Today is a day unlike any other. Today is the whole reason why there is a Christian Church in the world, and today is the only reason why we Christians can have hope in a world where sin abounds within us and around us. Today is Easter, Resurrection Sunday, and that means rejoicing is in order. So I say to you on this morning…
“Death and darkness have now left packing, nothing to man is now lacking. Satan’s triumphs have ended, what Adam marred is now mended.”[1] The fall plunged us into death and pain, but now through Christ, life eternal, we gain! “Pluck the harp and sound the horn, do you not know, tis Easter morn! Crowded may His worship be, praise the Holy Trinity! Hope has returned for man in his sinful plight, through Christ’s powerful resurrection might! “Where is hell’s once dreaded king? Where O death is your sting? Hallelujah’s to Christ we now sing!”[2]
There are many places in the Bible we could go to focus on the resurrection, but for us there’s no need to adjust where we are as a Church right now. You’ll see this soon enough. We’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount for the past year at SonRise and we’ve finally come to the grand finale, to Jesus’ final words in this most famous of all sermons.
These final words are found in Matthew 7:24-27, and they function as a crossroads moment, a fork in the road, where Jesus intentionally presses us to decision. He does this a lot at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7. He did this back in 7:12-14 where Jesus puts two ways before us, pressing us to choose between the easy wide way and the narrow way. He did this in 7:15-20, where Jesus puts two kinds of prophets before us, pressing us to choose between the false and the true. He did this in 7:21-23, where Jesus puts two disciples before us, those He doesn’t know, and those He does know, pressing us to choose what we will endeavor to be. And ending it all is our passage today, 7:24-27, where Jesus puts two foundations before us, the rock or sinking sand, pressing us to choose what will uphold and undergird our very lives.
This passage has two clear ideas in it. v24-25 present the wise man, and v26-27 present the foolish man. Though these are separate points, they both follow the same pattern.[3] They both begin with the mention of hearing Jesus’ words, so they both heard Jesus’ teaching. And then it mentions both of them building homes, followed by a description of what foundation each house is built on, followed by a description of a storm raging against the homes, and finally they both state the result of the storm, one stands while the other falls. Ultimately the two foundations determine everything about these two homes. But of course, Jesus isn’t giving us a lesson on construction, and which of these men were the better contractor, no. He’s teaching us about life.
There is so much for us to see here. Let’s dive in. See first…
The Wise Man (v24-25)
“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise 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.”
v24 begins with hearing and doing. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them…” In view is a certain kind of person. The person who hears the words of Jesus and does them. These are those not content to merely be impressed with a good teacher who can turn a phrase. These are those not content to just admire or be mesmerized by the good teaching itself. This is those who hear the teaching of Jesus, yes that’s the start, but they go on after hearing to embrace Jesus’ teaching as a guide to life, they model their living on Jesus’ teaching, and seek to walk Jesus’ teaching out day by day. By being both hearers and doers, they prove themselves to be wise. What does their wisdom look like? Jesus gives a word picture here to describe this saying the one who hears His words and does them, is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, a sure and solid foundation. That’s v24.
In v25 Jesus tells us about the storm that comes. Rains, floods, and winds rage against this house. This might seem like a crazy storm to hear of for us, but it was something common in that day. It was typical of storms in a hot and dry climate, where winds and rains would together build up into floods and sudden rivers that flow fast in what used to be dry ravines or wadis, destroying all in its path.[4] These storms would’ve been severe tests for the home, but this one stood the test! Why? Because it was built on the rock. How critical is the proper foundation! With the right foundation a structure can endure the severest of tests.
But, is Jesus merely speaking of storms and sure foundations? Is that His main point? No it’s not, I think more is going on here than initially meets the eye. In v24-25 He’s reassuring us. How? By speaking of what will endure in the final judgment. Let me explain. Usually, I think we hear this stormy language and think it’s speaking metaphorically of the trials we encounter in life, and that’s appropriate to a certain extent. But I’d take you somewhere else first. In the OT the prophets often used the imagery of the storm as a metaphor for the final judgment.[5] One example of this is Ezekiel 13. There Ezekiel is speaking of God’s judgment toward the wicked on the final day using many of the same images as in our text here: great storms, rains, and winds. On that final day, Ezekiel says, God’s great wrath will come on the wicked like a great storm, and they won’t be able to stand before it.[6]
So why does Jesus use this language here in Matthew 7? I think He has two things in mind. Primarily, I think He uses this storm imagery here to point us toward the very kind of life that will endure and last through the storm that is the final judgment. Secondarily, I think Jesus uses this imagery to show us the kind of life that can endure all kinds of trials in life. Those moments none of us desire, but the moments that come regardless. Loss, grief, disappointment, suffering, sickness, sudden changes for the worse, and more.
In both cases it’s the same thing. What will last through the storm of judgment and what will last through the storms of life? Not just hearing Jesus’ teaching but hearing His teaching and doing it! Hearing His teaching and building our lives on it! The one who does this is wise. On that final day they will be found standing. And everyday up until that final day, they will be found standing. Regardless the storms of life that come. His or her soul will remain unmoved because they’ve built their lives on the sure foundation of Christ. This is wisdom.
The Foolish Man (v26-27)
“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 rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
v26 begins with hearing and no doing. “And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them…” In view here, unlike the former man, are those who hear the words of Jesus and do nothing more. These are those very content to be impressed with a good teacher who can turn a phrase. These are those very content to just admire or be impressed by the good teaching itself. This is speaking of those who don’t do anything more than hear. They hear the teaching of Jesus, yes, but that’s it, they don’t go on after hearing it to embrace Jesus’ teaching as a guide to life, they don’t model their living on it, and they don’t walk it out day by day. By being those who only hear, they prove themselves to be fools. What does their folly look like? Jesus gives a similar word picture as before to describe this saying the one who hears His words and doesn’t do them, is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, a weak and unsolid foundation. I think we should understand this choice of sand, not in that the builder preferred sand to rock, thinking it was a better or surer foundation. Who would do that? Rather I think we should understand the builder’s choice of sand shows the builders failure to seriously consider the great importance for a solid foundation.[7] The gist we get here is that this builder just didn’t think the foundation was a big deal. And this is why he’s called a fool. That’s v26.
In v27 Jesus follows the same pattern and tells us about the storm. Rains, floods, and winds rage against this house, a severe test for the home. But, the pattern breaks at this point as we read what happens next. This house falls, and that the fall of it is great. Why did it fall? Because it was built on the sand. Again, the foundation is clearly critical, showing us that with the wrong foundation a structure cannot endure great testing. The storm was too much for it to handle. Any house built on sand like this would face the same fate of collapse and ruin.
As I said before, Jesus is not speaking merely of storms and weak foundations here, no. Before in v24-25 He was reassuring us, now in v26-27 He’s warning us. As this house fell, so too will everyone who hears Jesus’ teaching and doesn’t live it out. v26-27 is as sobering as v24-25 is reassuring.
Let’s use some of same application we’ve already used above. Remember the storm language prompts us to think of the final judgment primarily and the storms of life secondarily. So in these words about the foolish man Jesus desires us to become aware of what will happen to us if we don’t actually embrace a living faith. So many flatter themselves with hearing the teaching of Jesus and approving of it. They comfort themselves in that they have spiritual beliefs and convictions about spiritual matters, and they assume this is what faith is, and in this they rest. Yet, their lives remain as they’ve always been, they remain unchanged. There never has been a love toward Christ, a laying hold of Christ, a pursuit of Christ, an obedience to Christ, there’s only been hearing Christ.
The one who does this is a fool. On that final day they will collapse. And everyday up until that final day, when the storms of life that come, they will be found weak and brittle for the trials they’ve faced have undone them. Their religion in life has cost them nothing, so in the end their religion will be shown as nothing.[8] This is what it’s like to build a life on sand. This is folly.
Conclusion:
Do not miss in v24-27 the standard Jesus measures our lives on. It’s no longer the Law of Moses, it’s no longer anything else in the OT. The standard that every person will be measured by in the end is the teaching of Jesus. “…these words Mine…” reverberates throughout this whole passage. Some will only hear. They might disagree with it, or they might agree with it, but hearing is where these folks stop. But others will hear and do, because they love this Christ teaching them, and so they want to honor Him in all of life.
Church, where are you in this? We will all be measured by this standard, by Jesus’ teaching. Are you among those who hear the words of Jesus only? Or are you among those who hear His words and do them? That’s the question we all must answer today. Will we be those who hear and ignore? Or those who hear and obey? What’s your foundation? Such an important matter, isn’t it? It’s ironic that this most important of things, giving stability to a home and a life is hidden from sight, no one can see it…yet there it lies just beneath the surface, as strong or as weak as ever.
How can we become certain of these things? How are to know with assurance that we are the wise man and not the fool? How can I become aware of what my life is founded on? These are the greatest questions in the world, and based on how we answer them will determine if we are wise or fools.
Know this.[9] In this ancient city, one event occurred, that unleashed a movement so compelling, so enduring, so influential, so unstoppable that two thousand years and billions of adherents later, it still grows, faster than ever, while the mighty empire that witnessed its birth lays in ruins. This movement has shaped nations, spanned oceans, birthed universities, launched hospitals, transformed tribal peoples in the world’s remotest places, and is now spoken, read, and sung about in more languages than any other religious movement on the planet by far. This event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And praise God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The Father planned it, the prophets foretold it, the disciples doubted it, the soldiers denied it, the empty tomb proved it, the angels proclaimed it, and we have invincible hope and joy because of it!
Do you believe this.? I know some of you don’t. Easter, like Christmas, is a time when many kinds of people come to church. I wonder, do you see the resurrection as a made up tale that a group of people manufactured to start a religion using Jesus’ teaching? Do you think the resurrection’s as fanciful a story as the Easter bunny? You may be among us as a guest, or you may be visiting for the first time yourself, you might even be here today realizing that your life has been built on sand for years! Here’s what I have to say to you now. Think on the resurrection honestly, thoughtfully, and try to answer one question: did Jesus really walk out of the tomb? The more you look at it, the more you’ll see it. That something astonishing really did happen that day, and that after every attempt to refute it or squash it, whatever it is, it is not the stuff of legends nor lies. It is historical objective fact witnessed first-hand by many.[10]
Coming to this conclusion prompts a new thought, ‘Since Jesus did walk out of the tomb, everything He said must be true, and since everything He said was true, He must be who He said He was, and since He is who He said He was, I must no longer continue in unbelief, I must believe.’ If you believe, you’ll find your feet on solid rock, for you will be standing on Christ!
The angels’ said it well, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen” (Luke 24:5-6).
[1] Henry Vaughan’s Easter Hymn, quoted in R. Kent Hughes, The Pastor’s Book, page 120.
[2] Thomas Scott Angels, Roll the Rock Away, quoted in R. Kent Hughes, The Pastor’s Book, page 118-119.
[3] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13 – WBC (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1993) 190.
[4] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew – PNTC (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992) 182.
[5] Hagner, Matthew 1-13, 191.
[6] The same thing happens in Isaiah 28:17, where the prophet Isaiah speaks of great storm waters overwhelming the wicked in judgment.
[7] Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 183.
[8] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2012) 58.
[9] Jon Bloom, The Single Most Important Day in History, accessed via desiringgod.org, 4/31/18.
[10] I do believe this. Evidence abounds for the validity of the Resurrection, thus, our hope abounds as well.
