Build On The Rock

Text: “And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; for it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:25).

As we pass through this earthly life, we are going to come upon difficult times, sooner or later. These difficult times may resemble heavy rain beating down upon us soaking our clothes and making it hard for us to stay focused and keep walking in the right direction.

At times we feel our problems and troubles are flooding our life and we may not be able to survive. The winds of adversity or hardship or hard times blow against us and we feel as though we are going to fall.

Our earthly house, our body may be taking a beating because of some illness or some disease. We feel as though we are useless because our mind doesn’t function as we think it should. Maybe our memory doesn’t work like it used to work. Perhaps we don’t have visitation from family or friends and we feel lonely. At times we feel as though our life is crumbling and we will fall and be washed away into eternal darkness.

As a Christian and as a child of Almighty God, we need not fear anything because God’s word says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus never said life would be easy. When He sent out His disciples, He said to them, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves….But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues” (Matthew 10:16, 17).

The disciples knew there would be hard times. They knew persecution was on the way because Jesus hid nothing from them. The disciples knew whom they were serving. They placed their faith and trust in Jesus. Their lives were built on a solid foundation that would not give way to destruction.

We are no different today. Yes, trial and tribulations will come our way. We should be ready to face any mountain or obstacle that comes before us. We should not worry about swimming through the rough waters of despair or misery. Jesus has conquered all that we will ever face. He encountered all the pain and grief the world has known or will ever know.

At times we feel our burdens are more than we can carry. We feel as though we cannot take another step. We feel as though we are hanging on by our fingertips. We feel hopeless, but then we hear that still small voice in our heart that says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

We are victors and not victims. We are victors because our life is built on a solid rock and that rock is Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus is like no other relationship. We believe His words and we are obedient in that we put them into practice in our daily living. His light shines upon us and through us telling the world we are different.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). There are people who do much talking about Jesus and His lordship, but that is merely for their own benefit. They are lacking truth and obedience. These are the people who will someday hear these words spoken to them by Jesus: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (v. 23)

There are people who know the right words giving others the impression they are well versed in some subject or some sport. We have probably all been spectators at football, basketball, or baseball games and have heard the advice given by spectator coaches.

These spectators shout and carry on as if they know more than the coach. When a play doesn’t do right or the player makes a mistake these spectator coaches carry on as if they are pros when in reality they only know words. There is a great difference between talking a great game and truly possessing athletic skills.

That is what Jesus is indicating in verse 21 when He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven….” He is telling us that some people talk about heaven and how they belong to the kingdom of God, but their walk in life does not match their talk.

Jesus wants us to do what His word says and to be obedient to His word. When we obey His word, our life will reflect His image. When we walk in His light, His light will shine upon us and through us to those people around us. To say we do something and then we don’t follow through is disobedience which leads us and others down the road of destruction.