The message that you hear today does not come from this preacher. If the message came only from a man, a preacher, then it would have no value. The message that we're going to hear today comes directly from Jesus, for our Savior. He was not just a great Rabbi, a great Teacher, but He taught as "one having authority" because He has all authority. Jesus Christ our Savior is Very God of Very God. He is the one Who, after paying the penalty for our sins on that terrible Cross, ascended to the right hand of God the Father. It is He who said in the Book of Revelation:

(Revelation 21:5-6 KJV) "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. {6} And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Our Jesus taught with authority, for He is THE Authority. He is the Beginning of all things, and the End of all things. Jesus presents two different pictures to us today, two different builders, two different houses, and two different outcomes. Let's look at the three "truths for today" that we can find in this Blessed Scripture.

1. The Bible Says That We Are All Houses

Our Lord Jesus uses the "house" of a man as the subject of His teaching. That's an interesting word, "house". The Bible uses the word "house" in several ways. Of course, "house" means a place of residence, a place where you live or work. God calls a family a house. He told Noah:

(Genesis 7:1 KJV) "... Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."

God calls the Church, when it is assembled to worship, the house of God:

(1 Timothy 3:15 KJV) "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

God calls each person a house, and, if you know Jesus as Savior, when this earthly house dissolves we will go to the eternal house of God, Heaven:

(2 Corinthians 5:1 KJV) "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

Let's focus on that last statement, for we are all houses. That is, what I see is the house of your soul. You see, the soul is the real you, that part of you which makes you - you! The outside, of flesh and blood and bone, that's not you. The outside is the house. The house is what God formed when He first made Adam of the dust of the ground:

(Genesis 2:7 KJV) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground ... ."

Man's outside is made of dust, of dirt, of red clay. If you took the raw chemicals found in the human body and sold them, you would barely make a hundred dollars at today's prices. The outside is just dirt, just dirt. But now the inside, this is the precious thing. It is that which the Bible says:

(Genesis 2:7 KJV) "And the LORD God ... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

We watch the outside, the house so much that we sometimes begin to think that we ourselves age. No Beloved, we do not age. Our bodies age, our houses age ... but our souls never age. Our houses may die, but our souls never die. The Bible says:

(Matthew 10:28 KJV) "... fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ... "

We are all inside of houses, bodies, that grow old and die. Houses that wear out. Houses that change with time, houses that age. Houses that go through trials.

2. The Bible Says That All Houses Go Through Storms

Just as sure as we are all houses, that our bodies house our souls, everyone of us go through storms. Our houses are effected by storms, so we need to be careful that we build our houses on the right foundation.

The wise man built his house on a good foundation, whereas the foolish man built his house on poor foundation. I am sure that both houses looked wonderful from the outside. Or it is possible that the house that withstood the terrible storm looked shabbier, worst, maybe it wasn't as pretty as the house that fared poorly. You see, Jesus didn't mention anything about how the outside of the house looked, He was completely absorbed with the foundation of the house.

The foundation of the house is important. The foundation of any house is important. Every year hundreds of houses in California slide off of the mountains they are on, slide right down to destruction. Why? Because the house was built on a beautiful spot, but the foundation, the place where the house was built, was poor. There was too much soil and not enough rock under the house. It looked beautiful, for a while. There were spectacular views from the porch of the house. As the owner dined with his family, they looked out and saw the world stretched out before them. The world was at their feet, beautiful, shining, lovely. I heard of one house in Hawaii that was built near a beautiful mountain, a place where a volcano lay dormant. Then one day it happened. In California the rains came, saturating the ground, and the houses slid off the mountain. In Hawaii the dormant volcano came to life, and the owners watched - helplessly - as the lava slowly oozed and rolled over their precious abode. The foundation of the house is important.

Where the house is built is just as important as what the house is built on. Ask those who owned houses on flood plains when the Mississippi overran its banks a few years ago. I and my family drove through Saint Louis, Missouri, when the floods hit a few years ago. Water was nearly up over the highway at places. Houses floated down rivers. Stop signs were covered with water in places. It was a frightening time.

Our house must be built on the right foundation. Our lives must be built on the right foundation. Our Jesus said:

Therefore whosoever heareth<Present Active Indicative akouo {pronounced ak-oo’-o}, to keep on attentively hearing, applied doctrinal teaching from Jesus> these sayings<logos {pronounced log’Os}, word> of mine, and doeth<poieo {pronounced poy-eh’-o}, Present Active Indicative, keeps on doing> them, I will liken<Future Active Indicative homoioo {pronounced hom-oy-o’-o}, compare him to> him unto a wise<phronimos {pronounced fron’EE-MOs}, prudent> man, which built his house<oikia {pronounced oy-kee’-ah}, house, wealth. Goods, property> upon a rock ...

Jesus said "whosoever keeps on hearing and applying these words of mine". That's the literal translation of the text from the Greek New Testament. The person who perseveres in hearing Jesus' words, and applying these words to his house (his body), his house (his family), and his house (the Church) then that person is built on solid ground. The foolish builder is the person who sat and heard the words but did nothing with them once they heard them.

There is something fascinating in the original text of our Scripture that I'd like to share with you. When you read the text in the King James you see that Jesus assumes the same truth for both the wise and the foolish man: both of their houses went through a storm. Here's what is said about the wise man's house:

Matthew 7:25 "And the rain descended<Second Aorist Active Indicative>, and the floods came<Second Aorist Active Indicative>, and the winds blew<Second Aorist Active Indicative>, and beat upon<prospipto {pronounced pros-pip’-to}, Second Aorist Active Indicative> that house; and it fell not<pipto {pronounced pip’-to}, Second Aorist Active Indicative + me {pronounced may}, it fell down, went from a high place to a low place: for it was founded upon a rock."

Here is what Jesus said about the foolish man's house:

"Matthew 7:27 And the rain descended<Second Aorist Active Indicative>, and the floods came<Second Aorist Active Indicative>, and the winds blew<Aorist Active Indicative>, and beat upon<proskopto {pronounced pros-kop’-to}, Aorist Active Indicative, to be stumbled over, to strike against a stone or other obstacle in the path> that house; and it fell<pipto {pronounced pip’-to}, Second Aorist Active Indicative, it fell down, went from a high place to a low place>: and great<megas {pronounced meg’-as}, great, loud> was the fall of it."

The first part of Matthew 7:25 and 7:27 are worded, in the King James, exactly the same. However there is a vast difference in the Greek text from which our King James is translated. When Jesus spoke of the wise man's house, He said that the storms prospipto {pronounced pros-pip’-to}, savagely beat at the house, but the house did not pipto, it did not fall. The house was beaten terribly - but it was founded on the Word of God. The house was expected to be destroyed, so great was the storm - but it was founded on Jesus Christ and what He teaches. As the song goes:

The anchor holds, though the ship is battered;
The anchor holds, though the sails are torn -
I have fallen on my knees, In the midst of a raging sea
The anchor holds, in spite of the storm!

As it was with the early Apostles:

(2 Corinthians 4:6-10 KJV) "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. {7} But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. {8} We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; {9} Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; {10} Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."

If we have listened to and applied that which Jesus keeps on saying (for it never goes out of style) then we are battered but never destroyed. The storms of life strike, and strike terribly - but we are never defeated.

What of the man who does NOT both hear and apply the Words - the LOGOS - of Jesus? He fares a lot worst. Jesus says of the foolish man that the storms of life proskopto {pronounced pros-kop’-to}, roll across his path and he stumbles over them. Proskopto is a much less severe reference to a storm. It is a pebble in the path that is tripped over, a small thing that should not have brought a terrible end. In short, the foolish man who builds his house on any foundation but the applied word of Jesus, this man will fall over the smaller matters that the wise man would not even notice.

My Beloved, it all comes down to occupation with Christ. If you have any boasting, any glorying, let it be that you know and lift up Jesus:

(Jeremiah 9:23-24 KJV) "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: {24} But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."

Though we are IN this world, we who know Jesus occupy our minds with Him, and fill our very selves with service to Him:

(Ephesians 4:17-20 KJV) "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, {18} Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {19} Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. {20} But ye have not so learned Christ;"

Just as Abraham believed God and, by faith, became the friend of God (James 2:23), the wise man occupies himself with the things of Christ. Though the outside of the house may be battered, may age, may be infirm or crippled, the house built on Christ and His Word has a mighty foundation. It is a house built on God! The wise man, occupied with Christ, sets His mind on things above:

(Colossians 3:1-2 KJV) "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. {2} Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

When we not only hear, but apply and do the things that Jesus teaches in His Word, then the small trials of this life will go unnoticed - whereas the larger trials, though they will certainly be noticed - will not defeat us. The house will stand, for our Savior stands.

I heard Adrian Rodgers give the following story, and it applies - so I'll use it, but credit it to him. He said that a young boy had put a horse up for sale, and a man called to find out what kind of horse it was. The boy said, "I don't know what kind of horse it is - it's a black horse". The man asked, "Is it a show horse?" The boy said, "No, it's not a show horse". The man persisted, and asked "Is it a fast horse?" The boy said, "No, the horse isn't very fast". The man, exasperated, said "Well, what can the horse do?" The boy replied, "He's not very fast, but he can stand fast".

If we build our houses on Jesus' word - if we read, study, and keep His Word. If we do the things He asks us to do. If we - not for show - stand fast on that which Jesus has told us to do - then we shall overcome the trials of this life. But we must stand fast.

3. What Lasts Is What We Cannot Now See

(Psalms 127:1 KJV) "Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

As we go through our weeks, our months, our years - time slips by. Day passes into day. I often look around me and wonder where the time has gone. A few more gray hairs. I little more long in the tooth. My grandparents and my middle son are all with Jesus. My wife and I celebrate out 25th anniversary this week.

Time passes.

(James 4:14 KJV) "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

The things we do for Jesus, the things we do IN Jesus, these are the things that will last. If your eternal life is vested in Jesus, then you will never see that OTHER place:

(John 3:16-18 KJV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. {17} For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. {18} He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

The other day I sat in a lawyer's office and heard a family talking to one another. The parents talked of people they hated, of gambling, of parties and things they were going to do. The children listened quietly. Seed was being planted that day in the fertile minds of these children. We truly will reap what we sow. If we, as parents and grandparents and great grandparents - if we, as Christians decide to both hear and apply the Words of Jesus - then we will make a difference in our own houses. Not just in the house of our bodies, but also in our households.

The choice where we build is up to us. Build carefully, lest the fall of that house be ever so great. Build correctly, and when this house dissolves - you will have a house in Heaven that fades not away. Choose life – choose Jesus. Just as you have accepted Him as Savior, cast your every thought, every hope, every trial on Him.

And He will give you rest.