2196 Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7: 24-27, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is build on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Jesus tells a simple story, but its message is anything but simple. Two people build two houses. One builds on rock. The other builds on sand. Both houses look fine when the sun is shining. Both appear strong. But everything changes when the storm comes. The rain pours. The floodwaters rise. The winds beat against both houses. And suddenly, the difference between the two builders becomes obvious. On the coast of Southern California are gorgeous homes built along the cliff of the Pacific Ocean. Their views are priceless – but the homes are now worthless. Why? Because they’re literally falling into the ocean. The sandy cliffs are crumbling with each storm that comes through. They’re for sale but no one will buy them. Why is that? Because they’re now a huge liability and inevitably doomed. One home fell into the ocean and the owners were fined $100,000 per day until the mess was cleaned up. You know what this tells us – building your home on the wrong foundation is entirely too costly! We can’t afford that, my friends! One of my favorite retreat houses was a mansion in Cape Cod. It was absolutely stunning, sitting on a peninsula all by itself with views for miles of water from every window in the house. We were the last people to get to stay in that mansion because the sandy bluff it was built on collapsed. The entire house was torn down knowing it wouldn’t survive the next storm. Who would build a house on land like that? Oh girl, when you’re focused on that view, it’s easy to be fooled. That makes me question – what would fool me? Success has fooled me in the past. Looks have fooled me in the past. Money has fooled me several times. I’ve been a fool building great things on the sand more than once – have you? It all has a real special way of crumbling and leaving a massive mess. Jesus says the wise builder is the person who listens to His teaching and follows it. The foolish builder is the person who hears His teaching but doesn’t obey it. Did you catch that? The difference isn’t who heard Jesus. They both heard Him. The difference was what they did with what they heard. That makes this parable intensely personal. You and I are the builders and we’re choosing our foundations today. Will what we are doing today last – or will it be another mess to clean up when it crumbles? It’s possible to know God’s Word without building your life on it. We can hear a sermon, highlight a verse, and even agree with everything Jesus says – and then walk away and live according to our own wisdom and our own feelings. We can get fooled by the views and build on the sand. Jesus says that’s foolish. This is huge – make a note – Information isn’t the foundation. Obedience is. (Let’s make sure you really get that – information is not your foundation. Information will not save you. Obedience is. Hearing about Jesus is not enough. Knowing his word isn’t enough. You have to do something with this!) Maybe you know Jesus says to forgive, but you’re still holding tightly to that hurt. Maybe you know He tells you not to worry, but anxiety is still controlling your thoughts. Maybe you know He tells you to love your enemies, but you’ve decided someone is the exception. Maybe you know He tells you to trust Him, but you’re desperately trying to control an outcome He never asked you to control. You know what He says. But are you building your life on it? Jesus is our solid rock. Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior.” When Jesus is our foundation, we have something solid beneath us when everything around us begins to shake. (And shake it will.) Notice something very important about Jesus’ story: Both houses experienced the storm. The house on the rock wasn’t protected from the rain. The flood still rose. The wind still beat against it. Following Jesus doesn’t mean you’ll never have a storm. You will. I seemed to miss that truth early in my journey with Jesus. I was shocked when our business fell apart. I was absolutely shocked when we couldn’t pay the bills. I couldn’t understand why we weren’t protected from those hardships. Somewhere along the way, I had formed an expectation that i