1. Matthew 7:21-29

2.  21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but ‹only› the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ 24 "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

3.  25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!” 28 When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 29 because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

4.  Verbal profession  Intellectual knowledge

6.  They both heard the truth.  After hearing the truth, they both proceed to build a house.

7.  James 1:22-25  22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; 24 for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.

8.  They both heard the truth.  After hearing the truth, they both proceed to build a house.  They build their houses in essentially the same place.  They built the same kind of house.

9.  The foundation upon which they built.  The sand- soft and shifting  The Rock- not a stone or a brick, a vast expanse of bedrock.

10.  Agreeing with the word, but not obeying  Verbal commitment, but no sacrifice  Religious activities, but no fruit  Trusting in things that can never save

11.  Trust in the only one who can save.  Hearing, studying, loving, and obeying the word of God.  Religious activities done out of love.  Fruit born out of the work of the Spirit.

12.  The result: one will stand, the other will fall  The house built on the sand will not stand in the storm.  The life built on the sand will not stand in judgment.