Matthew 7:24-29

Matthew chapter 7. We'll be looking at the final

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

section of this sermon on the mount. The word

Jesus speaking as he's drawing this to conclusion,

he says, Therefore, whoever hears these sayings

of mine and does them, I will liken him to a

wise man who built his house on the rock. And

the rain descended and the floods came and the

winds blew and beat on that house. And it did

not fall for it was found on the rock. But everyone

who hears these sayings of mine and does not

do them. He will be like a foolish man who built

his house on the sand. And the rain descended

and the floods came and the winds blew and beat

on that house and it fell and great was its fall.

And so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings

that the people were astonished at his teaching

for he taught them as one having authority and

not as the scribes. Let us pray and ask the Lord

for help this morning. Father, we do come to

you for help. Lord, for the aid of your Holy

Spirit of God, Lord, your word is truth. It is

light. It is a lamp. Father, but it must be energized.

It must be made effective by the Holy Spirit.

Lord, that is something I cannot do. Lord, we

stand very weak and in need of you. And Lord,

we pray, God, for your empowerment and for your

help at this hour. And we trust that you'll give

it in Jesus' name. Amen. As a teacher, sometimes

you have students ask why teachers even give

exams. Why do we do it? Is it just to torture

students? Do we have nothing better to do with

our time? Do you know any teacher who just loves

to grade papers? But rather, we do it because

a good teacher is going to want to assess how

much of the material the students have mastered.

And there really is no better way to do that

than to give an exam. I mean, think about it.

If the teacher, if I simply asked my students,

hey, do you understand the material? Do you think

you know it? If they did not think an exam was

coming, they would say yes, just simply to move

on and not to belabor the point. But the test

is going to serve as a very important function.

Because what it does, it's going to reveal whether

they got the material and understood it or not.

The test does not assess what the students say

they learned. Rather, it reveals what they actually

did learn. And Jesus is the ever -master teacher.

And he's telling us in Matthew chapter 7, basically

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

what he's saying in our text this morning is

that a test is coming. And it's a profoundly

consequential test. In fact, this is the most

important test that could ever be given. The

Lord tells us that one day... everyone's lives,

all of our lives, everyone sitting in here this

morning, our lives are going to be tested. Now

his words are sobering, and they really are designed

to get our attention. So this test is not going

to reveal what people say they believe. Rather,

this test will reveal what the people actually

do believe. It's going to show something. Do

the people, do they really believe in Jesus or

not? Did they really take his teaching seriously

or not? See, the test is going to reveal something.

It's going to reveal the foundation that our

lives have been built upon. Were they built upon

rock? Or were they built upon sand? As I said,

this is the last section in the Sermon on the

Mount. Now what we have in the Sermon on the

Mount in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, we don't have everything

that the Lord said in its entirety. Matthew,

under the guidance and supervision of the Holy

Spirit, he has included the pertinent or the

salient points that the Holy Spirit had wanted

him to include. So we can be confident that we

have recorded before us all that God wants us

to know and all that we really need. So this

sermon, Jesus, this is a great master sermon.

And it has really one overarching theme. If you

look at all of it taken together, you could say

it various ways. Authenticity versus hypocrisy.

You could say true religion versus false religion.

True faith versus a pseudo faith. Now remember,

in this sermon, the Lord really is rebuking the

religious leaders and officials of his time.

Jesus knew something. He knew many of the scribes

and many of the Pharisees who were the leading

men of that day were rife with hypocrisy. He

knew why they were doing their acts of devotion.

They looked pious. They looked good on the outside.

But they loved, they craved, they were motivated

by the praise and acclaim that came from men.

They did not do what they were supposed to do

because their hearts were right with God. They

did not. He knew what was driving these men.

They loved respect. They loved to be held in

high esteem. These men were itching for prominence,

prestige, and popularity much more than they

ever loved God or the truth. But the problem

was they were the shepherds. They were supposed

to be leading people to God, and instead they

were leading people to themselves. They had almost

developed like a cult -like following. Now our

Lord comes on the scene and he sees through their

hypocrisy. He was not fooled by any of it. But

we have to understand the culture of his day.

As far as public opinion is concerned, the Pharisees,

I mean, they were the good guys. They were considered

to be the salt of the earth. The Pharisees were

the pillars of society. Now today, we know them

as the bad guys. But not at that time. That wouldn't

have been true in Jesus' day at all. They were

considered, the Pharisees were considered to

be the most knowledgeable and accurate interpreters

of the Jewish law. They worked hard. They worked

in local synagogues. They weren't simply located

at the temple. They taught the law to the common

people. They were emphasizing piety in daily

life. And therefore, many of the ordinary Jews,

just the commoners, really appreciated these

folks. And of course, the Pharisees looked holy.

They were fastidious in their devotion. Their

teachings were actually considered authoritative.

And today, we think of the Pharisees, we know

them as the bad guys, but at that time, you have

to understand, they were aligned more with the

common, ordinary people of the day. Now the scribes,

they were the rich, ruling elite, and that's

who they aligned themselves with. So as far as

common, ordinary Jews, they loved the Pharisees.

They were the true heroes. They were the ones

getting their hands and their feet dirty, if

you will. So to say that the Pharisees were influential

would be just a gross understatement. They ruled

the roost, if you will, until a popular Nazarene

prophet upended it all. The Lord Jesus, he comes

on the scene issuing a scathing indictment. He

called him out. He said, you're hypocrites. He

said, you're false teachers. You're wolves in

sheep's clothing. These Pharisees who had been

held in the highest honor, who had been taken

as the best interpreters of the law, Jesus said

they are mistaken and they are deceived. And

all of this was leading to an epic showdown between

the religious leaders and Jesus. Who would the

people believe? The Pharisees or Jesus? The ones

they had always known and trusted? Or the newcomer

who is able to work miracles among them? Friends,

isn't that the question that all of us must come

to? Who do we believe? What do we believe? Do

we believe Jesus? Do we trust in his word? Do

our lives reveal that we believe in Jesus? See,

many people say they believe in him. They commit

to him, if you will. But that doesn't mean necessarily

that Jesus has committed to them. Now that may

sound like a strange statement, but I want to

show you something in John chapter 2. In John

John 2 · chapter mention John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, notice the text. It says, now when

he, Jesus, was in Jerusalem at the Passover,

during the feast, many believed in his name when

they saw the signs which he did. Now if we stop

there, that sounds like a great day. Many people

believed in Jesus. They saw the miracles, they

were convinced, right? Look at verse 24. But

Jesus did not commit himself to them because

he knew all men and had no need that anyone should

testify of man, for he knew what was in man.

So verse 23, many believed in his name. That

sounds fantastic. If you look up, the Greek word

for faith is pistis. To believe, the verb form

is pistou. And it means to have faith in or to

commit oneself to. So they believed in him. They

committed themselves to him. Verse 24, Jesus

did not commit himself to them. Notice two different

verbs in English, same verb in Greek. They pursued

in Jesus. Jesus did not pursue in them. What's

that mean? They claimed to believe in Jesus.

Jesus did not believe in their claim. They believed

only because they saw the miracles. Jesus knew

all men. And he saw that their faith was spurious,

it was false, it was shallow, and it would not

last. And that's still true today, by the way.

Especially in the Western world, especially in

the United States, where many people claim to

be Christians, they claim to be disciples of

the Lord. If you talk to most Americans, still,

even in our secular society, most still wear

the label Christian. That's changing some. But

what about where we live? I mean, we're kind

of in the Bible belt, right? We're in Lawrence

County. If you surveyed the people of Lawrence

County, I venture to say almost everyone, now

there would always be exceptions, but almost

everyone would identify or claim to be Christian.

And Jesus said, yeah, well, one day that profession

is going to be tried. Your claim to believe in

Jesus is going to be tested. See, it's one thing

to make a claim. It's another for that claim

to be proven true. Or for that claim to be proven

authentic. Jesus has reduced life down to a series

of binary choices here. There are two gates.

There are two roads. There are two destinations.

There are two groups of people. Two trees, the

good tree, the bad tree. Two houses. And two

foundations. And there's just one point. Do you

trust Christ? And will you obey him? Verse 24.

This is our text. Therefore, whoever hears these

sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him

to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Now that saying ticked the religious leaders

off. This is what really irked them, if you will.

Why? Who did Jesus think he was? Notice the text.

Now we read it. We just gloss over it. But think

about if you're hearing it for the first time.

He said that people must keep and obey his words

if they are wise and if they're going to enter

eternal life. Who was he? I mean, was he greater

than Moses? Moses is the one who gave the law

in the first place. They would have been fine

had Jesus said, hey, listen, you must keep Moses'

word. But instead he said, no, you must keep

my word. You must obey my word. Jesus was claiming

an authority that was equal to God who gave the

law in the very first place. Jesus, in fact,

said, it's not enough to hear Moses. You must

hear and obey me. Now, can you imagine any ordinary

man saying that, hey, if you want to avoid hell,

and if you really want to enter into life, you

better listen and obey me. I mean, can you imagine

what, like today, what if I were to tell you

that your soul's destruction, and to avoid that

destruction, you would need to listen to me and

to obey my words. Rightfully, you would have

me tarred and feathered and run out of here.

That would be the right thing to do. That's crazy.

That's crazy talk coming from the lips of anyone

but Jesus. See, Jesus makes that astonishing

claim. But he didn't do it without warrant. He

offered proof to back it up. Many miracles and

many signs were done publicly, right? But there

was the ultimate sign. His dying and rising again

the third day. Jesus is saying the people must

hear him. Why? He is the only one church who

never misspeaks. He never misleads. He never

deceives. He never has to utter a retraction

or a correction. Ever. Jesus is not the one who

will say, do as I say and not as I do. He's not

the way, he doesn't operate that way. He's no

hypocrite. His words always perfectly reflecting

his character. But sadly today, that is not the

case for the land in which we live. Daniel Doriani's

commentary, he wrote a phrase, I thought it was

just very gripping, although it was actually

telling. He said, the world has all too many

obese gym teachers, divorced marriage counselors,

and debt -ridden financial planners. But not

so with Jesus. He does what he says. He is what

he says. See, the life of Jesus was a life of

integrity. His teaching and his life were perfectly

aligned. We might say it this way. He practiced

what he preached, right? He's called his disciples

to be servants. What do you find him doing? Being

the ultimate servant. In Luke, 22. He says, for

who is greater? He who sits at the table or he

who serves? Now, if you're thinking about that,

you have a big dinner table and you've got a

servant waiting on the people sitting at the

table. He says, who's greater? Who's more important?

Is it not the one that sits at the table? Yeah,

we would all say that. Dignitaries sit at tables.

Servants serve them. And what does Jesus say?

Yet I am among you as the one who serves. Do

you see what humility there? In John 13, Jesus

said, You call me teacher and Lord, and you say,

Well, for so I am. I am teacher. I am master.

I am rabbi. I am Adonai. I am Lord. If I then

your Lord, kurios, and teacher, but I've washed

your feet, you also ought to wash one another's

feet. Notice verse 15. I love what he said here.

For I have given you example that you should

do as I have done. See, Jesus is saying, do as

I do. He did not sit aloof as king in some ivory

tower, issuing commands and issuing edicts. Instead,

he was one among the people. Jesus said this

of himself, I did not come to be served, but

to serve. His life perfectly exemplifying all

that he taught. So think about this. He never

commanded his people to do something that he

was unwilling to do himself. He wanted you to

wash people's feet. What'd he do? Wash people's

feet. He wanted you to serve. What'd he do? Serve.

He said he wants you to lay down your life for

your friends. What did he do? He laid down his

life. But that wasn't true of the scribes or

the Pharisees. They were the ones that were held

in high esteem. But they were hypocrites. They

loved to give commands that they were unwilling

to do. This is why Jesus was so upset with them.

We read about it in Matthew 23. Jesus said, listen,

the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

They're the teachers of the law. Therefore, whatever

they tell you to observe, that observe and do.

But do not do according to their works. For they

say and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens

hard to bear. They lay them on men's shoulders,

but they themselves will not move them with one

of their fingers. But all their works they do

to be seen by men. Here the Son of God is revealing

the hypocrisy of the shepherds of Israel. They

say, they do not do. Now get that in your mind.

Jesus said, do as I have done. They say, but

don't do. This is the hypocrisy that Jesus is

warning of in Matthew 7. There are many who say,

and they do not do, many who say, I am a follower

of Christ, and yet they don't follow. They say

he is Lord, but they don't obey. They pay him

lip service, but their hearts are far from him.

And Jesus is saying, a day is coming in which

all this is going to be revealed. Therefore we

must listen and take heed. This is the most sobering.

Listen, we cannot dismiss the words of Christ.

Those who hear the word and understand it and

fail to practice it are deceiving themselves

and Jesus would warn they are on the broad path

to destruction. Now in the parable that we're

looking at this morning, there are two men. who

ostensibly looked the same, right? For all intents

and purposes, they looked the same. But a day

of testing would reveal how different they were.

Warren Wiersbe said, the two men in the story

had so much in common. Both had desires to build

a house. Both built houses that looked good and

sturdy. But when the judgment came, in this case

the storm, one of those houses collapsed. What

was the difference? He said, not the mere external

looks to be sure. The difference was in the foundation.

The successful builder dug deep and he set his

house on a solid foundation. Who is the wise

man in this parable? The one who hears the words

of our Lord and does them. His obedience shows

that he believes the word. Obedience is a result

of grace. Obedience does not earn grace. This

is not a work to get you in the door of heaven.

Rather, obedience to the word of God shows or

reveals a heart that has been touched and changed

by grace. You have to understand that. James

said in James chapter 1, Be you doers of the

James 1 · chapter mention

word, not hearers only. Because when you hear

only and don't do, He said, you are deceiving

yourself. Now listen, deception is bad. It really

is. To be deceived is terrible. But to deceive

yourself is the most insidious. John MacArthur

writes, the mark of true discipleship is not

simply hearing and believing, but believing and

doing. In other words, a person who professes

to know Christ but does not obey Christ has no

lasting image of what the new life is all about.

He glimpses Christ, and he glimpses what Christ

can do for him, but his image of Christ and of

the new life in Christ soon fade. His experience

with the gospel is shallow, superficial, and

alas, short -lived. See, there are some who have

correct ideas. correct teaching about Christ,

and yet they're not converted. They're not wrong

in what they think about Jesus. But they're not

converted. This has always been the case. We

call them nominal Christians. Nominal meaning

in name only. There have always been tares among

the wheat. Now some of those tares have been

planted by Satan himself to deceive. The others

are tares And they don't realize it, being self

-deceived. And this latter group, that second

group, is whom Jesus is addressing. See, the

wise man trusts in righteousness that can only

come from Christ. The foolish man trusts in some

form of self -righteousness. Because remember,

who's this sermon about? It's a rebuke to the

scribes and Pharisees who were extremely religious.

But they were building on the wrong foundation.

What foundation were they building upon? Their

adherence to the law of Moses. In other words,

the works of their own hands. Their own works.

They thought they could please God through their

own efforts and bypass Christ. Not come to Christ.

And Jesus saying, but the day of judgment would

show how foolish and deceived they really were.

See, now this is interesting because if you look

at the Pharisees, they claim to be devoted to

Moses. But Jesus said in John 5, if you believe

Moses, you would believe me for he wrote about

me. So they don't really follow Moses. They claim

to love God the Father and Jesus, nope. He who

does not honor the Son does not honor the Father

who sent him. So no, you don't love God the Father

either. Remember I told you an epic showdown

was on the move and here it is. Who? are the

people going to believe? Christ or the Pharisees?

The one who comes to faith in Christ will show

his faith by obedience to him. But the Pharisees,

they outright rejected Jesus, and instead they

sought to earn God's favor by working really

hard, by being really moral, by supposedly following

the law. They believed they didn't really need

Jesus at all. They could be right with God on

their own, is what they thought. But to be obedient

to God, you must come to Jesus in faith and rest

in him alone for salvation. If you are going

to be obedient to God the Father, you must repent

and come to faith in God the Son. Jesus said

in John 8, verse 24, If you do not believe that

John 8:24

I am, I am he. He's not in the original there.

If you do not believe that I am he, if you don't

believe I'm the one sent from God, if you don't

believe I'm the Messiah, you will die in your

sins. And we talk about meek and mild Jesus.

That is not a meek and mild statement, friends.

He says, if you don't believe that I'm the one

that was promised to be sent into the world to

be the savior of the world, you will die in your

sins. But then he's also, when he's talking to

others, he's very, he is meek and mild. Come

to me, all who are labored and are heavy laden.

I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and

learn from me. Why? For I am gentle and lonely

in heart. Look at the last part. And you will

find rest for your souls. Who can promise rest

for your soul? Only the Son of God. Just Jesus.

The point of Jesus' parable is not about the

house. The point of the parable is about the

foundation. John Wolvard says, they could build

on one of two foundations. One foundation would

liken to a big rock, the other to sand. The foundation

determines the ability of a structure to withstand

the elements, in this case rain and winds. The

rock foundation represented the Lord himself

and the truths he had been presenting, especially

the truth concerning inner transformation. But

the sand spoke of pharisaic righteousness, which

the people knew. That's what they were comfortable

with. That's what they were familiar with. And

on which many were basing their hopes. In storms,

the first would give stability, yet the second

foundation would result in destruction. Jesus

is standing there, and I think he's very earnest

at the end of this sermon. He's looking around

the crowd and seeing all the people listening

to him, and he was making the claim that he is

the only sure foundation. You have to believe

that he is the one sent from heaven. They had

to get that he was the long -awaited Messiah,

the one that God had promised to redeem Israel.

The point, what's the point? Jesus is a rock,

and true faith in him is the only sure foundation.

Paul wrote about that. He says, for no other

foundation can anyone lay than that which is

laid, which is Jesus Christ. Paul said in 1 Timothy,

for there is one God and one mediator between

God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The person

who builds his house upon the foundation of Jesus

Christ, here it is. This is the person who is

absolutely convinced that he has no righteousness

of his own, and he sees Christ, and he sees what

Christ has done, and he trusts in him and his

work. To build upon the rock is to understand

that Jesus' sacrifice is a gift of righteousness.

It's not something you work for. It's not something

they earned. Romans 3 says it is a gift of righteousness

and it is to be received by faith. Religious

leaders, they rejected him. And they were teaching

the people following them to build upon sand.

They're man -made traditions. They look good.

They seem to have come from God. Yet when the

storm came, it would all be blown away and it

would be revealed that it was simply shifting

sand. Jesus, because he loved the people, he

calls them back to an absolute foundation of

obedience to God's word, which was his word.

Not the man -made traditions, not the man -made

elements of the scribes and Pharisees. And you

might be saying, but why is this so important?

This is it, folks, even today. This is so important

because the rains are going to fall. The floodwaters

are going to rise. The winds are going to blow.

And only the life that is built upon the rock

of Jesus Christ will stand. Every life is going

to be tested. In this life, right now, right

now, you and I, we're tested by trials. We're

tested by storms. But soon, we will all be tested

by death. For it is appointed unto man once to

die. What's going to endure? What's going to

endure the storms, the flood, the wind, and even

death itself? Christ Jesus alone. For he alone

has prevailed. The religious leaders rejected

them to their own peril. What about you? Acts

4, Peter preaching. Let it be known to all you

and to all the people of Israel that by the name

of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,

whom God raised from the dead, by him this man

stands here before you whole. This, Jesus, is

a stone which was rejected by you builders, which

has become the chief cornerstone. nor is there

salvation in any other. For there is no other

name under heaven given among men by which we

must be saved other than the name of Jesus. But

what about those who don't obey? What is their

end? Verse 27. And the rain descended, the floods

came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house.

And it fell. And Jesus says, and great was its

fall. All roads without Christ will always end

in destruction. Great falls. Great destruction.

Eternal destruction. A presence in eternity away

from God. How do the people listen? What do the

people do? Imagine Jesus is preaching the sermon

to them. Verse 28, when Jesus had ended these

sayings that the people were astonished at his

teaching. Because he taught them as one having

authority and not as the scribes. Do you understand

what that verse is saying? The scribes and the

Pharisees, they were accustomed to quoting other

rabbis, other leaders to give credibility to

what they're saying. You find that all the time.

I've quoted several people this morning. John

MacArthur, John Wolver, Warren Wiersbe, others.

Jesus never quotes. Jesus would quote no other

because he didn't need to. No other voice gives

credibility to him. His word alone is authoritative.

And the people were astonished by that. They

were left in amazement. They had never heard

any rabbi teach like Jesus. So as we come to

the end of this, I'll quote Dana Doriani one

last time. We cannot overlook the harm, the dire

warnings in Matthew 7. Get this, guys, get this.

Jesus does not call his hearers to redouble their

efforts to ensure that knowledge produces action.

He's not saying, hey, double it up, make sure

you start working harder. On the contrary, he

warns against vain activity. How then do we know

Christ so that we enter in the kingdom of heaven?

Humble repentance. You see yourself for what

you are. Like Isaiah did that we read earlier

in the scripture reading. And faith in Jesus

opened the door to eternal life. That's it. Jesus

said, all that come to me, I will no wise cast

out. Come unto me all who are weary and heavy

laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon

you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly.

And you will find rest for your souls. We sing

it. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus'

blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the

sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other

ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking

sand. Do you believe it? Is that your confession?

Do you trust in Jesus the rock alone? Well, then,

church, let's stand and sing a glorious anthem

to our Lord. Brian and Kirsten, if you would

come. It's the solid rock. I don't know what

hymn number it is, but it's going to be on the

walls behind us. If you would stand at this time.

If you know Christ, friends, let the rafters

ring out.