 Anyway, I'm happy to be here with you today, and I want to share with you now here we here we go I I should begin by saying this this passage before us is a very heavy passage I'm not gonna doctor it up and make it less than it is it is a very Heavy passage and it's going to be presented I believe in a way that does honor to the passage because what Jesus is speaking about here is not light weight We're living in an age in a time where we want to make everything seem to be kind of fluff You know and even Christianity for a lot of people even Christianity is something that has to be a feel-good Kind of faith and if you don't feel good about it, then man, it's not real You know, but the fact is Jesus Christ is about to conclude his message and as Christians We need to understand we need to understand that we are not exempt from pain There are a lot of people who believe that as Christians we're supposed to be exempt from pain I mean once you come to faith in Christ isn't everything supposed to be just really easy and smooth and and Jesus is speaking now in such a Serious way to those whom he was speaking to there on on this mountain for the Sermon on the Mount and he is bringing them to a conclusion now he's bringing his message to a to an end and He is going to deal with the reality that all of us experience now we have young people in here and And you have yet to experience some of the things that you will one day experience should the Lord give you some years You know and so at 20 if I'd heard this message I have to be honest with you if I'd heard this this message here the way I'm going to give it today I would have looked at that guy up there thinking I don't have a clue really what you're talking about Even though in my mind I would have thought oh, I know all of that already But when you get saved and you move on in your faith in Christ You are going to discover that life isn't always as easy as you thought it should be and You will sometimes maybe many times over the course of your walk with the Lord begin to question whether you made a good decision in Following Christ because Jesus Christ here in the Sermon on the Mount is Issuing a challenge to people and he's about to conclude it in such a way that it is so it is so real It is so honest that those who are listening are actually going to have an interesting response And you'll see it in just a moment as we as we look at this together So let's begin reading in Matthew chapter 7 at verse 24 I'll read to verse 29 and we'll get into our study a study that I chose to entitle two roads two trees and two builders beginning at verse 24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man Who built his house on the rock and 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 now Everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man Who built his house on the sand and the rain descended the floods came the winds blew and beat on that house And it fell great was its fall and So it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were Astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes Notice how he closes his message It isn't a smile God has a wonderful plan for your life kind of conclusion He's giving a warning and he's speaking about what life actually is two men building houses One on sand and one on the rock Storms come one falls one remains and that's what we'll be looking at today as we are about to conclude The Sermon on the Mount so Jesus is using a series of comparisons in order that he might clarify the purpose of his message And he's now issuing a challenge for them to follow him completely as his Disciples and he's doing this in the form of a parable Now this particular parable here. It's called the parable of two builders This parable is intended to draw contrast the contrast that he intends to draw is between listeners or Hearers and doers so there's a contrast that he's Presenting to them right now and he's going to give people a chance to act in faith in response to what he's been teaching them Again, he's developing a series of contrasts. We've been seeing this in chapter 7 all the way back in verse 13 and 14 Because in verses 13 and 14 Jesus spoke of two roads and These two roads were intended to illustrate the need to decide to choose the right path and as we looked at this we saw that Life is filled with choices and a wise individual would choose to pursue the way of the Lord Seek ye first he has said the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you So there is a man who is being portrayed as having to make a choice Well, obviously Jesus is saying you need to choose wisely cheese choose to seek the Lord first and so we saw that the the story of the two roads and Then he begins to speak concerning two trees and remember with me one of those trees produces good fruit and the other tree produces rotten fruit and So he intended to reveal that our lives produce fruit that demonstrates whether or not we have a relationship with God a Good tree produces good fruit and a rotten tree produces rotten fruit So you need to know whether or not you are and this is his point You need to know whether or not you are a tree that produces good fruit because you're abiding him or if you are in Reality in your life producing that which is rotten that which is corrupt And so that's a pretty strong image that he was giving at that time now He concludes by speaking about two builders and By speaking about these two builders this reveals what is called the foundation of real faith So he does so with what is called the parable of two builders As I was preparing this message I began to think about how we speak a language We Christians born again Christians evangelical Christians speak a language that that has been referred to as Christian ease that's our language Christian ease and sometimes we have conversations that are In-house Conversations in other words there are things that my wife Marie and I will speak about together that that we know the background And thus I don't have to give a full account or even use words that that That everybody will understand I can speak in such a way as just to sometimes abbreviate what I'm saying And she knows exactly what it is that I'm speaking about it's it's it's an in-house Conversation I Could say she could say to me like you remember how your mom and she may say something and I go Yeah, I fill in the entire conversation with just the do you remember when we were and I can fill in the whole conversation It's in-house Conversation well we do that with one another and I do that from the pulpit all the time and I don't even realize I'm doing that so I'll say something to you I'll use the word parable and I'm assuming everybody knows exactly what a Parable is and of course that may not be true When I first got saved I Hadn't been a Christian more than a month or so and I was at a Bible study And it was a house Bible study And one of the young ladies after the study prayer meeting began to share because she said today is my spiritual birthday Today she said I have turned one year old in Christ and I'm thinking man She's ancient man. She's been with Jesus a whole year Because to me a year was a long time I was only saved for a month and I think I wonder how wise I'll be in a year And I still remember that I'm 20 years old just looking at her and then she says when I was in the world And then she goes again and in the world she used the term the world so many times I finally had it I said let me wait stop and I told her stop is one of those times They're only like 10 or 12 people so I could she was talking I said wait a minute Okay, you're confusing me and she goes what do you mean? I said what are you talking about when you say the world? I mean you keep saying the world I said as far as I know that's where we are right now. I mean What do you mean by that and I'm serious I mean I seriously did not know what she's talking about when she said when I was in the world because that's Christian ease You meet me speaking to somebody and say oh, yeah when I was in the world And you think they know what you're talking about they have no clue if they're not saved what you're talking about They really don't they'll just smile at you, but they don't have a clue what do you mean the world the world is a satanic system It is energized by Satan it is in distinct opposition to God and all that God wants It's a whole system that is in opposition to God and it's called the world That's why we're told love not the world neither the things of the world for the one who loves the world Well, the love of the father's not in him for all that is in the world less of flesh Let's say I it's pride of life that is all in opposition to God It's passing away and only the one who does the will of the father remains well We know that out of 1st John 2 15 through 17. We know that but when I was first saved I had no clue what that's what that means. Well, the same is true with the word parable See I'll use the word parable and that's found its way into the English language We use the term parable, but I wanted to share with you just as in brief You know when I say this is called the parable of two builders There are some in this room who don't even know what I'm talking about by using the word parable So let me define it for you for just a moment, and then I'm going to go into the parable What Jesus is doing here is he's using a parable a parable speaks of placing one thing next to another for the purpose of Comparison is taking something from heaven and using earthly language so that you can take heavenly truth Couch it in an earthly illustration so people will be able to get an understanding of what Jesus Christ is speaking about It's a story in which the nature and history of God's kingdom is portrayed figuratively and by using parables Jesus uses the familiar to communicate the unfamiliar Jesus used parables very often as a matter of fact approximately one-third of Jesus's recorded teachings came by way of parables parables are both mirrors and Windows as as mirrors we are we see ourselves in them as Windows we can see life through them parables reveal truth concerning his kingdom parables illustrate doctrine parables are used to develop spiritual Understanding parables are intended to both conceal as well as to reveal you'll see that when we get to Matthew chapter 13 You see truth is revealed to those who desire to know but it is concealed from those who are Indifferent we call them lazy or indifferent listeners A parable is something when it's used that somebody will listen and say I wonder what he meant by that Whereas a lazy listener or an indifferent listener will say who really cares? Why don't you speak more plainly that makes no sense to me at all So truth is revealed to those who desire it, but it's concealed from those who are indifferent Like it says in Proverbs 25 verse 2 it is the glory of God to conceal a matter But the glory of Kings is to search out a matter You see the same message That awakens one to truth Hardens another it is the same Sun that melts Wax That will harden clay The same message that Jesus gave that awakened people to want more of God that same identical message hardened others into Opposition to him in the same message that I give on a Sunday morning And I give an invitation There are some who come forward in the same message somebody got up and walked out same message So the indifferent or that the clay Hardens with the Sun Where the softer one whose heart is searching and longing for something else? Responds to truth and Jesus used parables very often in order to awaken people to heavenly truth He's giving people a chance to act in faith upon his words It is one thing to hear But it is truly something else to hear and obey And a true Christian not only hears and agrees in theory But a genuine Christian actually hears and obeys what the word of God has to say The fact is hearing and doing evidence is true faith in Jesus Christ The way that we live Ultimately will evidence whether we have been saved or whether we are unsaved and our lives really do Reflect that someone once said preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words Now some people actually really appreciate good Bible teaching They may even listen Attendably and with interest There are those who will say that they think the Bible is a fascinating book and probably the best book that's ever been written and Then sometimes they'll say that because they're sincere and sometimes they'll say that simply because they're saying that I don't know you know Donald Trump Recently was you know, what's a good book all the best book is the Bible You know, there are those who appreciate the Bible well Donald it also says they're not to use course language You might want to read it a little more, but that's just a bottom line people. Oh, I like it. It sounds good It's a great book and you know what if I use certain terms people are attracted to the terms I'm using and it might help them to appreciate me more we can do that and you say oh are you speaking about just Donald Trump? No looking your Bible. There was a guy by the name of Herod and Herod was an official and He was a man who actually listened to what the Bible had to say he listened to good preaching It's recorded in Mark chapter 6 verse 20 Herod feared John speaking of John the Baptist Herod feared John Knowing that he was a just and holy man and he protected him and when he heard him He did many things and heard him gladly Herod listened to him He protected him and the things that he said he'd listen attentively to and he appreciated what he was saying that to me It's very interesting. He listened to him But in the end when his wife erode has said I want the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter He had John's head cut off. Oh, he listened, but it didn't do anything to him It didn't change his life There are a lot of people who like good Bible teaching who appreciate it, but don't build their life on what they're hearing So Jesus is emphasizing the importance of not only hearing what he says, but also doing it The actual doing of his words is what reveals a person's genuine faith It's like what it says in James in the book of James chapter 2 verse 20 Do you not want to know oh foolish man that faith without works James said faith without works is dead So Jesus is giving a simple message to those who would follow him and though we come to faith in him Life is still filled with difficulties. I Wish I used to wish this so much That I could stand up and say something like this. I used to wish that I could stand up and say If you come to faith in Christ, you will never have a bad day again in your life If you come to faith in Christ your wallet will always be full of money You'll always be healthy. You'll never have anxiety or sorrow of heart Your children will become angels. I wish I could say that But the Bible doesn't teach that does it? The Bible teaches that though you come to faith in Christ, you still have difficulties. We we are not insulated against hard times We are not insulated against tragedies. We are not insulated against trials these experiences are shared by every believer and unbeliever alike and Believers Christians are not exempt from life So in this parable the wise man built his life on faith which is demonstrated by obedience to the word of God But the foolish one built his life on the the shifting sands of human wisdom When we look at this, I want you to notice this The two people involved in the parable encounter the same trials There's a difference the difference is one builder builds on the rock the other builder builds on sand Christians realize that we are not insulated against hard times and we know that we go through trials We all go through the same kind of trials. We go through the same kinds of situations that everybody else goes through The apostle Peter and first Peter chapter 4 verse 12 said it like this He said dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial You are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. Don't be surprised by these things Don't think this is unique or something that we shouldn't have endured Like something strange is happening to you What happens with us as believers though is we are gradually learning to trust in God through his word and We ultimately come to trust him to rescue us and we know that going through hard times Actually turns out for the things that we have prayed God would do in our life We want to know him better We want to know his word Experientially not just intellectually Well, you will go through conflict. You will go through through pain. You will go through sorrow of heart You will go through those things because that's part of life But there are lessons that we learn as Christians through those things The psalmist in Psalm 119 verse 67 said it like this before I was afflicted I went astray But now have I kept your word Psalm 119 verse 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn Your statutes. I've learned things through the pain. I've learned your statutes. I've kept your word So we're not immune from life's pain But we do know that God is in control and through the storm we hold on to him We understand That we're gonna take a walk It's a walk of faith and Sometimes in that walk of faith you walk through a place that's called the valley of the shadow of death But we learn to fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me We know that we're walking through but we're not camping out in this valley of the shadow We know that but that's how we learn this it's by going through these things We learn that God is in control We learn that God works his will and that he will have his good pleasure worked through us We count it all joy when we enter into a fallen to diverse temptations knowing this at the trying of our faith work It's patience, but we're to let patience have her perfect work that we may be perfect and entire lacking Nothing like it says in James 1 2 through 4 You see Jesus taught us that true disciples remain faithful especially in hard times a Genuine believer may be shaken But this genuine believer is drawn closer to the Lord through that trial a Genuine believer knows that that the trial refines us firms us Strengthens us that we might remain faithful to Jesus Christ and we know that we're going to go through these things John 831 and 32 says it like this if you continue in my word Then are you my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Continue persevere hold on See non-christians will not build their lives on a sure foundation of the promises of God They don't even know them let alone cling to them and because they don't When trials and storms hit their lives very often they're devastated again Jesus says that their house is going to fall and he says and that fall is very great Their foundation is built on philosophy the philosophy of the world And cannot deliver them Ultimately they're left with nothing to help in the time of need and they end up without any hope They go to a Sister in a In order to draw water sisters during the time of Christ were were They were like tanks that were cut out of the rock They would cut a hole and then dig out through the rock and and they'd open it up And you could have up to 30,000 40,000 gallons of water that would be stored in these cisterns They they they would cut them out of the rock and then they would put plaster All through the interior they would get a lid and they would put the lid over that and they would store water because during the time of Christ to this day they have what they call the early and the latter rains and So there were dry seasons in between and when God would when God promised to bring the children of Israel from Egypt a Land that relied on the Nile River for for its agriculture and for water to drink and all of that Well, God said I'm taking I'm bringing you from a place that relied on a Magnificent river the Nile. I'm taking you from there to a land that has a small water source called the Jordan and God said and so that small water source is not going to provide the needs that you have it's not capable of doing that I mean if you go to the to Israel to this day you go there right now during the summer and and portions of the Jordan River are so so There this it's not very wide at all in some places you can basically just almost just walk across without any problem at all And it won't take you any time you can pick up a rock and throw it across the Jordan. It's not the mighty rushing Jordan It's a small Kind of water system. So God said you're gonna have to learn to rely on me I will send you the early rain and I will send you the latter rain and so that is a symbol of grace So when the rain comes, you know, who's providing for you You're not relying on the Nile River, which was a God to the Egyptians. You're relying on me who provides the water for you and So the children of Israel understood that and they knew that and they understood that that they needed to store water in time When when there would be thirst and so they would dig out cisterns for themselves And and they would take the water from the rains and they would pour it into the cisterns for the dry times and Yet Jeremiah quotes the Lord God speaking through Jeremiah says my my People have committed two evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living water and they have hewn for themselves Cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water You have gone to your cistern in your time of thirst You have dropped the bucket down to quench your thirst But because you have forsaken God he was telling the children of Israel You have forsaken me and my grace towards you because you have chosen to do that when you drop your bucket It just hits the dry ground because the cistern had a it was broken and the water you stored has seeped out And there's nothing there for you in your time of need You're going to a cistern that cannot help you in your time of thirst you see God is the living water Jesus said if we come to him, he would cause us to have living water through the Spirit of God and That's who we rely on Christians encounter the same kinds of things that people in the world do but we have a different perspective As a believer we learn to by faith see beyond the immediate with an eye on the future We know that we're not exempt from difficulties. We know that we're not exempt from hurt But by faith in Christ knowing who we have trusted in We not only endure we even triumph Believers trust that God works all things out for us We know that when we go through these things Not only do we endure and have victory and triumph, but we actually We know that God is going to do something to grow us deeper in him. It's like what it says in Romans 828 We know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are the called according to his purposes We know that all things are going to somehow coordinate working out together in our lives To produce what we've always wanted to have but sometimes we're not willing to pay the price for this parable Again Shows two people encountering the same storm They both experience notice with me heavy rain They both experience floods and they both experience hurricane force winds But there's a difference one house is built on the rock The other house is built on the sand One has a solid foundation the other doesn't You see a believer spends time in the word of God and as you're going through the word of God There are so many promises that God makes the you begin to learn to trust his promise And his promises are built on him the rock and thus are unshakable like it says in Psalm 18 verse 31 who is God except the Lord who is a rock except our God Those whose lives are built on the rock are not going to fall when encountering the storms We remain standing and that's because we understand that even during the hard times God is still at work Psalm 3419 says it like this many many are the afflictions of the righteous Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord Delivers him out of them all We go through difficult times don't we Every other person live goes through them We have difficult relationships We can have a painful marriage We can be hurt with our children We can bury our loved ones We can have families that are shattered We can lose our jobs We can lose our homes. We can lose our health We can lose our friends We can endure disappointments We can see our most cherished dreams shattered. We can see our faith stretch to a breaking point And yet we hold on And we hold on And we can have peace Even as we go through all of those things I Shared years ago, and I've shared this a couple of times since then How when my father went home to be with the Lord back in 2001 My father and I had grown very close When I was a kid when I was small my dad was real indifferent. He was real to himself. My dad was a real quiet Man he didn't have conversations with me at all. My dad just didn't talk. My mom did more of the talking She made up a lot for his silence That woman could talk and so but my dad My dad it was real quiet Like many of you who had a father similar to me my dad was quiet I mean I'd walk into the den and he'd be watching TV and and I didn't say a word to him He'd never talked to me and when it was a commercial I had two to three minutes to talk to my dad And he'd turn to me and he'd say so how are you doing son? And I'd say I'm doing fine dad and commercials over and he'd go right back to whatever it was He was doing that was my dad and I was used to it It wasn't like I didn't cry myself to sleep at night. Oh, I wish daddy would talk and I was my dad That's just the way he was My dad wasn't very nice sometimes too. My dad was very firm in many ways When he was young man, my dad had a bad temper and so You know, he was the kind of guy like when the when the bears in the house are kind of quiet That was my dad He could have a bad temper sometimes he was real gruff I mean it whenever he talked to you when I was literally it sounded like he was always yelling at me It was just just a kind of thing But he was my dad and I loved him to pieces and we never had a conversation until I got saved And after I got saved I started opening it up to my dad I started talking to my dad and we started over time having real friendship and and so In in after leading my father to christ and being his bible teacher from the time he was in his late 40s My dad and I over the years after he got saved became very very very close And my dad was everything to me and so when my dad died It was it was unexpected. He had a heart attack on one day and three four days later He was he was with jesus And I was not prepared. I had been raised believing my father was superman And my dad used to try to prove to me. He was superman. He would do super things And I had as a little boy. I thought my dad was superman I can still remember he said david go into the garage and and get this tool I need a tool and I say okay dad and I went walking in front of the house walked up the driveway to go to the back And I go into the very back and my dad's in the garage at the toolbox Getting the tool out and I said how'd you get here so fast dad? He said oh, I just flew over the house. My dad taught me he was super and that's a true story My dad said I jumped over the house I didn't want to wait for you and I went into the house mom Daddy flew over the house. She goes oh, he's superman And years later my mom said you you know your dad almost broke his leg climbing that fence to get into that garage To get that tool because my dad was my dad was jealous because I liked superman And he did not like the idea that I liked superman So he did everything he could to be my superman. That's my dad. That's what he was like And so when my dad died I honestly even as a 51 year old man was shocked that my father went home He was only 74 that he went home so soon. It was a shock and I didn't know how to deal with it to this day I'm talking about my dad and my heart still hurts forgive me It's a fact We were that close He was my dad and I loved him with all my heart So he went home to be with Jesus And I had to do all the things that a son has to do including burying my father and one Morning After he had his funeral service and all of that and we're still getting used to What's going on in our life and all I was in bed and I heard someone crying in the house You know and I mean we just lost my father and and I heard someone crying I thought it was one of my kids Because he was very close to my my children and so I I I could hear crying it was very loud the the cry that it was It was it was the the loud sobs that some of you have heard or perhaps even you you have You have experiences personally where you cry with you've cried and it's loud It's not a quiet at all It's a loud kind of thing go to a funeral or see somebody who has just passed on and see the family there and and the Sobbing and I could hear that I I heard the the loud tears that were There that someone was expressing it and I remember waking up thinking someone's crying And I was I'm the father I have to go and comfort whoever it was and you can't imagine what I felt like when I realized it was me I was crying I was crying in my sleep So loudly it woke me up And I'm looking for the one who's crying and I realized My chest is heaving and it was me You will go through pain And you will go through sorrow You will go through hurt You will go through shock and disappointment You will and if you haven't yet I'm sorry to have to tell you But you will Because life is just that way I wish I could stand up here and say hey get saved and you'll never cry again Get saved and every day is a happy day. I wish I could do that but guess what You go through pain, don't you we all do if I asked you please come up if I asked you which I won't Please come up. Tell us what really is going on in your life right now. Please Tell us how you really feel about your job. Tell us about your marriage. Tell us about your feelings with your kids. Tell me about If you really were honest for a moment, you'd say you know, it's been a struggle a little bit I'm walking through the valley of the shadow of death right now. There are a lot of you who are I'm concerned I don't know what I'm gonna do about my job. I don't know what I'm gonna do I need to make a house payment. I haven't made enough. I don't know how I'm gonna how am I gonna put food on my table I'm gonna lose my house There are a lot of people like that. You're living paycheck to paycheck right now Or you went to the doctor just last week. They said to you you have this and you're saying what am I gonna do now? What am I gonna do now? I mean some of you have sat down like I have recently with an ophthalmologist and says you've got glaucoma and Your eyesight is gone. That's it. There's no cure There's no cure Then you go I need my eyes for a lot of reasons For a lot of reasons including reading this book that I'm reading to you I need to see Lord What are you gonna do? That's what you do But do you stay camped out in the valley of the shadow of death? No Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. We will fear no we will thou art with us Thy rod and thy staff they comfort us You're gonna take me through you didn't say I'm staying there. You said you'll take me through there and that's the difference Between a believer and one who doesn't know the Lord very well We go through the valley, but I remember he said you will go you're not gonna stay And I'll be with you every step of the way I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you and you will learn some things that you've wanted to learn You will learn them in the furnace of affliction that you may remain faithful to my word And you will learn some things that you wouldn't have learned any other way That's how it works And it's true We all know That God works in our lives Isaiah 26 3 says it like this you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on you because he trusts in you Paul and philippians 4 verses 6 and 7 don't worry about anything instead pray about everything Tell god what you need thank him for all that he has done If you do this you will experience god's peace Which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand His peace will guard your hearts and minds that you live in christ jesus All of us know of the man job So I've had people approach me and said they've said to me. Oh, I feel like job. I'm like job. No, you're not You're not You're going through a hard time, but please don't say you're like job. You're not like job Nobody on face of the earth is like job other than job And read job When god speaks concerning him he begins by saying, you know, this is job. He's a righteous man. He issues evil There's nobody like him on the face of the earth. So that automatically eliminates all of us It's a righteous and a just man And yet we know the story of job He lost everything that mattered most to him. He lost his children. He lost his health. He lost his reputation All of this was lost The enemy had come before the lord and god had spoken to the enemy. We know the story of job very famous story The time when the sons of god came before him god speaks to satan satan was there amongst them Where have you been god says to him? Well, I've been going to to and fro throughout the earth What what's that mean when you read and study the book of job? It simply means I've been up to no good and god is actually saying to him given a county yourself I know you've been up to no good. Now you tell me what you've been doing Now I've been going to and fro throughout the earth. Oh, have you considered my servant job? God says to him when the word considerate is used there. Have you looked at him tried? Tried him and found some weakness in him. That's what that word considered means Have you looked at him? And tried to find some weakness in him. Have you considered my servant job? Oh, yeah, I have But you've got your hand on him But all you have to do is take all that he possesses And he will curse you to your face. Oh, really? I give you permission go and take what he has And we know he loses everything but retains his health The next time he comes before I have you considered my servant. Of course, you know But if you touch his skin Skin for skin all that a man has he will give for his skin if you touch his skin He will curse you to your face You can work him over god says But you cannot take his life The next thing you know This righteous dignified man Is sitting with a broken piece of pottery scraping his skin that is filled with pustules And he's got a wife Who approaches him and brings words of encouragement Why do you hold on to your integrity curse god and die? Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate your counsel There's so many levels of wisdom that you're giving me here It's going to take a while for me to sift through them all Then he has his friends who come And as long as they're quiet they're good counselors And then they start saying I've never seen a good person suffer like you You've obviously got some hidden sin because you've lost your health and you've lost your wealth and god knows you're supposed to be healthy and wealthy come on Confess And they all come and lay it on him and he's there saying oh how I wish I had a mediator between god and me Someone who could be my dais man somebody who could be my my advocate somebody who could plead my cause Who is referring obviously to the one who would one day be with us jesus himself the mediator that we have our advocate How I wish I had someone to plead my cause before the lord i'm not guilty I haven't done what i'm accused of And as we read the book of job he says at one point job 13 verse 15 though he slay me yet will I trust him And job 19 25 through 27 i know that my redeemer lives he shall stand at last on the earth and And after my skin is destroyed this i know that in my flesh i shall see god whom i shall see for myself My eyes shall be hold and not another how my heart yearns within me I will see him my redeemer lives Finally the lord approaches job after all the counselors finally stopped their counsel And god himself says gird yourself like a man and answered me. I've got some questions. You've been asking questions of me job Let me ask you a few And you have this amazing confrontation that the lord has with job Tell me where were you when I told the waves to stop and go no further Tell me if you know all of these things listen i have named all the stars I know them by name can you give me some of that information you who are so wise and know so much You've been questioning me. Let me question you And job finally his response. We all know it I've been foolish. I've opened my mouth I now will close my mouth. I will sit in silence. I have heard of you with the hearing of my ear But now I see you with a scene at my eye How'd that happen job? through the affliction Through god sifting me and removing things from me till the only thing that was left is him Is that what you want? He will sift you Until there's nothing left in you except for him Is that what you want When you ask for it remember he'll give it to you And you will become like him. What was jesus if he was not a wounded healer? He understood us because he was with us and his human He knows what tears are like. He wept He wept for cities like jerusalem and he wept for people like lazarus He knew what it was like to be forsaken. He knew what it was like to have friends that he worked with He poured his life into One by one Forsaking him and fleeing until it's just some women and john at at at at calvary Who went all the rest Forsook him Do you think he understands you of course he does james tells us in chapter five verse 11 we count them blessed to endure You have heard of the perseverance of job See in the end intended by the lord That the lord is very compassionate and merciful You see those who have yet to come into relationship with lord jesus christ You don't have a sure foundation And because you don't when trials and storms will hit your life you can be devastated And jesus again said their house falls and that fall is very great. It's cataclysmic That's because the foundation has been developed by experience and the experience cannot secure They're left with nothing Nothing to help them in time of need. They've gone to the broken cistern. There's no water in it You see a true disciple not only hears and agrees in theory what god says, but they hear and they do Hearing and doing is evidence of true faith in christ And we see the value of the things we've gone through though. We don't understand them Like it says in psalm 1 19 71 again, it is good for me that I've been afflicted that I might learn your statutes So jesus in verse 24 says whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them Well, their house is built on a rock When it speaks of the rock, it's a house that's built on believing and obeying god's word And believing his word includes a call to trust god in all things Psalm 42 verse 8 says the lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime and in the night his song Shall be with me And in the night All of us go through night A season of night The season of night for your soul What are you going to do father? My son who's not walking with you What are you going to do father for my wife who is just diagnosed with cancer? What are you going to do father for my dad who doesn't know you? And he's an alcoholic Lord jesus, what are you going to we do that don't you Have you had seasons of night in your life where it's just you and god It's just you and god. I raised him right I brought him to church I gave him devotions Look what they're doing. It's breaking my heart. I told you this is a heavy message But it's real But it's real I've done my best But i'm in a season of night. We can say to jesus Where is the one who gives songs in the night? We get asked But we've built our lives on a solid rock on the rock. We all go through pain. We all go through trials But when we do We can cast our cares on him for he cares for us and we can have peace and we can be secure Again, that's because we trust the one who rescues We built our lives on jesus In luke 647 and 48 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and here's my words and puts them into practice He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock When a flood came the torrent struck that house but could not shake it because it was well built So we go through struggles. Yes, we run to the one who can rescue us when we go through these struggles Psalm 62 verse 7 in god is my salvation and my glory the rock of my strength and my refuge is in god We're not immune from life's pain. We just know that god is in control and we trust him True disciples remain faithful especially in the hard times He says in verse 26 and 27 everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them Will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand the rain descended the floods came the winds blew beat on that house It fell great was its fall Not only is your life built on that which cannot sustain But the ultimate Conclusion is eternal separation from god Because you didn't build on him There's a difference building on him And not building on him Again, we go through the same kinds of things H. G. Spafford was an attorney. He was a married man. He had four daughters. He was very successful And he became wealthy One summer he sent his wife and daughters overseas on an ocean liner to spend time in europe In the middle of the voyage in mid-atlantic the ship sank In a manner of minutes his four daughters drowned His wife was spared was picked up by a french boat landed in france And from there she sent a cable to her husband All lost I alone remain What shall I do She didn't know it But after a departure for europe there was a sudden bank crash Mr. Spafford lost his wealth And in one afternoon from being a wealthy man. He became a poor one Now he received a cable saying his four precious daughters are lost at sea And how did he react? He sat down and he wrote these words When peace like a river attended my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot now has taught me to say it is well It is well with my soul That's how you can respond It is well with my soul God is in control And when jesus is speaking Now is this the kind of way you want to conclude a message? How did they respond? He's calling them Make a decision What will you build your life on? And as he says that verse 28 So it was when jesus had ended these sayings the people were astonished at his teaching He taught them as one having authority not as the scribes They were astonished the word astonished means they were Astounded they were dumbfounded by the power of what jesus was saying He was teaching with the authority of heaven and he did that with power He denounced the religious leaders. He presented a clear way to salvation He wasn't quoting other rabbis. He was the premier rabbi and he was deep and he was eloquent And as he was speaking and they listened to him They wondered at his words It's kind of like later on in john's gospel how How some officers were sent to go and arrest the lord jesus christ They said go and arrest him And they came back without the lord and so those who had sent them said where where is it? We sent you to go get them and their only response. It's recorded in john 746 the officers answered They said never has a man spoken like this man There's no way that we would take him the eloquence and the power and the authority No, there's no way it would have been totally wrong For us to take this man. Nobody ever spoke like this man His message is true. His message is powerful But they only listened And did nothing He wasn't speaking in this way to inform them. He was speaking in this way to provoke them to come to faith He didn't want them to be amazed He wanted them to obey And that Is a point of all true gospel teaching and preaching For people to come to faith in christ Two roads Two trees Two builders And the question we have to ask ourselves today Is what are we building our lives on? We're all going to go through storms some of you are in storm right now Is your life built on the rock Or is your life built on sinking sand? My life is built on the rock And I will not be shaken because of jesus christ And I pray that you can say the same thing Today you will go through pain You will go through sorrow You will go through heartbreak You will go through disappointment But look up your redemption is nigh Jesus is waiting to take you and one of these days there will be no more tears There will be no more pain. There'll be no more sickness. There'll be no more disease. There'll be no more loss Just joy just join the presence of god and you will say oh, thank you jesus for bringing me through this And that is building your life on the rock