“House Built on the Rock”
Matthew 7:24-29

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost—September 17, 2017

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders in today’s Gospel Reading was dramatically illustrated in the recent hurricane in Florida and the Caribbean, by the many island and beach homes built on sand, which tragically simply washed away:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders confronts us with a question.  In this parable, Jesus is telling us that in every aspect of our lives we can build either on rock or on sand.  The rock represents the wisdom of God’s Word; the sand represents the wisdom of the world.  The question is: “Rock or Sand—Which Are You Building On?”

First of all, concerning your eternal salvation; the wisdom of the world says, “Just try your best, and God will have to accept that.  Be a good person, live a good life, and somehow you’ll get to heaven.” 

But, in today’s Epistle Reading from Romans, the wisdom of God’s Word says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  The fact is, you are a sinner, and there is nothing you, yourself can do that will change that fact.  For, all the good works you could possibly do still fall far short of God’s requirement for salvation.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

That is the bad news of our sin.  But, today’s Epistle Reading goes on to tell us God’s way of salvation, the Good News of our Savior: “[All] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”  The Good News is, your sin and guilt has all been wiped away by the blood of Jesus.  Because of his sacrifice for you, God forgives you all your sins.  Have faith in his sacrifice of atonement, have faith in his saving blood. 

As Jesus himself says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned.”  Don’t build your hope for salvation on the sand of self-righteousness; build your hope for salvation on the rock of faith in Jesus Christ.  As the old hymn says: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness . . .  When every earthly prop gives way, he then is all my hope and stay; on Christ, the solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again.” The wisdom of the world says “Live first for yourself.  What’s most important is your own happiness, your own success, your own pleasure.” 

The contrasting wisdom of God’s Word can be summed up in the word “Joy,” J-O-Y: J-esus, O-thers, Y-ou.  True happiness, true fulfillment, true joy will be found in living no longer for yourself, but for Jesus, first; others, second—especially your own family; and you, third.  “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again.”  Don’t build your life on the sand of self-centeredness; build your life on the rock self-sacrifice, living for Jesus because he died for you.

You may have seen the bumper sticker, “The One Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins.”  That sentiment may be just a bumper sticker, but it sometimes seems that we are taking it seriously.  I recently heard a financial advisor on the radio say the number one cause of marital problems in America today can be summed up in three words: too much debt.  Too much debt racked up in a quest for the most toys, in a quest to possess all those things the world tells us we must have.  It finally gets to the point that our possessions begin to possess us. 

Concerning material possessions, the wisdom of the world says, “Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but it can sure make the downpayment.”  But, the wisdom of God’s Word says, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  “Set your hearts on things above . . . not on earthly things.”

There is nothing wrong with material possessions, and there is certainly nothing wrong with hard work and success, but don’t make material possessions the center of your life.  Don’t build your life on the sand of materialism; build your life on the rock of trust in God, and thankfulness to him as the giver of all good things.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

In every aspect of your life you can build either on rock or on sand.  The rock represents the wisdom of God’s Word; the sand represents the wisdom of the world.  The question is: “Rock or Sand—Which Are You Building On?”