ON THE ROCK

(Day 39)

  

house on the rock

Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount with a parable to conclude his message:

(Matthew 7:24-27)  Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. 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. 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.

Jesus speaks about two men:

1.  THE WISE MAN:

This is the one who hears the Word of God and puts it into practice.

house on sand

  

 2.  THE FOOLISH MAN: 

This is the one who hears the Word and does NOT put it into practice.

Is my life founded on the rock or on the sand? Life’s trials (rain, floods and wind) will disclose the answer to this question. If we have lived in a religion, but have not lived as God commands, then everything will crumble before the slightest problem. But if we put into practice the Word of God, no negative circumstance will move us, because we will be firm.

(1 Corinthians 3:11-15)  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The final message of the Sermon on the Mount is simple: God is calling us to live out His Word, not only to hear it or quote it by memory. The Lord gave it to us to put it into practice.  

(James 1:22-27)  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Jesus’ message throughout the Sermon on the Mount is to exhort us to live the faith in a real and deep way, not in a superficial way or only in appearance.

(1 John 2:3-6)  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

The Lord expects us, not only to obey him by living his commandments, but also to do it with all our hearts.

PRAYER

Lord, I want to build my life on the Rock, that is, on You. I don’t want my life to fall apart when the storms of life come, I want to remain firm.

Lord, I don’t want to live a religion, I want to live the lifestyle of the Kingdom, based on Your Word and on a personal relationship with you. Lord, I want to keep Your Word and have your love perfected in me. I want to remain firm on you, the Rock of my salvation. Therefore, I will walk in the same way in which you walked. Amen.

[Matthew 7:24-27; 1 John 2:3-6]

"Blessed rather are those who hear

the word of God and keep it!"

(Luke 11:28)