New City Church
The Parables of Jesus: Wise and Foolish Builders - Week #1
Sunday Message Notes Lead Pastor: Eric Spanier
Locations & Times
New City Church
201 Hawthorne Dr, Wilmington, DE 19802, USA
Sunday 9:30 AM
New City Church Website
Please visit our website for up to date information about all of our different events and ministries; you can learn more about our mission and vision as a church - and you can get more information about ways for you and your family to get involved!
New City Church is a Assembly of God church located in North Wilmington.
http://newcityde.org/New City Church is a Assembly of God church located in North Wilmington.
THE PARABLE: “a made up story to communicate a timeless, spiritual truth.”
Jesus would use material objects, made up characters, and detailed illustrations to express spiritual truths. He did this so that EVERYONE would understand and walk away changed.
Parables are the characteristic messages of Jesus. They are His most remarkable messages. They are His most persuasive messages. They are His most challenging messages. The Parables of Jesus stand alone and cannot be compared.
Jesus would use material objects, made up characters, and detailed illustrations to express spiritual truths. He did this so that EVERYONE would understand and walk away changed.
Parables are the characteristic messages of Jesus. They are His most remarkable messages. They are His most persuasive messages. They are His most challenging messages. The Parables of Jesus stand alone and cannot be compared.
In this PARABLE, Jesus decides to DESCRIBE what an obedient person looks like and how they act. He will also paint a clear picture of what a disobedient, but well intentioned, person looks like and how they act.
MAIN IDEA: The wise man builds his life on obedience to God and His Word. The foolish man builds differently. Their houses look the same. However, everything will be thrown at these men and all of that will test their foundation.
MAIN IDEA: The wise man builds his life on obedience to God and His Word. The foolish man builds differently. Their houses look the same. However, everything will be thrown at these men and all of that will test their foundation.
THE ROCK FOUNDATION: "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. The 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.” (Matthew 7:24-25)
Jesus makes it very clear that these builders and their homes were judged NOT by the care which they took in building their homes, but by the FOUNDATION on which they stood.
What does the rocky foundation represent? It’s someone who has a true relationship with Jesus and desires to grow in that relationship by their choice to obey every single day.
MAIN IDEA: The foundation isn’t what everyone sees, but it’s what matters most.
What does the rocky foundation represent? It’s someone who has a true relationship with Jesus and desires to grow in that relationship by their choice to obey every single day.
MAIN IDEA: The foundation isn’t what everyone sees, but it’s what matters most.
THE SAND FOUNDATION: “But 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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:26-27)
What does this sandy foundation represent? It’s someone who has a “loose, shifting” relationship with Jesus. They SAY one thing and DO another. It’s all about EXTERNAL religion so that everyone can SEE they believe in Jesus – but closer examination says different.
What are you willing to do to ensure that your life doesn’t come crashing down when the storms of life are raging around you? Our salvation may be a free gift from God, but it will cost us everything. It’s an eternal investment that protects us during the storms of life.
“How dangerous it is for men whose determinations do not rest upon God’s help sought in prayer, whose joys do not rest in God’s heart trusted, whose confidence rests not on God’s presence revealed, whose virtues have no root, goodness no motive, hope no ground! The house of such a man merely hangs together and may fall at any moment.” (Herbert Lockyer)
“How dangerous it is for men whose determinations do not rest upon God’s help sought in prayer, whose joys do not rest in God’s heart trusted, whose confidence rests not on God’s presence revealed, whose virtues have no root, goodness no motive, hope no ground! The house of such a man merely hangs together and may fall at any moment.” (Herbert Lockyer)
It never benefits you to see the areas where you need to CHANGE and GROW and then not let God do something in you to bring about that CHANGE and GROWTH.
THE BUILDERS: “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… But 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.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
WISE BUILDER: A wise person represents those who put Jesus’ words into practice – no matter what. They are building to withstand anything. They trust in the Lord with their heart and they don’t lean on their own understanding.
FOOLISH BUILDER: Those who PRETEND to have faith, who have a merely intellectual or emotional commitment to God, who enjoy Jesus in small doses when it’s convenient for them and what they want to do in life – their lives will crumble around them when the storms of life come. They fool no one – especially God.
FOOLISH BUILDER: Those who PRETEND to have faith, who have a merely intellectual or emotional commitment to God, who enjoy Jesus in small doses when it’s convenient for them and what they want to do in life – their lives will crumble around them when the storms of life come. They fool no one – especially God.
THE BIBLE AS A MIRROR: For some of us, our Bibles are like first century mirrors.
It’s not an “everyday” object for us. We are unfamiliar with what Jesus looks like because we aren’t familiar with His Word. When we HEAR the Word of God, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression on our hearts – it’s blurry and distorted. We look at it, we walk away, and we forget because we don’t look at it with intention and purpose.
We gather on Sundays. We hear the Word. We receive some therapeutic comfort and then we walk out the door. We are gone and we’ve forgotten what we have heard.
It’s not an “everyday” object for us. We are unfamiliar with what Jesus looks like because we aren’t familiar with His Word. When we HEAR the Word of God, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression on our hearts – it’s blurry and distorted. We look at it, we walk away, and we forget because we don’t look at it with intention and purpose.
We gather on Sundays. We hear the Word. We receive some therapeutic comfort and then we walk out the door. We are gone and we’ve forgotten what we have heard.
THE TESTING ELEMENTS: “The 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 - the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
(Matthew 7:24-27)
(Matthew 7:24-27)
Whether we are a WISE BUILDER or a FOOLISH BUILDER, the storm will come. Disappointment, loss, tragedy, temptation, fear, and affliction will come to all of us.
But those who are PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, those who are FOCUSED ON THE WORD OF THE LORD, those who become DOERS of the WORD, and those who build their lives on in OBEDIENCE to what God asks of them will make it through the storm. The windows may break, the roof may need replaced, the landscaping may be destroyed, and there may be water and destruction everywhere – but their lives will still stand because of the foundation.
But those who are PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, those who are FOCUSED ON THE WORD OF THE LORD, those who become DOERS of the WORD, and those who build their lives on in OBEDIENCE to what God asks of them will make it through the storm. The windows may break, the roof may need replaced, the landscaping may be destroyed, and there may be water and destruction everywhere – but their lives will still stand because of the foundation.
THE CHALLENGE: Don’t wait until the storm takes everything away from you before you make the decision to build your life on the rock of Jesus Christ. If you are building like the foolish man, it’s time for a complete renovation.
