The One Where Two Guys Each Build a House
Matthew 7:24-29
Jason Smith
January 22, 2023

Scripture Reading
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Big Idea
Jesus is the Rock and Foundation on which we build our lives!

	
Jesus’ Authority
●	Word: creation of everything | Colossians 1:16-17
●	Power: of life and death | 1 Corinthians 15:20-21
●	Victory: over sin and hell | Hebrews 9:27-28
●	Truth: for righteousness and faithfulness | Romans 1:16-17
●	Grace: to bring forgiveness and salvation | Ephesians 2:4-5

Theology of suffering 
●	Shared by all humanity  |  Genesis 3:17-19
●	A result of SIN, but not always of SINS  |  John 9:2-3
●	Perseverance brings glory to God  |  2 Corinthians 4:7-11
●	Rescue if not in this life, surely in the next  |  2 Corinthians 4:16-18
●	Growth in character and faith  |  Romans 5:3-5

Parable of Warning
●	Positive example: Wise Man (live like this-obedience is submission)
●	Negative example: Foolish Man (don’t live like this- disobedience is rebellion)
●	Results of Ignoring Jesus’ Teaching: Destruction
●	Same for the oblivious? What about the forgetful? 
●	A Warning to “Religious” People

Talk Without Practice
 “The common temptation is, instead of really repenting, to talk about repentance; 
instead of heartily believing, to say, ‘I believe,’ without believing; instead of truly loving, to talk of love without loving; instead of coming to Christ, to speak about coming to Christ, and profess to come to Christ, and yet not come at all.”   - Charles Spurgeon

Cornerstone or Stumbling Block?
6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
1 Peter 2:6-8

More than Morality
This “does not simply mean that we are to go out and try to be a bit more moral, 
even if the morality we seek to practice is Christ’s.  According to Jesus, we cannot have His ethics without Himself, but neither can we have Him without His ethics.  We must build on both.”  
-James Montgomery Boyce

Live It!
●	Where are you resisting the authority of Christ?  Repent.
●	Determine if you are building on the solid rock of Jesus and his truth.
●	It’s Never Too Late!  Build on Christ the Rock starting today.
●	Dig deeply and not cease working until you are anchored in the Lord’s teachings!
●	Stand, Stand, Stand as you face raging storms, Jesus has you!

Additional Website Items

Prayer Points
●	Ask God to reveal the power and authority of Jesus in our lives and in our church 
collectively.
●	Pray for people who are new to hearing about Jesus or new to faith, that the glory of Jesus as our solid rock will move them to build on the foundation of Jesus’ teaching.
●	Pray that we will all join with God in making disciples and “teaching to obey all that [Jesus] has taught”.

Group Discussion Questions
1.	How have you sometimes approached Jesus’ teachings as optional or “take it or leave it” suggestions?

2.	Which of Jesus’ teachings seem most difficult for you to live by?

3.	What does our reluctance to surrender to the Word of God reveal about our beliefs regarding Jesus’ authority?

4.	 If you examined the different stages of your life, can you describe times that you built on different foundations and what led you to change from one to another?

5.	What did this parable help you see about Jesus?   About yourself in relation to Jesus?

6.	What is something from this parable or sermon that you would like to share with someone else?