Rock Bottom: Foundation
Yesterday we studied together Jesus’ teaching at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the Parable of the Builders found in Matthew 7:24-29. This week, we had the chance to think about the choice we have that gets lived out in the countless choices we make day in and day out as we live this life. Do we trust and put into the practice our human “wisdom” or do we trust and practice the wisdom of Jesus?
Leadership author Max DePree talks about how our beliefs shape our practices, or in other words if you want to know what someone truly believes you just need to examine their practices. Jesus tells us that in order to be like the wise builder who built his house upon solid rock, we must not just hear his wisdom and say we believe in it, but actually put it into practice as we live our lives as well. This is how we cultivate a foundation that helps us withstand the inevitable storms of life that come our way. This is true for us as individuals, but Jesus was also speaking to the collective as well. The choice is ours. Will we be a people who trusts in human wisdom and the kingdoms of our world, or will we be people who truly puts our trust in Jesus’ wisdom so that we might be part of the Kingdom of the Skies, God’s Kingdom in the here and now?
When Jesus speaks of “these words of mine” in our parable he is referencing the Sermon on the Mount that is found in the chapters before our text today (Matthew 5-7). Here are resources Pastor Clare used on Sunday, some of which provide you a way to spend more time reflecting upon that wisdom. You could use either video series from the Bible Project to dive deeper into the Sermon on the Mount as you seek to both hear those words of Jesus and put them into practice in your life.
Scripture - Matthew 7:24-29 - our primary text for Sunday that is the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount that includes Matthew 5-7.
Richard Beaton’s Commentary on Matthew 7:21-29 that includes the references to Max DePree’s work.
The Bible Project has two different Video series on the Sermon on the Mount that Pastor Clare used as resources in her sermon yesterday.
Sermon on the Mount Video Series - This video series seeks to provide an overview on the Sermon and unpack its wisdom. Pastor Clare used clips from both the first and last video in her sermon yesterday.
Sermon on the Mount Visual Commentary Series - This is an excellent series that provides a chance to dig into the text of many of the main passages from the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Clare quoted and used images from the final video in the series about the Parable of the Builders on Sunday.