What Are You Building Your Life On? Matthew 7:24-29

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount by comparing two builders, a wise man and foolish one. 

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

Jesus has just finished quite a bit of teaching on what it means to be his follower.  He has covered many topics like: prayer, forgiveness, how to treat your enemies, worry and many others.  He closes by comparing the person who hears his words and put them into practice and the person who doesn't.   

Notice it is not just the person who hears Jesus' words, but also puts them into practice that has built their house on the rock.  This point cannot be overstated.  Jesus did not offer some nice platitudes that we can pick and choose to follow based on how we feel about them.  He taught about a certain kind of lifestyle we would choose if we truly wished to be called His followers.  

I think the biggest issue in the church today is summarized by Brenan Manning when he states, "The biggest cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but deny him by their lifestyle.  This is what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelieveable."  

25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 

One of the most important reasons to build one's life on Jesus' teaching is that it provides a rock solid foundation. Jesus' teaching is "rock solid"!  But the foundation which your life is built upon will only be revealed when the storms come, as they most certainly will. 

Notice both houses would have looked the same on the outside, but the storm would show what the inside looked like.  It would revealed when put to the test.

Though storms comes as much upon Christians as anybody else, it becomes for them a test of faith.  It is when storms come in our lives that our faith is strengthened as we see our hope is in Christ alone. The storms reveal what we have built our lives upon. Though bad things will happen in our lives because our foundation is built on Christ we will stand firm in the storm.  

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. '

On the contrary someone who disregards Jesus' words is like the man who built his house on the sand.  In sunny weather it is of no consequence to him.  But when the rains come down the evidence of what he has built his life on is exposed. Though the foundation might not give right away, slowly as the storm continues to hit the compromised foundation it will eventually collapse. When your house is built on sand, it is only a matter of time before it crashes. 

27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

It fell with a great crash.  Though for awhile the foundation seemed suitable enough, when it gave way it was a huge collapse.  Everything that was valuable was washed away.  It was simply too late to change your mind about what you built your foundation on.  One senses the suddeness of this outcome for the one who doesn't realize the importance of what their foundation is made with.  

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The crowds had heard may teachers and rabbis, but there was something different about Jesus.  When he spoke, he spoke with authority.  He spoke with the conviction as if he were speaking God's words.  The Holy Spirit spoke through Jesus' words so that His words of truth pierced the core of their inner being. But they could still do what they wanted with these words.  They could put them into practice or not take them seriously enough to change their lives.

What are you building your life on?  Is it something other than Jesus' words and his life?  What gives you confidence that the foundation you have built will withstand the wind, the rains, and the flooding that will surely come in this life?  Do you want to wait until that day when the storm comes to figure this out, or build your foundation on the rock of Christ?

Remember:  It is not just the one who HEARS Jesus' words who is building that has a sure foundation but the one who put thems into PRACTICE!