Build Your House on the Rock

Matthew 7:24-25 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

A central theme in Jesus’ earthly ministry was the fact that He told people the truth whether they accepted it as truth or not. Over and over throughout the gospels He uses the phrase, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”. Many times He would tell long, complex parables and never bother to explain them or interpret them for the crowds listening. In Matthew 7:24-25 at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He explains why it is so critical to not only hear His words, but act on them.

Too many people believe that becoming a Christian means all your problems will vanish away just because you’ve accepted God into your life. Unfortunately, it can often mean the opposite. Being a Christian is not for the weak. In Romans 7 the apostle Paul describes the Christian life as an internal war where the redeemed and fallen parts of you go to battle each day. In 1 Timothy 3:12 the apostle tells us, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

The reality is that Christians face hardship and the storms of life like anyone else. The good news is that we don’t have to get blown away and consumed by the storm. Jesus teaches us that a life built upon the solid Rock may experience turmoil, but it will never fall.