For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
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” (Matthew 7:24-27).
Key points
- It’s not enough to hear—we must also obey. See Ezek 33:30-33 and Jas 1:22-25.
- The master of parables drives home the point with a parable.
- The rock is bedrock. “Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you what he is like: He is like a man who built a house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, but could not shake it” (Luke 6:47-49).
- Yet the foolish, lazy man simply builds on top of the dirt or sand, without any foundation.
- "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Ps 127:1).
Which "words of mine"?
Let’s not rush, deflecting Jesus’ powerful words with so-called practicals: "Build our financial portfolio," "build our marriage and family," "build our character." These are all good, but this is the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, not a conclusion for the Proverbs or the Song of Solomon. The words referred to in our passage include many things:
- We are blessed. Let’s appreciate—and internalize—the beatitudes.
- We are salt and light. Let’s live that way.
- We have to do better than modern-day Pharisees—all too many churchgoers and religious leaders.
- We are to deal seriously with anger and lust.
- We are to speak with integrity, whether in marriage vows or simply in being men and women of our word.
- We are to love our enemies—despite the resistance sure to come from society and from the majority of religious people.
- We must strive for maturity—perfection—reflecting our heavenly Father’s own holiness.
- We are not to show off our religiosity, but conduct ourselves modestly and discreetly in our faith.
- Our true treasure is to be in heaven—not sunk in worldly treasures.
- We are not to judge hypocritically. Let's work on our own lives before telling others what to do.
- Jesus calls us to expect and believe that our God is a generous God!
- Let's live by the Golden Rule—not just the Silver Rule.
- And stay on the narrow road, resisting those who broaden the path by diluting God’s commands.
- Always remember that the Lord expects obedience, not lip service.
These are the specific areas in which we are to build—or, more accurately, we're truly building on the rock when we take all of Jesus’ words to heart.
Storms
- We are quickly tempted to spiritualize the passage in a different way, equating the “storms” to financial troubles, relational disappointment, sickness or death, and so on… Certainly there are multiple valid applications. But the storms are whatever tests—and possibly undoes—what faith we have.
- The time of testing may not come during our lifetime; it may come after, at the judgment. But nothing tests the character of our faith like opposition, unpopularity, mockery, exclusion, and injustice.
- As in the Parable of the Soils (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23), one thing that clearly reveals the depth and quality of our faith is persecution.
- Alexandria Origen: “Long ago we heard the words of Jesus, and it has already been a great while since we became disciples of the gospel. And all of us have built ourselves a house. The present persecution will reveal whether we have built upon the rock by digging deep or upon the sand without a foundation. For winter has come bringing rains and floods and winds.” Exhortation to Martyrdom 48.
How are we doing?
- How is our foundation?
- Are we digging deep into the Word?
- Do we have the character to build biblically—and especially to take seriously Jesus’ words in this most famous of “sermons.”
- Finally, when we build on the rock by hearing and obeying Jesus teachings, it does not mean that we will be spared from these storms. Rather, it means we will be able to withstand them.
Next: Wow!