the sand.

So let's talk about this sand in the Middle East and the area in which Jesus lives.

We're not thinking about sand like I have in my backyard.

You know, one of the things about living in Lexington is depending on what side of Lexington you live,

right, you either have clay that's impossible to dig through,

or you have sand, which is very easy to dig through, right?

Now, I have sand at my house.

And so when it comes time to dig, it's very, very easy to dig through that sand.

That's not the sand that Jesus talks about here.

The sand that Jesus talks about here is desert sand that experiences floods.

Well, when the floodwaters would come and mix with the sand,

and then the sun would begin to bake on the sand, guess what would happen?

That sand would turn into almost like concrete.

If you're here with us at church, almost like the tile floor that you guys are sitting on today,

that level of hardness would be the level what the sand would be.

So you're there, and you're going to build your house.

Well, you have to make a choice.

Do I choose to dig through the sand?

Do I choose to get out my tools that are possibly going to break?

Do I choose to go through the back-breaking work in order to get the firm foundation?

Or do I just build on top of it?

It's hard.

It'll withstand.

So one man chooses to do the hard work, and one man chooses to do it his way.

Well, what would happen during this time is, like we said,

it would be common to rain, be common to flood.

This area that Jesus was speaking in, that people would understand, would have been in a valley.

And so what you and I would consider a light rain, but it would rain over time.

And not only would the rain that fell from the sky land there,

but the rain that would come into the mountains would channel and would funnel.

And what at one point in time looked like dry land would all of a sudden become like a river.

And what would happen is that hard, packed-down sand that felt like concrete would now turn into mush.

And the house that was built on the sand would blow away.

And so what we begin to see is that Jesus says, look, there's one man who does it the wise way,

who does it the way that he's been told to do.

But there's another man who does it his own way, who does it the way that he wants to.

So Jesus looks at this group of people at the very beginning and says,

you've heard these words of mine.

You've heard everything that I have to say.

You're going to have to make a choice.

Are you going to do it your way?

Are you going to do it the way that I'm calling you to?

It's important for us to know Jesus both defines wisdom and foolishness in this passage of Scripture.

You see, for Jesus, wisdom is knowledge and obedience.

For so many of us, we think that wisdom is just knowing something.

Well, if I know this, then that makes me wise.

But when it comes to biblical application of Scripture and what God is calling us to,

wisdom is more than just knowing.

Jesus says, no, no, no, wisdom is about knowing these words of mine

and putting them into practice like the wise man who built his house on the rock.

But then Jesus also defines foolishness.

You see, there's a difference between foolishness and ignorance

because foolishness is knowing but being disobedient.

Jesus says, but the foolish man is the one who hears the words of mine

and doesn't put them into practice.

So you know what you're supposed to do.

But as it resonates in your heart, as you process through it in your mind,

you decide, no, no, no, no, no, Jesus, my way is better.

This is how I'm going to approach it.

This is what I want to do.

And so foolishness wrestles with not what we feel,

not what we want,

not what we've been taught by others,

but wisdom is what has Jesus called us,

commanded us,

and desired for us to do.

And church, as we go through this,

every single week,

as we journey through Scripture

and understanding God's standard for our life,

what we find,

what rang true almost 2,000 years ago

that rings true today

is that as the body and as the people of Christ,

what he calls us to do is to be different.

That within the course of our obedience to God,

that we're going to have to do things differently than the way we feel like we want to do them.

That we're going to have to do things differently than the way that we want to do them.

That we may even have to do things differently than how others tell us we should do them.

And it's been the heart of everything Jesus has gone through

and has taught through them in the Sermon on the Mount.

You see, beginning in Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Jesus is going to begin to lay out for them what following him looks like.

And what following him looks like,

and I think we as the church,

we sometimes skate around this and want to ignore this.

Following Jesus isn't easy.

Following Jesus is going to be difficult.

Following Jesus is going to be hard work.

Following Jesus is going to be a commitment.

Because Jesus says,

it's following me is like the wise man that puts in the work.

It's like the wise man that does the hard stuff.

It's like the wise man that pushes through.

Not like the foolish man who was done in a day.

Not like the foolish man who said,

well, this is easy.

Well, not like the foolish man who said,

well, this is how I feel.

But the wise man who took the words of Jesus

and applied them to his life.

Now, several years ago,

I preached through the Sermon on the Mount.

All right?

And it took me about 18 weeks

to preach through the Sermon on the Mount.

Now, what I want to do is

I want to preach through the Sermon on the Mount,

but this time do it in about 18 minutes.

Okay?

So, pray for me as we kind of go through this.

Because it's important.

Jesus starts it out by saying,

these words of mine.

So, everything he's built on from that moment

rests in the understanding of this parable.

From that, I'm going to,

now that you know these things,

now that this has been entrusted to you,

whether you're the skeptic,

whether you're a disciple,

if you're going to be in a relationship with me,

if you want to be wise,

if you want to live in the life that glorifies God,

then this is what this looks like

on a day-to-day basis in your life.

And the problem with everybody in the crowd

2,000 years ago

is the same problem

with everybody in the crowd today.

It goes against a lot of the things that we feel.

It goes against a lot of the things that we want.

And it even goes against a lot of the things

that others teach us and tell us to do.

The gospel so many times comes into conflict

with what my sinful self still wants to do

and still wants to pursue.

And so what I want us to look at

is just an overview, right?

We're not going to read it all.

We're just going to look at an overview

of the four large areas

that I think that Jesus attacks in this moment,

in the Sermon on the Mount,

that says, look,

if you want to put these words into place,

here's what this looks like.

And it's going to speak against our culture.

And it's going to speak against,

for so many of us,

what comes natural to us.

The first thing is the theme

of the Sermon on the Mount

that Jesus commands is this,

that we are to fight sin and love others.

Now, I'll be honest with you.

If we flip around a couple of words,

it's where our sinful hearts want to push us to.

Our sinful hearts want us

to not fight sin and love others.

Our sinful hearts want us

to love sin and fight others.

That can become our tendency in life.

The sin feels good.

You're difficult, right?

This is what I want.

I don't want any part of that.

But Jesus is going to speak to the core of this.

Jesus is going to teach things

throughout the Sermon on the Mount

and throughout of his life

and what we're going to see in Scripture

that says that you and I,

as his followers in relationships,

when we come into conflict,

do you know what we're supposed to do?

Jesus says we reconcile.

We reconcile.

That that is the heart

and the desire

and the pursuit

and the action of a believer.

That when I'm done wrong by you

and when you're done wrong by me,

the working nature

of what God has called us to

is to reconcile.

Jesus tells us crazy things

when it comes to fighting sin.

Like if lust is an issue,

destroy whatever is causing you to lust.

The example that Jesus gives in Scripture is this.

Hey, if your eye causes you to stumble,

gouge it out.

Now, did Jesus literally mean that?

I think yes.

I think Jesus meant

whatever causes you

to fall into patterns of sin,

destroy it before it destroys you.

What if it was this?

I mean,

are we so committed to following Jesus

that if a piece of technology

causes us to stumble,

would we be willing to lay it down

and take a hammer to it?

What if it was

whatever streaming service

you're a part of?

Would we delete it?

Would we cancel it?

Would we sit down

and have the boldness

to sit down with our spouse

and our kids and say,

look,

this causes me

to go here

and I don't need to go here

and so for the betterment

of my walk

and for my family,

it needs to be gone.

Would we be willing

to go into work tomorrow

and sit down

with our boss

and say,

look,

I gotta share something.

There's an individual here

who I'm in a relationship with

and it's not God-honoring

and it's not glorifying

and if I'm even married,

it's not glorifying it.

So I'm done.

I'm done.

But that's crazy.

That's insane.

Jesus would never expect that.

I'm still paying on my iPhone.

Why would I break it?

I don't know if he says

if your eye calls

as you gouge it out,

I think he takes this stuff

pretty serious.

That fight sin,

love others.

In a world

in which we're taught

to press back

when others press on us,

Jesus says,

if someone slaps you

in the face,

don't hit them back.

Give them the other cheek.

Now, here's the words

that Jesus uses is this.

If you punch me,

I think I can handle that.

These aren't Jesus' words.

These are my words real quick.

All right?

If you punch me,

I think I can handle that.

The words that Jesus uses is this.

If someone backhands you,

right?

Now, the point of backhanding anything

is to both show power

and dominance

and to embarrass the person

that you're doing that to.

So Jesus says,

if someone backhands you,

turn the other cheek

so that when they come back by,

they can just hit you again.

And then you do nothing.

But stand up for yourself.

But defend yourself.

Jesus says, no,

it's bigger than that.

We fight sin.

We love others.

The second thing

that's a big thing

that Jesus talks about in this

is he addresses the comfort

of the people who are around him.

Jesus speaks to the very heart

of what they long for

and for what they want

in their lives.

And here's what I want to speak to.

There may not be

a more unlike,

Christ-like characteristic

that the church embodies

any more so than entitlement.

And that when we as Christians

feel entitled as people,

as this is what we deserve,

that this is what is owed to us,

that I deserve to always get what I want,

that I always deserve

to get what I feel like is mine,

and Jesus is going to speak

to the heart of that

as believers.

And he says, no, no, no.

We're going to speak to comfort.

And at the very beginning,

Jesus says that it has got

to be within us

that what we desire for,

what we long for,

and what we pursue

is sacrifice.

The complete opposite

of entitlement.

That even though

this is what I've been given,

this is what I lay down

before you.

And so that in our lives,

when we begin to manifest this

and walk through this

and play this out in our life,

it means that we give to the needy,

that those who are in need,

that we looked at

with the parable

of the Good Samaritan,

that that's in our heart,

and that's who we are,

that we long to give

to those from our abundance,

from what we have,

and even from our sacrifice

so that others can have.

Jesus speaks to comfort

and he addresses something

that really wrestles

with all of us,

especially maybe right now

as you're thinking about lunch.

And Jesus says,

no, we've got to fast.

We've got to fast.

Because we've got to say

that our own personal comfort

is nothing like the depth

of the relationship with God

when I depend on him.

As we think about our comfort,

I think the last two

are really going to ring true

in what we're talking about

and what we're living in

in our days right now.

And this is not me being pro

or anti anything

other than being pro

the words of Jesus.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

says this,

don't worry about your life.

We get that.

Don't worry about your life.

Jesus says it's in God's hands.

It's in control.

Now we're not called to be foolish,

but Jesus says,

don't worry.

I've got this.

I know the number of your days

and I have you here

for a plan and for a purpose.

It's a big thing

that we're battling right now.

Don't worry doesn't mean be careless.

Don't worry means trust God.

Jesus says,

Jesus says,

look,

as a command,

don't be anxious.

I want to say this

because I had a conversation

even with somebody

after our first service.

I know

what anxiety

feels like.

I know

what depression

feels like.

The scariest day

of my life

was about 12 years ago.

I walked up,

was in a season

of stress

like I hadn't

at that point in time

ever experienced before.

Walked up onto the stage

Sunday morning

to perform my job

as a pastor.

The lights cut on.

I saw everyone

in the audience.

I saw the camera

that we had

cut on

and in the moment

all of the stress,

all of the anxiety,

all of the worry

hit

and I went into

a panic attack

filled with anxiety

like I'd never

experienced before

and in the midst

of the service

I took off

my mic pack,

I handed it

to my youth pastor,

I said,

whether you've got it

or not buddy,

you've got this.

I walked out the doors,

I found an empty room,

I got on the floor

and wept like a baby.

Somebody came in

and they said,

what do you need?

I said,

I just want my wife.

Aaron came in there

and he just held me.

I couldn't explain

what I was going through.

Went through counseling,

went to the hospital

that day immediately.

They thought I was

having a heart attack.

I wasn't having

a heart attack.

I think a heart attack

would have been easier

because at least

we know what's going on.

Found out later,

going through counseling,

struggled with anxiety.

So if you're like,

I struggle with anxiety,

let me tell you,

I get it.

I know.

I've been there.

I've done that.

I've walked through.

But I can't ignore the fact

that Jesus says,

don't be anxious.

That that's a command of God.

And here's why.

My heart breaks

if you're someone

who struggles with anxiety.

My heart breaks for you.

I've been there

and oftentimes

I still find that I am there.

But what Jesus wants you to say

is, Lord, here's control.

Everything that brought me

to that point that morning

on that floor

was all of the things

that I was trying to control.

And I realized

I can't do it anymore.

I can't do it anymore.

Jesus deals with our comfort.

Jesus wants to deal

with our prayer.

Jesus is speaking

to a religious group of people.

They know prayer.

But Jesus says,

but I want your prayer

to be different.

I want to be different

than it was before.

And so Jesus begins to say,

hey, this is what prayer looks like.

It's rooted,

it's beginned,

and it's fulfilled fully.

Number one in praise.

Right?

Like our prayers

begin by declaring

the goodness

and greatness of God.

Right?

I don't know about you

and I don't know

how many people

still do this,

but you remember

when you used to write

love letters,

right?

There were some details

that you had to get to,

like I'll see you after class,

let's go here,

all those kind of things,

right?

But they kind of

usually began

with dear so-and-so,

oh, I love you,

you're so beautiful,

right?

And we'd end it with,

I'm so lucky

to be with you.

And when we look at God,

when we approach Him

in a depth that we've

never communicated before,

what He longs for

and what frees our hearts

is when it's rooted in praise,

with the declaration

of who He is,

that God sent Jesus

to redeem His people

so that when we look forward

in Revelation,

what do we find?

What's the end goal?

What do we come to?

We come to the praise

and adoration of God,

right?

It's the closest thing

to heaven on earth

that we'll ever experience.

And Jesus says

that's what prayer's rooted in.

But He also says

that prayer is based

in repentance,

brokenness before Him.

Understand,

we're not talking

about confession,

which is what we do a lot.

God, here's what I've done,

right?

He knows.

He knows the list.

But repentance,

the true brokenness

for what we've done,

the true brokenness

for the sorrow,

and then desperately

seeking His will.

Desperately seeking His will.

And so Jesus begins

to build on

and build on

and build on

all of these things.

But the last thing

that we're going to look at

because I think it culturally

impacts so much

of who we are

is going to be

what Jesus begins

the Sermon on the Mount

with.

As Jesus addressed

what it means

to be blessed.

To be blessed.

Being blessed

is a word

that everyone uses,

right?

Whether you're religious

or not,

whether you're a Christian

or not,

everybody wants

to be blessed.

No one hears

the word blessing

and thinks

that's a bad thing.

And if we were to poll

everybody,

we should get

100% of the people

in here watching online

should say,

yeah absolutely

I want to be blessed.

But then the question is,

well what does that mean?

What does it mean for you?

What does it mean for me?

And Jesus says

at the very beginning

on the Sermon on the Mount

that being blessed

means this.

And it's going to be different.

And it's going to mold you

and shape you

into something more

than this world

would ever have to offer.

because being blessed

begins in a desperation

for Christ.

Being blessed

means being desperate

for him.

Jesus is going to say

that being blessed

means being broken.

You're like,

well I don't want

to be broken

but being blessed

means be broken

for our sins.

Being blessed

means to be humble.

not prideful

not what I deserve

not what I'm owed

not what you should give me

but being humble.

Not thinking less

of ourselves

but thinking of ourselves

less.

Jesus says

that being blessed

means that we

we're desiring

the righteousness

of God

above all things.

that being blessed

means that what I give

is not retaliation

but what I give

is mercy.

Jesus says

that being blessed

means that the desire

of my heart

of everything

that I long for

is an inner

moral purity.

Jesus is dealing

with a group of people

who know how to do

all of the right things.

external

moral purity

is where they thrive

but Jesus says

it has to begin here

and then Jesus says

too

at the heart

of the gospel

what must ring true

in our lives

that blessed

are the peacemakers.

You see Jesus came

to bring peace

to reconcile

and of the heart

of the gospel

of what it plays

out to

in our lives

and in our world

and in our culture

is this

that you and I

having received

that you and I

having been made new

through the blood

of Christ

that you and I

who walk

in the freedom

and the power

of the resurrection

that you and I

as this is where

we find ourselves

if we're going

to be peacemakers

then here's what

it means

to love God

and to love others

that the heartbeat

the cry

of our life

is how do I bring peace

between a holy God

and a sinful man

and so we declare

the hope

of the gospel

of Jesus Christ

so that all may hear

and respond

to his goodness

and gracious

and we bring peace

through that

but we not always

not also bring peace

between God and man

but that we work

as individuals

that in our daily life

to show that peace

and so what do we do

from the very beginning

we reconcile

between each other

we reconcile

between us

because remember

Peter comes

and says

how many times

should I forgive

my brother

seven times

and Jesus says

no

77

no matter

how

many

times

we forgive

we forgive

we forgive

and I want to close

with this

in Matthew 7

the commentary

on the end

of the Sermon

on the Mount

it says

when Jesus

finished these sayings

the crowds

were astonished

at his teaching

for he was teaching

them as one

who had authority

and not

as their scribes

you see

they understood

that this man

that some of them

who they didn't even know

was God

has called them

to something different

than what the world

had for them

and so they had to make

a choice

as they left

would they be wise

and put these words

into practice

or would they be foolish

and continue to do them

their own way

would you pray

with me

Lord we thank you

so much

for this time

and this opportunity

that we could be here

Lord the words

that you give

they cut

to our heart

Lord the words

you give

are powerful

and they call

us

to be different

to set aside

our agendas

to set aside

our foolish

ways

to set aside

what we want

to set aside

what we feel

to set aside

the way

we often times

encourage each other

to be

maybe even set aside

the way that we were

raised to be

but instead

Lord to take

your words

and not to just

know them

but to put them

into practice

at a depth

of a layer

of obedience

that is rested in

and found in you

and in you alone

Lord I pray for

every single one

of us

whether we are

gathered in here

gathered at home

Lord that today

whether directly

or indirectly

we make a choice

every head bowed

and every eye

closed

the first choice

that you have

to reconcile

within yourself

is this

am I willing

to trust Jesus

am I willing

to believe Jesus

am I willing

to surrender

to him

recognize him

as Lord

and Savior

second choice

is this

if you've done

that

if that's who

you are

you know him

and are known

by him

and are found

in him

will you be

like the wise

man who

built his house

on the rock

or will you

be like the fool

who chooses

to do it

your own way

Jesus

I pray

for the hearts

of the individuals

in this room

we all have

a decision

to make

Lord my prayer

is that we

would leave here

surrendered

to you

different

because of you

seeking

obedience

to you

in your name

we pray

amen

in just a moment

we're going to stand

and we're going to sing

I'm going to be out

in the hallway again

like I was last week

if you want to come

and talk to somebody

about a relationship

with Christ

I would love to

talk with you

pray with you

encourage you

point you in the direction

explain to you

the goodness

of the gospel

of Jesus

but church

these aren't

just words

every one of you

myself included

has a decision

to make

as we leave

here today

we all know

we've all heard

are we going

to obey

would you stand

as we worship

and respond

to him

thanks again

for listening

to the

Willow Ridge

Church

weekly podcast

we hope

that you enjoyed

listening to this

week's message

if you'd like

to learn more

about who we are

or explore

additional resources

visit us online

at www.willowridgechurch.com

or by searching

for Willow Ridge Church

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you