Solid Rock or Sinking Sand?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”  

–Matthew 7:24-27 (NASB)

These are the final words of Christ in His “Sermon on the Mount” as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. They follow the ominous warning in verses twenty-one through twenty-three, and are given to illustrate the difference between those who possess saving faith and those who merely profess saving faith. There are similarities between such people. The wise man and the foolish man both built houses, and both experienced severe storms. This, however, is where the similarities end.

The wise man built his house on a rock—a sure and solid foundation. When the storms came, his house did not fall for it had been founded on the rock. The foolish man, on the other hand, built his house on sand—quick and easy for sure, but sand isn’t much of a foundation. When the storms hit his house it fell, and great was its fall. Christ clearly teaches that to hear His words and act on them (i.e. – to obey) is to build on solid rock, but to hear His words and not act on them (to disobey) is to build on sinking sand. The wise man hears and obeys Christ, and when trials come he endures because the foundation of his life is Christ and His Word. The foolish man hears Christ’s words but does not obey, and when trials come he experiences a great fall because the foundation of his life is something, anything other than Christ.

Christ’s purpose in giving this illustration was to call His followers to be doers of His Word and not merely hearers (cf. James 1:22-25), and to warn those who say they have faith but have not works that such “faith” is useless (James 2:14-26). In a word, He was distinguishing between those who say to Him, “Lord, Lord.” Not all who do so will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who come through the narrow gate, bear good fruit and obey the Father will enter (see Mt. 7:13-23).

Are you building on solid rock or sinking sand?