24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27 KJV)
The Wise and Foolish Builder
Hearing Christ’s words will not benefit us unless we act on them. Those who hear and obey are blessed, while those who hear but do not obey deceive themselves (Mt 7:24-27). Christ describes two kinds of people: those who hear and obey and those who hear but do not obey. True obedience means abstaining from sin and actively following Christ’s teachings. It is not enough to hear, understand, remember, or even defend the truth; we must live by it. Those who only hear but do not obey deceive themselves, mistaking religious knowledge for true faith.
The obedient Christian is like a wise Builder who builds his house on the rock. The house represents his life, hopes, and faith. The rock is Christ himself. Such a person who builds on Christ, grounds his life, future, and faith in his sacrifice, the power of the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s intercession. Christ does not look on for such a person to fall away, mess up his life, or miss heaven. The Bible says Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25).
The disobedient Christian is like the Foolish Builder who builds his house on sand. This person builds his hopes, life, and faith on things other than Christ—worldly success, religious rituals, reputation, or outward morality. These things may look strong, but they cannot withstand trials.
The Coming Storm – A time of testing will reveal the true foundation of our faith. This may happen through trials in life. The storm is a time of testing – trials, temptation, afflictions, sufferings, persecutions, and judgment day. Only a faith rooted in Christ will endure.
The Outcome – The wise builder’s house will stand firm. His faith will sustain him through trials, give him peace in death, and be accepted by God on judgment day. But the foolish builder’s house will collapse when tested; meaning he will fall away from the faith in difficult times and mess up his life. Let us, then, not just hear Christ’s words but live by them, building our lives on the only foundation that will last—obedience to him.