Life Audio. Hi, from the Salvation Army. You are listening to Words of Life. These are the words. These are the words.
These are the words of life. These are the words. These are the words. These are the words of life. Welcome back to Words of Life.
We are continuing our series on the parables of Jesus with Major Cam Henderson. This series began last week as we focused on the parable of a farmer scattering seed. Today, we're studying the parable of two people building two houses facing the same storm, but with very different results. Check out the show notes throughout the series for some links to related devotionals and further study.
Well, hello, and welcome back for the conversation about the parables. This series on the parables is a fun one. Today is going to be one that we're somewhat familiar with, and I'm calling it lip service. And sandcastles, and it's from Matthew chapter seven. This parable it comes to us at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
I've had the privilege of standing near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached this message. We think we have an approximation of where it was, and it fits. You're looking on these rolling hillsides. The Sea of Galilee is right there. You can see across to the other sides of it as well, and you see all the activity—people moving around all over the place.
It's quite rocky in some areas, and then grassy areas in others. But it is busy. Jesus wasn't afraid to go near the crowds to share his teaching. Through his sermon on the mount, he's spoken about many different topics, from prayer and giving and fasting and worry and judgment and forgiveness, loving your enemies, seeking God's kingdom first. But as it comes to the end, Jesus leaves his listeners with a choice.
Every sermon demands a response. Every encounter with Christ requires a decision. And Jesus ends with two pictures. Two kinds of disciples, and two kinds of builders.
Well, let's start first of all with Matthew seven, starting at verse twenty one. Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On Judgment Day, many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, and we casted out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name." But I will reply, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws." Wow, I'm using the New Living Translation as I read scriptures.
There are many different translations that are very trustworthy, so you may know it from all different ways. But I'm using the New Living Translation just to let you know where I'm at. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who do my Father's will, who is in heaven. Those are sobering words.
Jesus says there'll be people who call him Lord. They profess faith, they speak the right language, they even point to very impressive religious accomplishments. Do we prophesy in your name, Lord? We cast out demons in your name. We perform many miracles in your name.
As if unimpressed, Jesus says, "I never knew you. Away from me." He doesn't commend their activity or their achievements. He doesn't commend any religious resume, who they are, who they think they are. He's looking for one thing: obedience. These people were trying to substitute their own works for God's will.
In essence, they're saying, "Look at the things we did for you." Jesus says, "But you did not do what I told you to do." It's as if certain people might be trying to create their own version of discipleship, or their own version of following Jesus. My way of following Jesus, my version of obedience, my definition of faithfulness. But Jesus is Lord, and there's only one Lord, and I'm not Him, and neither are you. We don't get to decide how He should be worshipped, or what obedience looks like. We don't rewrite His commands.
We're blessed because we have His words, and we know what He desires. We've heard the teaching of the King Himself.
So the question is not whether we admire what He says or whether we like what He's instructing us to do. The question is whether or not we obey Him and whether we obey His words.
So then, Jesus gave us a second picture, and it's the rest of that chapter of seven, starting at verse twenty-four. This second picture is the parable that I want to mention that speaks to all of the rest. As if finishing a sermon, he's saying, "Did you hear what I said? And are you going to obey what I said?" So here we are, Matthew seven, verse twenty four. Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
Although the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it's built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. As Jesus spoke, perhaps there were builders nearby. Perhaps construction sounds echoed from a distance.
Maybe a house could be seen on a hillside. Maybe they were still building it. And Jesus points to it. Remember, Jesus himself worked as a carpenter and a builder, so he knows something about this. And he says, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them to practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Wisdom, according to Jesus, is not simply knowing the truth. Wisdom is hearing the truth and obeying it. The wise builder doesn't just admire this rock; he builds on it. The wise builder doesn't move it out of the way. He sees it as the thing he needs.
But goodness, building on a rock is difficult. It might be on higher ground, so you've got to get materials up to it that costs more and takes more labor. You may have to cut into the rock to get a flat surface, which to me, cutting into it or breaking into the rock seems impossible. I guess people know how to do it. I can't imagine what it was like back in that day, especially not even this day.
It may take a very long time to get that house done, but the temptation is to see this nice flat sandy portion and wish to build right there instead, right now. I can do it quickly, and it's done. It might be cheaper because the labor is less. I can get the whole thing accomplished maybe the same day.
Meanwhile, the other fella, still building his house on a rock, is still trying to figure out the foundation. But what happens next when the rains come? Not if the rains come, but when the rains come, or the winds push against the two houses. The word is fall. When the winds fall against the two houses, what happens?
Well, sand doesn't hold anything. It's fluid. It's giving and soft. The reason you might build on the sand is that is easy. But just as easily as it receives your building, it can move away from it as well.
And then what do you have? But the rock will hold. What you anchor on that foundation will not let go. It's more difficult in the beginning, but it'll last forever. Jesus says His teachings are the solid foundation upon which a person should build their life on, their family, their future.
The difference between the wise builder and the foolish builder is not hearing; both heard it. The difference is obedience. One obeyed, and one did not. Throughout the Scripture, God calls His people to build on the foundation that He provides. Jesus told the lawyer in Luke ten, "Do this, and you will live.
Not good luck. Find your own way. Not make up your own path. But pray along the way. Not build on another rock.
Do this. Obey these words." Build this way, obey what I tell you, and you will live. Matthew Henry, a commentator, put it well when he explained that Christ's words show us both how to build and how to live. The Word of God does more than just give information; it gives direction. His word lights our path, it enlightens our eyes, and guides our feet.
The Bible often calls our daily Christian living a walk.
So we walk in the light of His Word. His Word informs our minds, but it also has to reform our hearts. It must shape our attitudes, our priorities, our homes, our lives—all that shaped by the Word of God, by the words of Jesus. When we allow God's Word to transform us, we are building on the rock. And if we claim to believe in Christ yet refuse to obey Him, we reveal that we really don't trust Him.
And He says, "I don't know you." Real faith produces obedience.
Now, notice something very important: Jesus never says that storms only come to foolish people. The storm comes to both houses. The rain falls on both. The floods rise against both. The winds beat against both houses.
Every life will face storms, sickness, loss, temptation, disappointment, trials. Perhaps right now you listening to me are going through one of those or something else, and you say, "Yes, these storms are hitting me right now." And one day every person will stand before God. The difference is not whether the storms came. The difference is whether the foundation holds. The house built on the rock stands.
The house built on the sand falls. And Jesus said it was a great fall, major disaster. This is not simply advice for having a better life. This is not just extra strength for those difficult days. This is not just Jesus saying you don't want to keep building that house.
Do something once and do it well. This is a matter of eternal consequence. The choice is between wisdom and foolishness, between obedience and disobedience, between standing and falling, and between an eternity with God or an eternity in hell.
So let me ask you two simple questions. First, how is your life built? Is your life built upon every word of Christ, every word of Scriptures? Do you regularly read the Word so you can know His will and build your life according to His design? No, this is not an easy task.
It's the work of a lifetime. It's a joy, and it is blessed. But it means hearing more and learning more, trying and testing Him. It's a task that benefits everyone in your household, and perhaps others near you too. And the second question I would ask is: Is Jesus truly Lord, not just the one who forgives, not just a teacher?
Is He your Lord? This is not simply the difference between having a good life and a difficult life. This is about judgment, which seeks to sweep away every foundation. Except for the one Christ has established, it's about heaven where the Father is.
So today, Jesus places before us a choice: for the sake of your life, your family, and others around you, and most of all, for the glory of the Father, build your house upon the rock, upon every word of God's teachings, and let Him be Lord of your life. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store, or visit salvationarmysoundcast.org.
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