“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rains fell and the floods came and the wind blew and slammed against that house and it fell, and great was it’s fall. ”

Matthew 7:24-27

Both men have heard the same words from Jesus. The first man has believed the words and has build his life upon the truths of the Gospel, he has entered through the narrow gate. It was not an obvious, wide opening, but one which he had to search to find. The truth which he received upon entering was a blueprint for righteousness and truth, faith in Christ and reliance upon God and not his own self. He has constructed the walls of his  house/life on the rock of His salvation and grouted the stones with the blood of Jesus. It is firm upon the foundation of the prophets. The stones of his house are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. The storms of life rage against this house, but it is steady, built upon a foundation not made by man but by God.

The second man has heard the same words, yet he has not believed them. He has entered through the wide gate. (v. 13) It was easy to find because most everyone was going that way. He said in his heart; “This must be right because everyone is going this way, completely forgetting the words Jesus spoke he receives blueprints for for his life from his own intellect, the opinions of others and popular human beliefs.”

The stones of his house are greed,lust, pride, arrogance, self reliance, materialism and humanism. The foundation is upon the sands of change and uncertainty. The mortar of his house is self-righteousness. He is sure that he is safe. The storms rage against his house also, and as the stones of his life crumble, filled with fear the mortar of self-righteousness fails, his house is undermined and his house falls. And great is its fall.

Friends, we have all heard the words of Jesus. But not all of the stones of our life are His stones. The righteous wise and the unrighteous foolish are both subjected to the storms of life. Neither are exempt from failure, financial ruin, sickness, or death. The difference is their outcome. If your life is not built upon the solid foundation of Jesus’ words, please, please, turn around, listen to the Master’s word again, listen and believe, turn around and go back against the flow of people entering that wide gate and exit through it. Don’t stop until you are out, and when you are out, find that narrow gate which leads to righteousness in Christ Jesus. Find it and go through it. 

Our Father is rich in mercy and longs for your arrival inside the narrow gate. If you have breath in your lungs and another beat in your heart; repent, believe, and enter in. Our God is waiting with open arms, ready to forgive. Rebuild your house on the rock, the only solid foundation, with stones of righteousness and the mortar of Christ’s blood.

Yes, our God allows and even encourages you-turns.

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