Introduction
At some time or another many of you have purchased a house. The process of buying a house is a long one, with many hoops to jump through, forms to sign, and certifications to secure. One of the things that most banks require (and many potential homebuyers do regardless) is a home inspection by a professional home inspector. The reason to get a home inspection is simple—though a house may look good on the surface, there may be flaws that are only revealed upon closer examination.
Maybe one of the most important steps in the process is the home inspection. Why? Because what you can’t see can hurt you. A home might appear flawless—fresh paint, clean carpet, polished fixtures—but if the foundation is faulty, none of that matters. A wise person selects a good home inspector and pays attention to what he or she says. If the inspector says something needs to be fixed, you would do well to listen.
Jesus, the Master Teacher, understood this. In the closing words of the Sermon on the Mount, He draws a picture that’s just as vivid today as it was 2,000 years ago: Jesus tells us about two people. Both hear His words. Both build homes. Both encounter storms. Everything was fine… until the winds howled and the floods rose.
The difference? One house stands; the other collapses. And what makes the difference? Not the materials. Not the location. Not the weather. The difference is the foundation. The foundation that stands is not built on external rule-keeping, but on a life-transforming relationship with Jesus.
Here’s the big idea: Building on the rock is a life of obedient discipleship rooted in Christ, sustained by grace, and expressed in action. It’s the kind of life that stands firm when the storms come.
In our passage this morning, Jesus draws an analogy between houses and our lives. He reminds us that whether you are talking about a house or your life… taking a superficial look is not enough.
Building well matters. Building well starts at the foundation. Jesus has spent three chapters laying out what it means to be part of His kingdom.
He isn’t just wrapping up a teaching series—He’s calling for a decision. For three chapters (Matthew 5–7), Jesus has shown us what life in His kingdom looks like: humility over pride, mercy over revenge, inward holiness over outward show, trust in God over anxiety, and love even for enemies. He’s exposed shallow religion and called us to real righteousness—from the inside out. Now He’s asking: Will you live it? Will you build on this?
So today, we’re going to ask: What does it look like to build well? Let’s read the text…
Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Jesus asks us to imagine two houses, but they have one significant difference—the ground on which the house is built. The contrast is stark:
- One digs deep, lays a foundation on bedrock—slow, hard work, but lasting.
- The other takes shortcuts, building on sand—fast, easy, but unstable.
This is more than a construction metaphor. It’s a warning: your life is under construction, and your foundation determines your future. Jesus pictures these spiritual realities describing a sure foundation vs a shaky illusion… let’s start with the sure foundation.
The Sure Foundation: Hearing and Doing
Jesus isn’t contrasting the religious and the irreligious, or the churched and the unchurched. He’s comparing two people who both hear His words. Both attend the gathering. Both read Scripture. Both profess faith. But only one obeys.
These are not just religious actions, but expressions of genuine obedience, inner transformation, humility, trust, and love that reflect God’s kingdom. This isn’t just about obeying in general—it’s about obeying these words. Which words? Everything He’s just taught:
The heart of the Kingdom – Poor in spirit; Mourning over sin; Meekness; Hunger and thirst for righteousness; Mercy; Purity of heart; Peacemaking; Enduring persecution for righteousness’ sake… living as salt and light.
Going beyond external rules to heart-level obedience: Reconciliation instead of anger; Purity of heart instead of lust; Covenant faithfulness in marriage; Honest speech without oaths; Loving enemies and praying for persecutors.
Secret devotion to God – Giving, praying, and fasting in secret—not for show; Praying to the Father with trust and simplicity.
Treasuring heaven over earth; Serving God, not money; Trusting the Father instead of worrying about life. Judging self before others; Discernment in sharing truth; Bold, persistent prayer; Doing for others what you would have them do to you; love for neighbor and reliance on God. Entering the narrow gate; Avoiding false prophets by inspecting their fruit; Doing the will of the Father, not just professing faith.
Would you be a rock builder? Rock builders don’t just avoid sin—they pursue holiness from the inside out. Rock builders seek God’s reward, not human applause. The rock foundation is not just words—it’s a life aligned with God’s will.
Being a rock builder means – having a heart transformed by God’s grace; Obedience that goes beyond appearances; Sincere devotion to God, not performance; Trusting the Father in all things; Loving others as you want to be loved; Living by Jesus’ teachings in word, attitude, and deed.
In short, building on the rock is a life of obedient discipleship rooted in Christ, sustained by grace, and expressed in action. It’s the kind of life that stands firm when the storms come.
These aren’t suggestions. They are the blueprints for a life that lasts. Jesus is saying: Don’t just admire the sermon—embody it. The life He describes may seem upside down, but it’s the only one that won’t collapse when real life hits – or more faithfully to this text, when that Last Day comes…
To build on the rock is to do what Jesus says. Jesus gives us a blueprint. He says if you live by My words, you are like the wise man. You’ve dug deep and anchored your life in something immovable.
The Sermon on the Mount is full of uncomfortable tensions. It doesn’t flatter our instincts—it reconstructs our lives. And the tell-tale sign if it’s taken root is when the storm hits. The storm proves whether we were just inspired—or truly transformed.
Both houses experience storms… I think Jesus has the final judgment in mind, but I believe there’s a timeless principle in here that applies to the storms this side of eternity, too:
Life is hard and has a way of shaking us… We know this, don’t we?
- A health crisis that knocks the breath out of us.
- A job loss that brings uncertainty.
- A relationship breakdown that leaves emotional wreckage.
- A tragedy that tests every ounce of faith we have.
In those moments, your foundation is challenged and exposed… the storm reveals what lies beneath the surface. In those moments do you remember what holds you? Or better, WHO holds you? Building on the rock is a life of obedient discipleship rooted in Christ, sustained by grace, and expressed in action. It’s the kind of life that stands firm when the storms come. Jesus gives us the full contrast… from a sure foundation to a shaky illusion…
The Shaky Illusion: Hearing Without Doing (vv. 26–27)
Jesus doesn’t soften the blow here. He says the wise person hears His words and does them. The foolish person hears His words… and stops there. Both go to church. Both might read Scripture. But only one applies what they hear.
Now hear this clearly: Jesus isn’t promoting a works-based salvation. Grace is a gift. But grace is not opposed to effort. It’s opposed to earning. Earning says, “God owes me.” Effort says, “Because of grace, I offer myself fully.” You don’t work for grace. You work from grace.
But He’s pointing out that genuine faith always bears fruit in obedience. It’s not enough to nod in agreement—we must walk in alignment.
Imagine someone going to a personal trainer and getting a workout plan. They nod, take notes, print it out, even frame it—but never exercise. No one would call that training. Hearing without doing is like admiring a blueprint but never building.
Think of it like this: there’s no point in going to a doctor if you ignore the prescription. There’s no value in hiring a coach if you never train. And there’s no wisdom in calling Jesus Lord if His words hold no weight in your daily decisions.
I once heard it put this way: “Faith without action is like a foundation drawn on blueprints but never poured in concrete.” He says disobedience is foolishness. It’s not just unwise—it’s ruinous. The house built on sand may go up faster. It may look nice or it may look like a tent. It may be praised by neighbors. But it has no foundation. When the storm comes, “it fell—and great was its fall.”
Jesus has warned us many times in this sermon:
About hypocritical righteousness – Giving to be seen by others. Praying to be noticed by others. Fasting to impress people.
About superficial morality – Avoiding murder but harboring anger. Not committing adultery but indulging in lust. Easy divorce that ignores the sanctity of marriage. Swearing oaths instead of honest speech. Retaliating instead of showing grace.
About shallow piety – saying empty, repetitive prayers; with unforgiving hearts. Laying up treasures on earth; divided loyalties. Anxious living that reflects a lack of trust in God.
About religious pride – Judging others harshly while ignoring personal sin. Misusing spiritual truths by casting pearls before swine. Following false prophets and not discerning their fruit. Claiming Jesus as Lord while living in disobedience.
He warned us about: Outward religion without inward transformation. Selective obedience or rationalizing sin. Seeking human approval instead of God’s. Worry and divided loyalties. Harsh judgment and self-deception. False assurance based on performance or religious association.
All these teachings are about the foundation we’re building on. Sand is what seems easier, more popular, or more self-satisfying. The terrifying reality is that you can sit under the Sermon on the Mount and still build on sand. The foolish builder heard the words—just like the wise one. The difference is in their obedience. It is possible to be near the Word, to know the truth, to even speak religious words—and still be building on sand.
Application – So Let’s Take Inventory of our Foundations: What’s Beneath Your Life?
Let’s be honest. Foundations aren’t always visible. On the surface, everything may seem fine. But the question Jesus presses us to ask is this: What am I really building my life on? Is your confidence in your career? Your moral record? Your good intentions? Your political tribe? Your reputation?
Or are you building on Jesus—His Word, His character, His truth and His grace? Think about these diagnostic questions:
- Am I regularly reading and responding to God’s Word? Is Scripture shaping how I live, or is it just background noise?
- Do I seek Jesus first in major decisions? Or do I turn to my own desires, podcasts, personalities, or popular opinion first?
- Am I seeing spiritual growth over time? Can I identify areas where God is transforming my heart and habits?
- Do I look more like Christ or more like culture? Am I distinct in my values, love, and priorities—or am I indistinguishable from the world?
- Where do I invest my best energy and resources? Is my life oriented around God’s Kingdom, or my own comfort?
Can I get a little devotional with you all this morning? I want to speak to you today—not just to your mind, but to your soul… more specifically, to the part of your soul that longs for Jesus but resists the path He walked. The part that craves joy without sorrow. Peace without surrender. Resurrection without the grave.
Jesus didn’t conclude the Sermon on the Mount with sentimentality. He ended with warning, with clarity, and with authority. Not everyone who hears His words benefits from them. Only those who do them.
And what Jesus describes here at the end is not just about information—but transformation. Not just belief—but obedience. Not just church life—but Christ life. And that difference is everything. This entire sermon illustrates that the narrow way that leads to life requires a dying to self.
Matthew 7:13–14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” We often read that as a warning about eternity—and it is—but it’s also about two ways of living now.
One road is wide. It lets you hold onto your pride, your preferences, your comfort, your secret sins. It asks nothing of you but gives you nothing in return. The other road is narrow. It requires letting go. And that’s what makes it hard.
Everyone wants resurrection life. But not everyone wants the grave that comes before it… your grave, that is. We want Christ’s peace, but not His pain. We want His crown, but not His cross. But there’s no shortcut around the cross. Transformation doesn’t happen by trying harder. It happens by dying deeper.
You can’t shimmy sideways into the kingdom. The gate is too narrow for baggage. You have to drop it. You have to surrender that need to always be right. Surrender that insecurity hiding behind perfectionism. Surrender that grudge you’ve nursed for years. Surrender that idol you keep excusing as “just how I cope.”
Look to Christ. Philippians 2 says though He was God, He did not cling to His rights. He emptied Himself, humbled Himself, became obedient to death—even death on a cross. This is the pattern: humiliation before exaltation. Surrender before strength. Death before life.
Church life without Christ life is a trap… And here’s where it gets real close to home. Some of us have mastered church life while avoiding Christ life. We know how to serve. We know how to speak Christianese. We know how to host a group or lead a song or quote a verse. But all the while, we’re still holding tightly to the things Jesus has asked us to surrender.
We’ve made church a place to hide from God while appearing devoted to Him. This is how you end up with Christians who talk about grace but never extend it. Leaders who preach humility but lead with control. Churches that are full—but spiritually asleep. It’s how you get zombies in the church: warm bodies walking around but they’re lacking resurrection life. People who avoided the grave and therefore never received the new life.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father.”
Hearing without doing is self-deception. And here’s the beautiful paradox of this sermon and the Christian life: the things that feel like death are often where life begins…
Maybe some of you are going through something right now that feels like death: A relational issue that shattered your hopes. A sin you confessed… or got caught in… and now feel exposed. A job you lost, a reputation that’s wounded, a dream that died. It hurts. It stings. It feels like something inside you is dying. And maybe it is. But maybe—that’s exactly what needs to die.
2 Corinthians 4:10 says, “…[We are] always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
Did you catch that? Death first. Then life. You think surrender will break you. And it will. But then—it won’t. You think confession will kill you. And it will. But then—it won’t. The grave always feels like the end. But in Christ, it’s the beginning.
The Christian life isn’t passive. Jesus didn’t say, “Hear my words and agree with them.” He said, “Hear my words and do them.” The daily effort of the Christian is not self-promotion but self-denial. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” A sure foundation… a shaky illusion… all built on His shocking authority…
His Shocking Authority: Who Is This Teacher? (vv. 28–29)
“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
Why were they amazed? Because Jesus didn’t just explain truth—He embodied it. He wasn’t another religious voice. He was (and is) the bedrock. His call was not merely to admiration, but to action.
Jesus doesn’t quote other rabbis. He doesn’t hedge His statements. Jesus has been speaking not as a commentator on the Law—but as the King giving the Law. “You’ve heard it said… but I say to you…” He speaks as God Himself. And the people were dumbfounded. This wasn’t just a wise teacher. This was Wisdom incarnate.
When He finishes, the people are stunned. Not just because of His words—but because of who He is. He doesn’t just describe the kingdom—He embodies it. It reminds us of Moses on Mount Sinai, delivering God’s Law to the people. But here, Jesus is not just delivering the law—He’s fulfilling it, clarifying it, and calling His listeners to a greater righteousness.
Who speaks like this? Who claims that your eternal destiny hangs on your response to His words? Only One who has the authority of God Himself. Once more… we are presented with a choice… to build well or to collapse.
Two gates (narrow and wide). Two trees (good and bad). Two fruits (good and bad). Two postures (paying lip service and relational obedience). Two foundations (rock and sand). Each of these is about choice. Decision. Will you hear and do… or hear and ignore? He doesn’t say, “Admire My teaching.” He says, “Build your life on it.”
Building on the rock is a life of obedient discipleship rooted in Christ, sustained by grace, and expressed in action. It’s the kind of life that stands firm when the storms come.
Following Jesus is costly. It means digging deep. It means laying aside the easy path and choosing the narrow road. It means putting His words above our own preferences, our culture’s values, our comfort, and even above our own experiences. But the reward is solid footing. A house that stands. A life that endures.
And that’s the beautiful paradox of Jesus’ teachings here… because this narrow gate, this pursuit of garden-like living, this counter-cultural and revolutionary way of life… as Mark says, “is the hardest thing you’ll ever do” and at the same time we realize that His burden is light and His yoke is easy. In this living, in this dying (to self), is where freedom is found.
Here’s what this means today and tomorrow… I want to leave you all with some practical applications that I hope will shape your Monday through Saturday:
- Inspect Your Foundation Regularly: Ask yourself, Am I doing what Jesus says, or merely hearing it? Are His teachings shaping my choices?
- Obey in the Small Things: Like choosing not to gossip, being honest when no one sees, or offering kindness in a tense moment.
- Don’t Settle for Appearance—Seek Substance: A spiritual life that looks good externally but lacks obedience is fragile. Prioritize true discipleship over image.
- Let Jesus Have Lordship Over Everything: Obey Him with your time, money, relationships, sexuality, work ethic, politics. When His Word contradicts culture, side with Jesus.
- Choose Obedience Over Admiration: Many admire Jesus—few obey Him. Each time you hear His Word, respond with a concrete action.
Conclusion:
Let’s wrap this sermon … and this series up… I feel sad that we’re at the end… We’ve spent the last several weeks walking through the Sermon on the Mount. It’s more than moral advice. It’s the blueprint for Kingdom living.
Everyone builds. Everyone hears. There’s one foundation that lasts. The Sermon on the Mount is not a spiritual TED Talk—It’s not a list of ideals; it’s an invitation to be remade/transformed by grace. And Jesus says, in the end, it comes down to this: Will you live what I’ve taught you? It only matters if you build on it.
You don’t need to have it all together to start building on the Rock. But you do need to surrender. You need to hear and heed. Jesus is offering Himself as the foundation that never fails. Let’s be wise builders.
What part of your heart still needs to surrender? What part of your heart still needs to be discipled? What part of your heart is still full of things He’s asking us to lay down?
Maybe we build well today by: Dropping the bitterness. Laying down our plans. Killing the pride within. Surrendering the control that consumes.
It will feel like death. But in dying to self, Jesus calls our names and raises us to real life. Not just church life. Not just behavior management or sin management with Bible verses. Resurrection life. Christ in you. The hope of glory.
Storms will come. Not just the trials of life—but the final storm of judgment. And only one kind of life will remain standing. Jesus, with all the clarity of heaven, says: Only the one who hears My words and does them will stand.
The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just a moment—it’s a map for life in His kingdom.
Jesus is not just the master builder—He’s the Rock. So hear His Word—and do it. Trust Him. Follow Him. Build on Him. And when the storm comes, you will not fall.
Building on the Rock is a life of obedient discipleship rooted in Christ, sustained by grace, and expressed in action. It’s the kind of life that stands firm when the storms come.