BUILDING ON THE SOLID ROCK

MATTHEW 7:24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”

In the closing words of this great sermon of Jesus Christ, which is called “The Sermon on the Mount,” the Lord emphasizes and illustrates the importance of building on the Solid Rock, Christ Jesus, which is said to be wise, by Him.

By application, the wise man is presented as one who builds his house upon a solid foundation, not on sinking sand. Any builder knows that in order to build a house that will withstand the storms, he must dig down deeply and build upon the solid foundation below the surface. It is foolish to build upon the sand, for in doing so, the house will fall when shaken by the storms. In like manner, the life not built upon Jesus Christ will fall when the storms of life come, and “great will be the fall of it,” said the Lord.

There are many storms in life, any life, that is not debatable for it is reality. There are storms of emotional stress, storms of financial pressure, storms of physical affliction, storms of sorrow and many other kinds of storms. Everyone will experience a measure of these storms.

In this classic sermon, the Lord has shown from the Beatitudes to these closing remarks that man is incapable of living according to these principles. So, he must declare his spiritual poverty and look to the Lord as his refuge and strength. Before one begins to build a life, the foundation must be laid, and the only foundation which will stand is Jesus Christ. He is the Living Word, the Word incarnate. He expresses all God has to say to man. The beloved old hymn of the faith tells out the message clearly. “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.” Let us build our lives upon the sure foundation of Jesus Christ and God’s Word and it will stand all the storms of life

Under His Wings,

Pastor Ed Bowen