No. 01. “My House (on the Rock) is a Very Fine House"
Bothwell & Clachan - June 1, 2008.
Scripture: Matthew 7:21-29
Matthew’s Memories of Jesus - No. 01. “My House (on the Rock) is a Very Fine House”
Warnings for Fools
It is amazing how much good advice is out there in the world if we would only put it into practice. The following warnings were found on consumer products:
On a Duraflame fireplace log: "Caution—Risk of Fire."
On a Batman costume: "Warning: Cape does not enable user to fly."
On a bottle of hair coloring: "Do not use as an ice cream topping."
On a cardboard sun shield for a car: "Do not drive with sun shield in place."
On a portable stroller: "Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage."[1]
Someone has said: Being able to identify wise ideas is important; it's even more important to put those ideas into practice. This separates the fool from the philosopher, the simpleton from the sage.[2]
Tossing Sticks in the Air
So how do you make decisions? Do you have a “yardstick” to measure them by?
An elderly Scottish woman was making her way through the countryside. Each time she came to a crossroads she would toss a stick into the air. Whichever way the stick came down was the direction she went. At one intersection, however, an old man saw her toss her stick into the air not once, not twice, but three times before resuming her journey.
The old man was curious. "Why are you throwing your stick like that?" he asked.
She squinted and replied, "I'm letting God direct my journey by using this stick."
"Then why did you throw it three times?" asked the curious old man.
"Because," she said, "the first two times He was pointing me in the wrong direction."
I see a few of you have tried tossing that stick as well.
Buildings
This morning in the Bible we read of very some good spiritual “building” advice. It appears from the Bible that Jesus spent his late adolescence and early manhood as a professional builder. He had been trained by Joseph, the Nazareth Carpenter. Now please do not romanticize this job and assume that Jesus was merely making cute little souvenir salt and peppers for the 1st century tourists visiting the Galilee Lake Area. After all, turning out those heavy wooden yokes for a team of oxen would have been quite a chore. So Jesus was a builder. And as a carpenter-builder, he would have known the construction trade of his day. On one occasion, he used as an illustration the collapse of the Siloam Tower at a construction site in Jerusalem (Luke 13:4-5). Both he and his listeners would have been very aware of the dangers of using shoddy footings.
Sermon on the Mount
With that in mind, let’s look at what surrounds these verses. In the closing verses of the Sermon on the Mount, three different contrasts represent three warnings that focus on future final judgment. There are two ways: one leads to life, one to destruction; (7:13–14), there are two types of trees: one is fruitfulness, one a failure; (7:15–20), and finally two foundations: one to stand, one to collapse (7:24–27). Jesus was still speaking about the kingdom of heaven, describing clearly that some will enter it and some will not. The basis for a person’s final destination begins with that person’s decisions about Jesus himself.[3]
In this age of permissiveness these claims of Jesus stand out sheer and stark. He does not agree that it does not matter what you believe in so long as you are sincere. He does not allow that we are all climbing up to God by the route of our choice…Instead he says there are only two ways we can build. Not many ways, just two. We can either build on him and his teaching, which we will find is as solid as rock; or else we can build on any other religion or philosophy in the world, and we will find that it is sand, and in the last day it will spell ruin.[4]
Knowing What's Important
Matthew 7:24–25 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” One writer[5] has called these verses “rock-solid teaching.” Jesus is telling us that if we build wisely, using proper spiritual building blocks, then we will not only be able to withstand the inevitable storms that life throws at us, but we will also be able to look forward to living in one of God’s secure heavenly dwellings.
Judgment Happens
Another writer[6] has suggested that in this last parable about the two builders, Jesus is teaching about eventual natural or physical judgment and also of future spiritual judgment. What then, does natural judgment mean? Well if you were to build using marbles as a foundation, your structure will eventually roll away. Now I know that Jesus didn’t use the actual word “marbles” but you get the picture. No one lays a foundation on bare beach sand if they expect their creation to last very long. In fact, I doubt that your last water-side sand castle (at Just-For-Kid’s-Camp) lasted out the afternoon. This is natural judgment or cause and effect. Yet we all know that Jesus is not just talking about real buildings. Instead it is a warning of impending spiritual judgment for those who merely listen to Jesus, rather than doing what he commands. After all: Hearing wisdom is one thing, putting it into practice is another thing altogether.[7]
Building According To Code
The remarkable thing about Jesus’ little story is that each of these houses he described looked identical. From the outside, and yes, even from a superficial glance inside, they would both appear to have been built to code. Standing inside these homes, going from room to room, there was little to no difference between. From the outside they appeared to have been built using the same materials. One might even say that they were virtually indistinguishable from one another. The only difference, says Jesus, is in the foundations, one built upon the rock and the other upon sand.[8]
But Jesus is not just talking about building a house here or simply offering this well crafted image of rock and sand as a way to approach life. He is claiming that his Words, his teachings, make the difference between wisdom and folly.[9] There is the difference between Jesus and every other leader, teacher, boss, or parent that you will ever encounter. Jesus draws a sharp contrast between himself and the rest of the world in the phrase "my words;" those who hear MY WORDS and put them into practice.[10]
As Fred Craddock notes: Jesus’ thought went something like this: Those who have heard great preaching, even that of Jesus himself, but whose lives exhibit no evidence of obedience…life itself will in time reveal the folly of hearing without doing. When the storms of life hit, the difference between the life of obedience and the life of (just) listening alone will be dramatically evident.[11]
It is as if Jesus does not want us to stop too soon at W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do?). Rather, he wants us to go forward to W.W.J.H.M.D. (What Would Jesus Have Me Do?). He asks “Did you obey what I taught you, (during) my ministry among you?”[12]
Obedience begins when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord. We don’t earn his acceptance by our success in obeying him, but we grow in our obedience as we recognize his gracious, saving love toward us… We haven’t heard the teaching of Jesus if we simply admire him or even give some effort to obeying his commands. As we see here, half measures pave the way to judgment. His teaching drives us to submit to him even as we seek to obey.
Jesus’ true followers not only hear his words, but they act on his words, allowing his message to make a difference in their lives.
Yes, It Can be Hard to Live on Rock
The people listening to Jesus' teaching, understood very well the significance of building upon rock versus sand. Village builders in Jesus' day had two choices. They did not excavate foundations. You built a house in the valley on sandy soil or on a rocky hillside. One was easier than the other. Phil Thrailkill, in his sermon “Obedience Really Matters” put it like this: Hillside builders planned for the worse; valley builders hoped for the best.[13]
Responding to the increasing destructiveness of high winds in the Midwest, one developer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, offered an optional tornado-safe room in the new homes he was selling. Nine of the first ten buyers opted to pay the extra $2,500 for the room—which can also be used as a closet, bathroom, or vault when not needed for safety. The tenth couple, who were 75 years old, instead opted for a hot tub.[14]
But just as many people today do not want to put Jesus’ teachings into practice, back then in ancient Palestine very few people wanted to live in the rocks where it would be safe. It meant grading the side of a slope and hauling up materials. Living in the hills made for more difficult travel. Water had to be toted and winter winds were colder. Most people followed the path of least resistance and built along the riverbeds. The scenery more pleasant, the water more conveniently located, and the house was sheltered from the cold winds of winter. And though flooding was a danger, most of the year the streams trickled pleasantly down the hillsides into the river nearby.
Yes, it can be hard to live on the rock. But on rare occasions, perhaps only once a generation, the 100-year flood would come. There would be a combination of an unusually heavy snow, a quick spring thaw, a torrential downpour. The result was a vicious flashflood which swept away everything in its path. Entire hamlets washed away. House after house gone and great would be the fall.[15]
CONCLUSION
Throughout the long day Jesus had been preaching his Sermon on the Mount to the vast multitude. They listened to him with amazement and awe. But Jesus warned them that that was not enough. It is never enough simply to listen to the words of Jesus, even though we may listen with reverent approval. If His words are to have any genuine effect in our lives we must not only hear them but also act upon them. We must incorporate them in the events of our day-to-day living.
A Little Nudge
This begs the question: What do we think of THIS man? Will we listen to HIM? Will we practice HIS teachings? Will we live as HE directs?
Like a house of cards, the fool’s life will eventually crumble. Now I know that most people do not deliberately seek to build on a false or inferior foundation; instead, they often just don’t think about their life’s purpose. Many people are headed for destruction, not out of stubbornness but out of thoughtlessness. Part of our responsibility as believers is to help others stop and think about where their lives are headed and to gently, lovingly, point out the consequences of ignoring Jesus’ message. Some people (may) just need a little prodding to come over to Jesus’ side. They (may) have heard of his (good-news) gospel, but they’re not sure or not convinced or not ready. Often they just haven’t met anyone for whom that decision has made a difference.
When you meet someone close to a decision to follow Jesus, give a word of encouragement. Offer to help, to pray, to be there with your friend. Everyone feels a certain spiritual inertia, and your simple word may help overcome it.[16]
After all, a House (built on the rock, Jesus) is a very, very fine house. Are you helping someone to build on him today?
Communion Hymn #47 “Rock of Ages” Verses 1-2
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[1] Submitted by Amy Simpson, Wheaton, Illinois, Preaching Today illustrations, Christianity Today
[2] Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, May 2008, eSermons.com
[3]Bruce B. Barton, Matthew, Life application Bible commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), 135.
[4]Michael Green, The Message of Matthew : The Kingdom of Heaven (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000, c1988), 109.
[5] Gerald S. Sloyan, Preaching From the Lectionary: An Exegetical Commentary (Fortress Press Minneapolis, 2004) p.144.
[6] Rev. David Mosser, Ed., Abingdon Preaching Annual 2008 (Abingdon: Nashville, Tenn, 2007) p. 182.
[7] Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, May 2008.
[8] Illustrations eSermons.com, June 1, 2008
[9] Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, May 2008.
[10] Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, May 2008.
[11] Fred Craddock, Preaching Through the Christian Year: A (Trinity Press International, Philadelphia: 1992) p. 311.
[12] Fred Craddock, Preaching Through the Christian Year: A (Trinity Press International, Philadelphia: 1992) p. 310.
[13] Phil Thrailkill, Obedience Really Matters, eSermons .com
[14] "Americans Are Facing More Disasters, USA Today (5-23-00); submitted by Loren D. McBain, Tucson, Arizona
[15] Building According To Code by Brett Blair and Staff, eSermons.com
[16]Bruce B. Barton, Matthew, Life application Bible commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), 142.