Course: Sermon on the Mount
April 20, 2023 | Dave Rueter
Passage: Matthew 7:24-27
House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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.”
What do we mean by the Word? John begins his gospel reaching back and echoing Genesis 1 saying “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) In this way, John personifies the Word of God as the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. We have received a lot of words throughout the Sermon on the Mount. As the Word, the words of Jesus can and should be taken in parallel with the Word. Thus, when Jesus begins to wrap up His sermon stating that “Everyone then who hears these words of mine…” He is offering a warning to those who would hear but not listen to what He has had to say.
The parable that Jesus then teaches in order to dramatize what it would mean to His disciples if they were to hear and not act upon His teaching focuses on two men building their respective homes. Having a good foundation for your home is essential. Building your home on good ground stabilizes the foundation making the whole structure sound enough to build upon. One of the men was foolish and built his house on sand. The other man was wise and built his house on the rock. When the storms of life took their toll only one home remained.
This parable speaks to how we are to hear God’s Word in the teaching of Jesus Christ and build our lives upon that foundation. Life will throw many storms our way. Just as wind and rain erode the ground, so too do the storms of life erode our spiritual foundations. If we have a firm foundation in the Word of God, that erosion will not topple us. Jesus does not promise that He will prevent the storms, but rather that we will be able to survive the storms through Him.
Thoughts for Reflection
How can you strengthen the foundation of your faith through God’s Word?
Course Information
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is likely the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached. Yet, despite being so well known in general, the Sermon on the Mount is not always well understood. This Equipping Thursday series unpacks the sermon from the Beatitudes to the house built upon the rock.
