The Wise and Foolish Builders

I think this message, this parable,

enshrined in a small little Baptist tin church

on the council estate where I grew up.

That's the first where I heard this.

But the thing that sticks in my mind is the song.

The wise man built his house upon the rock.

The wise man built his house upon the rock.

The wise man built his house upon the rock

and the rains came tumbling down.

You know it.

And the rains came down and the floods came up.

The rain came down and the floods came up.

The rain came down and the floods came up.

And the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand.

and the rain came tumbling down.

The rain came down and the floods came up.

The rain came down and the floods came up.

The rain came down and the floods came up

and the house on the sand fell.

Well done.

It's a great kid's song enshrined in Christian tradition.

And as I was reflecting on this Sunday,

because the wise man built his house upon the rock,

I'd like to suggest that in me, as part of a confession,

there is something a little bit smug in me

because I like to think of myself on the rock.

And to view what we see from our own rock,

wherever we may be,

the sadness and deep sadness

of those that have built on sandy soil.

A little bit of smugness in me thinks,

well, I'm okay.

But that's not so good, is it?

I'd like to suggest that often we miss, me included,

that we're too hasty sometimes in this story

to rush in and maybe suggest here on a Sunday morning,

we've confessed our sin,

we've lived a Christian life as far as we knew.

But what does that do for the person

who is building on the sandy soil?

Where are we in a place to be able to reach out,

to be able to help,

to be able to help them from a secure place in which we are?

Because many of us,

you know, as a children,

you think, what a silly man, you know, building there.

But we look back and we reflect at times,

and I certainly do in my life,

where I haven't built on God's word.

And where I need to build more and more on God's word,

and where I need to understand more about grace and serving.

Because when the storm came,

he realized,

and it's not until the storm comes.

And Jesus was clear about that when he said to them,

you know, and many of us will know,

many of us will know those who all it takes was their,

we thought their faith was as strong as anything,

and all it takes is the slightest storm of life.

And suddenly it crumbles.

Where was it built on?

Where were the people around them to secure,

to help them,

to uphold them at those times?

Maybe something in there about being church,

that we are strong there to support the community

and others in each other when we need that strength.

faith.

Because I realized that,

where was he investing?

It took a long time to build on that rock.

It probably took longer.

It took longer to build,

and there is no quick fix

to faith in the Christian life and serving.

And I don't know whether you've experienced that.

I certainly have.

You know, I learn more and more,

day by day,

that the Lord's showing me,

bit by bit,

about what it means to live and serve out the gospel.

And this is what Jesus was saying to them,

right at the beginning.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine

and puts them into practice,

ouch!

I know the word,

but Lord, show me in this moment

how I put your word into practice.

How do I do that?

How do I encourage other people

to show them this rock

on which we are building,

this strong foundation?

How do we do that?

And we all have tears,

we all have thoughts this morning,

maybe for those that are close to us,

that we just long

to see

to come into a firmer foundation.

And that will often be through us.

It'll be for them

not giving up

as Jesus didn't

on those

as he sent out his disciples.

And here in this reading,

I want to stress this morning,

you know,

we've,

it's part of God's architectural plan,

actually,

that we should build strongly

on his word.

You see,

I don't know what you were like

at growing,

at putting furniture together.

I remember years ago,

we had MFI furniture.

Do you remember that?

My Furniture Incomplete?

It was called,

there was always something missing

from the box.

But we moved on to Ikea,

and I,

Mandy will tell you stories

of the early days of Ikea

where,

as gentlemen,

I don't know whether you're like me,

there's something about

not reading the instructions properly.

What is it about a manual

that we don't get that idea

about reading a manual?

We just want to open the box,

and we want to get stuck in.

And I think this morning,

Jesus was talking to people

who knew the manual,

but really hadn't got

to putting things together properly.

And it lives as a living testimony for me.

My Ikea furniture in the early days,

of Mandy reminding me

of the drawer that never runs properly,

of the door that never closes

quite as it should,

of having enough left over

to build a coffee table.

I have learnt in my wisdom

in my old age

that it's a good idea

to look at the manual.

And now,

I'm probably verging on

probably more of my autistic side,

where I have to lay everything out

and count everything now.

So I know I have everything

as I start.

And it's amazing

how much better

the furniture actually is

for looking at there.

And as Mandy will tell you,

the furniture is a lot better

than me having looked at it as it is.

There is something about the manual,

and Jesus is saying,

yeah, the manual is great,

but it's how we use it.

Who hears these words

and puts them into practice,

it wasn't luck

that this house stood firm

in the storm.

It was about some graft

that had gone into it.

It was about prayer.

It was about thought.

We know in our own lives,

and we, each of us,

will have a story

of what that storm looks like

for each of us.

For what that storm

may look like at the moment,

for what the storms

look like in our lives.

For maybe storms that came

and how we weathered

that storm with the Lord

and how we thought

maybe at the time,

my goodness,

this is going to crumble.

This is all going to fall apart,

but it stood firm.

Even the wind battering it.

But we stood firm,

and our faith stood firm.

And I think this is a scripture

that not only is to inform,

but it's to encourage.

Because to love,

the greatest commandment

that Jesus had already taught them

was to say,

to know that God is there for you.

To love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your might,

with all your strength.

The greatest commandment.

The second is this,

to love your neighbor as yourself.

And I don't know about you,

I could stand on my rock

and my heart will break

as yours did

for when you see lives crumble

for those who haven't built

or didn't make wise decisions.

For things that were done and said,

for things that,

for I want to be in that position

to reach out from a place

of strength and security

to save.

This scripture

seems a cut and dried parable

for Sunday schoolers.

For me,

it brings me to my knees.

Matthew records

how Jesus teaches us

about judging others.

Before this,

if you go home

and read in Matthew's gospel,

it's about asking,

seeking and knocking.

It's about the narrow gate.

It's about false prophets.

It's about true and false prophets.

Not everybody who calls me,

Lord, Lord,

will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Ouch!

That is a hard verse.

That one puts me on the ropes

because effectively,

here we are,

people like the boxer,

we can find ourselves

on those ropes.

Everybody who hears these words

and puts them into practice,

that is the rock.

put it into practice

day by day.

Lord,

help me to do that

and give me grace

to do that.

It's about making sure

that our brothers and sisters

have got the opportunity

to be saved.

Going on from the story

on the plane,

the beauty was,

is the guy I sat next to

was,

had worked in Germany,

sorry,

in Jersey for ages

and we had this great conversation

about his homeland,

about where he'd come from,

how he'd worked there

and about how he'd jettisoned

his faith

when he was 16.

We had a great conversation.

I'd love to tell you

that I prayed for him

and he came to faith

there and then.

It would be my airline testimony.

Everybody has one.

I just have a train one.

But we had this great conversation.

It was a double blessing.

But again,

the strength of us

being on the rock,

whatever our rock looks like.

And I'd want to encourage you

this week

to think about

what that rock looks like

for us.

Is it in prayer?

Is it in people

that we bring around us?

Is it in a growth group?

Is it in our Bible study

every day?

Is it in our experience?

Whatever way it is for us,

what is that rock

that when the wind comes,

not just for us

but for others,

we can reach out?

And I'm really sorry

that this is a bit tough

talking today

because it really is.

It's not an easy scripture.

It's one that as childhood

we think is cut and dried

but it's tough.

But I know where I would rather stand

when the wind comes.

And I'd rather know

where I'd have people with me.

They say one of the number one

funeral songs at the moment

is Frank Sinatra's

I Did It My Way.

Isn't that interesting?

How people want to choose a song

as we say our farewells

of saying I did it my way

rather than

I did it with you, Lord.

We did it together.

And sometimes it's about

their life,

their choice,

their future,

their choices

and their salvation.

But I want to encourage us today

that from the place we are,

not a lofty high place,

that we would look down on people

and say,

oh, look at my rock.

Isn't this wonderful?

It's all sewn up.

Come and join me.

But so often the rock

is the place

in the storm of life

that we cling to

as we reach out to others

and bring them in.

If that is a picture for you this morning,

I pray you'd hold on to it

because that is my picture

of life in this story.

Of not soothed

looking out the window,

at the rain coming down,

at my brother and sister failing.

But to hold fast

to that rock,

knowing that it's firm,

his grip in my hand,

that he will never let me go

as I reach out

to seek,

to save,

to bring my brothers and sisters

to that rock.

I pray for us

this picture this morning

would be strong.

I don't think

God is going to ask me

of the things I did to achieve

in building my own salvation.

I'm sure he's going to ask me,

what was it like

when I was holding your hand

as you were reaching out

to other people

to bring them in to me?

In this time of slippery sand,

in this time of where

our country is,

of stories we're hearing

all over the world,

I pray that each

and every one of us

would know that rock

of security

to enable us

to do what the Lord

is calling us to do.

I pray that God

will bless you in that.

I pray that he would

strengthen those rootings,

that where we feel

that may be weak,

that he will strengthen

those places for us,

that he would give us

that ability

that when the storms come,

not just for us

but for our brothers

and sisters,

we would know

that hand that holds us

to bring others

to safety,

to salvation,

and to know him.

And the people said amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Bless you.