Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged just a month before the end of the war, yet as he was led away he told a fellow prisoner that for him this was not the end but the beginning of life. This story opens a reflection on the parable of the two builders from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7), showing that storms come to everyone, and the difference appears only when they strike the foundation. The sermon shows that a good ending to life begins with a good beginning: not just hearing the words of Jesus, but living by them. Listen and see what you are building your house on.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What happens in the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-29, and what really sets the two men apart, given that both listen, both dream, and both build?
- Why were the crowds amazed at Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, and yet only some of them actually changed the way they lived?
- Jesus doesn't promise his followers good weather; he talks about rain, rising rivers, and wind. What does that tell you about life with him, and what storms are you facing right now?
- Richard burned his books and his Bible, while Roy stayed grateful to God until the very end. What do you think made the difference in how their stories ended?
- The speaker says that to finish well you have to start well: treating Jesus' words as your authority and handing him control. Which area of your life makes that hardest for you?
- Which specific teaching of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount do you want to do more than just hear this week, even if it means rebuilding something from the ground up?
