Text: 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 meaning of this parable is quite obvious; a proper foundation is necessary. Both builders experienced the same storm and the same flood, very likely these houses were built within sight of each other. Possibly the man who built on the sand ridiculed the man who planned, invested in the extra hard work, expense and time that the solid foundation required. The foolish man lost his finances, respect and house. Pride and rebellion come with an awful price tag. The foolish man failed to plan for himself and his family; therefore he suffered great loss. It could have been different if he had humbly sought and obeyed God’s council and guidance.
The builder who built on sand failed to plan for the storm and flood; therefore he planned to fail – because whoever does not plan according to the word of God ends up failing. As it is seen in this parable, building a house is simply an analogy for building a life. The point is this: You are building your life, and the foundation you choose is the most important feature of it. In the verses, Jesus provides two options for building it. Jesus begins by stating that you must “hear” His words, but He doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say that you must act upon His words. If you are going to build on a solid foundation you must do what Jesus teaches you in His Word. The proper foundation for life is Jesus’ words, and you should not just hear them, but truly listen to them and then, put them into action. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
But if we only hear the wonderful words of Jesus and yet still go our own way and don’t do what He says, then we are like a foolish person, who builds his house on the sand. Luke 11: 28 says “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
Conclusion: The word of God is that foundational element we all need to build our lives on. It is said, when the foundation of a building is solid, it can withstand any storm. So also is the word of God. Because it creates that precept and solid ground that provides stamina and balance in our everyday life.
