I preached on Building your life for the future at my local Church. My sermon was drawn from Matthew 7:24-27.
”24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but 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 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:24-27 ESV
The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:24-27 is a set of verses that form the tail section of what is popularly known as The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). In this Sermon, Jesus took advantage of the opportunity where His disciples had followed Him up the mountain. He, therefore, exploited the opportunity to teach His disciples about the following.
- God’s blessings and the people He has blessed (Beatitudes) (Matthew 5:1-12)
- Good works (Matthew 5:13-16)
- Righteousness, love, and piety (Matthew 5:17-6:18)
- Heaven and God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:19-34)
- Judgment and grace (Matthew 7:1-14)
- Fruitfulness (7:15-29)
Fruitfulness
Consequently, my sermon, Building your life for the future, was classified under Jesus’ teaching on fruitfulness (Matthew 7:15-20). In that sub-teaching, Jesus taught His followers that healthy trees bore good fruits. He also taught them that diseased trees bore bad fruits.
Jesus then added that the disciple who would do the will of God would enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). He emphasized that the disciple who would hear His words and do them would be like the wise builder who built his house on a rock (Matthew 7:24). And we all know that a house built on a rock will withstand whatever would beat on it.
But Jesus also taught that the disciple who would hear His words and not do them would be like a foolish builder who built his house on sand (Matthew 7:26). And again, we all know that a house built on sand will not withstand whatever would beat on it.
The words of Jesus made you a Builder
Therefore, if you have ever heard the words of Jesus, then you became a builder of your house. That is, you became a builder of your life the moment you heard the words of Jesus.
Moreover, the apostle Paul acknowledged this fact in the verse which he wrote in his letter to the Romans. He wrote that “faith comes from hearing the word of Christ” in Romans 10:17. That is, the words of the Lord Jesus begin to transform you the moment He publishes them in your hearing (and reading).
No wonder, the Wiseman revealed in Proverbs 24:5-7 that the wise man (builder) is full of strength and enhanced might. Because you need strength and enhanced might to build your life for the future. And Jesus’ words strengthen and enhance your might (Philippians 4:13).
But Jesus’ words will only transform you when you obey them. Because you are supposed to obey the words of Jesus as you hear them. And if you don’t, they will not transform you.
Building your life for the future
You and I, therefore, became the builders of our lives (lifestyles) after we heard Jesus’ words. And then we each choose whether to be either the wise or the foolish builder (Matthew 7:25). Because our obedience is what will enable us to enter the kingdom of heaven. And we shall be wise builders only when we obey what we hear from Jesus because foolish builders won’t obey.
Furthermore, the Wiseman, in Proverbs 24:3-4, stated that “wisdom is what builds a house, and understanding establishes it, and knowledge fills its rooms”. Because we need to hear, understand (Matthew 13:18-23), and apply (James 1:22-25) what we hear (read) from and study in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Ephesians 4:11-16).
Building your permanent house
When you want to build your permanent house, you will have to read, understand, and follow the plans associated with your house. You will have to read, understand, and follow your house’s architectural and structural drawings.
Similarly, therefore, you will have to obtain and follow the teachings of the Bible for you to qualify to build your life for the future. That is, when you apply what you have heard, and understood, you will build, establish, and fill the house that is your life for the eternal promises.
Nothing but obedience to stand
The Lord Jesus likened the obedient disciple to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And He likened the disobedient disciple to a foolish man who built his house on sand (Matthew 7:24, 26).
He then revealed that when the rains, floods, and winds bet on the two (2) houses, only the wise builder’s house remained standing (Matthew 7:25, 27). The Lord further revealed that the wise builder’s house remained standing because he built it on the rock (solid foundation). And the foundation helps your house specifically withstand floods that will test the same.
The foundation, therefore, helps the walls withstand winds and the roof withstands the rains. That is, when the winds and rain beat on your house, it will stand. It will not fall or leak.
Building your house
Remember, when you want to build your permanent house, you will excavate the topsoil until you reach solid/firm ground. There you will lay your house’s foundation. You will then be sure that your house will stand when the topsoil moves. That is, the movement of the topsoil will not cause your house to develop cracks, sink, or tilt.
Standing in the face of trials, temptations, and satan’s schemes
You will, therefore, stand in the face of beatings like trials, including persecution, and temptations (1 Samuel 15, Matthew 4:1-11), and satan’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 2:11, John 10:10, Judges 16:4-21, and Revelation 12:12). For when trials, temptations, and satan’s schemes will beat against your lifestyle (Psalm 11:3, 1 Peter 5:8, and Matthew 13:18-23) (Ephesians 4:14-16), they will find you living a kingdom lifestyle, and you will stand. This is what building your life for the future entails.
Building your life for the future promises of God
It is only when you build your family, marriage, business, work, personal life, and faith on the principles contained in the word of God, that you’ll stand the beatings of the times and seasons, and finally take hold of God’s eternal promises for you and everything concerning your life. When you obey the words of Jesus (the Bible), you will be building on a firm foundation, and your life will last forever, because a house is as resilient as its foundation. Because the longevity of your house is directly proportional to the firmness of your foundation.
