“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them … is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock … But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation” Luke 6:47-49 ESV¹

Read Matthew 7:21-27 & Luke 6:46-49

Have you heard it said that the three most important things to consider in real estate are location, location, and location? As it turns out, location is pretty important in the spiritual realm as well. As Jesus concluded one of His training seminars for a group of committed followers who had climbed a mountain to hear what He had to say, He chose a powerful cohering illustration that involved real estate to cement His teaching in the minds of His students. The real estate, a house, to which Jesus is referring in His illustration is a metaphor for one’s life.

“‘Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you’” (Luke 6:46)? “‘Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock’”(Matthew 7:24), “‘who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock’” (Luke 6:48a), “‘and the rain fell, and the floods came’” (Matthew 7:25a), “‘and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it’” (Luke 6:48b), “‘and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock’” (Matthew 7:25b), “‘because it had been well built’” (Luke 6:48c).

“‘And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand’” (Matthew 7:26) “‘without a foundation’” (Luke 6:49b). “‘And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house’” (Matthew 7:27a), “‘the stream broke against it’” (Luke 6:49c), “‘and it fell, and great was the fall of it’” (Matthew 7:27b).

Location #1: Upon what kind of terrain is your property located?

I don’t know for sure what Jesus and His disciples could see from where they sat on that mountainside, but many rivers feed into the East side of the Sea of Galilee. I imagine they looked down upon at least a couple of nearly dry riverbeds with steep, rugged cliffs on either side. The riverbeds, or wadis, as they are called in Israel, were probably wide, flat, and scattered with a plethora of easily accessible building materials. I imagine the trickle of water left in the streams was a suitable and sufficient water supply. I can believe settling down in a nearly dry riverbed looked tempting. Since the riverbeds had likely not changed much for some time in the arid environment, those listening to Jesus that day may have doubted that the wadis’ status would abruptly be altered. They might have thought it unnecessary to dig a foundation into the solid rock above the riverbeds to make permanent structures. Dragging building materials up cliffs or across the wilderness and packing water from the streams below probably seemed like a lot of extra work. But observing the Israeli wadis during and after a storm reveals something quite different.

Speaking of a video which captured rare footage of the Wadi Zin flash flood in Israel on March 19, 2014, blogger, Tafline Laylin explains,

“Flash floods are very dangerous; they come quickly, often catch people by surprise, and their force is formidable. This is especially true of Israel’s Wadi Zin, a deceptively dry riverbed most of the time … Periodic flooding of the Zin river is well documented in Biblical texts … and in modern times. The river rises in the Ramon Crater, … which is located in the Negev Desert roughly 52 miles south of Beersheba. When full, the 75-mile long river drains 600 square miles before dumping into the southern edge of the Dead Sea, but most of the time the river is dry, located as it is in the parched desert. When it does come to life, though, with a flash flood, it is a dramatic event that is rarely witnessed since flash floods are feared in this region. [In the spring of 2014,] heavy rains in the desert highlands finally made their way to the Dead Sea … The massive sandy waters [rushed] down the riverbed before crashing over a precipice, creating small but powerful waterfalls … Sudden water surges such as this are also exceptionally destructive. Any vegetation in the river’s path would have been destroyed, and soil eroded.”² You can watch this video at http://www.ittworld.com/what-is-a-wadi/.

To build a life of faith that will stand against the storms and flash floods of trouble which are sure to come, a wise disciple of Christ must consider the terrain on which he/she is building. By that I mean we must pay attention to that which we are listening. Jesus started His illustration with, “‘Everyone then who hears these words of Mine …’” (Matthew 7:24a). In this world, there are many lies and distractions which compete with our ability to hear the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus are true and lead us to the Truth. Only what is built on Truth will ultimately stand. Everything else, no matter how appealing it may appear, is completely unstable.

“‘Whoever is of God hears the words of God’” (John 8:47a). “Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation” (Hebrews 2:1-3a)?

Location #2: Under whose ownership is your property located?

Jesus told this parable to a group of people who undoubtedly considered themselves in right standing with God, but, in all likelihood, many of them were not as on point as they thought. For that reason, this parable is recorded in the Bible for us to read; it is a warning for those who believe they are saved and pleasing God but may not be. Like a dry riverbed, looks can be deceiving.

Jesus shared His vivid illustration immediately after He spoke the equally disturbing words, “‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. On that Day many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

We can be doing seemingly great works for God and actually be workers of lawlessness because we are not obeying the will of the Father in Heaven. But what is the will of the Father? Some of Jesus’ followers once asked Him that very question. “They said to Him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’” (John 6:28-29). Doing the will of the Father is less action and more response.

Doing the will of the Father is not something that can be performed by human effort. Faith in Jesus Christ as Savior is the work that is required. After that, God will, through “His divine power [grant] to [Believers] all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3a). In the same passage in which His disciples asked for clarification about what was required to be obeying God’s will, Jesus said, “‘Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal’” (John 6:27, emphasis mine). What the Son of Man gives to those who believe is the Holy Spirit!

On the surface, those who are doing the will of the Father and those who will hear Jesus declare that He never knew them may appear to be the same things. The difference is one is working out of his/her own strength and one is ministering out of the power of God. Only that which is done through the Holy Spirit is the will of the Father and, therefore, only it is done in the name of Jesus.

Whether out of ignorance or outright violation, those who are ministering in their own power are, in God’s eyes, operating outside the law. Having not heard or accepted the true Gospel, they are working according to the power of the law of sin and death. “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:2-4). Just like human effort can’t save, human effort can’t please God. It may sound harsh, but just like my signing your name to a document is against the law, signing Jesus’ name to something He has not done is unlawful.

Hearing Jesus’ words must be followed by doing the will of God. Doing the will of God can only be done through the power of God. All well-meaning disciples of Christ who desire to build solid lives of faith must settle the issue of ownership. Who is the ultimate owner of the life that is being built? This issue is more than inviting Jesus to your home—which would be equivalent to being interested in or involved in Christian activities. The issue of ownership is more significant even than selling your home to Jesus—which parallels what we typically refer to as being saved. You must allow Jesus to own your home, build your home, live in your home, and do with your home as He desires. This ownership of one’s life is what is meant by abiding in Christ. “‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me’” (John 15:4).

Jesus said, “‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments’” (John 14:15). Keeping His commandments is only possible when we are in Christ and Christ is in us. If we have an obedience problem, we have a love problem. A love problem stems from the fact that we have allowed ourselves to be in the way of loving “‘the Lord [our] God with all [our hearts] and with all [our souls] and with all [our minds] and with all [our] strength’” (Mark 12:30). If we love ourselves more than we love Jesus, Jesus will respond to our reports on all we have done for Him with, “‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:23b).

We must “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving [ourselves]. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25). Through the law of liberty, the Holy Spirit does the word of God through us, and, oh, what a blessing it is.

Location #3: How deep in the ground is your foundation located?

To think one is serving God when one is actually offending God is, without a doubt, one of the saddest scenarios I can imagine. It is also heartbreaking for God. Especially when He has gone out of His way to make sure this doesn’t have to happen. This is the very reason why God, in His grace, provides difficulty. None of us likes trials and tribulations, but they are foolproof ways to determine upon what we have built our lives, who is really in control of our lives, and how firmly our faith is established in Christ.

Just as a wadi that has been dry for a very long time gives the impression that it is and will continue to be a safe place to settle down, when life is going well, we can get lulled into a false sense of security. We can think our faith is exactly as it should be when, in reality, it could be totally off base. Difficulty is God’s way of awakening our souls to our true spiritual condition. Just like a test is the only way to determine if a student is ready to move on in his/her education, trouble is the only way to make sure one is prepared for the future—both in this life and in the one to come.

“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of His reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom He delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12). “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Notice how, in Jesus’ parable, the same violent storm and subsequent destructive flooding came upon both the wise and the foolish man. The same trouble often comes upon both those who are in Christ and those who aren’t because trials and tribulations are usually blessings in disguise. What differs between people who experience difficulty is the result of those troubles. The one whose faith is solidly fixed on Christ finds, whatever comes, it draws him/her closer to the Savior. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28a).

During difficulty, the one whose faith is built on something other than Christ feels as if the earth is giving away under him/her. If we turn to Christ in trouble, we will find our feet on solid ground. But if we despise the grace of God in the form of difficulty and allow trails to make a divide between us and the Creator, God will continue to provide trouble in hopes of drawing us to Himself. “The Lord is not … wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 1:9). “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

The secret to a home standing through violent storms is the quality of its frame and the depth of its foundation. The grade of one’s spiritual foundation is the difference between being someone whom Christ never knew and someone who knows Christ. A foundation on the Rock is a life built solidly in Christ. Jesus may own your life; in which case, He knows you. But the question remains: do you know Him? “‘And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent’” (John 17:3). Are you willing to dig down deep seeking to intimately know Him or are you satisfied with a shallow relationship with God? One of the benefits of a deep relationship built on the Rock is when trouble comes you will not be shaken because your faith has been well-built (see Luke 6:48).

What is described as location, location, and location when it comes to physical real estate could be expressed spiritually as hear, do, and dig deep when it pertains to the most important piece of real estate we own—our lives. Everyone interested in becoming a Christ-follower must answer the following questions: Upon what terrain am I building my life? Is it on what Jesus says or on what the world proclaims? Who is going to have ownership of my life? Am I willing to surrender my right to my life to Jesus so that He may know me? Is Christ in me working through my life or am I trying in my own power to work for Him? How deep am I willing to dig into the bedrock of Christ so that I may know Him? Will I receive the storms God allows in my life because I know “that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put [me] to shame” (Romans 5:3b-5a)? Am I going to go through what is necessary to be known as wise or am I going to settle for the easy way out and be labeled a fool?

 

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

² https://www.greenprophet.com/2014/03/incredible-video-wadi-zin-flash-flood-israel/. Green Prophet is not associated with Blue Turtle Trails.