Build Your House on the Rock

Matthew 7: 24 – 27 (NIV): "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."

It's not enough to just hear Jesus' words, you have to put them into practice. It does you no good to know what he said if you don't do what he said. But it does begin with discovering it. How can you know what he said if you don't crack open a Bible and find out? The Gospel Matthew emphasizes what Jesus said; Mark and Luke emphasize what he did; John emphasizes who he was. Today's Bible Study is found at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus said “these words of mine,” he was speaking, in part, of the words he had just preached. He had just told us to love each other, forgive one another, pray for one another, refrain from judging each other, and seek God above all else.

The next thing to notice about this story is that the storms come to the wise and the unwise. Some are preaching that Christians will not face life's storms, but this passage clearly states that we will. He described the storms exactly the same for the man who built on the rock as the storms that hit the house built on sand. For both, the trials came from all directions. Christians will face most of the same trials and storms that foolish men face. If we look around we will see that this is true. Christians are not sheltered from trials and difficulties, but we are promised a solid foundation that will withstand what the world throws at us.

This is not the only place in the New Testament that tells us it is not enough to know the truth. James, chapter two, says we must have a quality of faith that moves us to action. Even the demons know there is one God, but it is not a saving faith for them (James 2:19). Faith can't be just mental assent – head knowledge – a true faith will cause us to do something. If you say you believe, but it doesn't change you, then you don't really believe. If you say you have faith, but you have no desire to learn about Jesus and follow what he desires for you, then you don't have a saving faith. Faith must be accompanied by action or it isn't a real faith.

It's not enough to know what Jesus said, we must put his words into practice. Putting something into practice means we don't just do something one time, we make it our lifestyle. When we do this, we will build our lives on a strong foundation that can withstand the storms of life.