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This is a sermon based on the story Jesus told about the wise man and the foolish man.
Written Excerpts:
Matthew 7:24-27
Introduction: The Bible has a great deal to say about being wise and being foolish. The book of Proverbs speaks often about the attitudes, choices and conduct of the fool or the wise. In the scripture we have chosen for today we find a short analogy presented by Jesus regarding the wise man and the foolish man.
I want to take a little while to point out some observations about this story and discuss some lessons we need to learn from His analogy.
1. The storms came upon both the wise and the foolish.
“Storms” are a fact of life, figuratively speaking. One of the reasons why I felt prompted to consider this familiar text this Sunday is because I wanted to remind all of us that we will no doubt face many “storms” in this new year. It’s not a matter of if we face difficult situations, but when we do. Probably all of us here today can testify to the fact that we know we can count on adversity of some kind and severity every year.
We know from past experience that even when it seems like things are going well, we will sooner or later meet up with some kind of adversity that will test us severely. How many of you would testify today that you have endured some pretty harsh storms this past year that you really never thought you would have to endure? I am sure most of us can say that we have.
If you look at verses 25 and 27 you will notice that storm which came against the house of each man is described exactly the same. The wise man did not experience a less severe storm just because he was wise, and the foolish man did not experience a more severe storm just because he was foolish.
Life is full of unexpected trials, pressures and adversities. This happens to all of us, whether we are “good” or “bad.” I know what it is like to wonder why some good people go through so much suffering. We asked those same questions when my mother-in-law was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. But suffering is part of our human life. Ever since sin entered the picture in the Garden of Eden, suffering and adversity has been a part of life.
Look at the description of the storm in these verses: Rains, floods, and winds. Any one of these would be bad enough in itself, but they come one upon the other. That is often how life is. Even though both houses endured the same conditions, one house stood and the other house fell. This reminds me of a comment given by another preacher many years ago, “The storms of life cannot destroy your house; they only reveal how well you have built.” (Rev. Ronald Mayhle)
In this case, it really wasn’t the storm that destroyed the foolish man’s house, because the other house endured the exact same storm and it didn’t fall. Instead, it was the faulty construction or inadequate preparation that caused the fall of the house.
2. Both of these men heard the words of Jesus.
(v. 24, v. 26) The wise man heard Jesus’ words and obeyed or followed through with action. The foolish man heard His words, but didn’t follow up with any action or obedience. It is foolish to think that merely listening to good truth is enough to prepare one for the adversities of life, and especially for eternity.
This world is full of people that have listened to the gospel and the truths of God’s Word, but have not acted upon what they have heard. I’ve met scores of people over the years of my ministry that have heard enough to know what they need to do in order to prepare for eternity and have a stable, consistent Christian walk. The problem with most of them is that, for whatever reason, they have not followed through on what they know they ought to do.
While we are talking about this, I might as well point out how much more foolish it is to expect to be prepared for the storms of life without putting forth the effort to even “hear” what the Lord has to say.
I am amazed at times when people wonder why they are not strong enough to hold up under reverses and adversity. Yet, when you take a look at their lives, you often can find no real commitment to put God first and to faithfully feed on His Word either through private study or through public preaching and teaching.
I don’t care who you are, if you are not hearing the Word and feeding on the Word, then you are not going to be ready when the storms hit.
3. It is foolish to expect a favorable outcome without the necessary preparation.
One man was called “wise,” and the other man was called “foolish.” Why?
There was only one difference noted between the two buildings – the foundation. One house was built on solid rock and the other house was built on shifting sand. One had a stable foundation, the other didn’t. The foolish man really is a fool because he expected his house to stand when he hadn’t adequately prepared and hadn’t paid the price for stability and strength that the other man did.
In this story, the differences in the foundations are compared to those who listen and do what Jesus says, versus those who merely listen but do nothing.
(Adam Clarke) Talking about Christ, his righteousness, merits, and atonement, while … not conform[ing] to his word and spirit, is no other than solemn self-deception.
“These sayings of mine” – probably a reference to the entire discourse He is concluding here which began in chapter 5.
Conclusion:
Who does the foolish man in this story represent? He represents those who care more about the outward appearance of a fine structure, than the deeper issues of strength and stability that can only be acquired by a proper foundation; the part that is not seen by the common observer.
He represents all of those who know enough gospel truth to recognize it, to discuss it, and to intellectually agree with it, but do not follow through with obedience nor adjust their priorities to live by it.
This fool represents all of those who know that life is full of unpredictable storms, but they haven’t attended to the most basic and fundamental preparation in order to survive the coming disasters.
Dear friends, here we stand on the doorstep or threshold of a new year. I am here to tell you that there will be storms this year. I am quite certain that we are going to see some storms on the national level that are worse than many of us have ever known. I am certain that some of us will individually face storms that are worse than we have ever known or experienced.
Are you prepared? How is your foundation? Are you really hearing the Word of the Lord? Are you obeying and heeding what He says? Are you bringing your life into alignment with what you understand Jesus to be saying as the Holy Spirit applies the truth to your life?
If you are not, then you are like the foolish man in this text. You will not survive the pressures, the storms and the adversities.
If you are, then you are compared to the wise man in this passage that has taken care to be prepared.
I think it would be appropriate for us to end this service today, on this first day of the new year, with a special prayer around the altar. You don’t have to come forward if you don’t want to, but if you desire to be more obedient to the Lord this year, then I ask you to join me here. If you desire God’s grace and help to enable you to adequately prepare your spiritual foundation so you can survive the storms of this year, then I ask you to join me here.
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