Matthew 7:24-27 Study: Two Foundations

you Matthew 7 verse 24 says 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 verse 25 the rain came 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 verse 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 verse 27 the rain came down the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash this is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus and it ends with a solemn warning and it fell with a great crash referring to the house of those who hear the words of Jesus but do not do what he says now let's look at each verse carefully and understand what Jesus is trying to teach us we need to remember that Jesus had only been contrasting between trees bearing good fruit and trees bearing bad fruit we had mentioned in an earlier session that the people bearing bad fruit he was referring to were not real born-again Christians because he mentioned I never knew you now in the next example Jesus contrasts two foundations and two types of builders one builder makes his foundation on the rock Jesus like in such a person to someone who hears his words and puts them into practice when we read the parallel verse in Luke we find some more interesting details regarding this in Luke chapter 6 verse 46 why do you call me Lord Lord and do not do what I say as for every one who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice I will show you what they are like they are like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock when a flood came the torrents struck that house that could not shake it because it was well built but the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation the moment the tour instructed house it collapsed and it's disruption was complete now note verse 48 again which says they are like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock when a flood came the torrents struck that house that could not shake it because it was well built and observe the small detail who dug down deep the foundation is not just on a rock it is a bedrock deep down what does this refer to first let us address the first symbol the rock in the Bible the rock refers to Jesus Christ as can be seen from the following verses Isaiah chapter 28 verse 16 so this is what the sovereign Lord says see I lay a stone in Zion attested soul a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic and in first Peter chapter 2 verse 6 for in Scripture it says see I lay a stone in Zion a chosen and a precious cornerstone and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame in verse 7 now to you who believe this stone is precious but those who do not believe the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall they stumble because they disobey the message which is also what they were destined for first corinthians chapter 10 and drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ now clearly Jesus is the rock a sure foundation building our house refers to building our life the secure way to build our lives is to build it on the foundation of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is referring to not only the one hearing and believing his words but the one who obeys and puts them into practice note verse 25 says 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 this refers to the trials and tribulations that come in the life of a believer because the believer practiced the teachings of Jesus the house lost when we read verse 26 which says 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 is the foolish man referring to a believer or not I believe it can refer to believer also such a person is saved but the foundation is not deep enough because he doesn't practice what he hears does this mean that such a person who loses his salvation I do not think so I believe the criteria for eternal security is based completely on grace through faith it is not based on words because Romans chapter 10 verse 3 says or everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 for it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift of God and verse 9 not by works so that no one can boast since we are only saved by grace through faith then what did Jesus mean when he talks about the foolish man who listens but does not obey if a person is already saved why do we need to do good works why do we still need to obey will good works save us our good works necessary we are now going to discuss something very important a theological topic that has been debated for centuries we first need to remember that salvation is a triune process justification sanctification and glorification when we become born again our spirits are created new we become a new creation our spirits are saved from the penalty of sin salvation the justification part is a free gift when we become born again we are eternally secure is not dependent on our own righteousness it is dependent only on the finished work of Jesus on the cross justification is a miracle a gift from God the next part of the salvation process is called sanctification and this is the hardest part this is our responsibility sanctification means to be saved from the power of sin sanctification involves dying to self obedience to Christ and carrying the cross this is where the verse building our house of the rock is referring to not only hearing but obeying comes in while justification is a free gift to all who call on the name of the Lord and believe in him sanctification results in rewards that gets bestowed to us because of our obedience most believers think that getting saved is all that is required know being born again is just the beginning yes being justified gets us back into the family of God and places us out from the penalty of sin but there is more at stake God didn't save us simply to take us out from hell to into heaven no he died so that we will not only have a relationship with him but also to rule and reign with him in the Millennial Kingdom and for eternity while all ball again Christians will be eternally saved not all born-again believers will receive the blessings and rewards to rule and reign with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom and in heaven there will be a great regret for believers who have lived carnal lives here on earth in the Millennial Kingdom in the Bible to get the right answers we need to look at the Bible itself therefore to understand more on the concept of foundations and buildings let's refer to 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verses 9 onwards verse 9 for we are workers in God's service you are God's field God's building by the grace God has given me I laid a foundation as a wise builder and someone else is building on it but each one should build with care for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ if anyone builds on this foundation using gold silver costly stones wood hay or straw their work will be shown for what it is because the day will bring it into light it will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each person's work if what has been built survives the Builder will receive a reward if it is burned up the Builder will suffer loss yet will be saved even though only as one escaping through the flames don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your myths if anyone destroys God's temple God will destroy that person for God's temple is sacred and you together are the temple do not deceive yourselves if any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age you should become fools so that you may become wise so what do we learn from the above verses and when we compare with a Sermon on the Mount first we learn that Jesus is the only foundation we can rely on he is the rock our sure foundation so first we have to build on a firm foundation that means we first have to be born again and from the parallel passage in Luke we know that we need to dig deep what does that mean that means that our belief our faith our reliance on Him should not be superficial and hypocritical it must be genuine faith and as James puts it faith without works is dead which means to prove that the faith we have in Jesus is alive works have to be there to prove it second we learned that the building or house that Jesus is referring to in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 to 27 is our own lives if we obey his commands and do his will we will be building our temple with gold silver and costly stones and it will stand the test during Judgment Day and we will be rewarded to rule and reign with Christ if however we do live carnal lives we build our houses only with wood and hay and straw for such foolish Christians though they are born again they will be saved but they will only end up a spark puts it as one escaping through the flames therefore please note being justified by grace through faith is one thing but being sanctified by obedience will have eternal consequences let us choose this day to serve God to normally depend on His grace but to also remember that he is a holy God he wants us to rule and reign with him that was his intention for Adam and Eve right from the beginning to have dominion over all we learn by quoting Paul with regard to this in 1st Corinthians chapter 9 verse 24 do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize run in such a way as to get the prize everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training they do it to get a crown that will not last we do it to get a crown that will last forever therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly I do not fight like a box of beating the air No I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others i myself will not be disqualified for the price and also like Paul may we be able to say as in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 7 I have fought a good fight I finished the race I have kept the fate verse 8 from now on the crown of righteousness is laid up for me which the Lord the righteous judge will award me on that day and not only to me but to all who crave his appearing be inspired and be blessed Shalom and peace to you all thank you [Music]

Channel: The Shofar Call

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Keywords: foundations, Sermon on the Mount

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Length: 15min 22sec (922 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 12 2019