A LIFE BUILT ON A FIRM FOUNDATION

Matthew 7:21-29

21"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but ‹only› the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons

in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ’ 23Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ 24"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!” 28When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 29because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

1. The Danger of Self-Deception

Verbal profession

Intellectual knowledge

2. The Danger of a Shaky Foundation

Similarities between the builders

They both heard the truth. After hearing the truth, they both

proceed to build a house.

James 1:22-25 22But be doers of the word and not

hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; 24for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.

Similarities between the builders

They both heard the truth. After hearing the truth, they

both proceed to build a house. They build their houses in

essentially the same place. They built the same kind of

house.

Differences between the builders

The foundation upon which they built.

The sand- soft and shifting

The Rock- not a stone or a brick, a vast expanse of bedrock.

A life built on the sand…

Agreeing with the word, but not obeying

Verbal commitment, but no sacrifice

Religious activities, but no fruit

Trusting in things that can never save

A life built on the rock…

Trust in the only one who can save.

Hearing, studying, loving, and obeying the word of God.

Religious activities done out of love.

Fruit born out of the work of the Spirit.

Differences between the builders

The result: one will stand, the other will fall

The house built on the sand will not stand in the storm.

The life built on the sand will not stand in judgment.