As Jesus concludes this great sermon, He teaches those who would be citizens in His kingdom a very important lesson. He teaches us that if we are going to be blessed by His words, we must be doers (Matthew 7:24-27).

To build a house on a rock is to have a solid foundation that will be able to sustain the house during a storm. That is what Jesus wants us to do. He knows that the storms, sooner or later, blow into all of our lives. How can we survive? How can we be sure that the storms of life will not cause our spiritual house to collapse and crumble? Jesus tells us. We must live by the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus has taught us how to behave towards God, and how to treat our fellowman. He has taught us what kind of things we should include in our lives, and what kind of things we ought to be careful to always avoid. If, having obeyed the gospel of Christ, we apply our Lord’s words to our lives, when the weather turns bad, it will not destroy our spiritual house, that is, our souls will remain safe and secure and ready for eternity.

When we pull the curtain of figurative language back, we find behind the rain, floods, and winds, the trials and tribulations of everyday living. The storms of life include layoffs from jobs, bad news from doctors, and even death in the family. Life consists of bursting pipes, broken furnaces, and leaky roofs. It involves marital problems, financial problems, and even church problems. The difficulties of life come from all directions, but none of them can destroy our house as long as we are living by the Word of God.

What about those who refuse to live by the words of our King? Jesus says that they are like the foolish man who builds his house on the sand. Any way you look at it, to build a house on a foundation of sand is foolish. It might be due to pure ignorance, that is, someone might really believe that the sand will stand the test of the storm, or, it may be that the builder knows better but, because of a lack of preparation and research, he does not realize that he is building on a sandy foundation. Either way, it is foolish and ends the same way, that is, with the total destruction of the house.

There are many things that lead to kingdom citizens not living by God’s Word. It might be ignorance due to the deception of a false teacher. That, however, is no justification. Jesus warned us, you remember, to beware of false prophets. John exhorts us to try the spirits, that is, to put teachers of the gospel to the test in order to be sure that they are teaching truth. If we do not do that, and we allow ourselves to be led away from God’s Word, we will fall into the ditch along with the false teacher (Matthew 15:14).

Others might not live by the words of our Savior because they have somehow convinced themselves that it is not necessary. The truth is, the number of people who think that the Bible is just a guide that gives us an idea of how God wants us to live, rather than a book that needs to be strictly followed, is growing. In the end, that leads to some not living by the words of Jesus, or, at least, not all of them. Again, the results are the same. Jesus said that the fall will be great.

What a blessing it is to have this great sermon preached by the greatest of all preachers. Let us now live by it. Let us be like the wise man who built his house on a rock.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.