OBEDIENCE: TWO BUILDERS
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Obedience
a) The parables of Two Builders and the Two Sons bring us to obedience.
b) We start looking at parables that show how God requires obedience, fruitfulness, and stewardship in his kingdom (Theme 3).
c) The parables of the two builders and the two sons illustrate that God requires people to give heed to his word and to obey it (Matthew 7:21-27).
d) These parables highlight two aspects of that obedience:
i) You can do nothing wiser than to obey the Lord.
ii) Lip service is no substitute. Lip service means saying “YES” with your mouth but saying “NO” in your heart and by your actions. It is honoring God with your lips when your heart is far from him.
2. Two Builders
Matthew 7:21-27
“21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. The one who would enter must do the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons? Did we not do many mighty works in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
24 So then, everyone who hears these words of mine, and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 When the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, it did not fall —because it had been founded on the rock.
26 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. 27 When the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat against that house, it fell; and great was its fall."”
Luke 6:46-49
“46 Jesus said, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' yet fail to do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me; and hears my words; and does them —let me show you what he is like.
48 He is like a man who built a house. He dug deep, and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.
49 On the other hand, the one who hears my words, and does not do them, is like a man who built a house on the ground without foundation. When the torrent broke against it, the house fell down at once, and great was its ruin."”
a) The meaning of the Two Builders
i) Matthew 7:21-23 is the preface to the parable. On another occasion when Jesus told this parable, he boiled the preface down to this one rhetorical question, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).
ii) It is very foolish to pay lip service to Jesus,to call him, "Lord, Lord," yet follow our own teachings, not his, and do what we like, not what he says. Jesus says there are "many" who are like that. To help us realize these things, Jesus now tells the parable of the two builders, one wise and one foolish.
b) The work of the Two Builders
i) Matthew 7:24, 26 describe the work of these two builders. Notice that both men in the parable were builders; both were workers. The parable is not about one man who diligently built a house and another man who slept all day and built nothing, so that when the storm came the last man had no house in which to take shelter. No, he had also built a house, and no doubt he took it for granted that his house would withstand the storm.
ii) Those who pay lip service to Jesus and call him "Lord, Lord," no doubt believe that their house will stand when the day of judgment comes and each person’s work is tested. But their work will be destroyed and their foolishness will become evident, for they neglected to dig down to the rock of Christ’s word and build upon that. They called him their Lord, but they did not listen to his word and act upon it.
c) The test of the Two Houses
i) Matthew 7:25, 27 describe the testing of the two houses. The test was extremely severe. There was a deluge, a raging flood, a hurricane. This represents the wrath of God on judgment day, although of course it can also represent the "storms of life" — any severe test of our faith that may confront us.
ii) The faith, work, and religion of the wise builder will weather the storm. The foolish builder, who has built upon nothing but the sand of lip service, and whose faith, work, and religion has no real foundation, will be ruined by the storm.
The End ...
1. Obediencea) The parables of Two Builders and the Two Sons bring us to obedience.
b) We start looking at parables that show how God requires obedience, fruitfulness, and stewardship in his kingdom (Theme 3).
c) The parables of the two builders and the two sons illustrate that God requires people to give heed to his word and to obey it (Matthew 7:21-27).
d) These parables highlight two aspects of that obedience:
i) You can do nothing wiser than to obey the Lord.
ii) Lip service is no substitute. Lip service means saying “YES” with your mouth but saying “NO” in your heart and by your actions. It is honoring God with your lips when your heart is far from him.
2. Two Builders
Matthew 7:21-27
“21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. The one who would enter must do the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons? Did we not do many mighty works in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
24 So then, everyone who hears these words of mine, and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 When the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, it did not fall —because it had been founded on the rock.
26 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. 27 When the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat against that house, it fell; and great was its fall."”
Luke 6:46-49
“46 Jesus said, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' yet fail to do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me; and hears my words; and does them —let me show you what he is like.
48 He is like a man who built a house. He dug deep, and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.
49 On the other hand, the one who hears my words, and does not do them, is like a man who built a house on the ground without foundation. When the torrent broke against it, the house fell down at once, and great was its ruin."”
a) The meaning of the Two Builders
i) Matthew 7:21-23 is the preface to the parable. On another occasion when Jesus told this parable, he boiled the preface down to this one rhetorical question, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).
ii) It is very foolish to pay lip service to Jesus,to call him, "Lord, Lord," yet follow our own teachings, not his, and do what we like, not what he says. Jesus says there are "many" who are like that. To help us realize these things, Jesus now tells the parable of the two builders, one wise and one foolish.
b) The work of the Two Builders
i) Matthew 7:24, 26 describe the work of these two builders. Notice that both men in the parable were builders; both were workers. The parable is not about one man who diligently built a house and another man who slept all day and built nothing, so that when the storm came the last man had no house in which to take shelter. No, he had also built a house, and no doubt he took it for granted that his house would withstand the storm.
ii) Those who pay lip service to Jesus and call him "Lord, Lord," no doubt believe that their house will stand when the day of judgment comes and each person’s work is tested. But their work will be destroyed and their foolishness will become evident, for they neglected to dig down to the rock of Christ’s word and build upon that. They called him their Lord, but they did not listen to his word and act upon it.
c) The test of the Two Houses
i) Matthew 7:25, 27 describe the testing of the two houses. The test was extremely severe. There was a deluge, a raging flood, a hurricane. This represents the wrath of God on judgment day, although of course it can also represent the "storms of life" — any severe test of our faith that may confront us.
ii) The faith, work, and religion of the wise builder will weather the storm. The foolish builder, who has built upon nothing but the sand of lip service, and whose faith, work, and religion has no real foundation, will be ruined by the storm.
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