The House on the Rock

21 March 2021 AM – Luke 6:46-49 – Parables21 – Scott Childs

Introduction: I have helped build several houses from foundation to finish. It is a rewarding work. In every home we built, the foundation was the most important part. Read Luke 6:46-49.

Transition: As we study this parable, I want to point out three things that we must do in order to benefit truly from it.

Reenact the building of these houses

Picture in your mind two beautiful houses overlooking a beautiful river. Two men built these fine houses.

a. The first man built his house on a rock

1) The man began by digging deep. Digging out the earth to create a solid foundation takes a lot of work. This man dug deep until he reached a rock ledge (not on a high rock ledge as often pictured). To do so, he had to remove a lot of earth and stones. This took much time.

2) He then built a stone and mortar wall from the rock foundation to the surface of the earth. This also was a laborious and challenging task.

3) Once the foundation was laid on the rock below, he backfilled earth around his solid foundation.

4) Then, on this unmovable foundation, he built his house.

b. The second man built his house on the earth.

1) This man took no time to dig a foundation of any kind. He reasoned that the earth was sufficiently solid. He saved much time and energy by not digging deep and by not building that subsurface foundation wall.

2) He laid the stones of his house walls right on the levelled soil.

3) His house may have looked just as beautiful on the surface as the house on the rock. No one could tell that his house had no foundation, at least not right away.

c. A flood and raging stream tested the houses.

1) A flood and raging stream swept through the area where these two fine houses were built.

2) Of the first, Jesus said that, “the flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.”

3) Of the second house, Jesus said that, “the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

4) The only difference between these two fine houses was the foundation.

2. Reason through the application Jesus made

a. Jesus stated his purpose of the parable, v.46-47

1) Some were calling Him “Lord, Lord”, which means Master or Owner, and yet they were not doing what He said.

2) James addressed this same issue in James 1:22. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” There are only two kinds of people who hear the Word of God: the doer and the deceiver. Note that the deceiver did not fool God. He only deceived himself.

3) Back in our text, Jesus compared the doer and the deceiver to two men who each built a house (v.47). Both men came to where Christ was speaking. They both heard what Christ said. One man did what Christ taught. The other man did not do what Christ taught. He deceived himself into thinking doing was not necessary. The houses they built may have looked very similar on the surface.

b. Mr. Doer built on a rock

1) He acted obediently on what he heard. He obeyed truth.

2) He dug deep and placed his foundation on the Rock.

a) Christ is the Rock. Paul identified the Rock from which Israel drank water in the wilderness as Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.“

b) Christ is the only true foundation Rock. (1 Corinthians 3:11) “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.“

c) The sins of the heart are like the sandy soil where the house was to stand. (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?“

d) To build on that Rock, one must dig deep, allowing the conviction of God to identify sins of the heart, truly repenting of the sins of the heart, desiring God to remove them.

3) He built a solid foundation of repentance and faith on the Rock (cf., He 6:1). My friend, do not deceive yourself. A sinner cannot truly believe on Christ if he has not first repented. Repentance is yielding to God’s conviction that your sinful life deserves eternal doom and acknowledging that only Christ can save your soul and change your life. Believing on Christ is not just believing He existed. It is believing that His atonement for your sin is your only hope of eternal salvation.

4) He then built his house on that solid foundation, which firmly gripped the Rock. The Apostle Paul gives another analogy of building on Christ’s foundation (Cf., 1Co 3:12-15). The foundation of your life and mine is essential, but how we build on that foundation is also important.

5) The flood and stream may represent God’s judgment of man’s response to the Gospel. It could also refer to persecutions and trials in a Christian’s life.

6) During the storm, the house on the Rock did not shake. It stood firmly. All who have truly repented and trusted Christ alone to save their souls need not fear losing their salvation. If founded on the Rock, it will stand.

c. Mr. Deceiver built on the earth

1) He ignored what Christ said. He deceived himself into thinking that God would accept him as he was.

2) He built his house with no foundation, directly on the earth. His sinful earthly life formed an unstable foundation for his eternal hopes. Skipping the hard work of digging through his religious topsoil and the earth of his sinful heart saved him much toil.

a) I believe that the reason so many make professions of salvation, but then fall away is that their profession had no foundation on Christ’s Rock.

b) They lacked the conviction of the Holy Spirit that dug through their sinfulness. They lacked the true repentance that prepared them for genuine faith in Christ.

3) The house he built looked just as nice on the surface as that of his neighbour Mr. Doer.

4) However, when the flood and raging stream struck the house, it immediately fell and was greatly ruined.

3. Reevaluate our personal lives

a. Are you a doer or a deceiver?

1) When you hear God’s word, you become a doer or a deceiver. You cannot remain neutral.

2) Jesus said, (Acts 3:19) “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …” (John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.“

3) If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your need for Christ’s forgiveness and digging at the sins of your heart, surrender. Repent. Agree with God. Then place your faith in Christ’s payment for your sin. Christ is the only solid foundation Rock.

4) My friend, you may be building a nice house on your religious sand, but without repentance and faith in Christ, your house will come crashing down on Judgment Day.

b. If a Christian, are you an active doer of the Word?

1) The main emphasis of the parable may be salvation, but there is also an application for Christians.

2) As Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 3, every Christian is building his house of gold, silver, precious stone or of wood, hay, stubble – eternal or earthly deeds.

3) Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Conclusion: Are you a doer or a deceiver? If you have not yet truly received Christ’s salvation, you are a deceiver. Why not yield to Him today! If you are a Christian, but you are not doing all that you know God wants you to do, you too are a deceiver. Deceivers never win!

Song: Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart – 244

The House on the Rock

21 March 2021 AM – Luke 6:46-49 – Parables21 – Scott Childs

Introduction: I have helped build several houses from foundation to finish. It is a rewarding work. In every home we built, the foundation was the most important part. Read Luke 6:46-49.

Transition: As we study this parable, I want to point out three things that we must do in order to benefit truly from it.

Reenact the building of these houses

Picture in your mind two beautiful houses overlooking a beautiful river. Two men built these fine houses.

a. The first man built his house on a rock

1) The man began by digging deep. Digging out the earth to create a solid foundation takes a lot of work. This man dug deep until he reached a rock ledge (not on a high rock ledge as often pictured). To do so, he had to remove a lot of earth and stones. This took much time.

2) He then built a stone and mortar wall from the rock foundation to the surface of the earth. This also was a laborious and challenging task.

3) Once the foundation was laid on the rock below, he backfilled earth around his solid foundation.

4) Then, on this unmovable foundation, he built his house.

b. The second man built his house on the earth.

1) This man took no time to dig a foundation of any kind. He reasoned that the earth was sufficiently solid. He saved much time and energy by not digging deep and by not building that subsurface foundation wall.

2) He laid the stones of his house walls right on the levelled soil.

3) His house may have looked just as beautiful on the surface as the house on the rock. No one could tell that his house had no foundation, at least not right away.

c. A flood and raging stream tested the houses.

1) A flood and raging stream swept through the area where these two fine houses were built.

2) Of the first, Jesus said that, “the flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.”

3) Of the second house, Jesus said that, “the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

4) The only difference between these two fine houses was the foundation.

2. Reason through the application Jesus made

a. Jesus stated his purpose of the parable, v.46-47

1) Some were calling Him “Lord, Lord”, which means Master or Owner, and yet they were not doing what He said.

2) James addressed this same issue in James 1:22. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” There are only two kinds of people who hear the Word of God: the doer and the deceiver. Note that the deceiver did not fool God. He only deceived himself.

b. Mr. Doer built on a rock

1) He acted obediently on what he heard. He obeyed truth.

2) He dug deep and placed his foundation on the Rock.

a) Christ is the Rock. Paul identified the Rock from which Israel drank water in the wilderness as Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.“

b) Christ is the only true foundation Rock. (1 Corinthians 3:11) “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.“

c) The sins of the heart are like the sandy soil where the house was to stand. (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?“

d) To build on that Rock, one must dig deep, allowing the conviction of God to identify sins of the heart, truly repenting of the sins of the heart, desiring God to remove them.

4) He then built his house on that solid foundation, which firmly gripped the Rock. The Apostle Paul gives another analogy of building on Christ’s foundation (Cf., 1Co 3:12-15). The foundation of your life and mine is essential, but how we build on that foundation is also important.

5) The flood and stream may represent God’s judgment of man’s response to the Gospel. It could also refer to persecutions and trials in a Christian’s life.

6) During the storm, the house on the Rock did not shake. It stood firmly. All who have truly repented and trusted Christ alone to save their souls need not fear losing their salvation. If founded on the Rock, it will stand.

c. Mr. Deceiver built on the earth

1) He ignored what Christ said. He deceived himself into thinking that God would accept him as he was.

2) He built his house with no foundation, directly on the earth. His sinful earthly life formed an unstable foundation for his eternal hopes. Skipping the hard work of digging through his religious topsoil and the earth of his sinful heart saved him much toil.

a) I believe that the reason so many make professions of salvation, but then fall away is that their profession had no foundation on Christ’s Rock.

b) They lacked the conviction of the Holy Spirit that dug through their sinfulness. They lacked the true repentance that prepared them for genuine faith in Christ.

3) The house he built looked just as nice on the surface as that of his neighbour Mr. Doer.

4) However, when the flood and raging stream struck the house, it immediately fell and was greatly ruined.

3. Reevaluate our personal lives

a. Are you a doer or a deceiver?

1) When you hear God’s word, you become a doer or a deceiver. You cannot remain neutral.

2) Jesus said, (Acts 3:19) “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …” (John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.“

3) If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your need for Christ’s forgiveness and digging at the sins of your heart, surrender. Repent. Agree with God. Then place your faith in Christ’s payment for your sin. Christ is the only solid foundation Rock.

4) My friend, you may be building a nice house on your religious sand, but without repentance and faith in Christ, your house will come crashing down on Judgment Day.

b. If a Christian, are you an active doer of the Word?

1) The main emphasis of the parable may be salvation, but there is also an application for Christians.

2) As Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 3, every Christian is building his house of gold, silver, precious stone or of wood, hay, stubble – eternal or earthly deeds.

3) Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Conclusion: Are you a doer or a deceiver? If you have not yet truly received Christ’s salvation, you are a deceiver. Why not yield to Him today! If you are a Christian, but you are not doing all that you know God wants you to do, you too are a deceiver. Deceivers never win!

Song: Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart – 244