Wise and Foolish builders

Wise and Foolish builders

Scripture:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29

Observation:

As our Lord concludes the sermon of the Mount, He gives the well known illustration of the wise and foolish builders which has become a very popular Sunday School song and story. Simply put, the Lord’s instruction is for us to hear His words and put them into practice. Which words is the Lord referring to here? It is all that He has just taught in the Sermon of the Mount. Of course, it will refer to as well to His other teachings which are beautifully recorded for us across the four gospels.

When we hear and obey, we are likened to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rock forms the foundation of the building, and when the foundation is strong, the house built upon it is strong and stable. Now building the foundation into the rock is not easy as the material is hard and strong. Nevertheless, once the hard work is done at the initial stage, the foundation is strong and secure and forms a solid base for the whole load of the building, including the wind load and occupancy load, to bear upon.

In contrast, those who don’t take the trouble to build a foundation on Jesus’ teachings instead end up building a house on a foundation of sand. When trouble and hardship, represented by the rain and wind comes, that house will not stand.

Application:-

Feed upon the teachings of Jesus in the gospels and let it assimilate into our system as we seek to follow our Lord and the conduct of life He expects of His disciples. Now, some Christians tread on dangerous ground by trying to summarize the teachings of Jesus into a set of laws akin to the 10 commandments and trying to obey them by rote like the Jews did of old. The danger here is that some may end up basing their salvation on their ability to keep these set of laws. Our salvation is by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. This fundamental truth must always be first in our minds and hearts. Our deeds, our obedience to our Lord Jesus comes as a result of our salvation. That’s why Paul says, we are saved unto good works. Instead of trying to summarize or make concise Jesus’ teachings, rather just read through the Gospels slowly and regularly, enjoying His wisdom and His teachings and it will naturally become part of our foundational knowledge. Then of course, it is not enough just to know, but to practice what we know. The Holy Spirit, our Teacher, will bring to our remembrance the teachings of Jesus and the Word that applies in any given situation. The more we know and remember of the Word, the more effective this interaction, and the impact of our Christian life.

Prayer:-

Praise thee, Lord Jesus, for the great wisdom You taught us which are beautifully recorded for us in the Gospels and the New Testament. Give us Your wisdom, Your discipline and Your peace even as we seek to build our life’s foundation on Your Words. In You O Lord, we put our trust. Give us the strength and hope to read and assimilate so much of Your Word that we will be strong and stable when hardship and trouble comes. Blessed be Your name O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.