Wise and Foolish Builders

Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:47–49

Opening: Two Houses, One Storm, One Standard
Imagine two houses going up on the same shoreline. Both rise in clear weather. Both look sturdy to neighbors who pass by. The sky eventually darkens for both, and the same rain, flood, and wind arrive. One stands. One collapses. Jesus explains the difference with a single sentence: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them” builds on rock (Matthew 7:24). Hearing leads somewhere. It carries the hearer all the way into practical obedience. That obedience follows the Lord’s pattern, without additions and without subtractions.

The Rock Beneath Every Disciple
The Sermon on the Mount closes with action words: hear and do. The Lord ties entrance into the kingdom to this posture of submission: “He who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Scripture speaks with the same clarity: Jesus is “the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). The wise builder treats every word from the Lord as load-bearing. He builds by a revealed pattern, doing “whatever you do in word or deed…in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17), and he abides in “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9).

When Tradition Poses as Law
The Lord confronted teachers who elevated human tradition to the level of divine command. In Matthew 15 and Mark 7 He exposed that exchange: their rules displaced God’s word and produced “vain” worship. Tradition can assist memory and order, yet it never carries authority equal to Scripture. Where men bind what God has not bound, a new foundation silently replaces the old. Scripture places guardrails on both sides of the road: “You shall not add to the word…nor take from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32). The apostles echo the same guard: “Learn…not to go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). The Revelation closes with a final warning against the same drift (Revelation 22:18–19). Additions create sand.

When Selective Obedience Weakens the Footings
Subtraction changes the structure as surely as addition. Jesus asks a searching question: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). The wise builder respects silence where Scripture is silent and carries out the commands that are spoken. The storm always reveals missing beams. James calls the hearer who refuses action a self-deceiver; the doer receives blessing in the doing (James 1:22–25).

Faith, Profession, and Practice
Many voices will say, “Lord, Lord,” and even point to religious activity (Matthew 7:22). The verdict turns on practice: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). Trust expresses itself through submission to the Lord’s stated will (Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9). Confession and compliance travel together. Where the Lord speaks, disciples follow. Where the Lord is silent, disciples refrain.

How Wise Builders Work
Luke records a vivid detail: the wise man “dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock” (Luke 6:48). That kind of work looks like this:

• Receive the Lord’s words with a ready mind. The wise builder sits under Scripture with eagerness and humility (Matthew 7:24; Acts 17:11).
• Seek understanding in context. The Lord asked, “Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51). Understanding guards from drift.
• Do exactly what He says. Obedience follows the pattern God revealed, without additions and without subtractions (Deuteronomy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 4:6).
• Begin where the gospel begins. Believe the good news, repent of sins, confess Christ, and be baptized for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Peter 3:21).
• Order daily life by the Sermon on the Mount. Truthful speech, reconciled relationships, purity of heart, covenant faithfulness, love for enemies, quiet generosity, sincere prayer, fasting without display, refusal to worry, seeking the kingdom first, and the Golden Rule (Matthew 5–7).
• Test every tradition by Scripture. Keep what aligns with the teaching of Christ; discard what elevates man’s will (Matthew 15:9; Colossians 2:8, 22–23).
• Measure the church’s practice by the apostolic pattern. Continue steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers; shepherds as Scripture describes; congregational work as Scripture directs (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 3; Philippians 1:1).

The Pharisees’ Lesson for Modern Builders
The Pharisees believed they were honoring God. They fenced His commands with layers of human rules and called those fences faithfulness. Jesus called it vain worship and a setting aside of God’s word (Mark 7:7–13). The lesson reaches into our century. Where the church binds what God has not bound, disciples move from rock to sand. Where we turn expedients into edicts, the blueprint quietly changes. Where we treat Scripture as suggestions, the blueprint quietly changes again—from another direction. Either move creates the same result in a storm.

Storm Certainty and Judgment Certainty
Jesus does not say, if the rain falls. He says, when the rain descends, the floods come, and the winds beat (Matthew 7:25, 27). Trials and temptations arrive in every household. The final reckoning also arrives. A life arranged on the Lord’s words remains standing. A life arranged on additions and subtractions collapses with “great” ruin. The shoreline often looks similar in clear weather. The difference appears when the waters surge.

A Builder’s Inventory
The Lord’s parable invites personal evaluation. Is my “Lord, Lord” matched by doing what He says? Am I accepting His terms for entering the kingdom, or am I waiting for a path that costs less? Do my traditions serve the truth, or do they overshadow it? Have I removed commands that strain against my preferences? Every one of those questions belongs in the blueprint stage, before the next storm season.

Choose Rock, Reject Sand
Jesus calls for builders who hear and do His sayings. His words carry authority. Human inventions never carry that authority. Excuses never carry that authority. The wise hear, understand, and obey. The wise measure by what is written and stay within it. The wise dig deep, set the footings on the rock, and keep building there.

Call to Action
Open the Scriptures this week and read Matthew 5–7 aloud. Mark every imperative from the Lord. Choose three commands that require immediate attention and put them into practice without delay. If you have not obeyed the gospel, submit to the Lord’s stated terms—believe, repent, confess His name, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. If additions or subtractions have governed your choices, set them down and return to what is written. The next storm is already on the calendar, even if the sky is clear today.

Exhaustive Sermon Outline

• Title/Texts
  • Wise & Foolish Builders — Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:47–49
• Opening: Two Houses, One Storm, One Standard
  • Shared conditions: same weather, same shoreline
  • Single distinction: hearing that becomes doing (Matthew 7:24–25)
• The Rock Beneath Every Disciple
  • Kingdom entrance tied to doing the Father’s will (Matthew 7:21)
  • Salvation described with obedience (Hebrews 5:9)
  • Authority principle (Colossians 3:17; 2 John 9)
• When Tradition Poses as Law
  • Case study: Matthew 15:1–9; Mark 7:1–13
  • Vain worship defined
  • Guardrails against adding (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 22:18–19)
  • Dangers cataloged: human philosophy, commandments of men, self-made religion (Colossians 2:8, 22–23)
• When Selective Obedience Weakens the Footings
  • Luke 6:46—profession without performance
  • James 1:22–25—self-deception vs. doing
  • The storm’s exposure of omissions
• Faith, Profession, and Practice
  • Matthew 7:22–23—activity vs. lawfulness
  • Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9—trust that submits
• How Wise Builders Work
  • Hearing with readiness (Matthew 7:24; Acts 17:11)
  • Understanding in context (Matthew 13:51)
  • Exact obedience, no additions or subtractions (Deuteronomy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 4:6)
  • Gospel response: believe, repent, confess, be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Peter 3:21)
  • Daily practice from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7)
  • Testing traditions (Matthew 15:9; Colossians 2:8, 22–23)
  • Congregational pattern (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 3; Philippians 1:1)
• The Pharisees’ Lesson for Modern Builders
  • Fences around the law turning into law
  • Modern parallels: elevating expedients, marginalizing commands
  • Measuring by what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6)
• Storm Certainty and Judgment Certainty
  • Life’s trials
  • Final reckoning (implied by Matthew 7:21–23)
  • Results: standing or great fall
• A Builder’s Inventory
  • Questions for self-examination
  • Family, worship, personal holiness, congregational practice
• Call to Action
  • Read and mark Matthew 5–7
  • Obey the gospel
  • Realign practice with Scripture alone
• Conclusion: Choose Rock, Reject Sand
  • Authority resides in the Lord’s sayings
  • Builders decide where to set the footings

Scripture Reference List (with brief notes)

• Matthew 7:24–27 — Two builders; hearing becomes doing; rock vs. sand.
• Luke 6:47–49 — “Dug deep”; foundation imagery; same storm, different outcome.
• Matthew 7:21 — Entrance tied to doing the Father’s will.
• Matthew 7:22–23 — Religious claims evaluated by practice; lawlessness condemned.
• Hebrews 5:9 — Salvation described in terms of obedience to Christ.
• Colossians 3:17 — Word and deed regulated by the authority of Jesus.
• 2 John 9 — Abiding in the doctrine of Christ identifies true fellowship.
• Matthew 15:1–9; Mark 7:1–13 — Traditions that set aside the commandment of God; vain worship.
• Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32 — No adding or taking away from God’s word.
• 1 Corinthians 4:6 — Do not go beyond what is written.
• Revelation 22:18–19 — Warning against adding to or taking from the revealed word.
• Colossians 2:8, 22–23 — Human philosophy, commandments of men, and self-made religion lack value.
• James 1:22–25 — Doers blessed in the doing; hearers only deceive themselves.
• Acts 17:11 — Noble-minded hearing and daily examination of Scripture.
• Matthew 13:51 — Understanding the Lord’s teaching.
• Mark 16:16 — Belief and baptism joined in the Lord’s commission.
• Acts 22:16 — Baptism to wash away sins, calling on His name.
• Romans 6:3–4 — Baptism into Christ’s death; raised to walk in newness of life.
• 1 Peter 3:21 — Baptism saves through an appeal to God for a good conscience.
• Acts 2:42 — Apostolic pattern for congregational life.
• 1 Timothy 3; Philippians 1:1 — Organization of the local church: overseers and deacons.

Prepared by David Hersey of the church of Christ at Granby, MO