This Week’s Sermon
~ November 17, 2024 (Contemporary Worship) ~
~ November 17, 2024 (Traditional Worship) ~
“Built on the Rock”
Ezekiel 33:30-33, Matthew 7:21-28
November 17, 2024
The reading for today comes from the very end of the Sermon on the Mount. And as you’ve heard me say before, that sermon is one of the greatest speeches of all time! It’s perhaps the greatest! And as the greatest of speeches, it has a great ending! As a professor of mine once said, it’s always good to have a good ending, because the last thing said is often what gets remembered the most.
So this is Jesus’ ending. And I think it’s the thing he wanted his listeners to remember most. And it’s a fitting end, isn’t it? In a sense he’s saying, “Ok, I’ve just taught you a lot of things. But if you don’t do what I’ve taught you, then what good is it? It’s all just academic. You’ve just heard a nice speech.”
Just before this, he was saying this. “Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” And then he goes on to describe those who will say, “Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then his chilling response, “I never knew you.” That describes people who do the “religious thing” but who don’t think all that much about their actual relationship with God. That thought deserves a sermon all by itself I think!
But I’d like to go back to the first thought, Because that’s what Jesus did! He went back to the thought of “doing the will of the Father.” And this is how he ends this whole sermon – all three chapters of it. And isn’t it appropriate that he ends with a parable? It’s fitting because parables are his go-to teaching tool! This is the parable about the two men building houses, one on the sand and one on the rock.
Well, there’s something he says in this parable that can go by us quickly if we’re not paying attention! I’m not sure I noticed it all that much over the years. He starts by saying, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock.” That’s what I want you to think about for a moment. “They will be like a wise man.”
The Jewish audience Jesus was speaking to would have taken note of that. Throughout the Old Testament – which was their scriptures, of course – there was this thing called “wisdom.” And it was seen as very important. In fact, there was a whole genre of writings in their scriptures that was called “Wisdom Literature.” They had three major divisions. “The Law” and “The Prophets” and then a general division called “The Writings.” And among “The Writings” was this thing called “Wisdom Literature.” And that included books like Proverbs, which is a book filled with wise sayings, and Ecclesiastes, which contains wise observations about life.
So, the people Jesus was speaking to that day would have picked up on that right away! They knew their proverbs. They knew it was a wise man who sought wisdom. They knew the first proverb, that it is the “Fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7) And they knew the importance of seeking that wisdom in their lives.
Well, the reason I say that we could easily miss that, is that things are different in our modern age. (Or our “Post Modern Age,” if you will!) People in our world think more highly of “intelligence” than they do “wisdom.” Isn’t that true? I think that started with the invention of the printing press, in the mid 15thcentury. Because after that invention, people could learn to read. And when they could read, they could learn about many things. And that led to “The Age of Enlightenment” and “The Age of Exploration.” All of a sudden, humankind was expanding its horizons in so many ways.
Since then, intelligence, learning, and knowledge became the thing, and wisdom got left in the dust. And I think that’s to the detriment of our world! We now have so many people who are educated, and who know so many things. And we have all of human knowledge literally at our fingertips. But wisdom – that ability to use what we know, that ability to apply that learning to life, and to make good and wise decisions – that’s what’s missing in our world. People these days are more apt to ask their children, “Did you learn anything today?” rather than “Did you learn anything about life today?” Do you see the difference?
One of the problems with that all that is that people who value their learning – their “smarts” – can easily start thinking that they’re “smarter than” someone else. (Remember Yogi Bear? “Smarter than the average bear!” But he really wasn’t!) That’s a real thing, isn’t it? People think they’re smarter than others! But that’s not a wise thing. That’s one of those personal promotion and hype things we talked about last week. People who are “wise” do not “think too highly of themselves,” as Paul said. They more readily acknowledge others and take their opinions into account. They listen to sage advice and try to use their knowledge in wise ways.
So, with all that in mind, let’s revisit Jesus’ words here, that those who “do” his word are like the wise man who built his house on the rock. The people who heard that would have understood what it meant. They would have known what it was like to value wisdom. Maybe we can think of them, and think about that wisdom ourselves.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them,” Jesus says, “is like the wise man who built his house upon the rock.” I wonder if James remembered Jesus saying that when wrote these words in his letter, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” We know those words, don’t we? And remember, the apostles were hearing these words of Jesus right along with everybody else.
I’ve often quoted John Eldredge. He was the author who said, “Many people have substituted ‘knowing the right things’ for ‘knowing God.’” I think those words are reminiscent of Jesus’ words, where he described the people who would say, “Lord, we did not mighty works in your name?” To which the reply was, “I never knew you.” That’s idea of “knowing the right things,” instead of “knowing God,” isn’t it? Well, I think there’s a related idea that there are many people who substitute “knowing Jesus’ teachings” for “actually doing his teachings.”
Here at the end of his sermon, Jesus is telling the people, “If you don’t do all this, if you don’t take it to heart, what good is it?” But there’s more here. Because the results of these two men, and where they built their houses in this parable, has to do with how they weathered the storms of life. Notice it isn’t “those who do his word shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” No. It it’s “those who do his word shall weather the storms of life!” He was saying, “All of these things I’m telling you will help you in the tough times you may go through.” “The houses of your lives will stand because they are ‘built on the rock.’”
Think about that. Think about where your house is built! How do you fare in the storms? Because many people in our world don’t fare very well when the storms of life hit them! But, as God’s people, as followers of this Jesus, we will stand!
This is the “joy despite the circumstances,” that you’ve heard me quote many times! This is Paul telling the Philippians, “I have learned, in whatever state I am in, to be content.” He said, “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
I wonder if Paul was there that day at the mountain. As you know, the religious leaders were always watching Jesus. And I wonder if Paul heard these words, and they got tucked away in the back of his mind, even in the time he was persecuting the Church. And then they came back to him when he was following this Jesus, and writing his letters. Again, people remembered what Jesus said!
Life is not without storms! We all know that. And when we are doers of Jesus’ word, when our lives are “built on the rock,” we can weather those storms! And we can even have that contentment – that peace – Paul talked about, peace that the world craves!
And, this is one of our greatest witnesses to the world. As the world sees us weathering the storms of life with God, that makes an impression. There are many people who don’t know what to do when the storms of life hit them. They’re not sure of their foundation! That’s why Peter tells us, “Always be ready to give answer to anyone who asks about the hope that lies within you.” (I Peter 3:15)
So, like Jesus in his sermon, I end this sermon today saying, “Do you do his word?” Does all this just sound like nice teaching, or do you seek to be wise, like the wise man in the parable? Do you build your house upon the rock? Do you stand firm when the storms of life are raging all around you?
I wonder if Jesus had in mind that day the words of the Psalmist. And I’ll end with this, from Psalm 27.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life.
Of Whom shall I be afraid?
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent.
He will set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27)
Prayer
Eternal God, help us to know that you are our rock, our sword, and our shield. Help us to know we can weather the storms of this life if we hold on to you! Give us the strength and guidance we need to be doers of the word. And we give you all glory and honor and praise, now and forever, Amen.