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. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
- Two men are mentioned, wise and foolish. What's the difference between them? They're both listening to the words of Jesus but the wise man acts on it, he obeys Jesus. He doesn't just agree with the principles, he surrenders his life. Are you just listening to Jesus or are you following?
- Both men build houses. The difference is the foundation. the wise man builds his house on the rock - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only sure foundation to build our lives upon. If we are building on anything else - money, career, relationships, reputation - then we are building on sand. The house may look just as good, but it could be moments away from collapsing - you lose your job and it's gone, your marriage is in trouble and it's gone. The foundation is like sand.
- We tend to think that building your house on the rock means that the storm doesn't come but that is not what happens here. Both men, both houses get hit by rain, floods and wind. Being a Christian does not mean the storms will not come. It doesn't mean that you wont suffer or face difficulties. The promise is not that you will have an easy life. It is that the storm will not be the end of you. Your foundation can survive the storm.