Matthew 7:26-27

 

 

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Seemon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)

Click to enlarge
"Sermon on the Mount"
(Bloch)

Matthew 7:26  "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand (NASB: Lockman)

Greek: kai pas o akouon (PANSN) mou tous logous toutous kai me poion (PAPMSN) autous homoiothesetai (3SFPI) andri moro, ostis okodomesen (3SAAI) autou ten oikian epi ten ammon.
Amplified: And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
KJV: And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
NLT: But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  (
NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not follow them can be compared with a foolish man who built his house on sand. (
New Testament in Modern English)
Wuest:  And everyone who is hearing these words of mine and is not habitually doing them shall be likened to an imprudent man without forethought or wisdom who was of such a character that he built his house upon the sandy ground.  (
Erdmans)
Young's: 'And every one who is hearing of me these words, and is not doing them, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

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Notes

Matthew 7
Matthew 7:24-29
Matthew 7:24-29
Matthew 7
Matthew
Matthew 7:15-29
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Matthew 7:13-27 Fatal Failures of Religion Mistaken Identity
Matthew 7 Commentary
Matthew 7:24-29 How to Stand in the Storms of Life
Matthew 7
Matthew 7.24-29 The Rock
Matthew 7
Matthew Commentary
Matthew 7
Matthew 7
Matthew Audio - 101 Messages!
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:24-29: Empty Words and Empty Hearts  2

Matthew 145 Mp3 Audios - Thru the Bible

Matthew 7:24-29 A Foundation that Stands 
Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7:21-27: Profession Tested

Matthew 7
Matthew 7:24-29 On Rock or Sand?  
Matthew 7 Commentary
Matthew 7:21-29 Expository Thoughts
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:24-29: Built on the Rock
Inductive Study on Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:1-29
Matthew 7:26
Matthew 7:6-28

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand  (1 Samuel 2:30; Proverbs 14:1; Jeremiah 8:9; Luke 6:49; James 2:20)

Everyone who hears - The present tense pictures a continually hearing of Jesus' words. The implication is one can continually hear the Savior's voice through His word and His instruments of proclamation (pastors, relatives, friends, missionaries, etc) and yet refuse to truly "hearken" ("to give heed to") to His words of warning and wisdom by obeying them.

As someone has said deeds are fruit but words are leaves!

Spurgeon put it this way...

I would not give much for your religion unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine.

Jesus gave a similar admonition in His parable of the seed and sower (or "soils") teaching that...
 

the one on whom seed (the Word of God, the Gospel) was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy yet (introduces a critical contrast) he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away (Literally "is stumbled" = skandalizo = habitually is tripped up, offended or "scandalized" by the Word). (Matthew 13:20,21)

 

Comment: Note the NAS adds "firm" (You can discern this word is added by the translators because the NAS and KJV/NKJV place words not present in the original Greek sentence in italics something most other versions unfortunately don't do)  so it reads literally "no root" where "no" is the strongest Greek word (ou) to express the negative sense. This distinction makes quite a difference in one's interpretation, for a plant with no root is by definition not really a true plant, in contrast to a plant that has no firmly attached root. Jesus is not saying these individuals believe and are saved for a while and then lose their salvation. They heard the Truth of the Gospel but had no genuine "germinating" faith by which they might lay hold of true salvation. Their belief was tantamount to intellectual assent. They were professors but not possessors of belief in Christ. They liked Jesus' promises of blessing but not His requirement of belief, the genuineness of this belief being evidenced by one's supernaturally changed life. Cp "hears...and does not act")

And does not act on them - Spurgeon comments that many people...
 

know as far as the theory goes what the plan of salvation is, as well as I do. Yet, where the knowledge is the same, the ultimate result may vary; two men may be equally well instructed in the Scriptures, yet one of them may be wise and the other foolish. To know what faith is, what repentance is, what a good hope in Christ is, may all be yours, and yet it may but increase your misery forever. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. It is not the hearer, but the door of the word, that is blessed. Knowledge puffeth up; love alone buildeth up. My dear friends, I am most earnest that those of you who are desiring to find everlasting life in Christ Jesus, may not be content with anything short of a true, deep, and real work of grace in your hearts; for no clearness of head knowledge, no natural earnestness of purpose or eagerness of desire can save you; without an interest in Christ Jesus you are lost to all eternity. “Ye must be born again;” ye must be brought into vital union with the living Savior, or your hopefulness will end in overwhelming destruction.

James addressed his critical concern regarding hearers who failed to be doers commanding his readers to...
 

prove (present imperative = make this your continual practice - read the Word, then do the Word!) yourselves doers (poietes ~ "performers", "poets") of the word, and not merely hearers (akroates = those who sit passively and listen like a student who audits a class but is not held accountable for what they hear! Jesus says we are accountable when we hear!) who delude (present tense = continually ; paralogizomai from pará = beside + logizomai = exercise one’s reason >> literally reasoning beside the truth) themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror 24 for once he has looked (Literally = Put his mind down on indicating attention and continuous observation) at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten (completely forgot, literally hidden upon [one's mind]) what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently (parakupto from pará = beside + kúpto = bend, stoop >> literally stooping sideways in order to see something exactly) at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer ("auditor") but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. (James 1:22-26)

Spurgeon explains that...
 

If any soul will be lost emphatically, it is he who has been for years a hearer only, a hearer where thousands have be­lieved unto eternal life. Over the cell of such a man write, "He knew his duty, but he did it not," and that cell will be built in the very center of Gehenna. It is the innermost prison of hell. Willful rejection of Christ ensures woeful rejection from Christ

Built on sand - Homeowners who have foundation problems find that these can be quietly costly. How much more eternally costly for those whose spiritual lives prove to have  been built on the wrong foundation!

Arthur Pink writes that these "hearers"
 

bring their bodies to the house of prayer but not their souls; they worship with their mouths, but not “in spirit and in truth.” They are sticklers for immersion or early morning communion, yet take no thought about keeping their hearts with all diligence. They boast of their orthodoxy; but disregard the precepts of Christ. Multitudes of professing Christians abstain from external acts of violence, yet hesitate not to rob their neighbors of a good name by spreading evil reports against them. They contribute regularly to the “pastor’s salary,” but shrink not from misrepresenting their goods and cheating their customers, persuading themselves that “business is business.” They have more regard for the laws of man than those of God, for His fear is not before their eyes.

 

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On Rock Or Sand? -  Japan's second-largest airport is sinking into the ocean. When Kansai International near Osaka was constructed on an artificial island, designers and builders knew that it would settle. They built hydraulic jacks into the structures to correct any tilt that occurred. But during its first 6 years, several key portions of the airport have reached or exceeded their 50-year sinking projection. They say there is no reason to be alarmed, but local residents are not so sure.

Most of us will never design or build an airport, but we are all in the process of constructing a life. There is no more crucial decision than choosing the foundation upon which we build.

Jesus used the metaphor of building on sand to describe the person who hears His words but does not put them into practice. "The floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house," Jesus said, "and it fell. And great was its fall" (Matthew 7:27). Merely hearing what Jesus says is not enough.

In contrast, Jesus likened the person who hears and keeps His teachings to a wise man who builds his house on the rock (see note
Matthew 7:24). Not even the fiercest storm can bring it down.

Solid rock or sinking sand? On what foundation are we choosing to build today? —D C McCasland (
Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

 

If you want life's truest treasures
Do not build on sinking sand;
Build upon the
Rock of Ages ,
Trust in God's almighty hand. —Jarvis

 

With God's word as your foundation,
you can build a godly life.

 

Matthew 7:27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell --and great was its fall.". (NASB: Lockman)

Greek: kai katebe (3SAAI) e broche kai elthon (3PAAI) oi potamoi kai epneusan (3PAAI) oi anemoi kai prosekoyan (3PAAI) te oikia ekeine, kai epesen, (3SAAI) kai en (3SIAI) e ptosis autes megale.
Amplified: And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
KJV: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
NLT:  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash. (
NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: Down came the rain and up came the floods, while the winds blew and battered that house till it collapsed, and fell with a great crash. (
New Testament in Modern English)
Wuest:  And the violent rainstorm came down and the torrents came, and the winds blew and rushed upon and beat against that house, and it fell, and its downfall was great. (
Erdmans)
Young's: and the rain did descend, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.'

The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall (Mt 12:43-45; 13:19-22; Ezekiel 13:10-16; 1 Corinthians 3:13; Hebrews 10:26-31; 2 Peter 2:20-22)

Spurgeon writes...

Even if you live to the world, or live unto Satan, you will not live without trial. The ungodly, who have their portion in this life, have to eat some bitter herbs with it, and have to dip their morsel in vinegar quite as much as believers do. “The floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;

I have no doubt that many slips and falls and apostasies of those professing to be true believers are due to the fact that they were not right at the first. Their foundations were always upon the sand (see Matthew 7:26–27). So, it was no more than might have been expected when their houses fell down at last. A flaw in the foundation is pretty sure to be followed by a crack in the superstructure.

The real foundation of our life is usually hidden, and is only proven in the storm. Don't fear or be discouraged by testings God allows into your life to bring you forth as precious pure gold!

 

Spurgeon writes that...

 

The fall was so great because he could never build again.

 

Wiersbe observes that...

 

A false profession will last until judgment comes. Sometimes this judgment is in the form of the trials of life. Like the person who received the seed of God’s Word into a shallow heart (Matt. 13:4-9), the commitment fails when the testing comes. Many people have professed faith in Christ, only to deny their faith when life becomes spiritually costly and difficult (Ed note: In Mt 13:20-21 Jesus explains that "the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.")...Those who have trusted Christ, and have proved their faith by their obedience will have nothing to fear. Their house is founded on the Rock, and it will stand. But those who have professed to trust Christ, yet who have not obeyed God’s will, will be condemned. 

 

How shall we test our profession of faith? By popularity? No, for there are many on the broad road to destruction. And there are many who are depending on words, saying “Lord, Lord”—but this is no assurance of salvation. Even religious activities in a church organization are no assurance. How then shall we judge ourselves and others who profess Christ as Saviour?


The two ways tell us to examine the cost of our profession. Have we paid a price to profess faith in Christ? The two trees tell us to investigate whether our lives have really changed. Are there godly fruits from our lives? And the two houses remind us that true faith in Christ will last, not only in the storms of life, but also in the final judgment. (
Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

 

Mark in the parable of the seed and soils writes that...

 

"And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises (cf "rain...floods...winds") because of the word, immediately they fall away." (Mark 4:16-17)

 

As Bengel has remarked on the end of Jesus' sermon...

 

“Thus it is not necessary for every sermon to end with consolation.”

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