Welcome to Episode #210 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our Twenty-Seventh mini-series entitled Response to Sermon on the Mount. In our last mini-series, we overviewed Matthew 7:24-27. In this overview, I pointed out how Jesus was saying something much greater than what appears on the surface.
Of course, I could say this about any passage in the Bible, any word in the Bible, any Letter and even any space between the letters. While men and women have attempted to plumb the depths of what is hidden in the Scriptures, I can say without hesitation that no one has yet even scratched the surface of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge it contains. I doubt even the most powerful AI we could ever conceive would melt down long before the contents were fully revealed.
All that to say, on this episode we also will only be scratching the surface as we look at the rock mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 7:24. Let’s read the entire massage for context.
Matthew 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
We got into this a little on our last episode when I read Paul speaking of the foundation of our faith in 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 – You are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Each of us are building a house, God’s temple, where the Holy Spirit indwells us. Once we are reborn by the Holy Spirit, he will never leave us. Our life now and into eternity will be by empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are now and forever experiencing eternal life. Although now still residing in a body of death, at God’s time and choosing, he will take us from our bodies and bring us to paradise until we receive our resurrection bodies at the return of Christ. When thinking about this, being with Jesus rather than remaining in the body, Paul noted in Philippians 1:23-24 – I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Paul notes our bodies being the temple of God also in 2 Corinthians 6:16 – For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Peter also mentions Jesus as a living stone and we as living stones, each in spiritual houses of God. We’ll see this stone imagery later in this episode. 1 Peter 2:4-6 – As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 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. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
This is a good time to repeat Matthew 7:24-25 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Our foundation is Jesus Christ and him crucified for our sins/trespasses, raised from the dead for our justification, and ascended to the right hand of God in heaven. In 1 & 2 Corinthians, Paul says the house we’re building is the temple of God. Peter, in 1 Peter 2, says we are building a spiritual house and that we are a holy priesthood. John writes of Spirit Baptized believers in Revelation 1:5-6 – To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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