Building a Good Foundation

The Point of the Gospel

The Sermon on the Mount—the end

Build Your House on Rock {Matthew and Luke}

Jesus said, {Luke} “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t follow my words?” {Matthew} “Everyone who hears my words and acts on them is like the wise man who builds his house on the rock. It rains, the streams rise, and the winds blow and beat against the house, yet it doesn’t fall. {Luke} Everyone who puts my words into practice is like the wise builder who digs down deep and lays the foundation on rock. The flood came and the torrent struck but could not shake the house because of its solid rock foundation.”

“Everyone who doesn’t act on my words is like {Matthew} a foolish man who built his house on sand. The storm came, the streams rose, the wind blew and beat against the house, and it fell with a great crash. {Luke} is like a man who built a house without a foundation. The torrent struck, it collapsed, and was completely destroyed.”

{Matthew} When Jesus finished teaching, the crowds were amazed at his words and the authority with which he taught, so unlike the teachers of the law.

Personal Thought

Jesus often spoke in parables—short stories to illustrate a moral or religious teaching. Many were a good deal more complicated than the above and required him to explain them to the disciples. This one is pretty straightforward. Practicing Jesus’ teachings builds a strong foundation from which we can survive life’s storms and not be destroyed.

Some of these posts are fairly short because the following sections are too long to add to one post. The next posts will contain stories of Jesus’ interactions with the people he met as he traveled the country.