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Sovereignty of Jesus, Lesson #2
Builder of the House / Hebrews 3.1 – 6; Matthew 7.24 - 29

Good Questions Have Groups Talking
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OPEN

What is your name and where is your house? Where do you live?

DIG

1.      Hebrews 3.1 – 6. Let’s read this section. How would you summarize its message?

Having established the superiority of Christ to the angels and having sustained the point by a lengthy discussion of the significance of the incarnation, the author now turns to the superiority of Jesus to Moses, and by implication the superiority of Jesus to the law. Given the commitments of Jewish readers—for whom Moses and the law are of central importance—the argument is astonishingly bold, and the conclusions to which it eventually leads in chapter 8 are not easy ones, even for Christian Jews. Again the specific background of the readers is in view and especially the strong temptation that they were apparently experiencing to return to the faith of their fathers. — Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 59.

2.      What application(s) do you find in this passage. There can be several right answers.

In 2:1, the writer warned Christians not to “drift away” from their faith. This verse gives a command that will help believers keep from drifting: Think about this Jesus. This command comes from a strong Greek verb meaning “to give thoughtful and diligent reflection. Hebrews calls Jesus God’s Messenger and High Priest. Jesus was sent as God’s representative. God sent Jesus to earth as a Messenger; Jesus returned to heaven as our High Priest (a role introduced in 2:17–18). He came delivering God’s message to people; he returned bringing people back to God. Jesus now serves as the mediator between people and God (a theme developed in 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). These words would have been especially meaningful to Jewish Christians. — Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 1018.

3.      What does it mean to fix your thoughts on Jesus? How do you fix your thoughts on Jesus? What good things come to those who fix their thoughts on Jesus?

As the writer is urging his readers to persevere to the end he uses the faithfulness of Jesus as the key inspiration (v. 6). It is a valuable exercise deliberately to keep our gaze on the Jesus of the Gospels. He had a unique life and work but we too have a heavenly calling (v. 1), and as he was sent into the world as ‘apostle and high priest’ (v. 1), so we too are sent (compare John 20:21) and need to keep looking in the right direction for inspiration. The powerful incentive for the Christian servant is to remember that the unique Son became a willing servant in fulfilling his earthly ministry (Mark 10:45). In that remarkable drama of Jesus washing his rebellious disciples’ feet, the real punchline is John 13:13–14: ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.’ He is claiming his rightful position as Master and Lord, even when doing the job of a slave, thus abolishing all status-seeking in the kingdom of God and transforming the whole concept of service. — Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 23.

4.      What does “house” mean in this passage?

The word “house” means either “a place to live” or “a people.” In 2 Samuel 7, David prayed, “I want to build You a house, a temple.”

“No, David,” God replied through the prophet Nathan. “You can’t build Me a house because you’re a man of war. But I’m going to build you a house, a family from which will come Messiah.” Thus, we see in the Scriptures “house” used both ways. Here we read Moses was faithful in his house—that is, to the people to whom he ministered. — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1460.

5.      Verse 1 says that Jesus is an apostle. What does this tell us about Jesus? What is an apostle?

He is the apostle. There are many apostles, but Jesus is the supreme Apostle, sent by God. Only here in the NT is Jesus so called. He is indeed both the apostle and high priest whom we confess. That is, the objective truth that we profess as Christians has been delivered by Jesus as apostle and accomplished by Jesus as high priest. Jesus as the one sent by God represents God to humanity; Jesus as high priest represents humanity to God. Jesus is therefore God’s revelation and makes possible human response. He is, as the author will describe him later, even if in a different connection (8:6; 9:15; 12:24), well qualified to be the “mediator” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5). — Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 59.

6.      What do we learn about Moses from this passage?

Few people in Scripture had these three roles: prophet, priest, and leader. Moses was one such man, honored by the Jews. Moses served faithfully and was entrusted with God’s entire house (see also Numbers 12:7). Moses’ life and writings attest to his faithfulness. To the Jewish people, Moses was a great hero; he had led their ancestors, the Israelites, from Egyptian bondage to the border of the Promised Land. He was the prophet through whom God had given the law, and he had written the first five books of the Old Testament. God’s entire house most likely refers to God’s chosen people, among whom Moses exercised his ministry. Moses had served God faithfully, and the writer of Hebrews honored Moses by comparing him to Jesus, who was faithful to God, who appointed him. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage; Christ leads us out of bondage to sin. Both were faithful to the work God gave them to do. — Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 1018.

7.      What do Moses and Jesus have in common? How are they different?

Moses was a human servant; Jesus is worthy of greater honor as the central figure of faith because Jesus is God himself. Although Moses faithfully served in God’s house (among God’s people) and deserved credit for his work, Jesus deserves far more glory because he created that house and possesses the glory of God himself (1:3). Moses worked within the house, but Christ oversees the house.

The Jewish Christians respected Moses as one of God’s greatest messengers. In order to show that Christ was superior to the old covenant, the writer both compared and contrasted Jesus and Moses. Because of Moses’ faithfulness, he is worthy of great honor. But Jesus is worthy of greater honor. Even the great leader Moses is nowhere near being Christ’s equal. Through Moses, lawgiver and leader, God gave the old covenant. But it was merely a shadow of what was coming (10:1). Moses was an intermediary, the people’s leader and intercessor (see Exodus 32:11; Numbers 14:13); he could not save the people’s souls. Jesus enacted the new covenant, whereby salvation could be offered to all who believe. — Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 1018.

8.      Matthew 7.24 – 29. What do these two men have in common. Let’s make a list. What makes them different?

Here is the familiar story of two men building houses. Both men used the same material. Both built in the same geographical location. But one man’s house stood while the other man’s house collapsed. The difference was in the foundations. One built on the rock, the other on the sand. In Palestine, all land becomes parched in the summer, causing even the sandy and unstable areas to appear rock-solid. The true test doesn’t come until the rain falls. Jesus here is saying, “Be careful where you build your house. Build on something tried and true. Build upon the Rock.” — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 44.

9.      Read for application. What is the application of this passage?

Who is the one who builds his house upon the rock? The one who hears the Words of the Lord and does them. Who is the one who builds on the sand? The one who hears His Words but doesn’t do them.

One of the great dangers for we who love the Scriptures is to think hearing is equivalent to doing. You might say tonight, “Yeah, I agree with the teaching Jesus gave on judging. I shouldn’t judge. I need to show mercy. Right on.” But if you leave here and immediately turn to someone and start gossiping or analyzing, judging or critiquing, you’re foolish, and your house will collapse.

We have such need to hear these words of Jesus because Bible students are in great danger of being foolish men who erroneously conclude that because they are hearing the truth and agreeing with the truth, they are automatically practicing the truth. The wise man not only hears Jesus’ words but also puts them into practice. And his house stands when the storm comes. — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 44.

10.  Why do bad things happen to good people? What does this passage say about this? What does the Bible as a whole say?

When a Congressman was killed in a plane crash after researching United States assistance in the Ethiopian famine, the words of the minister conducting his memorial service caught my attention. “Why good people experience tragedy, I can’t say,” he said. “Why bad things happen to good people, I don’t know.”

This statement has been stirring in my mind for some time now. Why do bad things happen to good people? Are there no answers? Whether concerning lives lost in Ethiopia, or your own situation of the past week or two, people always ask the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? A few years ago, a best-selling book was entitled just that: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. The author concluded there are no real answers, even as the minister said there are no easy answers. I suggest to you, however, that there is a profoundly simple answer to this question. It is this: There are no good people.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.      Romans 3:10–12

You see, the world thinks, “I’m Okay, you’re Okay.” But regardless of what psychologists tell us, this just isn’t so, for those who look to worldly understandings and explanations miss the central truth: There are no good people. So the real question is not “Why do bad things happen to good people?” but “Why do good things happen to bad people?”

You might have had a bad day or a terrible time this last month or two. But what we deserve is to live in terror, in tragedy, in difficulty every day of our lives because there is none that is good, no, not one. — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 53–54.

11.  Why do good things happen to bad people?

“Why, then,” we sometimes wonder, “are good things happening to those people who live next to me? They’re not in church today; they’re out on the lake water-skiing. Yet they get the raises and promotions. Why do good things happen to them?”

The first verse my kids learned was Psalm 73:1, “God is good,” followed by 1 John 4:16, “God is love,” because I’m convinced that the first concepts we should teach our kids are the goodness and the love of God. He is a loving Father who causes His sun to rise on the just and on the unjust, sending rain upon the crops of the good and on the evil (Matthew 5:45). God loves to bless because He is good.

I once read a quote that said, “God is the victim of bad PR, usually propagated by those who know Him.” Too often, believers and unbelievers alike generate the false idea that, although God occasionally does a good thing, He’s basically mean. We hear sermons and testimonies to that effect, saying, “God got my attention when He broke my legs and took away my house and caused me to go bankrupt.” That’s not Father God, that’s the Godfather!

One of the great frustrations I have in talking with unbelievers is their impression that they have to wait until their marriage is on the rocks, until their finances are crumbling, until cancer is eating them up before they will consider Christ. They think their lives have to fall apart before they turn to Jesus.

So to the person who’s skiing on the lake today, behind his power boat, beside his cabin, having left his five-thousand-square-foot house in the city, we shouldn’t say, “God’s going to get you”—but, “Hasn’t God been good to you?”

The Bible says God demonstrated His love for us all in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), but people in the world today have lost this understanding. They don’t realize that God demonstrated His love for all people when Jesus died for us, that God looked at us and desired to bless us, even while we were still sinners. Rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). The sun shines on the believer and the unbeliever because God is good. Everything He gives us is because of grace—unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. But if we don’t recognize this, if we misinterpret the source of our blessings, we become narrow, bitter, and full of sorrow.

In our text, Jesus says a day is coming when the rains will fall and the winds shall beat on the house of every man. Of what storm is He speaking? Death. The statistics are conclusive: Ten out of ten people die. Every person who has ever lived since Jesus spoke these words has built his house and done his thing until the storm came, at which point it was determined whether he had built upon the rock or upon the sand. — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 54–55.

12.  How likely is it that storms will come into our lives?

Texas isn’t the only place that knows how to throw a storm. From sea to shining sea, tempests are to be expected in our weather patterns and in our lives. Try as you might, you can’t find a picture-perfect weather spot in the world.

But do we want to? No clouds and no rain translate to no green terrain. Why, our gardens would be stubble, our trees stumps, flowers dried-up seeds, and our wells dust. Makes one want to sing, “Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.”

Clouds are typecast according to how far off the ground they are—high level, midlevel, and low level. Depending on their height, they are composed of water droplets, ice crystals, ice particles, or snow. The moisture content in the clouds, when touched by the light of the evening sun, creates the magnificent array of colors in a sunset.

That’s true of our lives as well. Clouds will blow through our neighborhoods, whether we live in Texas or Michigan. Some will be fair-weather friends, while others will pummel us with the hail of hardships and swirls of sorrow. While we may have to step through the cleanup, we know the Son will once again fill our skies with color.  —PATSY CLAIRMONT (All Cracked Up) / Various Authors, Patchwork Devotional: 365 Snippets of Inspiration, Joy, and Hope (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).

13.  Let me mis-quote this passage. See if you can catch me. I am mis-quoting the 2011 NIV: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and remembers them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.   The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.   But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not remember them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.   The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:24–27 (NIV2011)

What an amazing difference! A close look will reveal the reason one house stood and the other house fell. The first was occupied by “one who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them,” but the second was occupied by “one who hears . . . and does not act upon them.” It boiled down to choice, didn’t it? Jesus isn’t concerned with literal houses and literal rocks and sand. These are symbols of life and the choices we make that result in whether we stand or fall. If right choices are made, it’s like building our lives on a rock. They will stand the test of time. — Charles R. Swindoll, Dropping Your Guard (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009).

14.  Why is hearing and remembering not enough?

If you are only hearing and reading the truth, you are not prepared for life’s storms.

Throughout the pages of this book I have reiterated the importance of embracing truth, not just hearing it or thinking about it. In this information era it is easy for us to become fascinated by more and more words, interested in intriguing concepts—and making the process of gathering data an end in itself rather than acting upon the truth that is presented. The “foolish” builder heard everything the “wise” builder heard. The only difference was his refusal to do something about it. Small wonder Jesus frequently punctuated His remarks with the reminder “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” To listen with no plan to act—to read with no interest in responding—is to miss the whole point of Christ’s great message on the mountain. Divine truth is given not to satisfy idle curiosity, but to change lives . . . not to lull us to sleep in church, but to equip us for today and ready us for eternity. — Charles R. Swindoll, Simple Faith (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003).

15.  James 1.22 is a great cross-reference. How can listening to the Word be deceptive?

The Pharisees had an extensive and meticulous knowledge of Scripture. They revered it. They memorized it. They used it to regulate every detail of life. So why did Jesus excoriate them? Because the words were studied and not heard. For them, the Scriptures had become a book to use, not a means by which to listen to God. They isolated the book from the divine act of speaking covenantal commands and gospel promises. They separated the book from the human act of hearing that would become believing, following, and loving. Printer’s ink became embalming fluid. — REVERSED THUNDER Eugene H. Peterson, God’s Message for Each Day: Wisdom from the Word of God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004).

16.  What is the application of James 1.22? What are we to do about this passage?

Finally, live the Word as well as learn it! Strive to meditate on the meaning of each verse. Then, apply the discovered lesson, challenge, or command to your daily life: “Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22, KJV).

It isn’t the number of verses you’ve learned that counts most, but what you are doing with the ones you have memorized. I believe God would rather have a man who knows 50 verses in his heart and is living them than a man who knows 1,000 in his head and doesn’t apply them to his life.

Jim Rayburn, director of a nation-wide work among high-schoolers known as Young Life Campaign, once gave the following testimony to the practical effect of the Word in his life.

Years ago I memorized these two verses, and one morning recently they kept coming to my mind.

“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16).

“Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

For a long time I had been troubled about my attitude of heart toward another Christian brother. As the day wore on and I continued almost against my will, to meditate on these two familiar portions that were stored away in my heart through memory, I became convicted of disobedience to the Lord from these verses, and I went quickly to my Christian brother with a humble apology and complete fellowship was instantly restored. It would be impossible to compute the blessing and profit that has come from this one little instance of God using the Word that was hidden in my heart.

Carrying within the very recesses of your heart and mind the living Word of God gives the Holy Spirit, at any moment of any one of the 24 hours of the day, an opportunity to transmit the Word from the Captain of your salvation to fit your own need or the need of anyone to whom you are privileged to minister! — Ken Albert et al., Dawson Trotman: In His Own Words (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2011).

17.  Back to Matthew 7.24ff. Summarize. What does this passage teach us about abundant Christian living?

It’s interesting to me that both men in this parable heard the teachings of Jesus—but they heard it in two different ways. The first man heard, and took the teaching to heart; he not only paid attention to the words, he put them into practice, and built his life on them. Did he dodge the storm as a result?

No, he didn’t.

But when the storm came, when the rain hammered and the violent winds clawed at his home, he and his family stayed safe.

The second man also heard. He may have even said, “Well, that’s nice. That’s very inspiring. Everyone needs a little spirituality.” But then he went on with his life and his preoccupations, not putting any of those words into practice. When the same storm came thundering into his world, however, he had no defense at all. In fact, his whole life caved in.

Books like the one you hold in your hands right now can be a major source of strength in your life, as you carve time out of your day to study and consider the promises and the warnings of the Word of God. And if you will allow these pages to spur you on into a deeper study of the Word and a more faithful walk with Jesus Christ—if you put these concepts to work in the details of your life—you’ll find yourself a stronger man, a stronger woman.

No, you won’t escape the dark times. You won’t avoid the perplexities, dodge the setbacks, or shield yourself from the occasional heartbreaks. Jesus never said that you would. In fact, He clearly stated that “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). But when the storms come, they won’t sweep you away. The violent weather may assault you, it may push and pull you, it may even make you weep.

But it will never defeat you.

You have the Lord’s own word on that. — Greg Laurie, For Every Season, Volume Three (Dana Point, CA: Kerygma Publishing—Allen David Books, 2011).

18.  What difference has the Rock beneath you made when you went through the storms of life?

We looked at this Scripture earlier, but as we consider it again, I want to ask this question: Is your marriage built on the rock…or are you on the rocks? If you have built on Christ the Rock and the timeless counsel of God’s Word, your marriage will withstand those inevitable tests and storms of life.

Our marriage weathered the worst storm ever several years ago, when our 33-year-old son Christopher suddenly left for heaven after a car crash.

It broke my heart to see my wife trying to cope with this terrible, devastating event. Cathe loved Christopher, and had a very close relationship with him. It was difficult enough for me to deal with my own pain, but it was that much more agonizing to see my wife plunged into grief and mourning.

Through it all, however, I have seen qualities in Cathe’s life that just blow my mind. I always knew she was a woman of God; she is Proverbs 31 right down the line. I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t mean it. She has been a tremendous example to me, through all the days of grief and healing.

Sometimes I wonder (if only for a minute), What would it be like if we didn’t have the Lord? What if we didn’t have the hope of reunion in heaven? How could we have ever dealt with this? How could we have survived? Even with the Lord, it’s been very difficult. But through it all, our marriage has grown stronger than ever been before. Why? Because it is built on the Rock, and God has given us strength.

Yes, we try to live out these principles that God has given us in His Word. Do we do it perfectly? No, and I’m the first to admit that. But we’re always working at it, applying ourselves—and really, that’s a key right there.

We do work at it. We do cry out to God for His strength and wisdom.

And if you do the same, your marriage will stand…no matter what. — Greg Laurie, Married. Happily.: Secrets to a Great Marriage (Dana Point, CA: Kerygma Publishing—Allen David Books, 2011).

19.  What do want to recall from today’s study?

20.  How can we support one another in prayer this week?