Wise Man - Foolish Man Part 1

Driving home: The subject is not the ground of our salvation, which is Christ alone, but the subject here is the difference between the two. It's between the kinds of hearers of truth, those who hear and do, those who hear and who fai…

Martin quotes Bishop Ryle to support his interpretation that the parable's point is not justification by faith alone, but the necessity of obedience accompanying Christian profession, ensuring honest handling of Scripture.

Depart from me. I never knew you. Moving from that special class, he comes to the generalist, general class now, of the person who hears and does, the person who hears and refuses to do. There's a choice quote of Bishop Ryle, the godly Anglican preacher of a hundred years ago, who said, We must be careful in interpreting and explaining this parable that we do not lose sight of its proper scope and intention.

7:37 - 8:05 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He provides historical context for the parable, describing how seasonal floods in Palestine would leave seemingly solid riverbeds that were actually unstable foundations…

An extended analogy describing how builders in Palestine might construct houses on seemingly solid but unstable riverbeds after floods, illustrating the foolish man's error in choosing a foundation.

Now just a little historical background before we look at the similarities. No doubt many of those to whom our Lord was speaking had actually seen a situation like this. Late in the winter there in Palestine and early in the spring, the streams of Galilee will rush down and as they rush down, they overflow their narrow banks and as any overflowing river will do, which is moving at any degree a degree of speed, it picks up rock and stone and sand and other debris and then when the warmer weather comes and the stream recedes to its normal boundaries, it will leave, wherever it has gone, this lay...

10:47 - 12:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not assume your spiritual state based on outward appearances or religious activity, as the difference between wise and foolish is not obvious.

An analogy of a house foundation being dug deep and then backfilled, making it invisible to passersby, to explain that the difference between the wise and foolish builder is not outwardly obvious.

But you see, the foundation lay out of sight. It says, and it's particularly strong in the original, in the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 6, verses 46 to 48. You have a parallel passage. That the wise man digged deep.

19:31 - 19:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Continually look ahead to the day of testing and judgment, ensuring your heart is firmly rooted on the rock of Christ.

A personal anecdote about a young man expressing deep concern for his salvation on the day of judgment, illustrating the wise man's characteristic of 'looking ahead' and counting the cost.

And so this man takes time to listen to instruction. And he always keeps his mouth shut. He keeps his mouth shut. He keeps his mouth shut. He keeps his mouth shut. He keeps his eye looking out to the day of testing. He might have been tempted to put down his pick and his shovel, for this was the day when they had no dynamite. And if you were to dig down through and lay hold of rock, it meant hard hand sweat work. And he might have looked at his friend down there in his house beginning to be erected and everyone admiring it. But he said, no, that little stream down there is going to swell one o...

27:59 - 29:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard against the deception of being an idle hearer who enjoys sermons but has no intention of doing what the prophet declared.

Martin quotes Ezekiel 33:31-32 to illustrate the ancient problem of people who hear God's word with pleasure but have no intention of doing it, serving as a commentary on the foolish builder.

said through the Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 33 in verse 31 these words that are an excellent commentary on the words of Christ I will read them now Christ, Ezekiel 33 and verse 31. And they come unto thee, speaking of the prophet and the people, they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words. Now up till then, that's a perfect description of the members and friends of the North Caldwell Church, isn't it? They come unto thee as the people cometh, they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words. But now what happens? Listen. Bu...

34:23 - 35:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard against the deception of being an idle hearer who enjoys sermons but has no intention of doing what the prophet declared.

An analogy of attending a concert to be entertained without intending to learn an instrument, illustrating the mindset of idle hearers who enjoy sermons but do not intend to practice the truth.

When you go to a concert, and you enjoy the orchestra or the performers, you have absolutely no intention of taking that fiddle back home and learning to play on it yourself. You go to be entertained, to hear, to have an aesthetic lift, and to go your way. God says this is what happened to his people. They had no intention of doing what the prophet declared. This problem is as old as humanity and divine revelation, for wherever the word of God has come, there have been wise men and foolish men. The foolish who think that simply hearing and assenting is the substance of Christianity. But others...

35:40 - 36:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that a Christianity that costs nothing and consists only of hearing sermons is worthless, and true faith produces a life of obedience.

An example of the Reformation's liberation from the Roman delusion of salvation by works, used to contrast with the current need for a 'reformation' emphasizing the truth of James that faith without works is dead.

Back in the Reformation, the teaching of Rome had brought delusion to millions of people. They thought they could gain eternal life by thumbing through prayer beads, and by walking on their knees to a certain place, or up the steps of a certain church, or by beating themselves, and they thought that salvation was to be married to Jesus Christ. By some of the labors of their hands. And God brought a great host out of the terrible bondage of the Roman delusion when the glorious truth of the book of Romans and the book of Galatians was held forth in the power of the Spirit that a man is justified...

37:23 - 38:37 Read in full sermon