A House on the Rock

Luke 6:46-49

Key Verse 6:47-48

I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

In this passage Jesus further illustrates the point he shared in the previous lesson entitled, "A tree and its fruit." That is, this passage teaches us that we can live a fruitful life by laying the foundation of our life on Jesus Christ, the rock. What then is it to build our life on Jesus? The answer to this question comes in three steps: that is, we can build the foundation of our life on Jesus by: 1) coming to Jesus; 2) listening to him; and 3) practicing what Jesus says.

Part I, why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 

Look at verse 46. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" This passage indicates that Jesus' disciples (to whom Jesus is speaking) loved to call Jesus, "Lord, Lord." Calling Jesus "Lord, Lord" suggests that the disciples completed the first two steps, that is, coming to Jesus and listening to Jesus. They recognized that Jesus was better than they themselves were. So they called Jesus their "Lord". They accepted Jesus as their "master." 

Coming to Jesus is not always easy. In the case of Matthew the tax collector it was not easy for him to come to Jesus. He might have thought that people would give him the cold shoulder, if he came to Jesus. Or he might have thought that making money and taking care of practical matters was more profitable than attending a Bible conference.  In this way, although he had tons of problems in his hands he chose not to follow Jesus. But thank God. Jesus visited him. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Still he could have chosen not to come with Jesus. But he took courage. He followed Jesus. In this way, he came to Jesus. 

Coming to Jesus is one thing, but listening to him is another. Once a woman (in her early forties) attended a worship service when I was in Long Beach. After the service, she asked to talk to me in private. So we sat down in my office. She then started talking to me. She shared her life story. She shared all the details of her life that had been through, throughout the past forty plus years. Because she went on and on for over three hours, finally I ran out of patience. So I said, "Can I say something?" "Oh, of course, you can." Then, as I started to say something, she said, "Oh, my. It is too late. I've got to go." I was kind of relieved. So I said, "Okay." Then we prayed and finished the meeting.  This woman’s example indicates that not all of us are good listeners. But Jesus' disciples were different. They came to Jesus. Then as Jesus spoke to them, they heard Jesus. 

But in Jesus' eyes they were not adept in finishing the third and the last step, that is, practicing what Jesus says.  Yes.  They did come to Jesus, and they came meaning to stay with him, and follow him wherever Jesus went.  Yes. They did listen to Jesus.  Day in and day out they heard Jesus while they were seated even in the front row.  But as they were listening, the level of their spirituality was way below the level Jesus’ teachings.  Jesus’ messages were like Albert Einstein’s teachings about the highest level of mathematics to a kindergartener.  So, they just ignored what Jesus said, and started daydreaming.  So Jesus rebuked them saying, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Here Jesus' rebuke teaches us about the real meaning of a true disciple. That is, a true disciple is the one who comes to Jesus, listens to him, and does what Jesus says no matter how challenging it is. Jesus' rebuke for each of us today then makes us stop and ask ourselves a number of questions: "Have I come to Jesus? If I haven't come or if I do not come to Jesus, why not? What prevents me from coming to him? If I do come to Jesus, why do I come? Is it to seek some quick benefits from him? Or is it to listen to what he has to say? If he says something, what am I going to do with what he says? If I do not like what he says, what do I do?" These are the kinds of questions we must first ask, if we mean business to change our life for the better. 

Part II, I will show you what it is...

Again in verse 47 Jesus set forth the way of a true disciple in three steps: 1) coming to Jesus; 2) hear Jesus' words; and 3) put them into practice no matter how difficult it might be to obey his messages. 

Let us take note that Jesus changed the word "do" to "practice." In verse 46 Jesus asked, "Why do you not do what I say?" Now, in verse 47 Jesus says, "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice." This change tells us that doing what Jesus says means putting his words into practice. 

What then is practice? The word "practice" means, "to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient; to train by repeated exercise; to carry out and apply; to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually; to be professionally engaged." This passage indicates how one can attain to doing, that is, doing comes through practicing. This already suggests that doing does not come automatically or naturally. 

This observation tells us that the way of a true disciple is not an easy way, for it requires us to go out and struggle to obey Jesus' words, even if we may make mistakes or errors again and again. Just as a man becomes a professional football player or a great musician through diligent practice, so also a disciple becomes a true disciple by struggling hard to obey what Jesus says despite many difficulties. 

In the previous passages Jesus gave his disciples commands like: 1) recognize that you are spiritual pauper; 2) develop deep hunger and thirst for the living word of God; 3) weep and mourn for your fallen condition (exhibited by your sin problems, character defects, and all other weaknesses); 4) preach God's word even if people reject you; 5) love your enemies; 6) do good to those who hate you; 7) bless those who curse you; 8) pray for those who mistreat you; 9) give to those who demand you; 10) instead of judging or condemning others, forgive those who sin against you, so that you should be able to give them what they need; 11) be fully trained by Jesus, the ultimate teacher; 12) take out plank from your eyes; 13) be rooted in Jesus Christ; 14) find your true value in Him; 15) live by faith in Him; 16) grow up fully in the Lord by feeding yourself on the living word of God; and 17) discipline what you say and how you say. 

None of the above is easy. But as we struggle to practice what Jesus says, eventually we should be able to obey them even naturally.

Practically then what is it to put them into practice? In verses 48-49 Jesus answers the question. Let us read verses 48-49. "He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

First, a man building a house

Here, by a house Jesus means a spiritual house which is you and I, by a foundation Jesus means the principles of life on which to build a house; and by rock Jesus means himself (his teachings and his person.)

In building a house, the first thing a builder does is laying the foundation. In order to lay a foundation, the builder must dig down deep if he is a good builder. 

Practically what does it mean to dig down deep? As was mentioned earlier by a house Jesus does not mean a physical house but each person. So, dig down “deep” means to go down deep into our person. And the word dig or down especially the word "down" is suggestive of difficulties that we encounter in the course of digging down. And the difficulties include bad perverted views of life, unsound habits or character defects which are built inside of us for a prolonged period of time. The word "deep" also indicates that our efforts to internalize God's word into our lives should not stop at a shallow level, but rather they must be made persistently and patiently until all of our human, materialistic ways of thinking, incorrect views of life, unbiblical lifestyles, bad habits, unwholesome customs, or character flaws should be broken down, dissolved and replaced by what is good, so they would all be consistent with the kind of person Jesus wants us to be. 

Again the expression dig down deep indicates that the place where a foundation is to be laid is located inside of us, not outside. It has been said that the Lord God created two universes: the universe outside and the universe inside. And the two universes are the same in depth, width, and length. There are many bible passages that suggest that this is truly the case. For example, Genesis 1:2 says, "darkness was over the surface of the deep..." This indicates that the inside of an unredeemed man could be filled with deep darkness. On the surface he might be smiling, but inside there might be deep layers of darkness. Proverbs 20:5 then says, "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters..." Think about the Pacific Ocean. It is very deep. But, Solomon says, "the purposes of a man's heart are deep waters..." He simply could have said, "The purposes of a man are deep waters. But he added the word "of heart". Lamentation 2:13 then asks, "your wound is as deep as the sea, who can heal you?" More embarrassingly than this, Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" These verses reflect the truth that inside of a fallen man is not as beautiful as one may think. His purposes, motives, views of life, ways of thinking, opinions on God, men, and the world, could be all warped, distorted, perverted, dark, and altogether wrong.  

But we know that God's truths are deeper than all the deep things buried in the heart of any man (1Ti 3:9). Hebrews 4:12-13 then say, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." 

This observation tells us that in order to lay a foundation of our life we must study God's word not with a superficial attitude but with a sincere, prayerful mind. For this reason we encourage everyone to keep the Bible close, meditate on God’s word deeply, and write a deep Bible testimony on the Sunday worship Bible passages at least once a week, and we must do it continually until Christ's like character is firmly shaped within us. Then in our day to day life, we can go out and start practicing what we accept as true. 

Second, a flood and the torrent

How then can we know that the house we build will survive the test?  In verse 48 Jesus uses "a flood" and "the torrent" as the test. A flood and the torrent. What are they? To be exact, they are testing devices from God. God sends not only a flood but also the torrent to test whether or not the house we are called to build will survive the test. 

In other places of the Bible, the Lord God uses different words such as trials or hardships. In Romans 16:35-39, the Apostle Paul gives us 16 categories of our enemies: trouble, hardships, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, demons, present, future, any powers, height, depth, and all the rest (in a catch all category). These may be viewed as your "enemies" but essentially they are testing devices, sent by God. And a flood and the torrent are the same. 

In the day of Noah, for example, the Lord God sent a great flood. Then, all but Noah and those who went inside the ark survived. In other words by sending the flood in torrents, the Lord God effectively distinguished which house is to stay above the waters, which houses down below. In the day of Lot, the burning sulfur worked as a testing device. Because Abraham lived by faith, he did not need to be subject to acid rain. Why? Because he was exempt from the test. But Lot's faith was in question, so his faith had to be tested. And he got barely C plus, in my opinion. 

Lately one pastor realized that aside from all other difficulties coming to him such as demonic powers, the aging process works as a great testing device for him. Daily he thought that because all human beings are subject to the aging process, it is entirely okay for him to remain stagnant even retarded both spiritually and physically especially physically. For example, he did not exercise thinking that no matter how diligently you exercise, still you will physically die. After all, hasn’t it been said, "Your body is dead because of sin"? But lately he realized that even this Biblical truth works as a testing device, testing his faith and obedience to the Lord. So as he was meditating on the passage he realized that he should no longer make an excuse. He should not remain in his perpetual habit of "denial, rationalization, and projection" for he denied or was afraid to admit the fact that he is lazy, he rationalized that because when you go beyond the threshold of 50's, it is inevitable that you can remain lazy and even retarded, and he committed the sin of projection in that he kept putting blame on someone or something else(such as his biological age) for his laziness.  

Here is my point: a flood came, the torrent struck the house. Question: Is the flood bad? Is the torrent to be blamed for you not growing up? No. They are all good. They are designed to do the job God sent them to do. So never blame a flood or the torrent such as temptations, lack of parental supports, poor family backgrounds, or the like for you not moving onward and upward. By all means, learn to capitalize on all the difficulties that come your way, for they are nothing but the God-given devices to test the result of the work to build a house. 

Third, a flood and the torrent could not shake it.

If we remember that seemingly bad looking things like flood or torrent are God's testing devices, and keep practicing what Jesus says, how will Jesus reward us? Look at verses 48-49 again. "He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Here the expression "could not shake it" indicates that at the end of our life's journey here on earth, God will reward us with the seal of approval that each of us is qualified to live a life which is true life. 

In verse 49, it is interesting to note that Jesus finished his sermons to his disciples with the word "complete." As we associate this word with the two opposite ideas - a house built on the rock and a house built on the sinking sand, we can say that by the word incomplete Jesus looks to the outcome of one’s life which in turn determines the ultimate destiny of his life after death. And there are two destinies and two alone: complete “construction” and complete “destruction”. The word "complete" has the connotation of being perfect. Jesus is God. Just as God always does what is perfect, so also Jesus does nothing except that which is perfect. And Jesus came to build what is perfect in each his disciples. 

The word complete then points to the state of a perfect person in which each builder if he is a good one is to spend eternity in God's perfect kingdom. Surprisingly, this work of perfection begins not at the point of some remote day such as life after death but here and now. More surprisingly than this truth is that this work of perfection depends not only on God but on each individual coming to Jesus, listening to him and practicing what he says. Referring to the homework that needs to be done on our part, Jesus says, "Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, but do not do what I say?"  And he showed us what it is for a man to hear him and practice what he says (Read other Bible passages such as 1Ti 6:17; Psalm 125:1; Hebrews 12:27,28; John 14:23; 1Pe 2:5; Revelation 21:19)

In conclusion, let us read verses 47-48. "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built." In this passage we learn that we must practice Jesus' words not for someone else, but for each of us, not just for the sake of building the security of life here on earth but for the sake of building the security of life in the eternity to come. And we must do it, because the state of life in the eternity to come depends not only on God but on how we do with what Jesus says beginning here and now. 

One word: a house on the rock.

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