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“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock… And 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.”
— Matthew 7:24, 26 (ESV)
The central issue in this passage is not whether we hear the words of Jesus. Both the wise man and the foolish man hear. The dividing line is simple and absolute: what we do with what we hear.
The lyrics you have put before us echo the warning of Jesus:
> “But everyone who hears these words of mine
> and does not put them into practice
> is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
This is not a children’s story. It is an authoritative, solemn verdict pronounced by the Judge Himself at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. It confronts every one of us with a searching question:
Let us look at what the Word of God says and allow the Holy Spirit to expose any counterfeit foundation and anchor us firmly on the only Rock that endures.
---
This parable stands at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the most concentrated body of the teaching of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.
### Who is speaking?
Jesus is speaking as:
By the time He gives this illustration of the two builders, He has already laid down radical demands:
Right before the parable of the builders, He issues another terrifying warning:
> “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.”
> — Matthew 7:21
Notice the connection: “says” is not enough; “does” is required. Then He gives the parable that your lyrics capture so clearly.
### The situation
Jesus speaks to a Jewish audience in Galilee, familiar with building in a land where seasonal rains can transform dry ground into torrent-filled wadis. A house foolishly built on an unstable surface would look fine in fair weather but would collapse under the violent winter storms.
This is precisely what Jesus is describing:
The difference is not in the intensity of the storm, but the quality of the foundation.
Your lyrics reflect this:
> “The rain came down, the streams rose,
> and the winds blew and beat against that house,
> and it fell with a great crash.”
Jesus is preparing His disciples—and us—not for a storm-free life, but for a storm-proof life.
---
To understand this passage more deeply, we will look briefly at two key Greek words:
1. “Foolish” – μωρός (*mōrós*)
2. “Rock” – πέτρα (*pétra*)
### 1. “Foolish” – μωρός (*mōrós*)
Matthew 7:26:
> “And 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.”
The Greek word μωρός (*mōrós*) means:
It is the root of our English word “moron,” but in Scripture it carries a moral dimension. The “foolish” person is not simply ignorant; he is willfully negligent. He hears; he understands enough to be responsible; but he refuses to act.
Psalm 14:1 uses the Hebrew parallel:
> “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
The fool is not someone who lacks information, but someone who rejects truth in practice. He may even say “Lord, Lord” with his lips, but his lifestyle denies the lordship of Christ.
So when the lyrics say:
> “Hear the words but do not obey—
> your foundation will crumble in the storm.”
That is precisely the biblical definition of folly. To hear and not do is not neutrality; it is sin.
### 2. “Rock” – πέτρα (*pétra*)
Matthew 7:24:
> “...like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
The word is pétra, meaning:
This is the same word used in Matthew 16:18:
> “...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Christ Himself is the ultimate Rock:
The Rock is:
When we do what He says, we are not merely obeying rules; we are anchoring ourselves into His unshakeable person and authority.
The lyrics say:
> “Build on sand and it will fall—
> only the rock endures.”
Only what is grounded in Christ and His word will endure the shaking.
---
### Stanza 1
> “But everyone who hears these words of mine
> and does not put them into practice
> is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
This is almost a direct quotation of Matthew 7:26. Notice the order:
1. Hears the words.
2. Does not put them into practice.
3. Is like a foolish man.
4. Built his house on sand.
There are three essential truths here:
1. Hearing alone does not save.
Romans 2:13 says:
> “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”
2. Disobedience automatically identifies a person as foolish.
The measure of wisdom in Scripture is always obedience, not knowledge.
James 1:22:
> “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Self-deception is the inevitable result of hearing without doing.
3. Failure to obey is foundation failure.
You may be building something impressive—ministry, career, reputation—but Jesus says:
### Stanza 2
> “The rain came down, the streams rose,
> and the winds blew and beat against that house,
> and it fell with a great crash.
> Build on sand and it will fall—
> only the rock endures.”
Here we have the detailed picture of testing.
In Scripture, storms represent:
What is important to recognize: the storm is not optional.
The “great crash” implies:
The phrase in the lyrics, “only the rock endures,” connects with:
> “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens… in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.”
> “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
What cannot be shaken?
### Stanza 3
> “The foolish man built his house on the sand.
> The rain fell, the floods came,
> the winds blew and beat on that house,
> and it fell—and great was its fall.”
This stanza emphasizes the foolish man and his house.
Notice:
1. He built.
He was active, industrious, perhaps admired. Foolishness is not laziness. It is misdirected effort—work without obedience, activity without submission.
2. On the sand.
Sand is unstable, shifting, temporary. Spiritually, sand represents:
Jeremiah 17:5–6 gives the contrast:
> “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength... He shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness…”
3. Great was its fall.
Not just a fall, but a great fall. There is an intensification here:
Spiritually, this also looks ahead to the final day of judgment. Jesus is not merely speaking about surviving this life’s trials, but about standing before God.
> “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”
Where obedience is absent, even apparently “spiritual” work is combustible.
### Stanza 4
> “Everyone then who hears these words of mine
> and does them will be like a wise man
> who built his house on the rock.
> But the one who hears them and does not do them
> is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”
This stanza holds the core contrast:
Three principles stand out:
1. Jesus’ words are absolute.
“These words of mine.” He does not place His teaching alongside others. He presents His words as the decisive, universal standard for wisdom and folly.
2. Wisdom is obedience under authority.
The wise man:
Proverbs 1:7:
> “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
3. Neutrality is impossible.
To hear and not obey is not a “middle ground”; it is foolishness.
Luke’s version (Luke 6:46–49) makes it yet more pointed:
> “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”
A mouth that says “Lord” but a life that does not obey is a life on sand.
### Stanza 5
> “Hear the words but do not obey—
> your foundation will crumble in the storm.”
Here the lyrics summarize the entire teaching with brutal clarity.
This exposes a major deception in much of contemporary Christianity:
All of that, without obedience, builds on sand.
James 1:23–24 gives a vivid picture:
> “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror… and at once forgets what he was like.”
The Word is a mirror, not a decoration. It is given not to be admired but to bring change.
In spiritual warfare terms, disobedience opens a door to the enemy.
2 Corinthians 10:6:
> “...being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Where obedience is not complete, disobedience gives ground to Satan. A foundation of disobedience is spiritually unstable, exposed, and vulnerable.
### Refrain (repeated theme)
> “The rain came down, the streams rose,
> and the winds blew and beat against that house,
> and it fell with a great crash.
> Build on sand and it will fall—
> only the rock endures.”
The repetition drives home this non-negotiable truth:
Hebrews 3:14:
> “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
The decisive issue is not how we start, but how we stand when the storm has done its worst.
---
Now we must bring this from theory into practice. Hearing this teaching without obedience would simply be to repeat the very folly Jesus warns against.
### Step 1: Examine Your Foundation Honestly
First, we must submit to the Holy Spirit’s examination.
Ask specific questions:
Psalm 139:23–24 is a suitable prayer:
> “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me…”
Where the Spirit puts His finger, we must not argue, minimize, or postpone. Indecision keeps us on sand.
### Step 2: Repent of Hearing Without Doing
Second, we must repent where we have heard but not obeyed.
Repentance (Greek: μετάνοια *metanoia*) means:
We must treat hearing-without-doing as sin, not as a harmless weakness.
James 4:17:
> “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Ways to walk this out:
“Lord, I have heard Your words about ______, and I have not done them. I have built on sand. I repent.”
This breaks the power of deception and begins to shift your foundation.
### Step 3: Commit to Obedience as a Lifestyle
Third, we must establish obedience as our settled posture.
John 14:21:
> “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me…”
Love for Jesus is not proven by sentiment, but by obedience.
Practical steps:
Do not wait for some grand calling; obey at the level you are at.
### Step 4: Build Daily on the Rock
Fourth, we must develop daily habits of building on the Rock.
Jesus speaks of “these words of mine” as the foundation. That calls for:
1. Daily intake of the Word.
Not rushed, not superficial, but:
2. Immediate, specific response.
Each time the Word convicts or instructs, respond with:
3. Verbal proclamation.
Take the promises and commands of the Word on your lips.
Revelation 12:11 – “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
Building on the Rock is not a one-time decision; it is a daily alignment:
---
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud:
“I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord, my Rock, and my only foundation. I renounce every trust in human strength, human wisdom, and religious performance. I choose to be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. I refuse to build my life on sand—on shifting opinions, emotions, or worldly values. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, I anchor my life, my house, my future, and my eternity on the words of Jesus and on His finished work at the cross. When the rain falls, when the floods rise, and when the winds blow and beat against my life, I will stand, because I am built on the Rock that endures forever. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge You as my Lord, my Teacher, and my Judge. Your words are spirit and they are life. I confess that many times I have heard Your words but have not done them. I repent of every area where I have built on sand—on self-will, pride, fear, or compromise. Cleanse me by Your blood from the sin of disobedience.
Holy Spirit, search my heart. Reveal every false foundation. Give me both the will and the power to obey. Write the words of Jesus on my heart. Make me a wise builder, anchored in the Rock that cannot be moved. I surrender my life, my plans, and my future to Your authority. From this day, let my hearing be joined with doing, that my life may stand firm in every storm and be found faithful in the day of Christ. In the name of Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.”
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