Matthew 7:24-27 Build Your House Upon The Rock

Matthew has laboured in his narration of the life and ministry of Jesus to show us that the great expected King has come at last to this world. From the first line of the Gospel, he announces the birth of the long-expected and anticipated Messiah King. The King has come, and his kingdom is at hand. Some of the first words we hear from the Lord Jesus’ mouth are recorded in Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Now, Jesus, at this point, is wrapping up the Sermon on the Mount, or his kingdom manifesto as I have called it previously, an address he gave in an undisclosed location in Galilee. It is not the kind of manifesto we might expect to see issued by a political figure; rather, it concerns foundational principles, the law of the kingdom, to all who will believe in Jesus by faith. That is what we have considered in Matthew 5 through 7.

Jesus’ formal teaching in the Sermon on the Mount ended in verse twelve of chapter seven, but the Lord concludes his sermon in a way that prevents us from tuning out and acting as if nothing important has really happened. He applies the message. We have a tendency as people to forget and to be apathetic to truth, dismissive, and to let it go in one ear and out the other, but God wants our full attention on Jesus. This is why Jesus places such an emphasis on entering the narrow gate and walking the narrow way.

That is also why he strongly warns us against those who come in his name with only lies and deceptions. That is why we are warned of false professions of faith. This is why here we have a final exhortation in parable form: the parable of two builders.

When Caitlin and I were in Australia back in February, one of the places we stayed was the Meriton Hotel on the Gold Coast. I soon became curious about the building process for a skyscraper like this; it is a beautiful building.

I began looking up information about how it was built, as well as the nearby Q1 Tower, if anyone has been to the Gold Coast. I learned that the Meriton is a little over 250 metres high, and it has 52 pylons, each over two metres in diameter, all drilled into rock 50 metres below the surface in order to give it the stability it needs in a stormy, high-wind area. One thing is for sure: you cannot build a skyscraper without building on a firm foundation. Foundations are a critical component to any building. Caleb tells me that whenever he begins a new housing project, he is always there on-site for the laying of foundations, so critical as they are.

In this passage, Jesus concludes his sermon with a parable that should not pass over a single one of us. It is a very plain passage. In the area of Galilee where Jesus is teaching, they were often susceptible to flash floods in the rainy season. Jesus’ audience knew that homes without adequate foundations were doomed to destruction in the floods.

It is upon this analogy that Christ draws his final application. The lesson is simply this: we need to know that there is no book but the Bible, no name but Christ in all the world, given by God to men and women upon which to build their lives. It would be foolish to build a house upon sand without any firm foundation; so it is foolish to hear of Christ and his gospel, the teaching of the word of God, and not commit your life to building atop that foundation. So Jesus presents us with two builders, two foundations, and two destinies.

He is preparing us for eternity with his words, and we must, with all due diligence this morning, assess our own foundation and ask whether we have truly placed our faith in Christ and are building atop God’s word. As Thomas Brooks said, “What is your great business in this world but to prepare for the eternal world?” So Christ, in his final call on the Sermon on the Mount, calls us to prepare for this eternal world by building our house, that is, our very lives, upon his word. I simply have two headings to consider as we look at the text before making some application: first of all, the wise builder; and secondly, the foolish builder.

The Wise Builder

Jesus describes in parable form what is at the heart of the Christian faith. We must not only profess Christ, but truly possess him, believe in him, and practise his words. Friends, where else would we go but to Jesus, really? Who else is there beside him?

1 Corinthians 3:11 says, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” This is a foundation that is there for humanity; it is there for you! All else but Christ and the word of God is sinking sand; it is not a worthy foundation to bet your soul upon. So where else will you go? There is no other name under heaven but his; no word from the Creator God but the Bible.

In John 6:66, John describes a scene: many stopped following Jesus, they became put off by him, offended by his teaching, unimpressed. Jesus says to the twelve disciples, “You do not want to go away too, do you?” The twelve respond, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” That is true, is it not? As believers, we confess with the apostles (John 6:69), “We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” We want only Jesus.

As the philosopher said, “Brief is man's life in the small nook of this earth where he lives.” So, friends, we should desire a life with Christ and upon Christ in this dying world full of dying men and women. We want him who is the bread of heaven so that we may eat of him and not die. We want this one who is the light of the world, who is the door of the sheep, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life; the one who is the vine and in whom alone we can be saved.

Read with me again in Matthew 7:24: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock.”

A few things here. First of all, consider that Jesus equates his own words to those of God. By referencing building upon the rock here, Christ is drawing upon language ascribed to God in the Old Testament. As David sang in the song of David (2 Samuel 23:3), “The Rock of Israel spoke to me.” As Moses declared in Deuteronomy 32:4, “The Rock! His work is perfect.” God is our rock. Out of his love, he sent the Son into the world to be our Saviour.

Christ is calling us, friend, to come to him, hear from him, learn from him, obey him as our obedience and duty to God. Some of your Bibles at home perhaps have all red-letter text for the words of Jesus. It is all Jesus’ words, friend. It is all red letters: all of it, Genesis through Revelation. It is all his word. So as we read of Christ, as we hear of Christ, may they be to us divine words of life, and they are to be received through faith and obedience. We need to treasure our Bibles more, do we not? Do we value the fact that we have the word of God?

Do you realise how many people have been born into this world over millennia and have not had access to the word of God? Still, to this day, we take it for granted; our Bibles are on our shelves with dust upon them. As Charles Spurgeon said in his famous quote, “There is enough dust on some of your Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers.” I think he is right.

There are many professing Christians who say they love Jesus, but they are not really interested in Jesus’ words; they are not really interested in the Bible. It is the saddest thing. May we live by the word; may we be nourished by it, for “man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Here is a rock for you, believer, do not disregard it.

Also consider that here upon the rock is a sure and unshakable foundation. As any good builder knows, once his foundation is completed and his foundation is on solid ground, he need not worry any longer about that foundation, but can focus on building his house, focus on the work. So it is in the Christian life. Here is a foundation of rock that you need not add to, that you need not modify, that you need not worry as to whether it is fit for purpose.

You can trust it; you can be sure of it. There is no rock or foundation of life such as Christ. Be wary of seeking alternative sites to go and build, you will be tempted. You can do no better than that which God himself supplies for you as shelter from his judgment.

In Isaiah 28:16 it says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed,” is the promise. We have an all-sufficient word to meet your spiritual needs and an all-sufficient Christ who will guide our souls, but we come to him asking, seeking, knocking to supply that which we do not have.

The wise man hears Christ and comes to Christ in faith and obeys Christ. So build, build, build alone upon this foundation. This means to place your faith in Christ and follow him exclusively. Stop looking elsewhere but at him; fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of your salvation, and do not say that Christ is lacking in any way. The issue is in us. Christ is all we need. Hear his words, his gospel, hear of the life that is in him for your salvation, and build your house upon this unshakable rock.

Consider also that this foundation was laid for you at great price. The foundation laid for you, sinner, for you, believer, is one of tremendous price.

It came at great cost: the blood of many saints has been spilt to bring us the Bible as God has preserved it and transmitted it through the ages. But the greater cost is that which Christ paid with his own life. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:20 that we have been purchased with a price. God purchased his church, the bride; and that price, dear believer, was the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ for us.

At the building of Solomon’s temple, described in 1 Kings 7, it says that the foundation of the temple was laid with costly stone. So Christ, who is the true temple, the true locus of meeting between God and man, has laid a costly foundation at great price, yet it comes free of charge for you and me to build upon. There is no ticket of entry but repentance and faith. Christ was struck down, he was crushed, he was unjustly punished for our sakes and for our sins. He was placed on that tree; he bore the punishment of hell for his people, and we had no access to God but Christ be slain for sinners. Just as Moses struck the rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:6) and the Israelites drank from the water which flowed, so Paul says, allegorically speaking, the rock was Christ. The Son was struck down so that his people might drink from him and live.

A wellspring of life through his death has been opened, a great fountain of grace that the people of God may drink from those living waters. “Come behold the wondrous mystery, Christ the Lord upon the tree; in the stead of ruined sinners hangs the Lamb in victory. See the price of our redemption; see the Father's plan unfold, bringing many sons to glory, grace unmeasured, love untold.” Those are the words we sing.

So what is the outcome then of the house, that is, the life, built upon Christ and his word? In Matthew 7:25, he tells us: “The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew, slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” The rain, floods, the winds that slam on the house, these are a reference to the judgment that is to come when Christ shall come or when we shall die, whichever comes first. It is also true, I think, that when we walk with Christ, the trials and tribulations of this life become infinitely more bearable because we have hope in Christ.

But as Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment.” It is noteworthy to mention that both houses, the one on the rock and the one on the sand, each face the same trial, the same judgment. Every foundation, you see, must be tested to see if it is found wanting or not. Jesus tells what will happen in advance: the books will be opened. The justice of God will inspect every house, and all that will matter on that day is not the size of your bank account, not how well you climbed the corporate ladder, not how many acres you had, how many ewes you lambed, or how many cows you milked, but whether your life was founded upon the rock of Christ, the rock of God’s word, and whether you were invested in the kingdom in obedience to his word as your life’s foundation.

The Foolish Builder

Secondly, we want to consider the foolish builder. Jesus speaks of another builder, another foundation, another outcome: the builder who builds his life upon nothing but sand. We read in verse 26: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”

Consider here the reality that the wise and foolish builders in the parable hear the same words of Christ. We know there will be masses of people who enter into eternity having never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many, Jesus says, who are on the broad way. But the most frightening thing about this is that there will be masses of people who enter eternity who heard the gospel but were unaffected by it. There are none we should pity more than those who, in the hardness of their hearts, reject Christ as he is placed before them.

They hear of Jesus, who he is, what he has done, but they do not act upon his words with decisive action. They do not repent of sin; they do not believe in him; they do not follow him. They remain on the fence, or they remain off it and away from him entirely, it is all the same; they are choosing to build on sand. The very worst state in which a person can enter eternity without Christ is to have been exposed to the truth and not acted upon it. The New Testament makes clear that God’s judgment in hell is fitted to the guilt of the sinner according to the light they have received. In Luke 12:48 it says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to him they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

I also want you to consider that there is only sand if it be not Christ and God’s word. People get this confused. Just the other day, someone said to me in Invercargill that there are hundreds of religions in the world; in other words, we cannot possibly know the truth. That is not true.

It is an escape mechanism, and Christ makes it easy for us here. The only person he calls wise is the one who came to him. He said there are only two religions: there is Christ, and there is all else, which is false. All others are comparable to the foolish man.

All else is sand. If you bet your life upon naturalism, it is sand; Confucianism, sand; Scientology, sand; Hinduism, sand; Islam, sand; Buddha, sand, all sand; not believing anything at all, sand. Then there is the gospel of Jesus Christ, in whom God is the instigator of his redemptive plan, Christ and his word alone.

Also consider here the popularity of building on the sand. We can equate the fool here with the person on the broad way from what we saw earlier of the Lord. There are many who will not come to Christ. The sand to them may seem like the better place to build their house, and it can be attractive, friend. The sand might be like building your house right by the beach with a good view; you might be able to build your mansion, your dream home, your dream life. Perhaps it is the most convenient place to build, on the sand. You can build fast, not have to worry about building upon rock or inspecting or drilling pylons. You do not have to worry about any of that; you can just build on the sand. It is fast; it is convenient; do what you want.

To these, Christ appears like too much effort, unnecessary. So they build beautiful lives, as God will let them in his common grace, but they are building on sand. Like those in Noah’s day, they refuse to be alarmed by news of an incoming flood which will wash away all that they have built, all of their life’s work, in a moment. From the outside, by appearances’ sake, the house of the fool might even appear more satisfactory; it might seem like your own life is kind of falling apart, but friends, as long as its foundation is on Christ, that is all that matters.

Spurgeon said, “Outward appearance is everything with men, but nothing with God. The essential difference between the true child of God and the mere professor is not readily to be discovered even by spiritual minds, but the Lord sees it.”

So what is the outcome in the end for the foolish builder? Verse 27: “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell; and great was its fall.” This house, this life, will be subject to the same scrutiny of judgment. Because there is no foundation with this house on the rock of Christ, there can be no salvation; a foundation of sand will lead to eternal ruin.

Conclusion

Some concluding thoughts now. We have only to ask of ourselves in conclusion: what builder of the two described are we? What foundation is our life upon? Are we prepared for the day when the torrents of God’s judgment shall test the foundation of our house?

Are you in Christ? That is the question. Test the basis of your belief. Are you a saved man? Are you a saved woman?

I believe Calvin got it right when he said, “True piety is not fully distinguished from its counterfeit till it comes to the trial.” So be sure that you are resting in what Christ has done for you, sinner.

How can we know if we have this foundation on the rock?

Here is a first test: have you been born again? If you do not know what that is, go and read John chapter three when you get home. Have you believed upon Christ as your only hope in life and death, for salvation as your redeemer, apart from works and only by grace?

If yes, the next question might be: how can I know if I have believed in vain? Even the demons believe, Jesus said, and shudder.

There are some tests we can ask ourselves: do you desire to walk in obedience to the Lord, to act upon the word heard? For this is the work of the Spirit. Do you love his word? This too is the work of the Spirit. Do you love his church, and do you love his people? Do you want to serve his people? This is a work of the Spirit too, and an evidence of faith. Do you hate sin? Do you long to be holy?

These are all fruits of genuine faith and of union with the Lord Jesus Christ; but friends, the foundation is not upon us. The foundation is what Jesus has done.

Dear friends, build your house upon the rock. There is none but Christ; none but his word that we need. I will close with a quote by the commentator Matthew Henry: “Christ is laid for a foundation, and everything besides Christ is sand. Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others upon an outward profession of religion. Upon these they venture, but they are all sand, too weak to bear such a fabric as our hopes of heaven. There is a storm coming that will try every man's work. When God takes away the soul, where is the hope of the hypocrite? The house fell in the storm when the builder had most need of it and expected it would be a shelter to him. It fell when it was too late to build another. May the Lord make us wise builders for eternity, and then nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.”