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The Foundation Of Our Faith (Matthew 7:24-27)
I. The Similarities
II. The Foundation
III. The Trials
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Matthew 7:4-27.
Allow me to read for you. Matthew 7:24-27. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And 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. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and endureth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And 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.
The Lord blessed the reading of his holy and sacred word. Is it possible for a person to profess that he is a believer, be baptized, attend worship services regularly, and even serve in the church, and yet not be a believer? Most certainly.
In the preceding verses, Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." So it is not sufficient just to say you believe or to mouth the name of Jesus Christ. Here in this passage, Jesus was saying that it is not sufficient just to hear the word of God or to have this biblical head knowledge only. A knowledge of the Bible is important because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But knowledge does not equal salvation. One must believe in his heart the Lord Jesus Christ. And this profession of faith must be manifested in a life of obedience to the Lord.
The phrase "these sayings of mine" refers to the whole sermon on the mount. In the preceding verses and chapters, Jesus was preaching to his disciples a series of messages known as the sermon on the mount. And he ends the sermon by showing the benefit of living the way he had taught them. And he warned them of the tragedy that would follow if they didn't obey.
The words "Whosoever heareth" include not only those people who were with Christ at that time, but also all of us today who hear the sayings of Christ. God is speaking to you if the preacher has faithfully preached the word of God, or when you read the Bible for yourself.
The title of our message is the foundation of our faith. Jesus used two men to illustrate the two kinds of responses to his word. Whenever the word of God is preached, there would be responses. And we want to begin by learning the similarities of both these two men.
Firstly, both men had heard the word of God. Verse 24 says, "Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." Verse 26 says, "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and endureth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand." This tells us that even though some might not obey the word, they had still heard the word of God; they both heard the way of salvation.
Secondly, they both proceeded to build a house after they heard the word. The house is a reference to a life of religious activities, a life we will call Christianity. The wise man builds his life on the sayings of Christ. Even though the foolish man does not build his life on Christ's teachings, he thinks his house is secured simply because he has heard and acknowledged the word. Therefore, God is pleased with him. No man would intentionally build a house that he thinks is going to fall. So both men have confidence that their houses will stand. But one man's confidence is in the Lord. The other man's confidence is in himself.
Thirdly, they both built their houses in the same place most likely. How do we know? They both face the same rain, the flood, and the wind. They might be quite close in proximity. This reminds us of the so-called evangelical churches around us. It reminds us of all the professed Christians sitting side by side with us in the church. The true believers and false believers. Everyone calls himself or herself a Christian, like the parable of the wheat and tares growing together. It is hard to tell the difference. But come judgment day, though, it would be a time of separation: the separation of the sheep and the goats.
Fourthly, they both built a house that look exactly the same. Perhaps you may say they have all the facade or makeups of what a church ought to look like, with all the church programs, fellowship groups, home care groups, mission works, church camps, and so forth. It looks exactly like all the other Christian churches on the outside. But what is the difference? The foundation. One is built on the rock, a solid foundation. The other is built on the sand, a weak and shallow foundation.
This brings us to our second point, the foundation. If there was no wind or rain, then the foundation would not be so important. But only a fool would expect there will be no rain or wind. Only a fool would neglect a proper foundation when building a house. In times of good weather, it doesn't matter whether you built the house on the rock or the sand. Each house looks the same. The fool does not think ahead and anticipate a violent storm.
Verse 24 says, "Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." What does it mean to build upon a rock? The rock is solid, stable, and unmovable. Some people will refer to this rock as Jesus Christ. Obviously, we ought to build our lives in the Lord Jesus Christ. But I think this is a reference to the word of God because Jesus said, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and endureth them." In other words, to build our house upon a rock is to hear the word of God and obey it.
In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus asked Peter, "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 Barjonah, 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." That rock was a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So depending on the context, we ascertain what it means. It wasn't Peter's reasoning, his superior intellect, his analysis, or his intuition. There was nothing in the physical earthly realm that would reveal Jesus Christ was gone. No man can understand the word of God unless the Spirit of God reveals it to him. It is divine revelation.
Do you know why this part of the sermon on the mount is so important? It is not just because it is the conclusion of the sermon on the mount. But what are the lessons to be learned from here? Firstly, it shows that hearing the truth alone is not enough. Jesus described the true disciples as those who heard his word and doeth them. The true mark of discipleship is not just hearing and believing but hearing, believing, and obeying.
James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." First John 2:3 says, "And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, but keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Notice the little word "and" as in "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them." It implies that it is possible for some to hear the word of God and not obey it. If you practice what the Bible says, you will be a wise man or a wise woman. You are foolish when you do not practice.
The rain, the flood, and the wind may not have come, but you are prepared. You are prepared in that you have built your house on a strong foundation that it may withstand the adverse weather. It speaks of a sense of preparedness.
In Matthew 24:45, Jesus refers to a man being responsible in governing his household and being ready when his master shows up. If the man is truly wise, he will plan, prepare, and be found watchful, waiting for the master's return. Like the parable of the ten virgins, five of them were wise, five were foolish. The five wise virgins took oil in their lamps in anticipation of the bridegroom, but the foolish virgins took no oil with them. Again, it speaks of preparedness.
If you apply the teachings of Christ, you will be wise because you are prepared and you are thinking ahead. Wisdom comes when two things are combined: hearing and obeying. Hearing and obeying equals wisdom.
If you have theology in your head only, it is just intellectual knowledge. You will be like what Martin Lloyd-Jones said: you are perfectly orthodox but perfectly useless.
If you remember, Jesus had taught many wonderful lessons in the sermon on the mount. He had taught about Christians being the salt and the light of this world, about a righteousness exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. When you are angry with your brother, it is murder in the sight of God. When you look at a woman to lust after her, it is adultery in the sight of God. You must be truthful. Let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay. You must love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
When you give to the Lord, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. When you pray and fast, do not be like the hypocrites who love to be seen of men. You must not lay up treasures for yourselves on this earth, but lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven. You must serve God and not mammon. You must not worry about what you shall eat, drink, and wear, but to seek ye first the kingdom of God. Those are wonderful teachings, amazing lessons, but they are only wonderful if we apply them. They will be useless to us if we only have them as head knowledge.
The writer of the gospel of Luke added more details in Luke 6:47-48. Jesus said, "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock."
The wise man dug deep. It takes great effort to dig deep. But it also tells us that the man was not in a hurry. He would not build his house until he hit the foundational rock. He was not looking for an easy way out, a quick conversion, or a superficial confession. He dug deep into the word of God. And the more he dug, the more he realised what a wretched sinner he was. And this overwhelming wretched feeling of sinfulness drove him to Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, take a moment and consider this. Those people who dig deep into the word of God will pray more than ever. They will read the Bible more than ever. They will be willing to learn more than ever. They will walk in the light and find out how real God is. The more they dig, the more they will subject their lives to the word of God.
On the other hand, the foolish man is someone who builds his house on the sand. The sand is loose, unstable, and easily shifted. The foolish man is likened unto someone who hears the word of God. He may agree with the word. He may even say he loves the word, but he never applies it. To build the house of one's life on the sand is to build on self-will, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness. He builds his confidence on the opinions of men, which are always shifting and changing.
To build the house of one's life on the sand is to follow the ultimate deception of Satan, whose desire is to make a person believe he is saved when in reality he is not. And because he is living under this delusion, he finds no reason to resist the devil and seek after God. He does not fight a good fight of faith. In fact, he does not even have the faith in the first place to begin with. He does not plan ahead. He only lives for the present. He does not apply the truth heard. He heard the same teaching as the wise man, but he does not apply the same teaching. He wants an immediate building and does not want to go through the long process of digging the foundation because it takes time and effort. Either he is too proud or too lazy. He does not want to wait.
The attitude of the foolish man is this: Fellowship group meetings are only good for those who do not have enough friends. Bible study classes are only good for those who lack Bible knowledge. Prayer and meetings are only good for those who huddle and cry together. As for me, I do not need all these spiritual activities. They are so time-consuming. He wants the easy way out. We live in a time whereby people are always in a rush, even in spiritual matters. He is in a hurry. He wants a quick fix, the shortcut. He wants easy evangelism. He is quick to declare to the person without even sharing the full gospel. Just simply make a confession, say the sinner's prayer, and sign the card, and you are saved.
Arthur Pink, the theologian, said there are some who say they are saved even before they have any sense they are lost. How can you be saved unless you first know that you are lost? He wants easy discipleship. No need to attend the basic Bible knowledge classes. Just say you believe. Answer in affirmation to all the questions that the pastor would ask. Be baptized and you are all right. He has no time to study and rightly divide the word of truth. He has no time to search the scriptures whether what the preacher said is true or not.
He does not count the cost when he builds the house. When he first heard the gospel, he is quick to say to the Lord, "I will follow thee." When Jesus said, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head," all of a sudden, he remembers he has to bury his father and say goodbye to his loved ones. Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven."
So the foolish man builds his foundation on a false religion that is comfortable. It leads him into a comfort zone and keeps him there. His life remains unchanged. No transformation, and he thinks everything is all right. That is until the violent storm appears.
Dear friend, many people have their own comfort zones, whether it be their houses, jobs, families, children, friends, and so forth, until the storms of life come and expose the foundation. Nobody knew what the foundation was. Without the storm, the wise man's house and the foolish man's house look the same.
Our final point is the trials. Verse 25 says, "And 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. And 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. And 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."
A storm is often described as a severe time of testing or a trial. In this world, we will face trials. Whether we are a believer or unbeliever, whether we are obedient or disobedient, we will face trials. Are you facing a trial right now? If not, someday you will. It is only a matter of time when the rain will descend, and the flood will come, and the winds will blow, and beat upon the house of your life.
The Christian faith does not exempt us from trials. Rather, it equips us for trials. As one theologian said, God does not promise to take us out of the fire, but He promises to get into the fire with us and see us through the fire.
The storm will reveal the quality of the work of the builder—whether the house would stand or fall, whether the believer would be steadfast or walk away and give up. The teachings of Christ are absolutely true. But what makes the foundation a rock is not only the content of the message but the application of the hearers. In other words, it is not only good teachings we need, but we need heart theology and life application.
What are the trials and storms of life? The storms of life may be medical. We often take our health for granted. We never know when our health will fail, or when that last illness will take us to the grave.
The storms of life may be marital. Thank God for our husbands and wives who stood with us all these years. But that does not mean that we will not face the rain, the flood, and the wind in our married lives. No matter how good the wife is or how good the husband is, they are not the foundation of our marriages. God and His word are the foundation.
The storms of life may be a misunderstanding we have with someone, financial problems, and the list goes on and on. Satan will take advantage of all these storms of life to cause us to fall. And these trials will show how strong we are. They will reveal our foundation.
God does not promise that our illnesses will be miraculously healed or our finances will increase. But He promised us that our house will not fall. Our Christian faith will survive.
And this promise is given to all those who hear the words of Jesus Christ, believe them, apply them, and these same people will not crack up in the storms of life. They will not break into pieces. Yes, they will be tried, but they will not give up their Christian faith. They will not panic, murmur, and complain that God has allowed all these trials into their lives. They know that He has a sovereign purpose and He is always in control of every situation in life.
Dear friend, let us be like the wise men and build our faith on a strong foundation. That is to hear the word of God and obey it, apply the word of God into our lives. Whatever truth we learn, it may be just one point and we forget the rest of the points, but we take that one point and apply it into our lives. And then we take another point and apply it into our lives. And then we take another point and apply it into our lives. And it goes on and on and on.
This is how we build the foundation of our faith. So when the trials of life come, you and I will not crumble. The rain, the flood, and the wind will beat upon the house of our lives, but we will stand steadfast by the grace of God. I pray that all of us will build our foundation like the wise men. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for always giving us the opportunity to consider Thy word. Whether as a church we come together to learn from Thy truth or when we read the Bible in our quiet time, there are so many wonderful lessons we have learned, but they are wonderful only when we apply them. They will not do any good to us if we are like the foolish men who built the house on the sand.
And we know that Thou would allow the storms of life to come into our lives, not to destroy us, but to reveal our foundations. Whether we are steadfast or we fall away like the foolish men, the storms will reveal our foundation.
And we pray that we will be like the wise men and build our lives on this strong foundation by hearing Thy word and applying Thy word at every moment. Every truth we learn, we apply it, and then apply it, and apply it again, and it goes on and on, and we know that this is the way we build the foundation of our faith.
Help us, oh Lord, because this is a divine spiritual work that only the Spirit of God can work in our lives. So we humble ourselves before Thee and pray that Thou will strengthen our foundation, and our human responsibility is to hear and obey as Thou would speak to us. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.