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Jesus is asking us to examine the foundations we have built our lives upon. Many in our society and even in our churches are very willing to accept the statement “Jesus is the answer.” But some haven’t fully considered what questions Jesus is the answer to. We think Jesus is the answer to questions like “How do I get into heaven?” or maybe more honestly “How do I miss hell?” or “What happens to me when I die?” or “Who do you turn to when you have no other choices or chances?” Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is the answer to these questions. But He is the answer to so much more.
When we narrow Jesus to the answer to just a few questions, we begin looking elsewhere for answers to the other big questions: “What is meaningful to spend my life doing? What is most important in life? Where do we seek fulfillment?”
When we stop looking to Jesus, our identity in Christ becomes secondary. It becomes secondary because we are focused on seeking answers to the important questions in other places. Those areas where we think we have found answers become the primary way we understand ourselves and our identity. They become the foundations upon which we are building our lives.
Jesus is telling us to take every aspect of our lives and ground it in our identity as His followers. Such a task takes time. That is why He describes it as building a house. We must go slow and make sure every piece of our lives finds its foundation in Him.
Finally, notice that Jesus doesn’t promise that following Him will be free from trouble. The same storms and floods hit both houses. What He promises is confidence in the midst of the storm and victory after the storm. In John 16:33, He tells His follows on the eve of His crucifixion, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Where do we start? Jesus gives us the starting point: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them.” Building your life upon the rock means trusting that Jesus knows the best way for us to live our lives. It means trusting Him and not ourselves. It simply means doing what He says most of all. It’s almost like Jesus is telling us to go back to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount and read it again.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How can we spot false prophets? What fruit or evidence should we be looking for? Why do we sometimes find false prophets appealing and attractive?
2. What does it mean to deceive ourselves? How can we avoid this?
3. What does it mean to “show God our spiritual resume?” How do we try to use God to build our kingdom? How can we pursue relationship with Jesus first?
4. How can we know what foundations our lives our built upon? How can we make sure our lives are founded on the rock?
5. Does following Jesus free us from experiencing the “storms” of life? What does He promise?
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