Matthew 7:24-29

Matthew 7:24-29

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be made to resemble a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.  And the rain came down and the rivers came and the wind blew and struck against that house.  And it did not fall.  For it had been founded upon the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and who does not do them will be made to resemble a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.   And the rain came down and the rivers came and the wind blew and struck against that house.  And it fell.  And great was its fall! 

And it became that Jesus finished these sayings.  And the crowds were amazed to the point of being overwhelmed by His teaching.  For He was teaching them as while having authority and not as their scribes.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Only those who believe obey.

Only those who obey believe.

                                    - Dietrich Bonheoffer

Let’s make sure we get the blunt point correct in Jesus’ teaching here.  Notice Jesus compares people who hear about His teachings to both the wise and the foolish.  The wise hear Jesus.  The foolish hear Jesus.  Just because one hears does not make one inherently wise or foolish.  If you look careful the difference is that the person who does – or acts upon – His teachings is wise.  The person who does not do – or act upon – His teaching is foolish.  Jesus is stressing the importance of responding to truth.  Anyone can hear truth.  Anyone can be found in the presence of truth and a truth-teller.  But only the person who listens to truth and implements it in their life is wise!  This goes back to the underlying theme that we’ve been chasing for several days now.  In Matthew 7:21 we hear Jesus emphasize doing the will of the Father.  In Matthew 7:16 and Matthew 7:20 we hear Jesus emphasize action, or fruit.  As I’ve said all along, I’m not proclaiming works-based salvation.  Anyone who is saved is saved because Jesus died on the cross.  But those who are saved by Christ walk in obedience to the Father – and repent when they do not.

Are you surprised by all of Jesus’ emphasis on doing?  How good are you at putting Jesus’ teachings into practice in your life?

Second Thought:

Also notice that in the parable the rains came upon both men.  The floods came upon both men.  The wind beat against both men’s houses.  Both men undergo trial and tribulation.  It isn’t that one man is subjected to tribulation and the other is spared.  Both men undergo hardship.  But the one who stands is the one who built his house upon the rock.  It isn’t his own carpentry or masonry skill that saves him.  He is saved because his house is founded upon the rock.  So it should be with us.  We will all undergo trial and tribulation.  What will make the difference in our life is if we are built upon the rock or not.  And don’t miss the ending of the parable.  The fall of the house of the man who was not built upon the rock was great!  The foundation makes all the difference in the world.

How can it be humbling to realize that what saves the wise man is not his own ability but his foundation?  Where is your foundation built?

Third Thought:

The crowds were amazed.  In fact, it is more than that.  The crowds were amazed to the point of being overwhelmed.  Jesus’ teaching is hard.  He teaches that we will be persecuted.  He teaches that many will not find the narrow way.  He teaches that people who build based on their own abilities will find their lives collapsing when hardship comes.  He teaches hard truth about sex, anger, and divorce.  He teaches hard things about obedience to God’s ways.  Who could blame the crowds for being on the brink of being overwhelmed?  Jesus teaches with authority.  When He comes into someone’s life, He cleans house.  It is a hard process.  But it is worth it.

Have you ever been amazed to the point of being overwhelmed?  If Jesus teaches difficult things, why do people continue to follow Him and seek the narrow way?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 8:1-4