"Build Your House On The Rock"
The Corona pandemic is not God’s punishment. It is an experiment carried out by demonic forces and their human allies – a reconnaissance in force, to use a battlefield analogy. How should we respond? Not with fear, anxiety, or hopelessness. Now is a time of separation and preparation – a time for God’s people to enter His ‘winepress’ and be separated from the ‘things’ of ‘Babylon’, those things of the world in which we find our security, value, and comfort. He is using this time of ‘shaking’ to prepare His people for what is coming. God is raising up a remnant to be His heavenly minded people; His people that will carry, with unprecedented power, His Kingdom into the coming darkness.
“Therefore, . . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12: 1).
Now is the time to examine our hearts, to bring them to God, asking Him, “Is my life built on a solid foundation?”
The Words of Jesus
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about building our house, a metaphor for our life, on the rock. I like the Message translation:
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a master carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit – but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock”.
“But if you use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards” (Matthew 7: 24 – 27 The MSG).
If we want to live, accomplishing the Kingdom purposes for which we were created, be filled with more joy, peace, hope, and power; and strong enough to withstand the world’s ‘hurricanes’, build your life on the words and ways of Jesus, our Rock. When storms come – and they come to everyone – you will continue to carry the Kingdom within you, releasing it wherever you go. The world will not be able to ‘steal’ your joy, peace, hope, and power.
But, if you build your life on the words and ways of the world – the sand, also known as Babylon – you will experience great heartache, despair, anxiety, and fear when what you counted on to give you value, security, and comfort is taken away or threatened. The ‘sand’ will never provide a strong foundation for a life of power – you will be like the Jeremiah 17 man:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness” (Jeremiah 17: 5, 6 NKJV).
A House – A Home
Jesus uses the metaphor of a house for our life. I like the word ‘home’. A home is a house, but not all houses are homes. A home is a place of security. It is where we are emotionally, spiritually, and physically safe, if it is a true home. It is where we find comfort. Here we can be ourselves, without (too much) criticism. The home is rarely a perfect place, but it is where friends and family can gather, where we are known, wanted, valued, loved, cherished, and respected. For many it is a sanctuary, a life-giving place; or at least, it is supposed to be. It is also the place where we are raised, taught, loved, and then launched out into the world. The home is like a house in the Kingdom of God.
Build you house on the rock – a strong foundation – so that your house will be a home, able to resist every storm.
Storms Will Come
Jesus is telling us that storms will come. The Corona virus pandemic is one of a long line of ‘storms’ we have already endured; but, I believe, the beginning of more difficult and intense storms to come. Consider Matthew 24:
“You will hear of wars nearby and revolutions on every side, with more rumors of war to come. Don’t panic or give in to your fears, for the breaking apart of the world’s systems is destined to happen. But it won’t yet be the end; it will still be unfolding. Nations will go to war against each other and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be terrible earthquakes – seismic events of epic proportions, horrible epidemics and famines in place after place. This is how the first contractions and birth pains of the new age will begin” (Matthew 24: 6 – 8 TPT).
We are seeing today much of what Jesus prophesied, especially a war between the two kingdoms – everywhere around the world we see the encroaching kingdom of darkness. I don’t believe we are in end-times yet, but we are experiencing the first birth pains of the new age. More storms will come, and, I believe, they will increase in severity. Build your house on the rock; be prepared!
“Children, Keep Yourselves From Idols”
Any thing, place, or person I put my trust in for ultimate security, value, and comfort apart from Jesus, is sand. These are idols, and as God tells the Israelites, over and over, they are useless.
“But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but they cannot see; ears, but cannot hear; noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; feet, but they cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them” (Psalm 115: 2 – 8 NIV).
“All who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them”. The gods that the Psalmist is describing are dead. When I choose gods to worship like money, reputation, accomplishments – anything of the world, including what seem like good things – I will become like what I worship – spiritually, emotionally, and even physically dead. And when the world undermines and topples my gods, and the world will, because these gods have no power, I will be left with nothing, at the spiritual and emotional mercy of wind and waves – I will be anxious, fearful, even depressed.
The Rock is different. Jesus is alive. As Mary Magdalene told the disciples on Easter Sunday, “I have seen the Lord”. Jesus is powerful. Every power and principality must bow to Him. And as followers of Jesus, we too have power. “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know . . . His incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1: 19 – 20 NIV).
When I find all of my value, security, and comfort in Jesus – when I totally commit my life to Him “no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent . . . with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91: 11, 16 NIV). Whoa, that is quite a promise.
Jesus does not expect perfection – He wants passionate followers, who are willing to call upon Him like Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” – and are willing to truly repent.
The rock is freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 2: 1 NIV). When I build on the rock, I am free from the demonic powers of sin and satan, and free from death. The rock is righteousness by faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit; the sand is self-righteousness through the law and pride, living in my own power. Living on the sand means living under the dominion of darkness; living on the rock is living in the light of the Kingdom of God.
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness (where we lived in houses built on the sand) and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves (where we live in houses built on the rock), in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1: 13, 14 NIV).
Two Kingdoms
The ‘sand’ is the kingdom of the world. The prince of the world is satan. When you choose to find your ultimate value, comfort, and security in the things of the world you have placed yourself under satan’s authority. And his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy – steal your joy and peace; kill your life and liveliness; and destroy your relationships. Every life built on the world, which is Babylon, will ultimately crumble. Christians are not immune to this deception. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” (Galatians 4: 9 NIV). John warns Christians, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5: 21 NIV). The same verse in the Message translation is, “Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles” (MSG).
Life in the Kingdom of God is different. It is a life of more peace, joy, hope, and power rooted in Jesus Christ. It is a life of healing and deliverance.
It is not by accident that the final verses in Matthew 4, just before the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, are, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news (the gospel) of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4: 23 NIV). The Sermon on the Mount is a call to the Kingdom life described in Matthew 4.
Repent and Obey
The Corona virus pandemic has shown me that some of my life is still built on sand. To step off the sand and onto the rock I need to repent. I need to acknowledge my pride – the part of me that finds my value, security, and comfort in the world and the things the world offers me; and turn, in humility, to Jesus.
I need to obey, taking God’s Word seriously and living according to these instructions, even when they are difficult. “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14: 15 NIV). I also need to obey God’s words spoken through revelation. Listening for, hearing, and obeying His voice is important if I am to understand God’s plans, interpret His purposes, and act according to His desires. How do I hear from God? I get on my knees and ask, “Lord speak, your servant is listening”.
Who Builds the House?
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7: 24 NIV). By saying “Therefore” and “Who puts these words into practice” Jesus is summing up His Sermon. He is saying, “Be wise, you must build your house on the rock”. But, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127 NIV). Here is a tension. Who builds the house, me or Jesus? Both. Because if I build the house alone, I will always build on sand. I must put Jesus’ teachings into practice, but I cannot build without the Holy Spirit. It is a partnership. I have to trust Jesus. Without trust, there will be no house; at least, no house on the rock. In everything, trust in Jesus is critical. No trust, no Kingdom life.
‘Build Your House’ On the Rock?
What does Jesus mean when He tells me to build my house on the rock. OK, He is the rock. But building a house is a process. Sure, the rock is the foundation, but a house also requires at least walls, a roof, and a floor. And anyone who has built a house knows that it takes time; it is a process, a journey.
We are placed on the rock when we “confess with our mouths “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10: 9). In that moment when we believe, we are born again and ‘saved’, aka justified or regenerated. We enter the Kingdom of God – our ‘firm foundation’. We receive the Holy Spirit, and we are sanctified or made holy – in part, but not entirely. The rest of our sanctification requires a journey, called the ‘journey of sanctification’ to sanctify us completely, which won’t happen in this life because it is an eternal journey, but it begins now. ‘Building the house’ is this journey. After we are made righteous or justified, this journey requires repentance coupled with ‘consecration’. Without consecration, our journey of sanctification, our ‘work’ in partnership with the Holy Spirit to build the house, cannot begin! More on sanctification and consecration in a later post.
Will I stand firm with God during this time, and time to come, of shaking? Will I willingly enter the winepress of affliction? Will I be found worthy of His trust in me in the days and years to come? The Corona pandemic has shown me a need to turn my life back to Jesus – to relinquish my trust in flesh and things of the world, and to find all that I need in Him – to build all of my life on the rock. This is a time of separation and preparation; it is a gift I must not waste.
Still building with the Master Builder,
John