Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:24 – 29 The contrast in vs. 21 was between ‘saying’ and ‘doing’. Now, it is between ‘hearing’ and ‘doing’ (all who ‘hear these words of mine’… - vs. 24). Both are members of the visible Christian community. Both read the Bible, go to church… The reason you often cannot tell the difference is that the deep foundations of their lives are hidden from view… only a storm will reveal the truth. - John Stott, Christian Counter-Culture Introduction: The Call to Counter-Cultural Obedience in Christ (Mt. 5 – 7) Houses that might look the same… but are built differently. Houses that won’t fall in a storm… and houses that will. Houses that reveal the foundation and its builder. Conclusion: Build your house on the rock! Discussion Question: This passage signals the end of Jesus’ sermon. We have ‘heard these words of His (vs. 24). Now, the question remains – Will we do them? Jesus uses the analogy of a house. Rain, floods, and wind test the foundation of what the house is built on, just like the forces that come against our faith test its quality. The more genuine the faith, the more solid the obedience and staying power. o Do you know of some people who have left the faith? Did they slowly wander away (1 Tim. 6:10, 21), or did they fall with a great crash (Mt.7:27)? o What storms of life has your faith had to endure? What present challenge are you facing that is being overcome by a solid foundation in following Jesus?