The Rock of Obedience.

I learned something today and I want to share it with you.

John MacArthur is doing a series on his radio broadcast called "The way to Heaven." Today's message was called 'Empty Hearts' (listen!) taken from Matthew 7:24-27

"24Everyone 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."

I have read this passage before, but learned something new this time. Read it yourself, again.

The people Jesus is talking about are the people who hear the message; they listen, they understand it; the wise ones do something about it, the foolish ones do not. The foolish builders have a head knowledge but not a heart knowledge or a real heart relationship. John MacArthur points out that the only difference in the two stories is what each builds his house on. Both build a house, both are involved in spiritual activity; both build in the same location because they are both subject to the same storm; and both apparently build it in the same way because Jesus only differentiates the foundations (which is not visible once the structure is up).

What is the rock?
The rock could be God; that's true. In Psalm 18:2 it says
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

The rock could be Jesus; that could be true too. In Ephesians 2:20 Paul calls Jesus the cornerstone; Peter re-states Jesus' own reference to himself as the 'stone rejected by the builders' as the cornerstone.

But Mr. MacArthur puts forth an idea I'd never heard before and makes a lot of sense. Look again at verse 24,
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and.... does them..." builds his house on the rock. (John said it sort-of like that).
The rock is obedience to the Word of God. Yes God is the rock and Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. What Jesus is saying here is these words of His become the foundation of the true church.

The person who only hears and never does only has sand. Even though you listen, if you don't do it you're not on the rock. Having a rock foundation means obedience. The foundation is the key difference; and this story shows how God looks at the heart - what is not visible. Spiritual activity doesn't mean a true heart relationship or even a true obedience to the Word of God.

John 8:30-31
As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples."
Even here, Jesus says that you have to 'abide' in His word; continue in obedience to the Word of God.

Unless you build your life on Biblical truth you are deceiving yourself.
James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

If you're not doing it, it's not having any affect on your life. Dare I say, it's not having any affect on your destiny either.

1John 2:3
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

Titus 16
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

I'm not saying this stuff, John MacArthur's not saying this, Jesus is, the apostles did. We ought to examine our lives and see if we are being obedient to the Word of God. If we go around claiming faith and don't obey - where is our salvation? Are we justifying our disobedience?

Obedience is the only validation of your salvation. It is the only possible proof of your profession of Jesus as Lord.

Building on the rock is obedience.

That's hard stuff. Narrow is the gate.