TEXT: Matthew 7:24-27

SUBJECT: Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount #24: Two Carpenters

Never has a man preached with the force and clarity of our Savior. It is no wonder "the people were astonished at His teaching". But He wasn't content with their amazement. He wanted their obedience. To get it, He told a story about two carpenters, the quality of their work, and what each had in the end.

One carpenter is wise, vv.24-25. He sinks the foundation for his house in solid rock. The work is hard and slow. But when a hurricane hits, his place stands up to the merciless pounding of wind and rain. His time and effort were well spent. What does the story mean? This:

The wise carpenter is like the man who "hears these sayings of mine and does them". To "hear" the words of Christ is to listen with care and to meditate on them. It was said of Mary that she "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart". The wise man "hears these sayings of Mine". But he doesn't stop there. He also "does them". He's not perfect, of course. But he is obedient. He truly submits to the lordship of Christ. "These sayings of Mine" are engraved on his heart.

Like the wise carpenter's work, this man will be sorely tested. "...the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock".

If the carpenter is tested by a storm, by what is the disciple tested? Some have said "the storms of life prove a man". True. The Lord says so elsewhere. But not here. The three previous paragraphs have also mentioned a "testing". Each is the ultimate test. So is this. The disciple is tested on the Last Day when "God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil".

What does the wise carpenter have after the storm? A house intact. What does "he who hears these sayings of Mine and does them" have after the Judgment? "A building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens".

The other carpenter is foolish, vv.26-27. He builds his house on the sand. Because sand is soft, laying his foundation was quick and easy. But when the wind blew and the rains fell, "the foolish man's house went splash".

Who is the foolish carpenter? The Lord tells us: "...everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them". The foolish man "hears" Christ. He gives the Lord the same respectful audience as the other man. He doesn't contradict Him; he doesn't mock Him; he doesn't ignore Him. He listens carefully to His sayings, meditates on them, discusses them with others, preaches them, maybe. He does everything but "do them"!

Is such a man possible? He is. The Rich Young Ruler was one. His story is told in Mark 10:17-22. Because he "came running", he must have been eager. Because he "knelt" he must have been respectful. Because he said, "Good Master" he must have been knowledgeable. Because he "kept these from (his) youth", he must have been both devout and moral. But he still "went away grieved". He was willing to do anything to "inherit eternal life"--anything but "do these sayings of Mine".

He is not alone. I wish he were. But the previous paragraph (vv.21-23) reminds us that "many" will "hear these sayings of Mine"--but not "do them".

What is it the foolish carpenter "does not do"? The Lord makes it plain: he does not do "these sayings of Mine". What does this mean? It means he makes little or no attempt to live by the Sermon on the Mount.

Like the Rich Young Ruler, he may observe the 10 Commandments, but he won't submit to the radical claims of Jesus Christ!

He won't cultivate a "poverty of spirit".

He won't "be reconciled to his brother".

He won't "turn the other cheek".

He won't "love his enemies".

The result? "...and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall". The imagery hasn't changed. The "storm" is the Judgment of God. The hearer is swept away by the flood of His wrath. How could he not be? His foundation was sand. He was a "hearer of the word--not a doer".

Your foundation needs inspecting. So does mine. Do you "hear these sayings of Christ"? Or "Do" them? There is no time for delay. The flood may come tonight. Or, it may not. But come it will. Don't waste you time painting the exterior. The prettiest color won't matter when "the rains come down and the floods come up". On that day, what you'll need is a foundation. And that means "Hearing these sayings of Christ and doing them".

Break out the tools of confession and repentance. Dig deeply. Anchor your house in bedrock. Do it now. Here comes the flood.