A TALE OF TWO BUILDERS
(Matthew 7:24-27)“24Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
- CONSIDER THE COMPARISONSThis short parable appears to speak of two very different types of people. The two people Jesus pictures here have several important characteristics in common. Let me point them out.
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Both Heard The Words Of Christ - The
two people in this parable both heard Jesus share His message of faith and
repentance, vv. 24, 26. Thus,
both people referenced in this parable knew the way of salvation. They both
heard the Gospel and each one had a reaction to it.
•
Both Built Houses - Each
of these people built a house based on their understanding of what Jesus said.
The house in this parable is a picture of a life. That is, each man built a
life based on how they interpreted the message of Jesus. This means that both
people believed the message to a certain point. They each applied the words of
Jesus to their life as they saw fit.
•
Both Built In The Same Location - Verse 27
describes a very severe storm. This storm affected both houses, so they must
have been built in close proximity to one another.
•
Both Built Similar Houses -
Nothing is said about their houses being different. They used similar
materials, and most likely, a similar design. From the outside, these two home
looked similar. In fact, they were so similar, you might not have been able to tell them apart.
The picture is of people and how they
respond differently to the Gospel message. Just to clarify, the Gospel is very
simple. Here it is again, “For I delivered unto you first of
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures,” 1 Cor. 15:3–4. That is the message that must be
believed in order for a person to be saved. The Bible puts it this way: “That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” Rom. 10:9.
Salvation is as simple as believing the Gospel. Of course, you will notice that
the Bible says in that verse “…confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus…” Salvation involves faith in the Gospel, but it also involves
repentance of sin, and a willingness to yield to the Lordship and control of
Jesus Christ in their lives.
So, people hear that message, and
they react to it in different ways. Regardless of how a person may react to it,
they all build their lives based on what they think Jesus is saying. These
people all build their houses in the same location. That is, they weather the
same storms, work the same jobs, do the same things, go to the same churches,
hear the same preaching, and live the same kind of lives. From the outside, you
really can’t tell much difference between the two hearers.
II.
CONSIDER THE CONTRASTS
While there are several similarities,
there are some very major differences between these two types of people. Those
differences are worth noting.
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One Man Built His House On The Sand - One
man built his house with little preparation. He found a spot for his house and
began to build. Sand is unstable, ever changing and moving. Sand offers no
stability. Sand is not a good place to build a house. Sand can never provide a
firm foundation. In this context, building on the sand speaks of people who
hear the Gospel, but instead of believing the Gospel and coming to faith in
Jesus, they believe they can build their lives on the shifting sands of human
philosophy, wisdom, opinion, and religious achievement. They are driven by
outward, religious appearances and faith in themselves, rather than faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. People who build on the sand hear the Gospel and choose
to save themselves. They hear the Gospel, and believe its general message, but
they choose to follow God on their own terms. To them, His Word is open to
interpretation. If He commands them to do something, they will obey if they
choose to. If they don’t like it, they won’t do it. They build the house of
their lives on self-will, self-fulfillment, self-sufficiency,
self-satisfaction, and self-righteousness. Theirs is a works based religion
that has the appearance of being right, but that lacks the power to save the
soul. Paul describes that kind of person like this: “Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away,” 2 Tim. 3:5.
People build on the sands because it
is easy. It requires little effort. Just a little change here, and a little
change there, and they can fool themselves, and everyone around them in to
thinking they are right with the Lord. A life built on the sand requires no
commitment, no sacrifice, and no faith. People who build on the sand believe
they can pray a prayer, sign a card, join a church, and all will be well.
People who build on the sand can turn it on and off like flipping a switch.
They can be in today and out tomorrow and in again the next day. Sand builders
ultimately have their faith in themselves.
When God makes demands on
sand-builders, and calls for total surrender to His will, they make excuses.
Jesus encountered this very thing during His ministry. “And
it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him,
Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him,
Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not
where to lay his head.And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord,
suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead
bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.And another also
said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which
are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God,” Luke 9:57–62.
People who build their lives on
religion, self-righteousness, and false hope will not serve God. They will not
sacrifice. They only walk the easy path. Sand builders like instant results,
instant rewards, instant satisfaction, and instant pleasure. They are shallow
people who love the heights, but hate the depths. They are hot and then cold.
They are in and then out. They are up and then down.
•
One Man Built His House On The Rock - The
word “rock” refers to “a
large outcropping of rock; the bedrock.” While one man built his house on
the sand, the other dug deep. He dug until he reached the bedrock and built his
house on the rock. The rock does not move. It is unchanging and stable. Rock
offers a good foundation for a house.
Building on the rock speaks of people
who hear the Gospel and believe it to the point that they build their lives on
it. The “rock” in these verses is identified as “these
words of mine.” The “rock” is
the Gospel. It is the same “rock”
mentioned in Matt.
16:16-18. Those verses say, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye
that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it.” In that passage, “rock”
refers to Peter’s profession of faith in the words of Jesus. In other words, it
refers to faith in the Gospel.
Rock builders understand that Jesus
alone has the power to save their souls. Rock builders hear His Word and they
conform their lives to it. They hear what the Bible says about Jesus, that He
is “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father
but by Me,” John
14:6. They hear that message and they receive it with all their heart.
They hear, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16. They
hear, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest,” Matt. 11:28. That message strikes them like a
bolt of lightening. It comes into their hearts with absolute clarity. They hear
the truth about Jesus and they believe it. They embrace it. They yield to it.
The message changes their lives.
What God tells them to do in His
Word, they do. What God warns them no to do, they avoid. They pay any price,
walk any path, and do anything the Lord tells them to do. The house built on
the rock is built by someone who realizes that God deserves the best. They
sacrifice, they work, they do anything to honor the Lord. They love HIm, honor
HIm, and obey Him. The rock builder’s obedience to the Word of God proves they
love the Lord, John
14:15. Rock builders hear the Word of God, the Gospel, and make it the
foundation for their lives.By the way, this is how the redeemed know they are
redeemed. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is
the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he
abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” 1 John 2:3–6.
So, there are two people who
construct vastly different lives based on how they hear and respond to the
Gospel. One house is built on a firm foundation of faith in the Gospel and the
Lord Jesus Christ. The other is built on the shifting sand of religion, works,
and self-righteousness. One of those houses describes the kind of life you are
building right now. You are either a believer in the Gospel and in Jesus, or
you have a false religion, and a false hope of salvation. I would just remind
you that salvation comes only from knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Who, or what, is the foundation for
your life? Who, or what, are you building on? Are you building your life on the
solid rock of the Gospel? Or, are you building your life on shifting sand?
III.
CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES
The parable tells us that the rains
came, the floods followed, and the winds of destruction blew. This image is not
just about some storm in life. This is the image of judgment. In the end, both
houses were subjected to a terrible storm of judgment. One house stood, the other
was totally destroyed.
•
The
house that was built on the sand could not face the withering judgment of God,
and it collapsed. Jesus said, “and great was the fall of it.” This
means that the house was utterly destroyed. Thee was nothing left to show for
the life lived within it. There was nothing left of hopes, dreams, plans,
efforts, works, or anything, everything was destroyed and swept away as if it
had never existed. This is a picture of what will happen to every person who
builds their life on anything but Jesus Christ and the Gospel. There is coming
a day of judgment. There is coming a day when every person will face God.
People who are trusting religion, good works, some prayer they prayed, some
emotional experience they had, some profession they made, or anything else,
will see the house they have built crumble and fall before the judgment of God.
The person who builds their life on the sand will spend eternity in Hell when
they die.
Notice the word “therefore” in verse 24. That
word ties this parable to the verses that come before it. Matt. 7:21-23 tells
the tragic tale of some very religious people who built their lives on the
sand. These people faced God with all their works and their self-righteous
deeds, and they were cast out of His presence. God does not accept sinners into
His Heaven based on our good works, or our religious efforts. God accepts
sinners into His heaven only when that sinner is in a faith relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ. “He that hath the Son hath life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life,” 1 John 5:12. Ill. John 6:37-40.
•
The
house that was built on the rock experienced the same storm. The rain, the
flood and the wind “beat upon” the
house. The word “beat” means
“to strike, to batter.” This house was battered, but it
stood against the storm that was thrown against it. This house might have been
shaken, but it did not fall. It stood on a firm foundation, and it weathered
the storm. Again, this house stood because it was built on the Word of God and
the Gospel of grace. This house stood because the builder dug deep and built it
on something greater than himself. This builder built his house on the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This builder believed the Gospel. This builder
understood that Jesus died for his sin, rose from the dead, and had the power
to save anyone who would believe on Him. This person built his life on Jesus,
and he was accepted by God.
That’s how it works friends.
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You can
join the church and still go to Hell.
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You can
be baptized and still go to Hell.
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You can
be a good person, at least in the eyes of other people and still go to Hell.
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You can
build you house on religion and still go to Hell.
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You can
build you house on atheism, human wisdom, human philosophies, and anything else
you can name, and you will still die and go to Hell.
•
But, if
you build your life on faith in Jesus Christ, and on His death and
resurrection, your house will stand and you will be saved. The person who
built his house on the sand did not intend for his house to fall. He thought he
was doing the right thing. He thought he was building a house that would stand
against anything that came. He has confidence that his house will stand. He was
wrong. His confidence is not in the Lord; it is in himself. His confidence is
misplaced. There was nothing wrong with his house. There was nothing wrong with
the materials. The problem with his house is the foundation. That’s the lesson
today. If you are building your house on anything but Jesus Christ and the
Gospel, it will fall. It might look sturdy. The materials might be all right.
It might be pleasing to the eye. Everyone else might think the house is fine.
But, if it is built on the wrong foundation, it will fall. When it falls, you
will be lost forever, and you will spend your eternity in the fires of Hell.
By the way, the one who sold this man
the land upon which he built was the false prophets mentioned in verses 15-20.
Beware of anyone who preaches any Gospel other than the Gospel of salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ. Beware of anyone who says salvation is anything
but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
