Here I Stand
We have reached the end of our series on the Sermon on the Mount! We hope you have enjoyed delving into these rich truths as much as we have! Jesus wraps up His sermon, very appropriately, with asking us on what we will stand.
Matthew 7:24-27 – 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. 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.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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
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.
These verses are a familiar story (and song!) for many of us. However, this parable is so often taken out of context. Many believe the two houses represent believers and non-believers. That is not the case. The first word in this passage is “Therefore.” As we have noted, whenever “therefore” is used, it means you need to refer back to earlier verses because what follows is a conclusion reached from the previous passage. Remember Middle School English? What is “therefore” there for? It is there to direct us back to what Jesus has previously said. As we have noted, the entire Sermon on the Mount is addressed to believers. This parable used to wrap up the sermon is no different. Jesus uses it as an object lesson to cause us to ponder on all He has said and decide on which footing we will build our life. Luke also includes this parable in his Gospel. Luke 6:46-49
As a carpenter, Jesus didn’t just build furniture. He probably also had a hand in building many houses. Is it any wonder, then that he tells a parable about building houses? This parable may also be a reference to Proverbs 24:3 and Proverbs 10:25
Jesus portraying Himself as a foundation of rock is a perfect metaphor. In Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected” is a foreshadowing of Jesus being rejected by some of the Jewish people. He is the cornerstone (foundation) that God’s Kingdom is built on. This verse in Psalms is quoted again in Matthew 21:43, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7! Isaiah 28:16, 1Peter 2:8, Matthew 21:44, 1Corinthians 10:4 are some other examples of Christ being portrayed as a rock.
Notice there is no difference in the houses’ exteriors. The difference lies in the foundation. On the outside, we all pretty much look alike. Just by looking at someone, it would be impossible to tell what their foundation is. We all sit in church on Sunday, smile, chat, and sing with one another. When things are going well, and it is nice and sunny out, we don’t require a strong footing. It is not until the storms of life wash over us, that what we have built our house (life) on becomes crucial. Remember Matthew 6:21 – Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be? This is the follow up. Where your heart is, there you will build your foundation upon.
Theologian John Trapp notes, “Time and the storms of life will prove the strength of one’s foundation, even when it is hidden. We may be surprised when we see who has truly built upon the good foundation. ‘At last, when Judas betrayed Christ in the night, Nicodemus faithfully professed him in the day.’”
Whether people recognize it or not, their life is built on a foundation. If it is not Jesus, it may be the approval of others, material wealth, family, personal gratification; the list goes on and on. When the storms of life come, all of these foundations will fail like sand when the water rises. People may betray you, possessions can be lost, loved ones can disappoint or may die, etc.
Just as no one would intentionally build their house on a bad foundation, people aren’t intentionally building their lives on what they know is a bad foundation. The problem is not that they deliberately sought out a bad foundation, the problem is that they give no consideration to their foundation. They neglect to consider what they are building their life upon and whether or not their foundation can withstand a storm. The man in the parable just wanted to get his house up. Building a house on sand is a lot easier that building a house on solid rock. For sand, you just need to dig down in the sand, and put the house up. A foundation built upon rock would require heavy equipment and a lot of hard work to dig down deep through the solid ground to put a foundation in. It was probably bright and sunny out when the man built his house on the sand. It wasn’t until the rains came that he realized just how flimsy and inadequate the sand was. Before the rains come in our life, we need to decide if we are willing to put the work into having Jesus as our foundation.
When people go through crises and disasters, the difference of how they come out of them is directly related to what they have as their foundation. I remember seeing many victims on the news during the recent hurricanes. I was struck by a few of them who when asked how they felt about losing everything, with great poise, they said, “It’s just stuff.” I also remember hearing of people during the great depression and the Bernie Madoff scandal who were extremely wealthy and, upon financial ruin, committed suicide. What is the difference in the two reactions? For the first, while losing everything may be devastating, it is not the end of the world. For the other, losing their stuff is the end of the world because their stuff was their world.
What does it mean to build our foundation on Jesus? It means that we are staking our lives on the full and complete message of the Gospel – We are great sinners against a Holy and Almighty God, but through grace, we have been saved by the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are to live repentant and in gratitude for all that Jesus has done for us; cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He transforms us to be more like Jesus, knowing we have the promise of eternal life in heaven. Colossians 2:6-7 When we do this, although we may be shaken, we will not be destroyed. 2Corinthians 4:7-9 “This foundation – the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ is as a rock, firm and strong, will bear the whole weight that is laid upon it; it is sure and certain, it will never give way; it is immoveable and everlasting; the house built upon it stands safe and sure.” Author unknown
Physical storms are not the only thing that can test our foundation. As we see in Ephesians 4:14, false teaching can throw us for a loop if we are not well grounded. This is a reiteration of what we looked at earlier in verses 15 – 23. When our foundation is built on Jesus, we are to study and grow in His Word. Knowing the truths, promises and doctrine found in scripture strengthens our foundation, so we can identify and stand against false teaching. John Calvin says this about Ephesians 4:14: “The general meaning of the passage is, that true piety is not fully distinguished from its counterfeit, until it comes to the trial. For the temptations, by which we are tried, are like billows and storms, which easily overwhelm unsteady minds, whose lightness is not perceived during the season of prosperity.” In other words, it is easy to skate by not knowing scripture and the truths contained in it when life is good. However, this leaves us vulnerable to false and heretical teaching. It may be too late when we realize and suffer for our deficiency.
