Matthew 7:21-29 for June 1st

Matthew 7:21-29
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Come on and sing with me now: "The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house up the rock. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down and floods came up. And the house on the rock stood firm." Its a good kid's song that includes motions. But how many people have been flooded out, because they weren't built on the rock? Florida where I grew up was all sand, and you just didn't build on it, you had to make a good foundation. And if you built on the beach you were likely to get washed away. But this parable refers Perhaps he thinks of the houses being built beside and in a Palestinian wadi, a ravine with steep sides. Dry in the summer, it turns into a raging torrent when the rains come. The “wise man” (v. 24) prepares for what is to come by going to the effort of building on the side of the ravine, but the “foolish man” (v. 26) does not think ahead and so takes the easy way. Jesus has just finished the Sermon on the Mount and talks about building your house on the rock. Mount ----Rock. Is there a connection with the words here as well?

What is the foundation for your life? Have you heard the words of God and put them into practice? or have you done just the opposite? In Huntsville where we are buying a new house, the Realtor kept telling us about the type of clay that was there that shifted and often messed up the foundations and structures of the houses. She told us that even with her own house she has had to have work done to shore up the foundation. If your own life foundation is not built on the Rock how can you shore up your foundation or move to be on the rock?

And lets not leave out how this passage begins with "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Pretty powerful words from Jesus to the point "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Even more powerful words.

If this is your chosen passage for Sunday how will you preach it?