The Teaching that is a Sure Foundation

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46-49).

Today Jesus concludes His discourse on building the kingdom of God. He prescribes a unique method for changing the world. Jesus saw the world as a huge community of hearts that were estranged from His Father. His kingdom was to be established and grow by confronting the hearts of men and women with the love and truth of God. Christ’s kingdom building master plan is to make disciples through teaching that renews the mind and transforms the heart. He ended this equipping discourse with an exhortation to establish a firm and lasting support in the born again heart through obedience to His Word. He gave an illustration of “a man building a house” to help them understand and obey His truth in their own lives because Jesus wants genuine disciples in every age to know and experience the blessings of the teaching that is a sure foundation.

God’s Word will lay a foundation of truth in the hearts of obedient disciples. Serious disciples that want to discover and pursue the will of God are very aware of the opposition of the world and its culture. We cannot hope to know God’s will if our hearts and minds are filled with the emptiness and deception of worldly thinking and philosophy… “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). The Spirit of Truth teaches that to know and pursue God’s will our hearts and minds must be free from captivity and conformity to the world’s foolishness… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Our thoughts must be increasingly surrendered to the truth of Christ through obedience to His Word… “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6). Obedient disciples hunger for the teaching that is a sure foundation of truth.

God’s Word will lay a foundation of holiness in the hearts of obedient disciples. Growing, maturing disciples are being conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ… “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). This is a life-long process that will be completed when we arrive to live with Christ in Heaven… “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Truly born again children of God have an increasing desire for holiness because we want to become more like Christ… “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). This maturing process of growing in holiness is called sanctification and Jesus prayed that His disciples might be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Obedient disciples hunger for the teaching that is a sure foundation of holiness.

God’s Word will lay a foundation of peace in the hearts of obedient disciples. Jesus promised that earnest disciples will experience tribulation in this temporal world, but He also promised them peace… “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). God’s Word is a source of peace for those who love it… “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165). Obedient disciples hunger for the teaching that is a sure foundation of peace.

As we grow up into Christ we grow in truth, holiness, and peace as we obey…

The Teaching that is a Sure Foundation.