Do This or Your House will Fall

Do This or Your House will Fall

Jesus closes His great teaching session we call “the Sermon on the Mount,” with this:

Matthew 7:24–27 (ESV)
24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26And 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.
27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

It seems clear that Jesus is saying, “hear and do, and we’re solid, but hear and fail to do, and you’re in real trouble.”

How are we to understand this given that salvation comes by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus? The central question for us in this passage is “what things is Jesus referring to here?” As with all questions, the best place to begin is by examining the context.

We could read His entire discourse beginning at Matthew 5:2, and that’s a very good idea. If we do that we will see that He lays out some aspects of the blessing given to certain types of people (the Beatitudes). He goes on to say that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but rather to fulfill them.

Then He begins to show His hearers just how impossible it is to keep the Law. He does this by presenting examples of the spirit of the Law, rather than simply the letter by calling for extreme measures such as cutting off hands and plucking out eyes to ensure one measures up. He speaks of loving enemies, giving everything you have to anyone who asks, never being hypocritical, and a host of other things none of us can achieve.

His statement in Matthew 5:48 sums it up perfectly, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (ESV)

Jesus was speaking to Jews who had lived under the Law handed down by Moses for centuries and generations. It was all they knew and just as we find many today who add to the pure Gospel of grace traditions and teaching in which they’ve been raised, these people had been raised in Rabbinic tradition—the oral law—and told that law keeping was the way to righteousness and peace with God. Jesus was upsetting that apple cart.

In the verses leading up to our text, Jesus begins explaining the alternative in Matthew 7:7–8 (ESV) He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” He gives what we call “the Golden Rule.” Essentially saying that love fulfills the Law, as we find later in the New Testament (see James 2:8, Romans 13:8 & 10, Galatians 6:2).

Finally, the Lord warns against listening to false teachers and gives guidance in knowing truth teachers from false teachers. He concludes in the verses leading up to our text with this, “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 (ESV)

People who rely upon their own performance to merit righteousness and acceptance by God are called “workers of lawlessness.” So, relying on law-keeping is actually lawlessness! It is not the things we do that impart righteousness and peace with God, but it is reliance upon Him.

Finally, He concludes His message saying that all who hear His words and do “these things” are wise and have built their (spiritual) house on the Solid Rock but those who reject the message and continue in working to merit righteousness on their own will find that everything in which they have placed their faith will fall, resulting in complete destruction.