The Two Builders Of Matthew 7

Feature 1 – February 2020 — Grace & Truth Magazine

The Two Builders Of Matthew 7

Traditionally, Matthew 5–7 is called “The Sermon on the Mount.” In this message the Lord taught the principles of the kingdom of heaven and how to enter it. As we look at the final words the Lord Jesus spoke to the multitude at that time, let us consider what He is saying to each one of us now. Yes, dear reader, His message is as true today as it was when He first uttered these precious words.

Two Of Everything
From Matthew 7:13 to the end of the Lord’s message, we see two of everything. This chart presents the comparisons within each set.

GATES Narrow Wide

WAYS Difficult Broad

GROUPS Few Many

END Life Destruction

PROPHETS True False

TREES Good Bad

FRUIT Good Bad

THOSE SAYING,
“Lord, Lord” Do will
of the Father Lawless

BUILDERS Wise Foolish

HOUSES Storm-proof Not Storm-proof

FOUNDATION Rock Sand

STORM EFFECT House Stands House Falls

In this way the Lord showed that we must make a decision to believe in Him for our salvation, otherwise we will receive eternal judgment. There is no middle ground. You must decide, and we pray that you will decide for Christ!

Two Gates
In verses 13-14, the Lord declared we should enter the narrow gate. Everyone must choose which gate they will enter. The Lord Jesus is the way through the narrow gate; the wide gate represents all others. There is a narrow way after we enter the narrow gate, but few find this gate and way. Instead, many go through the wide gate and travel the wide way. The end of the narrow way leads to life, but the wide gate leads to destruction in the end. Which gate do you choose?

Two Prophets
In verses 15-20 the Lord showed there are two types of prophets: false and true. We will know them by their fruits, which are symbols of the results of their teachings and show the character of the prophets. False teachers produce disobedience to God’s clear instructions in His Word, and their own lives reveal their sin. The same fruits are seen in the followers of the false prophets, being disobedient to God’s Word. The false prophets (vv.17-19) and their followers, represented by the bad tree, will receive judgment in the eternal furnace of the lake of fire.

We must listen only to the Lord Jesus and God’s Word, not to the false opinions, philosophies and ideas of men who have no faith in the Lord. Many times we think of false prophets as being only those who teach false religions; however, even unbelieving school teachers and scientists would fit into the category of those who are false prophets. Beware!

The Self-Deceived
In verses 21-23 the Lord said mankind – namely, unbelievers – will stand before Him at the final judgment. The fact that the Lord is the final judge of all mankind shocked the listeners of His message. He was declaring Himself to be God. The Lord is far more than just a good teacher and prophet; He will be the Judge of all the earth!

He declared that many will bring their good works as something of value. They will call the Lord Jesus, “Lord, Lord” and go into great detail about all the good things they did while on earth. Such individuals will even boast that some of their deeds were miraculous and done in the Lord’s name. These good works will have no value in deciding their eternal destiny. The Lord will judge them as those whom He never knew. He will banish them from His presence for all eternity, saying, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (v.23 NKJV). How terrifying this will be for those relying on their own good works to go to heaven. They are self-deceived about their true spiritual condition.

My friend, please consider what the Lord is saying. Our good works will not save us. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, His shed blood and His resurrection, can anyone be saved. This is the only work that God recognizes for salvation. All the good works we may do in our lifetime, if not done because of first believing in the Lord Jesus, are considered by God to be entirely useless.

Only a few people realize they are sinners and cannot save themselves through their own good works. They are assured of a future with the Lord in heaven after they put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and in His finished work at Calvary. There He died for their sins, and He rose again the third day for their justification. Believers will be saved for all eternity. They will do good works but not trust in them for salvation.

Two Builders
We now come to the final example the Lord gave on the mount to warn the hearers about not obeying Him. He had discussed the matter of listening to false prophets, who lead people astray. He then warned us not to trust in our own good works but to have a relationship with Him through faith. Finally, the Lord brought up the example of the two builders as a warning (vv.24-27).

The Lord expects a response to all He has said. It is not enough to have listened to Him and to know in our minds what He said. Memorizing the message and being able to quote it is not sufficient. Simply admiring the beauty of His message is inadequate. The Lord Jesus asked us to make a decision in our hearts, and that decision will have an eternal impact on the destiny of our souls!

Building one’s own house is hard work. Many of us today live in houses others have built, but the Lord indicated by this illustration that we all are building a different kind of house. The house represents our lives. One builder is careful to make sure he has a good foundation and he builds his house upon the rock. We see in Luke 6:48, a similar passage, that this man “dug deep” to find the solid rock. Likewise, we need to dig deep and make certain our lives are built upon the Solid Rock! This man is declared to be wise.

The size of the house and how many rooms it has does not matter. The number of years it takes to build such a house is not important. Some of us live short lives while others may live long, but in the end the only thing that matters is the foundation the house was built upon.

Two Foundations
And what does the foundation of the solid rock represent? The Lord gives us the answer. It is Christ, His words and the doing of them. He said, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them ...” (Mt. 7:24). We read in 1 Corinthians 10:4: “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” The Holy Spirit led Paul to write: “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone ...” (Eph. 2:20). Finally, in 1 Peter 2:4 we read: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.” The hymn writer Edward Mote (1797–1874) expressed it this way, according to www.hymnal.net:

My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand,All other ground is sinking sand.

In contrast to the solid rock foundation, we see the foolish man building his house, or life, on the sand. Here, sand represents everything other than the Lord Jesus Christ and His words. This foolish man is among the many who enter through the wide gate and whose end is destruction. He is declared foolish because he ignored the coming storm and the need to have a solid rock foundation. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). “Fools mock at sin ... There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:9,12). Are you still among this group of foolish builders?

The Storm
The Lord Jesus described the storm as impacting every side of the houses (Mt. 7:25,27). We read of the rain descending from heaven and floods rising up from the ground. Then, the winds blow and beat on the houses from all directions. Would the houses stand?

What was the Lord illustrating in this final example of the storm? Some believe the storm represents the struggles and trials we face in our lifetime. This is a possible perspective of the passage, but we must not miss another important point the Lord was bringing to our attention.

When we think about a normal storm we first feel the wind, then the rain and finally the flood. The Lord did not give the normal order, but changed it to begin with rain, followed by floods and ending with wind. Was He illustrating for us something more?

The Storm’s Application
The illustration suggests that the storm shows how God spoke to man using the water of His Word through time and the judgment upon our lives based on what He has revealed. The Lord began with the rain from heaven. It reminds us that God the Father “at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). The Father was pointing to His Son and telling us to build our lives on this Rock.

Next, we are told that the floods came. Just as floods rise up from the ground, this illustration says God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to walk here on earth and speak His Word to us. We read in Hebrews 1:1-2: “God ... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” God the Son became a man and lived on earth for a short period of time. He sacrificed His life for our salvation on the cross, shedding His blood for our redemption. On the third day, He rose up from the grave and is now in heaven, having returned to the place from which He came. This is all symbolized by the floods rising up. God the Son has spoken to us and asked if we are building our lives upon Him.

Finally, the wind blew. Wind is often recognized as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” This is a reminder that God the Holy Spirit has spoken to us throughout the entire Bible. After the Lord went to heaven, the Holy Spirit came in a unique way and now lives within every believer. We read in John 14:16-17: “And I [the Lord Jesus] will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth.” The “Helper” is the Holy Spirit, who points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. He tells us to build our lives on Him.

God in three persons – called the “Trinity” – has an important desire: He wants to see that we are listening to and obeying Him. We should be building our house, which represents our lives, upon the sure foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

The Judgment Storm
The storm also represents the most important of all judgments. Were we listening to what He told us but not responding and doing what He asked? What is the foundation of your house – the Lord Jesus Christ or something else?

If our lives are built upon Christ, we will remain after the storm to enjoy heaven with our Savior. As those who are saved, that storm was spent on the Lord at the cross. Therefore, as we see in Matthew 7:25, the house built upon the Rock – the Lord Jesus Christ – “did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

If your house is built upon the sand, the storm is still coming. However, your house will not stand the storm. Perhaps your foundation was what others – the false prophets – told about and not what the Lord said. Maybe you are relying on your good works, hoping to be good enough to survive the storm. Either way, you will not able to save yourself from this storm.

In Revelation 20:11-15 we are told about the great white throne judgment. When this judgment takes place, those who did not build their lives on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and His finished work of salvation on Calvary, who built their houses upon the sand, will be judged. Books will be opened that have the records of their lives. From these books, those standing there will be judged. They will be shown that they are sinners, not worthy to be in God’s presence. Their good works are not good enough. They not only committed sins, but they also sinned by not doing what God said! There will be no exceptions. They will be shown that their names were “not ... written in the Book of Life” (Rev. 20:15). This judgment will mean that they will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity!

The Final Eternal Result
The Lord ended His message with the final warning in Matthew 7:27, “And great was its fall.” The house that was built upon the sand was destroyed. The judgment against that house was complete and would last for all eternity. That is why the Lord, who loves us, gave us a warning!

Dear reader, what are you building your life on? Is your faith on what the Lord Jesus has said? Are you doing what He wants you to do? Hear His words and do them. He wants you to turn from your sins, ask Him for forgiveness and believe in Him for your salvation. Only by being built on the Rock will you be saved.

We pray that you will listen to these warnings and respond by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15).

By Bill Kulkens

God loves you and does not want you to be condemned. John 3:36 says, Whoever believes in the Son has everlasting life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath abides on them. Because God must remain true to His Word (Rev. 21:5), He must condemn to death all who sin. But He loved you so much He punished His Son, Jesus Christ, for your sins. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and for mine. He wants to have a relationship with you and give you a full, happy life, then take you to be with Him in heaven forever. Won’t you pray to God from your heart something like this: “God, I have sinned and am not worthy of Your love. Thank You for giving Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I no longer reject Him, but now believe that He died in my place. Amen.” —John Hadley (adapted from “Have A Good Day”)