In the church, there is a temptation to fall into a faulty method of thinking. It goes something like this: “I go to church every Sunday. I listen to the sermon and I even take notes. I think I am doing well spiritually.” The sad truth is if this is all that person is doing, not only are they deceiving themselves but they are found out to be fools (7:26). That is what Jesus says anyway. It is not enough to merely hear the Word of God; one must also do it and apply the Word to their life. This goes back to understanding the purpose of the Bible. The purpose of the Word of God is not simply for information, but for transformation and reformation. The wise person gets that (7:24). They understand what Jesus says is not a suggestion to consider but a command to be obeyed. This is the difference between the wise person and the foolish person: application of the Word to life. Both groups of people are present to hear the sermon and both may be taking notes of the sermon but only the wise person sets out to apply biblical truth into everyday life. Both the wise and the foolish will face trials and hard times in this life. The distinction will come in how they respond. The result will reveal what foundation they are building their lives on. For the wise person, they will stand firm through the storm because their house is “founded on the rock” (7:25). Their identity is found in Christ and what He says. Their foundation is based on a proper relationship with Jesus Christ. The foolish are not so. They have heard the Word of God preached and taught and may even think they take it seriously. But when the hard times come what they turn to again and again is not the Lord. Maybe it is their work or family. Maybe it is money, sex, or pleasure. While not all these things are bad in and of themselves, they make for a lousy and faulty foundation. To build our lives on anything rather than Christ is to build our lives “on the sand” (7:26). When dark moments and seasons enter, we cannot keep it together but fall apart (7:27). We turn to things they crumble before our eyes. Our security and comfort are removed and we are left without the firm foundation we thought we had. The only way to rebuild is by turning to the solid rock. We must turn to Christ in order to be found wise. We must repent of our sins and trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior. We obey His words because He is Lord and has authority (7:29) over all and because we sin He is our Savior. It only when we turn from our sin and turn to Christ we can obey Him. Through the empowering and the enabling of the Holy Spirit will our affections for Christ lead to actions pleasing to Christ. This is why we must on the rock solid foundation.
Reflection Time:
- What are you building your life upon? What is your foundation?
- What are some ways in which you have attempted to building your life “on the sand” rather than on Christ?
Entrusted By GOD Ministries 