City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-28 (NASB)

Commentary

In this parable, Jesus tells the story of two people who built houses. In the end, one was still standing, but the other lay in ruin. In fact, the latter not only lay in ruin, but its fall was “great,” almost as if it was a spectacle, something people were talking about with their friends and in their community. “Did you hear about ____? He said he was a Christian, and he talked about the Bible, but look at his [marriage/business/life] now.”

In the parable, Jesus said both individuals heard “these words of Mine.” The cause of the different outcomes was not one of hearing.  Today, we have the the most hearing generation of Christians in history. We hear through Youtube, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, Sunday sermons, conferences, Zooms, books, and ebooks. If mere hearing was enough, Christians would already be leading in every area of society. 

Nor was the difference in the two outcomes Jesus describes in the parable the severity of the storm. Jesus warns that trials will strike Christians and non-Christians alike. Compare verse 25 with verse 27: In both instances, “the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house…”  

The distinction in these two scenarios was not the force of the storm on the houses but the obedience of the individuals to Jesus that determined whether their house stood or fell.  The first individual acted on Jesus’ words; the second did not. 

Application

Storms are a given; obedience is an option, but whether you obey determines whether your house stands or falls.

Prayer

Lord help me to build my house on a solid foundation of obedience to You and Your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.