Building On the Rock

Building On The Rock

By Apostle Felix

24  “Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation.
25  When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.
26  “But everyone who hears my teaching and does not apply it to his life can be compared to a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27  When it rained and rained and the flood came, with wind and waves beating upon his house, it collapsed and was swept away.” 

Matthew 7: 24 – 27

Jesus used parables to teach the Kingdom of God to the people. He used earthly examples to illustrate the heavenly realities. The parables were Jesus’ teaching aids in His effort to communicate the truth. The use of parables were a common form teaching in Jesus’ time. People of His time were familiar with that kind of communication. Jesus adopted a similar method to as an aid to teach the kingdom of God. However, His parables were often not understood because the people

10  Then his disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Why do you always speak to people in these hard-to-understand parables?”
Mat 13:11  He explained, “You’ve been given the intimate experience of insight into the hidden truths and mysteries of the realm of heaven’s kingdom, but they have not. 

Matthew 13: 10

Parables were meant to be explained. This is because they were used to conceal the main message from others and only revealed the privileged. Others used parables to communicate using the known to explain the unknown. But in Jesus’ case, His parables were difficult to understand because He used the known to explain the Kingdom of God. His parables revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God to those who were willing to know and at the same time concealing the truth from the unwilling people.

Parables need to be explained, considering the language it was communicated in, the recipient audience, the culture of the time, and the communication style. If Jesus had to explain the parables to His contemporaries, the disciples, then you and I will need more explanation.

Parable of Building On The Rock

The parable is about two houses that were built on two different foundations. Both houses experienced the same storm with same intensity. The rain, the flood and the wind affected both houses. So, the two houses went through the same storm, but their foundations distinguished them from one another. The house that did  not collapse was built on the rock, and the house that collapsed was built on the sand.

Lessons

Trials are Universal

Trials will affect even those that are in the Lord. If you are facing trials does not mean that you do not have faith. Trials will come to everyone, either a saved or not. Suffering has been associated with the lack of faith. Suffers is not something that one should be longing forward to or wish it on someone else, but it knocks at our doors uninvited.

Same Material

The two houses used the same material such as bricks, cement, sand, roofing materials, door frames and doors, window frames and windows to build their houses. The houses were probably of the same size and beauty. The house, whose foundation was sand was the first to finish and occupied.

Just because two churches look alike in elegance and form of worship, does not mean the source is the same. Both can be singing the same songs and reading from the same bible, but that does not mean that the revelation of Christ is their foundation.

Different Foundations

The foundation is the one that separates the true from the false. Sometimes, it can be hard to identify the false until the storm comes. The one whose house was founded on the rock is one who had built his life on the revelation of Christ.

11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 

1 Corinthians 3: 11 – 13

One can only obey the sayings of Jesus when one is born of God. One, whose life is founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation in Christ is paramount to obeying the word of God. Just knowing the Bible verses, attending church services, serving in church and such like is not enough. You need the foundation which is salvation in order to stand the storms of life.