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A House on a Rock
by Fr. Reid Hensarling
Matthew 7:21-27
From the broad and narrow ways and from the bearing of good or bad fruit Jesus moves on to the consummation. Just as there are only two ways, so in the end there are only two destinations. It is easy for anyone to profess loyalty and allegiance to Christ, but to practice it is quite another thing. There is no substitute for personal discipleship. Words are simply not enough. Jesus issues a challenge of the priority of obedience over the more dramatic manifestations of the powers of the kingdom of God. Miraculous activity in the name of Jesus is not sufficient to prove a genuine disciple. Prophesy, exorcism, and miracles can be counterfeited. Charismatic activity is no substitute for obedience and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Notice that in verses 21-23 Jesus presents himself as the judge at that day, when his hearers would have expected God to be mentioned.
Jesus insists that our lives must back up what we believe. It is doing the will of the Father that really matters, not just the words we profess. The reality and evidence of one's faith must be made clear by fruitful living. The most orthodox words of faith are insignificant compared to doing the will of God. Concrete obedience to God's will is crucial in the life of the Christian believer. Amazingly, it is possible for a person to profess their faith in God, and even say Jesus is Lord, yet deny him by their thoughts, words, and actions.
The well-known parable of the two builders constitutes the last section of the Sermon on the Mount. The parable about the one man building on rock and the other man whose foundation was sand emphasizes the importance of acting in accordance with Jesus' teaching. It is one thing to hear what he said and even approve of it; it is quite another to obey.
Jesus speaks of the person who hears his words, and not only hears them but does them. His wisdom is shown in the fact that he built his house on rock, the most solid of foundations. The foundation is clearly critical because with the right foundation a building may well withstand the severest testing.
Notice the failure to take seriously the necessity for a solid foundation. The man described is one who hears Jesus and perhaps enjoys the process, but who does not put into practice what he has heard. That man is foolish because he built his house on sand. A sandy subsoil makes a very poor foundation on which to build a house. The same process of testing that confronted the wise builder tests out the foolish builder. The result of a spurious or superficial discipleship will be total collapse. That house fell with a great crash. The expression points to complete ruin. For a house built on sand there is in the end no other fate than complete destruction. So it is with anyone who hears Jesus' teaching without heeding it. To ignore the words of Jesus invites total spiritual disaster.
Jesus' teaching final teaching on the Sermon on the Mount has a strong undertone of warning as well as with much to comfort and inspire. This is not a warning to be taken lightly for we neglect his words at our peril. The foundation of our lives must be based and anchored in our love and obedience to Jesus Christ. Our relationship and devotion to him must supersede all other relationships, thereby securing and protecting us from all threats, dangers, and disasters that are present in our everyday lives.
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