25 June 2026 - firm foundations?

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

It is not enough to claim to be Christians, we must live as Christians. We can't plead our case to the judge on the last day merely in virtue of our knowledge of the name of Jesus. It is disingenuous to plead his name after a life lived in opposition to his teachings.

Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’

Jesus can do mighty deeds through anyone, but it does not necessarily mean his heart has been converted. We can't assume that the miraculous things we witness are happening because of us, since they may sometimes also happen through us in spite of us. In fact, it is fortunate that Jesus can use us to reach out to others despite our weaknesses and failings, since we continue to deal with such things throughout every stage of spiritual growth. So neither the presence nor absence of miracles are indicative of our progress. It is also the case that although we may be beset by weakness until our last breath this is not the basis on which we be disqualified. It is rather about how we respond. Do we engage with Jesus through a sincere personal relationship in which we allow him to transform us and our lives? And do we continue to return to that relationship as the fundamental center of our lives even when we do stumble and fall?

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.

The contrast Jesus makes is between listening and acting and listening without a response. When we hear this parable it might at first seem that it would all come down to the type of house that we build. But in fact the foundation is far more important. Thus, even if there are architectural issues, problems with the materials, or failures along the way in the build process, we can still survive the challenges we face if we remain truly rooted in Jesus himself. On the other hand, it doesn't much matter how sturdy a house one builds upon the sand. It does not have the foundations necessary to survive real world weather conditions. 

We might be worried that Jesus implies that surviving storms depends on our success as disciples, that our acting on his words implies we do so perfectly and consistently. But much more important is the foundations on which we fall back. When we build well on a sturdy foundation that which is well built will endure. The weather of life will strip away that which is too weak or distorted. The edifice will continue to rise as long as we continue to return to Jesus as the basis on which we build. Acting on his words is thus more about our priorities and our faithfulness than any specific success or failure. 

The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.

One consequence of this parable of the wise and foolish builders is we can look at our lives and see the degree to which negative circumstances unsettle us as a kind of litmus test. We can notice ourselves becoming disturbed and ask if there is a way we could be more surrendered to him, some way we could have been more rooted in his words. But the structure that is rising on the foundation of his word is never complete while this life lasts. And yet, we should see progress, progress toward becoming the living stones we are meant to be.

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (see First Peter 2:5).

Phil Wickham - What An Awesome God