Matthew 7
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Matthew 7:24-27, “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.”
The Sermon on the Mount closes with a serious spiritual warning about faith in Jesus. The wise person is the one who hears the words of Jesus and heeds them. The result of this kind of obedience is security. The house does not fall because it is built on a strong, solid, unwavering foundation in Jesus. That doesn’t mean the house won’t be knocked around a bit by the weather events of life but it will NOT fall down. On the other hand, the foolish person is one who hears the words of Jesus and does not heed them. That person builds their house on sand and we all know what happens to sand when a terrible storm comes – erosion! Sand is not a solid foundation. The result of a life built on anything other than Jesus is erosion/destruction.
The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount provide followers of Jesus with wonderful practical guidance on what it looks like to be his disciple. This final teaching, as hard as it is, sums it all up – a life built on the solid foundation of Jesus yields safety and eternal security. A person who chooses to build their life on worldly security will ultimately face death and destruction. There really isn’t a way to sugar coat this and frankly, we should not even try. Jesus speaks with great clarity – we have a choice.
What do you choose?
Let’s pray…Lord, Thank you for being my solid foundation. I want to build my life on you and nothing else. More of you and less of me. In Your Name, Amen.