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Matthew 7: 21 - 29
Foundations of Faith II
Jesus makes it clear to His disciples that obedience is the key to the faithful Christian life. Just calling Him ‘Lord’ but not obeying the Father gets us nowhere. Such an attitude is like building a house on sand. The foundation is useless and the house will not survive the storm. The person who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice is like a man who builds his house on the rock. You should notice an important connection between ‘the words of Christ’ and the idea of ‘building on the rock’.
Throughout the Old Testament faithful Israelites called the Lord God their Rock, for example, the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32), Hannah’s prayer (I Samuel 2), and David’s Song of Praise (II Samuel 22). Sixteen psalms declare that God is ‘The Rock’ and there are many other references. Jesus was claiming the prerogatives of God. The foundation in life you need is God Himself and Jesus assures us that obedience to His words does indeed give us that foundation. His words are the very words of God so it is not surprising to hear Jesus say, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away’ (Matthew 24: 35). What man can claim such indestructibility for his words? Obedience and love go hand in hand as far as our relationship with Jesus is concerned.
Jesus said, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him’ (John 14: 23). What a promise!
There can be no doubt therefore that the ‘Words of Christ’ are the most important words we can ever hear. They are the highest authority for the Christian. So the question must be asked: Do we regularly listen to the word of God and test our actions and motives by it? The ultimate storm of life is the coming judgement of God, and there is no escape from disaster unless our lives are built on the firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the power to lay aside worldly ideas and motives and to obey Your Son in every part of my life. I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
