Built On The Rock
In Matt.7:24-27 Jesus described for us two groups of people – the wise and the foolish. Jesus said concerning the wise, “everyone who hears these words of Mine and do (obey) them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against (prospipto) that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”
The wise man is the one who obeys the Lord Jesus, repents and believes the gospel (Mk.1:15), and then lives his life in obedience to Christ and His word. The wise man’s life is pictured as being solidly built with its foundations in the rock of Jesus and His word. When the storms of life (trials, persecutions, dark providences) come upon the wise man (and Jesus described in these verses a very powerful storm), the wise man stands firm.
Jesus said concerning the foolish, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do (obey) them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against (proskopto) that house; and it fell – and great was its fall.” (cf. Matt.13:20-21). The foolish man professes to be a Christian. He hears Jesus but he does not obey Jesus. When the storms of life come upon the foolish man, his life falls with a great fall. It is interesting to note that in vs.27 Jesus used a different Greek verb for “slammed against”. It is the same verb that is used in Matt.4:6 & Lk.4:11 to describe the striking of the foot against a stone. It is used in Rom.9:32 & 1Pet.2:8 to mean “stumble”.
Is your life founded on the rock of Christ and His word? The first step of building the house of your life on Christ and His word is to repent of your sins and believe the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Christ came to save sinners. The second step is to pursue persevering obedience to all that Christ has commanded us. (Matt.28:20). But you cannot obey God’s word unless you are filling your mind with the knowledge and accurate understanding of God’s word. (Col.3:16; Psa.119:11). May God give you the grace to be wise and to build the house of your life on Christ’s word.