A Tale of Two Men, Part 1

Dr. Tony Evans talks about what it takes for men to build a life that matters waiting 40 years of faithful.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony Abbott authored speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the urban alternative. We learn by watching example someone want to follow others. We want to avoid. Dr. Evans will introduce us to one of each. Today, as he tells us a tale of two men. Let's join some years ago there was a problem on my bedroom wall with a crack in the plaster like all the pain over to repair the crack in the plaster he came he removed the old plaster.

He put up new plaster. He repainted it.

I was happy I paid him the left. All seemed well. About a month later however the crack reappeared big somewhat spiritually ticked off since I had already paid him. I asked him to come back and to rectify the problem of the crack on my bedroom wall. He came and he redid it took off the plaster class and repainted it all looked well above 45 days later. However, the crack reappeared, this time with his nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins. I had a family of cracks on my bedroom wall so I thought what I needed was a new painter because obviously this previous government was not getting the job done. So I called another guy over and I asked him to fix the problem on my wall.

He stared at it and stared at it and stared at it for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time and then he turned to me and said I'm sorry I can't help you. So I looked at him somewhat surprised. I said, but it is what you do. We set yet this is what I do, but I can help you.

Is that what why can't you help me is that because you don't have a problem with cracks on the wall so I look at the cracks of all of not having a problem with the look of the crack in front of me was telling that it had a problem. I said no just a minute I see a crack you see a crack fact that Mattie is all God's children see a crack is a critical monologue is yet is a crack on the wall on the sin is not your problem is your problem is you have a shifting foundation under your house, your foundation is moving so what you're saying on the wall of symptoms of a much deeper problem is that until you solidify your foundation.

You will always be doing patchwork on the wall in your bedroom. Today there are a lot of cracks all around us, cracks in our lives. Cracks in our families cracks with our kids that cracks with our direction. There's cracks are not economic there's cracks in our relationships.

There's cracks among the races there's cracks among the classes. There's all kind of political cracks and then of course there's crack cracks flat cracks everywhere in a great amount of time and money and energy is being spent to catch up cracks and for a while things look better, only to discover that when you give it enough time. The cracks reappear.

That is because there is a foundation that is moving foundation that have not been solidify. Women explained that the reason that God created Adam first was that Adam was supposed to be the foundation for the family, which was to be the foundation for the culture that it was Adam's responsibility to set the stage for where everything else was to be billed. He was to be the foundation, which is why God raised the question Adam where are you, because the foundation had moved and now everything else was in chaos. So we want to talk today about foundations focusing on the bed but not limiting it to the man because Jesus says when he starts the story in Matthew seven verse 24 that this applies to everyone. But even though it applies to everyone.

He focuses on two men. So the question I want to ask all the males by time we finished is which man are you but we can ask every body which person are you these two men had some commonalities things that they held income. These two men had a contrast which made them very different. This leads to a conclusion about these two men that is riveting in its affect, but transforming in its ability to change our lives.

So let's start off with what made these two men alike. What compare them. What made them on the same page.

While the first thing that was comparable to both of these men is they both share the same dream they both wanted to build a house. God expects a man to have a vision, a man is supposed to have a vision of God's purpose for him and through him for the benefit of those who follow him.

Every man is created to have a vision.

I have called you young men, drab visions, and your older men to dream dreams, he only said that of the men because the men the male is supposed to receive from God in order to transfer it out so every man the worst thing in the world is to have a vision. Let's me who sees nothing beyond it himself. What both of these men had a dream they wanted to build a house and wanted to build a house.

Minimum builders they want to build things they want. They want to construct things and so both of these men wanted to construct a house now in the Bible. A house can refer to one of four different thing one can refer to your life as it is referred to here. Both men wanted to build a house that is to build a life of substance significance value that mattered.

They wanted to accomplish something with their lives. Every man should want to be something accomplish something to build a life that matters.

A life of substance, a life of significance. Every man wants to build a house just one of be herein when you die you don't see anything you don't know you want you want a life that matters or building a house in the Bible can refer to building a family. Families throughout the Bible called the house of somebody the house of David David's family building a house in the Bible refers to building a family.

No serious man walked down the our planning to get divorced. No serious man should be planning to abandon his children know you want to build a house you want to build a home you want to build up a future for the family you want your kids to be impacted so that they grow up to be mature and responsible adults you want to build a house want to build a house in the Bible can refer to building a ministry, the temple of the Old Testament was called the house of God. The church in the New Testament is called a household of faith. The word house is usable ministry. No pastor wants to seek the church decline.

The pastor wants to see the messages being ineffective. No pastor wants to see the ministry not achieve its biblical goals.

Why because you want to build a house.

The Bible talks about building the chart you want to see the spiritual growth and spiritual development of the family of God.

Why because you want to build a house of ministry or to build a house can refer to the Bible to building a society. After all Israel was called the house of Israel.

We call it the white house on the house of Congress when we by the house.

We believe that representative entity that represents the society. So to build a house is to build a community or a society that's whole and that's unified and whether culture is benefiting the citizenry. All that is to build a house. Both men wanted to build a house they wanted a life of significance.

They want a family that was strong. They want a ministry that was effective and they wanted to live in a culture that was ordered a well ordered society as the build outs every man in India should want to build off for those houses like that matters. The family that strong to be part of a ministry that's vibrant and make a contribution to a society that's well every man here every person here every Christian here should want to build a house. So the first thing that these two men had in common was that they wanted to fulfill a dream of building a house. The second thing that made these two men alike was they both went to the same church that we know they both went to the same church because he says both men heard these words of mine.

Now, if Jesus is the preacher is the perfect son because Jesus said they heard the words of God. So there is no flaw in the exegesis in the exposition application of the Scripture because they're both seated both listening to these words of mine there in the same place at the same time in the same preacher preach the same sentiment.

They both here is words of mine that tells us something about these two men. They were orthodox in their orientation that not going less than two weeks preacher that listening to these words of mine that listening to the living word preach the written word, and there is no better word than that word so that going to an evangelical church and often docs congregation because vested in their seats. They've got their Bibles open that listening to Jesus Christ preach so they were at least oriented to the word of God to the both listening to these words of mine. There's a second treat these two men had in common. Dr. Evans will connect to talk about it just a moment with God had big plans for you and you have a magic man to think through and strengthen great purpose. Are you ready to live up to your highest potential to live in then new and long-awaited kingdom and rising follow up with Beth selecting the man which has sold over 400,000 copies challenges men to sharpen their spiritual and relational skills to intentionally live with and influence of mindset in all areas of life filled with authentic stories of struggle and heartfelt personal thoughts fully takes us to God's word to show admin how to clear all opticals in the journey that leads to living a life of influence and impact as you read each page you will find your soul scared to reach more of what God says is possible longer settling for free just go through the motions, replace helplessness for them and reconnect with power significant tenant get kingdom in writing for yourself or for someone you love. Grab your check to be Evans.org court. I could never store online time is together in celebration of the release of this much-anticipated and powerful new book, we've created a special limited time package of resources.

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So the first thing is that they both had a dream the second thing is that they both were orthodox in their orientation because they were willing to hear the word of God. There is 1/3 commonality between these two men.

They live in the same neighborhood.

Now the reason we know they live in the same neighborhood as they were affected by the same store since the storm came and hit both of their homes so that meant they were in the same vicinity of the stone installing the Bible is an adverse set of circumstances when the Bible talks about a storm is talking about negative events entering into your life. So here are two men that don't have a vision.

Both want to build a house they don't have the word of God because of listening to these words of mine and they both have some struggles stones but that's where every comparison in the contrast begin. That's where the differences between these two men are spelled out because verse 24 says one man was a wise man in verse 26 says the other man was a fool. One member of the wise man. The other man was a fool, so that tells me a lot). That means that a wise man can have a dream and a fool can have a dream, a wise man can sit and listen to Jesus and a fool can sit a wise man can be installed in a fool can be in the stone because while they were a lot alike. That was one fundamental difference wise man wasn't what made the difference. Their foundation one person. The wise man built his house on the full built his house on sand.

Talk about those two different foundations for a moment if you build on sand that's will be quick to pick a lot of time to put put sand put a sand castle given the beach.

If you build Little Rock discotheque is in turn, if you build on sand will be easy if you go to Little Rock you will hardly get a drill to build on sand.

This will be cheap though because most of the same.

All this will cost you something if you build on rock, see what man was willing to put in what it would take for you foundation to be strong. The other man was not willing to take what was necessary for you foundation to be strong, but one of the house. This issue of the foundation is critical when you go to downtown anywhere and you see a skyscraper being built that will close off the area where the skyscraper is going to be built and you always know how they plan to go by how low they drill down. You cannot build a skyscraper on the foundation of a chicken coop because the chicken coop can handle skyscraper. In other words, your foundation must be worthy of the building you plan to put on top of you can have a big building on a small foundation see a lot of folk want God to do big things on a chicken coop foundation. They want to have a massive spiritual mansion in their life in their home in their ministry and in their culture that not willing to dig a hole big enough to handle it. So one man built on sand and the other man built on a rock. Boatman heard these words of mine, but he was the different it says the wise man.

Verse 24 heard these words of mine and it says the goal heard these words of mine and did not want to build a life a whole ministry society house. It must be resting on the right foundation and the foundation is not merely information that difference between the wise man and the full was their willingness or willingness to all what Jesus had taught or put another way, only when the word is applied. Does the word work God's word does not work. Just because you hear it preached God's word does not work. Just because you were excited about what you heard or read God's word doesn't work, just as you said a man to what was say God.

God's word does not work. Just as you wave your hand like you just don't care. God's word does not work. Just because you agree with it. God's word is only evaded to work when applied if it is not apply if God's word. You won't experience what it can do until you were listening to God's word. Both of them, but only one did something with what he heard and therefore only one experience what was needed to be experienced based on what is taught. It is the responsibility tied to the ability to apply spiritual truth to life decision-making. The flow in the Bible book of Proverbs distinguishes between the wise men in the pool throughout the whole book of Proverbs the flow in the Bible is the person who has the inability refusal to apply spiritual truth to life decision-making so you only know your wives or your old bad decisions you make by the actions you take the information you can quote so close to the Bible rehearsing the Bible sand biblical things speaking Christian.

These all that means absolutely nothing unless that was the decision to take the spiritual truth and do something with it in. This is the scenario with the Bible is always practical, always try to life's choice when you choose God by action, not simply by talking big you have debated divine programming from the word into your life situation. Dr. Tony Evans will tell us more of this tale of two men tomorrow, but he continues this lesson from his current teaching series kingdom men rising. As I mentioned earlier, if you help us continue this broadcast by making a donation to the ministry will say thanks by sending you all 12 messages from the series. Along with this powerful new book by the same name kingdom men rising. This is a limited time offer so don't put it off.

Just reach out to our resource Center at one 800 832, 22 team members are standing by around-the-clock to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222 or visit Tony Evans.org as we been learning every choice we make shapes us in some way tomorrow. Dr. Evans will tell us more about the men he introduced us to today as he explores the consequences of the very different options. They pick I hope to be with us, the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by think of an alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you