Matthew 7:24 – 27 (KJV)

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for i t was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Jesus’ true followers not only hear his words, but they act on his words, allowing his message to make a difference in their lives. In this teaching, Jesus explained that his true followers, by acting on his words, are like a wise man who built his house on rock. The one who builds “on rock” is a hearing, responding disciple, not a phony, superficial one. James

would later write, “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act —they will be blessed in their doing” (James 1:22-25).

Jesus is more concerned about our “walk” than our “talk.” He wants us to do right, not just say the right words. Your house (which represents your life, Matt.7:24) will withstand the storms of life only if you do what is right instead of just talking about it.

Practicing obedience builds on the solid foundation of Jesus’ words to weather the storms of life: “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.”

• Jesus may have pictured Palestine’s climate in these words. While there were few rainfalls all year, during the rainy season, heavy rains with excessive flooding could wash away poorly grounded homes. But those houses with their foundations on solid rock would be unaffected by the rising waters and beating winds. When the “storms of life” come, only the one who builds his or her life on the foundation of Jesus Christ will not fall.

“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” In contrast to the wise man (Matt. 7:24), the foolish man is the person who hears these words of mine and does not act on them. While both the wise man and the foolish man built houses, and while those houses may have even looked identical, only one house would stand the test. Only the man who hears and does God’s word will receive God’s reward. The house built on sand will collapse. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” This time when the storms came, the person turned away, life crumbled, and the end was a great crash—final judgment, destruction (7:13-14), separation from God (7:22-23).

Monday Morning Moment: “As character is revealed by fruit, so faith is revealed by storms” Matthew 7:20 (ESV) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.