Doing What We Know We Should Do – Matthew 7:24-29

Procrastination. We’ve all experienced it. We know we should be doing this thing that will benefit us, but somehow the reward doesn’t seem real enough or critical enough to move us. There are tons of self-help gurus out there trying to tell us how to overcome our habit of procrastinating because it is a big problem for so many of us.

Jesus knows that at the heart of procrastination is more than just an inability to manage our emotions. When it comes to applying his sermon to our lives we are sin-bent on running the other way. But he makes the appeal to us anyway. God always appeals to us, to our own self-interest, we might say. There are reasons and rewards, Jesus is telling us, for following his teaching.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:24-29 ESV)

Jesus finishes with an appeal for application.  There is great security in being a follower of his and his kingdom.  Life will beat hard against every life on this planet but only someone whose life has the solid foundation of kingdom righteousness will be able to withstand the onslaught.  Only God’s loving righteousness enables us to navigate relationships with health and wisdom, or helps us deal with enemies without destroying ourselves, or gives us direction for handling Satan’s tactics, or guides us when it comes to making judgments.  To fail to live by what Jesus has taught is to set yourself up for ruin spiritually.

Jesus knows our great weakness. We can say and think, wow, what an amazing and true teaching, but then put off doing anything about it. This is at the heart of our foolishness. So he urges us not to take the easy way. It is easy to find a pleasant place and slap a home together without concern for sturdiness. But the right way is hard, finding the right rock-solid foundation for our home and building with permanence in mind. We should be the wise person, not the fool.

Jesus ends the sermon with a stunned crowd.  They were not used to hearing such authoritative teaching.  Moses had preached the Law in Deuteronomy, and here was the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-22) whom God had raised up.  Here was the servant of Yahweh who would deliver Israel (Isaiah 49:1-6).  Here was the Father’s love expressed in instruction.  As one of the Pharisee’s enforcers reported, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46).

What will we do with this message?  Are we the wise or foolish person?