Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 1, 2008
The Rev. Charles Henrickson
Location, Location, Location (Matthew 7:24-27)
Real estate agents will tell you there are three
things that determine the value of a house: 1)
location; 2) location; and 3) location. That old line
may be somewhat exaggerated, but the point is clear
enough: Location is extremely important in
determining value. Where a house is located can make
a huge difference in its value.
Now if that saying about location, location,
location is true of the physical houses we build, how
much more important is it when we talk about the
spiritual house that everyone builds for him or
herself. Where you build makes a huge difference, the
difference between life and death. The location that
will mean life for you is the rock-solid foundation of
Jesus words. Any other place you choose to
build--all other ground is sinking sand.
Our text is from the Holy Gospel for today, Jesus
parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders: 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.
The wise man built his house on the rock. The foolish
man built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the
floods came, and the winds blew, and in the end there
was only one house that was still standing, the house
built on the rock.
Now notice several things in this story. Both men
build a house. Its not that one man builds and the
other man doesnt. Both build. No difference there.
And there is no difference indicated in the type of
structure or the outward appearance of the two houses.
Both may have looked just the same, just as fine, on
the outside. Nor is there any difference in the types
of adversities that come against the two houses. The
same rain, the same floods, and the same winds beat
against both. No, the only difference mentioned is
that the wise man built on rock and the foolish man
built on sand. Location, location, location made all
the difference.
What then does this parable mean? It is assumed from
the outset that everyone is going to build a house.
And its true. Everyone does build his house, the
house of his life, upon something. The question,
though, is this: What are you building it on? On
rock or on sand?
Whatever you build your life on is really your god.
Luther explains this in the Large Catechism, under the
First Commandment: What is it to have a god? Or,
what is ones god? Answer: To whatever we look for
any good thing and for refuge in every need, that is
what is meant by god. To have a god is nothing else
than to trust and believe in him from the heart. . . .
If your faith and confidence are of the right kind,
then your God is the true God. If, on the other hand,
your trust is false, if it is misdirected, then you do
not have the true God. . . . To whatever you give your
heart and entrust your being, that, I say, is really
your God.
So everyone has a god of some sort. Everyone
builds a house, to return to the imagery of our
story. Whether or not it is the true God, whether you
are building your house on the firm foundation--that
is the question, thats what makes the difference
between standing and falling.
The houses that people build may not be all that
different in their outward appearance. The life of
the hypocrite and the life of the true Christian may
look fairly similar in some respects. Thats the
point of a hypocrite, after all--he looks like the
real deal. The Pharisees whole aim in life was to
look good before men. So they worked at it. They
made a good show. Their house looked good from the
outside. But appearances can be deceiving. Imagine a
magnificent, multimillion-dollar house overlooking the
ocean on Malibu beach. You wouldnt know by looking
at it that ultimately its going to be worthless. You
wont know that until the waves come and wash it away,
and it crashes and crumbles like a house of cards.
Looking good on the outside is not all there is. Once
I read an article about the many houses built by the
famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Gorgeous,
beautiful houses. Striking in their appearance, way
ahead of their time. But what doesnt get noticed,
until you look at them more closely, is what bad shape
theyre in. They looked good for a while, for a
number of years even. But over the passing decades,
they havent stood up very well. Roofs are leaking.
Gaps have developed in the walls and windows, large
enough for mice to run in. The Frank Lloyd Wright
houses now take more money to maintain every year than
they took to build in the first place. The house may
look good on the outside, but will it hold up over
time?
That leads us back to our parable and to the
afflictions that come against the houses that the two
men built. And those afflictions are no different.
The same rain, floods, and winds hit both houses.
They test severely the roof, foundation, and walls of
each house. And its not a question of if; its a
question of when. Its only a matter of time before
the storms of life hit each one of us. Everyone
suffers afflictions--financial setbacks, bad health,
personal tragedies of all sorts. Sometimes all it
takes is one of these to expose our faulty foundation,
and the person recognizes this and repents and
re-locates to Christ, the only solid rock. But some
people manage to escape most of the afflictions of
this life. They think they are immune to the rain,
floods, and winds, and so grow smug and self-secure.
What they dont realize is that there is one
affliction no one will escape, and that is death. And
after death comes the judgment. How will they be able
to stand on the Day of Judgment, when they stand
before almighty God? How about you? What have you
been building on? What is the foundation for your
house? Will it stand the test?
Now there are plenty of spiritual real estate agents
in this world who will tell you where to build your
house. Theyre busy trying to sell you one of their
building sites. But the problem is, theyre located
in the sand. The sand is easy to build on, you know.
Its lower down than the rock, its easy to get to,
and lots of other people are building there. What are
some of these sand-sites? Lets call them by name.
Theres Pleasure Valley: Life is a beach; fun is the
name of the game. Theres Greenback Acres: Money is
the root of all happiness; more and more stuff is the
goal. Another sand-site is Good Works Courts: If I
think of myself as basically a good person, and I do
works that look good and that people praise and that
make me feel good about myself, then God must be
pleased with me. And then theres Church Estates, a
deceptively sandy site, because the person living
there builds near the rock, but not quite on it. He
goes to church, perhaps out of some sense of duty, but
he doesnt actually build his life on Christ and the
gospel.
So where are you going to build? On the sand or on
the rock? What is it to build on the rock? Its not
just that you come to church and let the sound waves
hit your ears. Notice what Jesus says about each of
the builders. He starts out in each case by saying,
everyone who hears these words of mine. Both the
wise man and the foolish man hear the words of Jesus.
But for the foolish man, thats as far as it goes: In
one ear and out the other. No connection to heart and
life. Everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not do them. . . . The words of Jesus do not
become the foundation for that mans life. However,
the sensible thing, the wise thing, is to do something
with the words of Jesus: Believe them, trust in them,
build your life on them, these life-giving words of
Jesus.
These words of mine, Jesus says. Who it is that is
saying them--namely, Jesus--thats what makes them
life-giving words and the only firm foundation for
your life. Listen to his words: Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied. And so we realize we have no
righteousness of our own to count on, but we rely
instead on Christ to give us what we need. These too
are the words of Jesus: Come to me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus
gives us rest from the load of the law, for he took
our guilt on himself and bore our punishment by his
death on the cross. These are his words also: I am
the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in
me, though he die; yet shall he live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me shall never die. These
words of mine, Jesus says. The words that I have
spoken to you are spirit and life. The words of
Jesus are words to build on. And they are words for
you. Listen to his words to you today: This is my
body, this is my blood, given and shed for you for the
forgiveness of sins.
Once when a lot of people were turning away from Jesus
and no longer walking with him, Jesus asked the Twelve
if they wanted to leave also. But Peter said to him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. And so the question remains: To whom
shall we go? Well, the answer is, we go to the same
Lord Jesus. And going to Jesus always means going to
his church. For it is here in the church that we hear
the living voice of the gospel. Here in his church
our Lord Jesus speaks to us through the preaching and
the teaching and in the sacraments. The church is
where you will hear these words of Jesus to build your
life on.
Not too far from here, in southern Illinois, right
along the Mississippi River, there is a little town by
the name of Valmeyer. In 1993, when the floods hit,
the town of Valmeyer was wiped out, literally. When
the floodwaters receded, the citizens of Valmeyer
decided they needed to do something bold. So they
moved the town. Thats right, they relocated the
entire town onto higher ground. By 1996 they had
finished the rebuilding project, and they rededicated
the town. Now it is sometimes called New Valmeyer.
Friends, God has relocated us from the sinking sand of
our foolish, flood-prone lives, and he has moved us up
onto higher ground. Now we have a firm foundation,
and that foundation is Christ. The solid rock on
which we stand is Christ himself. His words--these
words of mine, Jesus says--these are words to build
your life on. Building on the words of Jesus is the
only safe place to build. Its the only place that
will stand the test, now and at the Last Day. When
the rain falls and the floods come and the winds blow,
your house--the house built on the rock--will stand.
Its all about . . . location, location, location.
Charles Henrickson
4749 Melissa Jo Ln
St. Louis, MO 63128
(314) 845-8811 (home)
(314) 779-8108 (cell)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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