A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF THE GOSPEL MATTERS

Matt 7:24-27 

 

Jesus ends His message and says something that every person needs to consider carefully, because their soul hangs in the balance. Jesus gives a picture that demonstrates the difference between those who hear His teachings and do them. To those who hear His teachings and do not do them. Jesus contrasts…. The wise man who builds his house on the solid foundation of the true gospel in Christ. Where the foolish man who builds his house on the foundation of sand in a gospel that has zero saving power, because it’s a gospel created in man’s image. A man-centered gospel seeks in terms of what we want and need, where the true gospel speaks the opposite. “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Rom 14:7-9. A man-centered gospel claims that we deserved or somehow earned God’s grace or favor. They focus solely on the benefits of salvation without acknowledging that God is the One who saved us for His glory; and that He alone deserves the praise. In other words, if our Gospel preaches that God saved us because we deserved it, or because there is something good in us, then we are preaching a man-centered Gospel.

 

The true gospel is completely the opposite; it puts God at the center of the message. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Rom 6:3-4

Your foundation of the gospel matters because it

will have eternal consequences.

 

See! A proper, sound and biblical understanding of the Gospel has eternal consequences for you and me. The reason you are here this morning will have eternal consequences. How you leave this place of Worship will have eternal consequences. What you do with the time you have left will have eternal consequences. Everything we do has consequences that lead to an end, the road everyone is on “eternal damnation” apart from the true saving gospel. The scary reality to Jesus’ sermon …… Is that you can be sitting here this morning thinking you’re ok, but in reality you’re just as lost as man who built his house on the sand. What I’m trying to say? Jesus concluded His message by asking His hearers to think about sound and unsound foundations. Meaning! The person who is saved by grace in contrast to a person who claims salvation but in reality they are lost.

 

Let’s look at the two houses and the two people in question….

 

Both houses were probably in the same neighborhood, because they faced the same storm. Both had lake front property, below sea level homes, or lived near water, because the floods came. Both houses look no different from an outward appearance. Their doors, windows, chimney and construction looked the same. The two people in question….here could have been close neighbors and friends. They could have even attended the same church; because they both heard the same message. They could have been members, or served, at the same church. They could have even attend prayer meetings, Bible Studies, together from time to time

 

But there was one thing that made them extremely different that

we cannot see…. because it was hidden beneath the surface. The decisions that were made as to where to lay those foundations determined the eventual fate of those two houses and two people. But before we look at what that is. Let’s look at the two people closer.

 

One person is “wise” (v24) and other person is “foolish”. (v26)

 

“Foolish” is a Greek word for “Moro”, from where we get the English word “Moron” The word “fool” is used to describe a senseless act or someone who is wicked. The word “fool” is used 569 times throughout the Old and the New Testament. The book of Proverbs where “fool” is used, denotes a person who is morally and spiritually deficient (which means lacking). Paul said this when he preached about the Cross of Christ. “foolishness to those who are perishing” But he would go on to say in the same portion of his letter! “but for the wise (believer) it is the power of God and wisdom of God.” 1 Cor 1:23-24. This again is a very powerful word that really hits the core of the human heart! Why? Many good intentional people including my, your, family are fools according to the Word of God.

 

The Bible Declares A Fool To Be:

 

1. Someone Who Clings To Their Futility. “as a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Prov 26:11

 

2. Makes A Light Of And Denies Sin At All Times. “fools mock sin” Prov 14:9

 

3. Hates Knowledge And Instruction. “a fool despises his father’s instruction” Prov 15:5

 

4. They Walk In Darkness. “the wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness” Eccl 2:14

 

5. They Never Want To Depart From Evil. “....but it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.” Prov 13:19

 

6. They Think They Are Self-Sufficient. “the ways of a fool is right in his own eyes.” Prov 12:15

 

7. They Are Unconcerned Or Lazy. “the fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.” Eccl 4:5

 

8. They Are Always Angry. “...for anger rests in the bosom of fools.” Eccl 7:9

 

9. They Grieve Their Parents. “a foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.” Prov 17:25

 

10. Their Mouth Destroys Them. “wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.” Prov 10:14

 

And as David spoke about the fool, “the fool says in his heart there is no God!.” Psalm 53:1 Many people during that time and more so today, hold to this destructive view of God, because they have a skewed view of God and the true redeeming gospel. This seems to be a growing trend in circles of “Cancelled Culture, Deconstructionists, and Progressive Christianity.” There are more fools then you think. I’m not speaking on an academic level; even though those statistics are not looking very promising for future generations! But it’s what Luke wrote about the fool that should also alarm us. “But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:49

 

“Without a foundation” without digging for a foundation, he/she built their house upon the surface of the earth. It has no strength, or footing, to withstand the barrage of blows that the house will take over the course of its life. No deep roots to hold it firmly in place, when trials and struggles come crashing.

 

Jesus calls them a fool?

 

The foolish man did not dig down deep enough or, as Luke has said "without a foundation upon the earth" Luke 6:49. The foolish man is always in hurry and going nowhere at all. The foolish man always wants to please himself first, above all else. The foolish man wants to build something easy and quick. The foolish man wants to cut as many corners as possible for the purpose of getting it done. The foolish man wants easy and fast solutions to life and finances. The foolish man says “lesser the sweat the better”. The foolish man is basically superficial and a hypocrite. The foolish man always tends to make excuses for everything. But Jesus warned us about this. “To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62.

The Foolish Man In The Church Wants The Same Thing….. He is all for quick, easy results, and solutions, without consideration of Holy Scripture. He is all for easy evangelism and for easy believism, a man-centered gospel. He is for easy quick discipleship because it always brings quick results, and less wasted time for him and his personal pleasures of life. He is all about what church has to offer him and his family to keep them happy.

 

The Foolish Man is only concerned with the cultural gospel,

and man centered religion.

 

The Foolish Man Really Says “I don’t need to dig as deep as my neighbour, in order to build my house.” Solomon wrote "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.” Prov 1:22

 

The “Wise Man” (v24)

 

This word “wise” appears a total of seven times in Matthew’s Gospel and most frequently describe one who wisely prepares for the coming Messiah through faithful service and obedient living . A wise man is someone who is very concerned for himself, his family and his church. Concerned so much so that….. He excavates down to the bedrock and grounded his house upon it. He takes his Christian life seriously, as he carefully handles the Scripture, with his or her study and practice. A prime example! The Prophet Ezra, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10. The wise man carefully builds his foundation in Luke’s account he says “he dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock” Luke 6:48. He has a desire and passion for doing what is right in God eyes only. He is not concerned with what man thinks or says about him. He seeks wise counsel of others for guidance and direction, because a wise man is a humble man.

 

Take for example a problem with your vehicle engine light........... A foolish man looks under the hood and touches a few things drops the hood and says “Everything should be fine now” Or they will cover the warning light, because they can’t be bothered to fix the problem. On the other hand the wise man see’s there’s a problem and immediately they seek the help of someone who knows what could be wrong to fix it. See! If my car is banged up in an accident, I don’t take it to a Mr. Transmission; I take it to good body shop. If I want pizza, I don’t go to the Mandarin to get the best pizza in town. If I want to watch the best hockey team in the NHL, I don’t watch the Senators, I watch the Leafs. See! A wise man say’s when it comes to doing it right “I must dig as deep as possible to find the proper foundation, so that my house we last for years to come”

 

Measure twice, but only cut once.

They count the cost!

As Jesus said in Luke’s Gospel, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. "Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 14:27-35

 

We cannot follow Him and the world’s way at the same time. “Bear his own cross” means that you and I may or will lose relationships, dreams, material things, or even our lives. What did the “Wise Man” handle with great care and extreme caution with all his energy and attention? He built his house “Gospel-Centered Life” on the rock of Jesus Christ and His Word” Jesus says “these words of mine” at the beginning of both illustrations which indicate something very important....(v24; v26)

The Wise Mans Foundation…..

 

“Rock” in the Greek is called “Petra” which means “a great outcropping of rock, a large region of bedrock...it is solid, stable and unmovable.” (not some stone or pebble). As the Psalmist says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” Psalm 119:160. Its A House, A Life, That Is Built On The Rock Of God’s Precious Word. A life that empties itself of self-righteousness and pride. A life that mourns over their sins and the sins of others. A life that makes every effort to enter the narrow gate, because they have counted the cost. A life that bears fruit of Christ’s righteousness. A life of discernment to everything that is before him or her. A life that is faithful towards Christ and Bible Doctrine, THE Word of God. A life of obedience to God in all aspects of life through progressive sanctification. A life that is firmly planted on the Word of God for life and godliness. As Paul wrote “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph 4:15-16. This is where we see the differences in the two foundations. Or where the rubber meets the road, so to speak!

 

The Foolish Man Foundation

 

He builds his house on the sand and he takes the broad road because it’s easy and quicker. He is easily fooled by his own ignorance and deceived heart. Sand by contrast is….. Loose, unstable, and extremely moveable; it can be easily swayed by all kinds of doctrine and idea’s. As Paul told Timothy in his second letter. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Tim 4:3-4

 

There Is One Thing That Separated These Two People! Their Foundation! The wise man builds his foundation on the Word God and obeys it. The foolish man builds his foundation on parts of the bible, which are appealing to him and his needs. The foolish man would rather get to heaven; without all that getting to know Jesus stuff.  As Simon the Sorcerer did, “Can I buy my way in instead, because I want the power you possess?” In the Book of Acts we read this, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." Acts 8:18-23

 

It’s the fool who asks “ What do I need to do…..to get this salvation thing, or this Heaven thing, you Christians talk about all the time? They reveal that they have zero interest in Christ or the Gospel. They reveal they don’t care about greatest sacrifice and greatest act of love that could ever come to a depraved and sinful creation. They only care about how they appear on the outside! On the inside they are cold...bitter....selfish...have no concern for their sin or holiness and the gospel that saves us from our present destination of Hell.

Arthur Pink said “They bring their bodies to the house of prayer but not their souls; they worship with their mouths, but not “in spirit and truth.” They are stickler for immersion or early morning communion, yet take no thought about keeping their hearts with all diligence. They boast of their orthodoxy; but disregard the precepts of Christ.”

  

The Sunday Question Is..........

 

What does your foundation

reveal about you?

 

How firm is your foundation?

 

Will you stand before the Lord as a wise man and hear Him say “Well done my good and faithful servant’” 

Will you stand before the Lord as a foolish man and hear Him say “depart from me......I never knew you, you don’t belong here” This Sermon is meant to leave us with an everlasting influence for our souls to examine our foundation.

 

As Martin Lloyd Jones said, “The foundation, which seems so insignificant and unimportant because it is out of sight, is nevertheless the most vital and important thing of all. If the foundation is wrong, everything else must be wrong.”

 

As Paul said “For no one can lay a foundation other than that 

which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 3:11

Your foundation will determine what judges you in the end.  Because Jesus said “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” John 12:48

 

My prayer is that all of us will examine our hearts by

the standards that Jesus set down and not by our culture.

 

May we be like one who hears these words

and does them.