Build a Strong Foundation by Hearing and Doing

I can hardly stand to watch my oldest granddaughter eating an ice cream cone. It’s almost as if she forgets that it’s in her hand, so before you know it, she’s holding it horizontally, even gesturing with it, while pink ice cream drips on her shoes. Reminders are useless. “Honey, eat your ice cream” may inspire a lick or two, but the ice cream river continues to flow because hearing and doing are two separate things.

My granddaughter’s ice cream dilemma is minor compared with Jesus’ final story in his Sermon on the Mount:

"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.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Two Kinds of Builders and Two Kinds of Houses

Listeners compared to the wise builder and those compared to the foolish builder had one thing in common: they had heard the words of Jesus. The difference is revealed in what they choose to do after they hear.

Seated on that unnamed mountain, Jesus actually addressed several groups. Some were intrigued by his miracles. His disciples were called and invested in his ministry, but they had a lot to learn. Then there were the scribes and Pharisees who imagined themselves firm and stable on the rock of tradition and the law, when, sadly, they had no true substance or stability. They heard Jesus’ words from their lofty religious positions and rejected them as dangerous, a threat to the status quo.

Jesus’ illustration is clear that if a person in Christ wants to be like the wise man who built on the rock, she must hear and then do the words of Christ. This is how our “righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.” (Matthew 5:20) A solid faith is built upon the firm foundation of truth, upon words spoken with the full authority of God—and then acted upon in faith-filled obedience.

In Jesus’ story, the storm comes to reveal the difference between the two foundations. Storms will do that in our spiritual life as well, uprooting and revealing the shallow roots of faith and the thin foundation of misplaced hope.

Strengthen Your Foundation: Be Astonished

Knowing the truth is not sufficient. Good theology is not enough. We demonstrate our true foundation in ten thousand choices, big and small. Hearing is inextricably connected to doing.

Jesus promised blessing to the poor in spirit, the meek, and the soul that mourns over sin. A home built on comfort, privacy, and entertainment will surely crumble. We may profess that Jesus is all we need, but our lives reveal whether it’s true.

Matthew ends his transcript of Jesus’ sermon with an epilogue that documents the crowd’s response. We can only imagine that the religious elite left in a huff, but the record shows that “the crowds were astonished.” (Matthew 7:28)

Do the words of Jesus land on your ears and leave you astonished or has familiarity dulled their impact? The standard of righteousness described in the Sermon on the Mount should leave us feeling utterly helpless when we think of our own small obedience, but gloriously encouraged as we depend upon the indwelling Spirit who brings us into union with Christ’s perfect righteousness.

Be astonished at his words.
And then go and do them.

Praying Together

Thank you for the firm foundation of your words, spoken on an unnamed mountain in Palestine so long ago, and yet crucial to our following life today. Help us to build our house of faith into a dwelling fit for you, and to live out the deeper obedience to which you have called us. May we forever be astonished at your words—and by your power, may we obey them.
Amen

Let’s continue this conversation:

• Remember a time in your life when Jesus has been your sure foundation. Would you agree that obedience to his words played a role in establishing your hope in him?
• Has your foundation been tested recently by rain, winds, and flood?
• How do the teachings of Jesus differ from the false teachers and religious “scribes and Pharisees” you’ve encountered in your own life?