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St. Matthew 7:24-27
!
Introduction
In the Gospel of Matthew 7:24-7, at once it seems that we are faced with two parables.
But what appears to be two parables are in actuality a single parable in antithetical parallelism.
It is the contrasting of two opposing ideas concerning one event in an effort to paint a picture.
It shows not only the negative side but the positive as well, and it shows them with their individual results; leaving the decision of which example to follow in the hands of the hearer.
* A decision which cannot afford to be taken lightly.
#. our lives are too precious to be left up to hasty, rash, and thoughtless decisions.
#. because it is our lack of foresight that lands a many a man in a strange and adverse predicament.
#. had we not been so near sighted, we would have better prepared ourselves for the future.
#. and many of us have lost alot because we did not have a strong vision.
#. because the power of vision is actualized when you put things in place that will at some future point in time usher in the vision that you have.
#. you may not see it in the natural, but you can build safeguards against the different obstacles and circumstances that would and could come in and choke out the possibility of its' fulfilment.
* So the smart thing to do is to take the insight that you have been given and use it to shape and secure your future.
#. it is a travesty of sorts for God to give you all of this word and you do nothing with it.
#. laziness will cause you to take shortcuts through life.
#. shortcuts that, although they lighten the load and shorten the journey, will hurt you in the longrun.
#. *which is why they always told me, acquisition always involved sacrifice.*
#. *because in order to gain something, you will have to give something up.*
#. *but many a child of God would rather fall into the trap of the enemy that says that you can get something for nothing.*
#. and Jesus warns against this.
!
The Premise of the Story
* Here, Jesus talks of two men with the same goal in mind.....that was to build a house.
#. the one He says to be wise, and the other is declared to be foolish.
#. both the wise and the foolish man have instruction and word.
#. so they are both familiar with the fact that there is a job to do.
#. notice the differences of their methods.
* If you look at the text, Jesus says that the wise man is like the man who hears what He says and does it.
#. this man builds his house on a rock.
#. and he does so to his own benefit, because soon there comes a stormy situation.
#. the rain fell and the winds blew, and it even began to flood.
#. and the elements beat upon the house, but it didn't fall.
#. because it was built on a rock.
* Then we are given a sharp contrast of a foolish man who heard His words and allowed them to fall to the ground.
#. we are presented with a picture of a foolish man who saw sand and believed it to be a good a place as any to build a house.
#. and the same stormy situation came, to his destruction.
#. the rain fell and the winds blew, and it even began to flood.
#. and the elements beat upon the house, and it fell.
#. and great was the fall thereof.
#. and the foolish man lost everything that he had.
* What is the difference between the two?
#. the wise man was willing to put forth the effort.
#. he did not escape his responsibility to labour and toil,
#. and it did not matter how attractive the easier way looked, he knew that the easy way was not always the right way.
#. which was symbolic of the natural tendency to gravitate to man's way of building a life.
#. the foolish man chooses unwisely to avoid toil and labour.
#. he chooses to remain shortsighted and only see things in the light of the present bliss.
#. ignoring the fact that there was coming something that would no doubt try his efforts to see whether or not they were merited.
* And Jesus used a parable to express a spiritual truth through a natural example.
#.
In Palestine, it was common knowledge that the summer season was potent enough to dry up several of the rivers in the area, leaving only an attractive bed of sand in it's place.
An unsuspecting individual or even a lazy one would look at this and say that this was the perfect spot to build.
Only to encounter the harsh conditions of the winter season that was enhanced by the rainy month of September and find that his sandy oasis was really a river bed.
Which would of course cost him everything that he had worked for and leave him empty and without anything to show for his labour.
But a wiser and more visually insightful man would see this layout and immediately look for a more stable foundation on which to build.
Knowing that the house that builds was to last a lifetime and not just a couple of months.
So he would look for a rock.
Even if he had to labour and dig deep to find it.
#. and Jesus says this is what occurs when wise men hear my words and do them.
#. two commandments which can be embodied in one word, *"OBEDIENCE"*.
!
I'm Here To Get The Material That I Need
* This is why it is important to be in the presence of the Word; for it is in the Word that there is strength and safety.
#. this is why when you come to the house of God, you come with the intent that I am not here to make friends, I'm here to get what I need to handle the storm that is on the way.
#. so if I don't gossip with you, don't get offended.
#. and if I don't pass notes all night in church, I'm not trying to be funny.
#. because although things may be looking good today, if I know the devil like I know the devil, he's waiting to sneak me.
#. and since I know that a storm is coming, I'm here tonight to get what I need to withstand whatever is on the way.
#.
I'm not here to help you build and leave my work undone.
#. because when the storm is over, even if you don't make it, I will.
#. because I was built for this.
* This is what Jesus meant when He said hear and do.
#. and since we all have to build a house, the real issue is on what foundation we are going to build on.
!
I Came Up The Hard Way
* There are times when you are going to have to labor and toil.
#. but in the end, you'll be glad that you pressed your way.
#. you'll be glad that you got what you needed.
* So stop paying attention to people who have come up overnight without the slightest hint of resistance.
#. convenience can be as big of an enemy as it can be friend.
#. and it may be that convenience will cost too much in the end.
#. so if you have to climb up the rough side of the mountain, just know that when the storm comes your way, you'll know that beyond a reasonable doubt, IT WAS WORTH THE CLIMB.
#. and in your life there will be a time when you can look back and see that everything that you have been toiling with was only making you able to handle the storm.
!
Why Did He Take The Time?
* *Because He knew that I would come up against some stuff that if He had not prepared me for, it would overwhelm me and unsettle me.*
#. some things that, unless a master architect put me together, I wouldn't be able to withstand.
#. *so He had to work on me a little longer than He did some other people because He knew that the storm that was coming my way was no going to ease up on me until it had tried me at every point.*
#. *but He built me to handle this storm.
*
* And He knew that time would test me.
#. for it matters not how you look today, time's going to tell if you are as strong as you look.
#. *cause there are a whole lot of people who look good and act strong, but the truth is that they are not built on a good foundation.*
#. *and they may stand for a while, but soon, time's going to test them.*
#. and this is why people that looked like a pillar of strength today may not be here next month.
#. because only things rooted in the rock are going to be able to stand.
!
But I Was Built To Handle The Storm
* But inspite of the issues that came my way, I knew that I had enough in me to withstand it all.
#. and when you know that beyond a reasonable doubt you have what you need inside of you, there is a certain confidence that calms your nerves.
#. which is why you don't have to panic and get hysterical.
#. because I know that I'm prepared.
#. so let the storms begin to rage,
#. because the Bible says in *Proverbs 10:25 that when the storm is passed, the wicked are no more, but the righteous is established forever*.
#. the storm
* So tell the storm that I refuse to go down.
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