We Must Build Our House on the Rock

by Mike Ratliff

19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 (LSB) 

We live in dark spiritual times, but that is nothing new. This has been going on quite some time. Philosophers call this current age Postmodernism. It is marked by the shifting sand of constantly changing truth, that is, “truth” is supposedly different for each person. From this foolishness comes the insane concept that the greatest crime is to offend someone else by holding to absolute truth with which they do not agree. No matter how evil the times become in this lost and dying world, Christians are called to not be part of it, to live according the God’s truth not what man says. 

24 Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν· 25 καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχὴ καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ προσέπεσαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔπεσεν, τεθεμελίωτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν. 26 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ μὴ ποιῶν αὐτοὺς ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον· 27 καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχὴ καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ προσέκοψαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἔπεσεν καὶ ἦν ἡ πτῶσις αὐτῆς μεγάλη.Matthew 7:24-27 (NA28)

²⁴ Therefore, everyone who hears of me these words and does them, will be compared to a wise man that built his house upon the rock. ²⁵ And, the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock. ²⁶ And, everyone hearing of me these words and does not do them will be compared to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷ And, the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and its fall was great. (Matthew 7:24-27 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

What is the house in both examples our Lord gave? It is a religious life. What is the rain, rivers, and wind? This is divine judgment. In this life we see this in our lives as tests and trials. What is the rock? I have had some tell me that this is Christ, but read it carefully. It is the Greek word πέτραν or petran the Accusative, Singular case of πέτρα or petra, “a large rock such a boulder, cliff, bedrock, or even a mountain chain.” The foolish man built his house on sand and when the test and trials came it fell greatly. What is this “rock?” It is the total truth, the words that Christ gave us, His doctrines that make up this bedrock of truth upon which the wise build their faith. Go back and read the passage I placed at the top of this post from Ephesians 2:19-22. Christ is the Cornerstone that holds together the foundation that he laid which is the Apostles and Prophets, which is, of course, His truth preached and taught by them.

28 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς λόγους τούτους, ἐξεπλήσσοντο οἱ ὄχλοι ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ· 29 ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν. Matthew 7:28-29 (NA28)

²⁸ And it came about when Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching ²⁹ for he taught as one having authority and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

The reason the people were astonished with Jesus’ teaching was that it was from his authority as the Son of God. He spoke the truth to them. There were no grey areas. There were no areas of, we will see later like they were used to hearing from the scribes.

Think of men like Rob Bell who refuses to be dogmatic about anything. In his attempt to gain as many followers as possible in his cult of “doubt is a good thing” he misuses scripture to try to do away with the doctrine of Hell in his book Love Wins. Of course, this is just one example in our time of man-pleasers doing things like this. However, as we read passages like this, we have to wonder what is going to happen when its time for them to stand before the Lord Jesus to give an account as per the following passage.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Matthew 7:21-23 (LSB)

Soli Deo Gloria!