Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How Deep Does Your Faith Go? | The Gospels | Matthew 7:24–29

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

What are you building your life on? Is your faith deep enough to withstand the storms of life? And what does it take to build a life that lasts? In today’s episode, Jeff explores Matthew 7:24–29 and invites us to dig deep, put Jesus’s words into practice, and build our lives on the solid foundation of Christ. Want to become a more consistent Bible reader? Download our free Ten Minute Bible Guide and start building a simple, sustainable habit of meeting with God through his word. Grab your guide here. Read the Bible with us! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and it's never too late to join! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passage: Matthew 7:24–29

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jeff Parrott. If you're looking for a place to build your dream home, there is an up-and-coming subdivision in the mountains of the American West that is beckoning for your business. Now, when it comes to curb appeal, the craftsmanship of the newly constructed homes has you covered. If you need amazing views, the beautiful landscape of the surrounding mountains, will leave you and your guests in a constant state of awe.

This subdivision seems like the perfect place to build your dream home, the perfect place to build your life. But here's the catch. Back in 2023, this haven of manicured homes encountered unexpected misfortune. Here's what happened. The foundations of two houses sitting on the edge of a cliff were compromised.

And with those compromised foundations, the homes slowly descended into the canyon below, leaving behind a long path of destruction. Now, thankfully, nobody was hurt in this suburban landslide, but the lesson was very clear. If the framework of a house is not matched with a firm foundation, then the dream home will turn into a disaster. See, every house in the neighborhood has the same zip code.

It can look the same on the outside. It can have the same design. the same building materials. What separates the home of your dreams from the house of destruction is what's underneath the surface. It's the foundation. Does the house look healthy at the surface level only, or does its health and stability go down to the depths, down to the foundation? Just as it is with a physical house, it's easy to examine the surface level of your life. But doing so is ultimately dangerous. It's far more difficult. yet far more meaningful to go to the foundation,

to excavate and examine what's under the surface so it can be adjusted for real and widespread lasting health. As Jesus ends his timeless teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, he invites you and I to excavate the foundation of our lives and examine what's really there, to go beyond the curb appeal and the impressive views, because it's at the level of the foundation that our real selves are exposed and transformed by King Jesus.

Now as we prepare to approach God's word together, let's pause and ask for His grace to move through this time. Heavenly Father, we do thank you for the gift of life and breath. We thank you for your word. We bring before you now every part of our experiences as we come into this time together. We bring before you our joys and our sorrow our anxiety and our excitement,

our calendars and all the things we have planned, but also all of our contingencies, all the unplanned realities that are hitting us. Would you meet us in this space? Jesus help us abide in you as we engage with your truth. Holy Spirit, we ask you to move in and through this time in Matthew's Gospel account. As we read your living word,

may it read us and restore us. us to life with you. In Jesus' name, amen. Now Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mountain has covered some vast terrain in the expanse of the human experience. In this sermon, we get a picture of what it looks like to really trust Jesus as king and live within the movement of his advancing kingdom. But as we come to the conclusion of the sermon, there is a danger, there's a risk for all of us, because it's possible to appreciate the words of Jesus, but only do so at the surface level of our lives and go no further. It's possible to appreciate everything he said and to let his words influence the curb appeal of our lives, but not let them examine and excavate and adjust

the foundation of our lives. Jesus is well aware of this danger, which is why he concludes this teaching with one of the most well-known sermon illustrations of all time, a story of two builders, one storm, and two very different outcomes. Let's pick things up in verse 24. Here are the words of King Jesus. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice 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 put them into practice 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. When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching

because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law. Indeed, it is hard to not be amazed at the teaching of Jesus here. But if our amazement stops at the surface level, then we're missing the truth of what Jesus is actually communicating. So to ensure that we get the point, he offers this contrasting image of two builders and two houses.

The first builder, the wise builder, builds his house on the rock. When the rain and streams and wind beat against his house, it does not fall. Now the foolish builder, on the other hand, sets his house on the sand. When it encounters the same storm, it falls with a great crash. Now, why? The storm is described with the same intensity for both houses. And as far as we know, the framework of these houses was not different enough to mention, the big difference, of course, lies in the foundations. Now, for many people, when they

picture the contrast between these two foundations, these two houses, they imagine a landscape where there is some sand off to the left and a large slab of exposed rock over to the right. And so the visualization of this and the visualized application of this is to simply go over to the right where the exposed rock sits and build your house there. This imagined scenario makes obeying Jesus's words seem so easy. Just go and walk over to the rock instead of the sand and build your house where the rock is easily exposed. Now, while this can certainly be a faithful way of envisioning Jesus' contrast here,

there is likely much more at play. Because in ancient Israel, like today, the rock foundation for buildings was not simply exposed from the ground for all to see. It wasn't just like there was some sand over there and some rock over there and you need to go over to the rock and build your house there. No, likely what was happening is that when you would look out, you would see sand everywhere. To find the rock, you would have to go not to the left or to the right, you would have to go down. The rock foundation was often underneath the ground, underneath the sand and had to be accessed through a long, long, laborious process of excavation.

Now, with that historical context in mind, we can say that Jesus is not simply suggesting that we should go over to the exposed rock and build our houses on it. He's saying something far deeper. Jesus is saying, if you want to build a house, if you want to build a life that lasts, you have to dig down below the surface level

and fix your life on the solid rock. The difference between the wise builder and the foolish builder is not simply the location of their houses, but the depth of their building processes. The foolish builder settles for the surface level, curb appeal, and impressive views, much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day. But the wise builder has the humility, the patience, and the perseverance to excavate, to dig deep. Now, what does it look like to excavate, to go deep, to go down to the rock, and fix your life on the strong foundation like the wise builder? Well, remember what Jesus says in verse 24.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. So practically speaking, this is the difference between the wise and the fruit. foolish builders. The fool hears the words of Jesus, but never puts them into practice. He might appreciate them, but ultimately, he evades them. When it comes to the wise man who hears the words of Jesus, he puts them into practice. Like the wise builder who digs below the surface, the wise person hears the words of Jesus and lets them excavate his life, examine his life, and adjust anything necessary so all of it can land on the solid rock of Jesus and his kingdom. The Wise Builder lets the words of Jesus sink into the depths of the heart.

Let's the words of Jesus flow into the pathways of the mind and lets them re-orchestrate the rhythms and routines and relationships that define how our lives are lived. Now, the work of the Wise Builder is not even, easy. In fact, at first, it seems far more difficult than the surface-level labor of the fool. But it is the deep work of the wise builder that is the only way to build a life that lasts. Through that process of excavation and examination and adjustment, the wise builder seized the kingdom of Jesus and is swept into it. Now, as we together reflect on the authoritative,

amazing teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, I invite you to join me and going below the surface level and allowing Jesus to transform all of who we are together. So how do you need to go beyond appreciating the words of Jesus and instead let them excavate and examine the foundation of your life? How might Jesus be trying to adjust that foundation so that it rests on him and his love? What do you need to put in practice to go to the depths and do the work of the wise builder?

Now, among the many topics that Jesus has addressed in the Sermon on the Mount, here's an important question to ask that might help us go below the surface. Among all the topics that Jesus brings up, which of them makes you most uncomfortable? Now, perhaps it's the countercultural teachings on sex or money, generosity, or anger, or loving your enemy. You might struggle with Jesus' powerful description of prayer and trust amidst our anxieties or his challenging upside-down posture of kingdom life and the beatitudes. Now, whatever it is that's making you uncomfortable from the Sermon on the Mount,

there's a good chance that some gospel excavation is at play. So don't ignore the uncomfortable. Pay attention to it. let the uncomfortable excavate your heart with Jesus. Now, if you're unsure where to begin and letting Jesus go below the surface of your life, I want to invite you to consider rereading or listening to the sermon on the Mount in its entirety, all of Matthew 5 through 7. Better yet, do it in community or with a friend, with a small group,

and discuss how Jesus is transforming you into the wise builder together. As His kingdom continues to advance, Jesus wants to take us below the surface, beyond the curb appeal, so we can fix our lives on the one who loves us beyond measure. So let's be a kind of people who hear the words of Jesus. Let's put them into practice, and let's build our lives on the only foundation that lasts.

Father, we thank you for the good news of the kingdom we've encountered in the Sermon on the Mount, it is a gift, it is life, and we need it desperately. Jesus, help us hear your words and respond to them. You are our king and you love us. Spirit, would you free us into the downward movement of excavating and examining our lives that they may be adjusted in the direction of the kingdom?

We pray all of this because of your grace, for your glory and in your story. In Jesus' name, amen.