“The Rock” based on Matthew 7:24-29

Growing up in the Midwest, I got my taste of big storms and tornadoes.  I still remember when the sirens would go off warning everyone of a possible tornado. For those of you who don’t know, a “tornado watch”, meant the conditions were ripe for a tornado. And a “tornado warning” meant one had been sited. 

I never ever saw my dad get so frazzled, as when there was the threat of a tornado.  We would go to our basement, which had a solid foundation. Usually they came up pretty quickly and one didn’t have much time to get ready.

Then when I moved out to Southern California in 1991 I experienced my first earthquake.  If you remember there were a slew of them from 1991 to 1994, the Joshua Tree, Landers/Big Bear and then the big one in Northridge in 1994.  I lived above a garage in Altadena and still remember my little room shaking like a leaf. 

Again although there were warnings as to when the next big one might come, they struck randomly and always seemed out of the blue.  They reminded all of us, we better be ready!

In this final set of teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of three different (slide) scenarios which will reveal our readiness: (taken from Jon Courson’s commentary)

1.      Two roads: one unto life, one to destruction (bullets)

2.      Two trees: one fruitfulness, one of failure

3.      Two foundations: one to stand and one to collapse

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”Matthew7:13-14(slide)

And then he uses an organic analogy, “Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”  Matthew 7:17-18 (slide)

Finally he concludes by teaching in our reading for today, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.”  Matthew7:24-25 (slide)

This is Matthew’s call to action.  One of the verbs he uses most frequently is “poieo”, which means “to make” or “do”.  While not minimizing that we are saved by grace through faith, Matthew shows the church he was preaching to that God’s grace empowers us to make choices that can lead to death or life. 

Another person looks at it this way, “On one hand salvation is very easy. It comes as a gift by the grace of God. It is not dependent upon anything we do. On the other hand, responding to that grace by living the disciplined life can be extremely difficult. In fact, I would say, impossible. The life Jesus talks about in these verses has to come from the insides. Even though my outward actions may appear good and kind and caring; sometimes they do not always reflect my inner attitude.”

As we look at the two houses, they may have looked the same on the outside.  But when the storms came their foundation was revealed.  And we see too in life that when adversity strikes, we see where our foundations lie.  Both the wise and foolish men experience the same problems: rains, floods, winds. However, the effect of those problems in their lives were quite different.

I read or heard recently that there was a study that showed that divorced couples had no more problems than people who stayed married. However, the married couples had more effective ways of dealing with their problems.

In the recent earthquake that has hit China, there has been a massive amount lost of lives and homes destroyed.  In the aftermath some are bringing up this issue of foundation in schools where thousands of children have died.  Here is what one article said:

“Grief turned to anger for about two dozen parents of children killed in the quake, who staged a rare protest Sunday demanding a probe into whether shoddy school construction was to blame for the deaths of their children. (slide)

"We are complaining about the shoddy quality of school buildings and we need justice from the government," 38-year-old Yang Fuyong, whose daughter died in the disaster, told AFP.

State media has said 9,000 teachers or schoolchildren were among the dead and missing. The government has vowed to investigate and punish anyone found responsible for substandard construction at schools.”

We can only imagine the grief these parents are going through and the complications of suspecting the schools their children were at were not built on a sure foundation.

Now please don’t get me wrong I don’t use this illustration to scare you into being a disciple. I just want, as your pastor, to be as honest as possible about where our lives stand. Jesus didn’t mince words here about the importance of listening and obeying his teachings and the effects so I don’t think I should.

Are our lives being built on the rock?  Do our lives together reflect that?  As the storms come up with my kids, my marriage, my job and even my faith am I able to stand up firm on the rock of God’s promise in for instance Romans 8:28 which says,

“All things work together for good for those of those who loved him and are called according to his purpose.”(slide)

The tree analogy illustrates that as I am rooted in Christ, I will bear fruit even in the valleys of life.  In fact it is known that fruit is not normally grown on the mountaintops of life, but in the valley.  For when the winds blow its tests how strong our “roots” are. 

Bearing fruit for a fruit tree is what it does.  It is a natural outcome that is expected.  Christians who have taken the narrow way that leads to life exhibit qualities as a result of their relationship with God.  By having a foundation and being rooted in Christ, we are able to do what we were created for. To do good works and to bear fruit, fruit that will last. 

There is a great verse in Colossians that describes this process, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7(slide)

It’s interesting as Paul writes letters to the churches in Rome, Ephesus, Colossae, Galatia, Philipi and Corinth that they are all experiencing problems with living out all that Jesus commanded.  Each church has a little different issue. Whether it be taking advantage of God’s grace and kind of doing whatever you want, “After all I’m forgiven” in Corinth. To a strict legalism that judged people by their actions ie. “If you aren’t circumcised you are not a true Christian” in Galatia. 

What this tells me is that as a church these are ideals set for us by our leader Jesus, but we will struggle to get it exactly right.  Lutherans are traditionally very good on the grace part.  Evangelicals are pretty good on the reaching out with the Good News.  Pentecostals are pretty good on the Holy Spirit. The Roman Catholic is pretty good on structure, tradition and rituals that have kept the church pure.  But the bottom line is that we are all built on the Rock with Jesus Christ as our cornerstone. 

He has chosen us and as we choose the narrow way of following him.  As we continue to stay rooted in him and built up in him we are strengthened in our faith.   And as we not only listen to but act on His words, the church will have its foundation secure. 

This reminds me of the old hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation”.  Listen to a couple of verses.

“The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. She is his new creation by Water and the Word.  From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride.  With his own blood he bought her and for her life he died.

Through toil and tribulation and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace forevermore.  Till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest; and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest!” (Lets pray!) (pic of church)