Matthew 7:21, 24-27
21 "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.
24 "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
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This is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7). In these three chapters, Jesus establishes the moral foundation of His Church.
I think it's extremely important to understand what Christ is saying in this passage.
Christ finishes the sermon by telling us that only those who do the will of the Father will enter heaven. He then tells us exactly what that means. If we hear "these words of mine" (ie, the Sermon on the Mount) and do not act on them, we are like fools who build their homes on sand. The house will collapse and be ruined. If we hear "these words of mine" and put them into practice, we have built our houses on the rock. The house will stand firm.
This is life and death stuff. Where do you go from here?
I'll tell you what it says to me. First thing -- how am I to put "these words of mine" into practice without knowing what they are? Pick up the bible. Read Matthew 5, 6, and 7. KNOW WHAT THOSE CHAPTERS SAY. Meditate on them. Think over them. Know what God expects.
Then -- ACT on them. Sure, some of it is daunting. But I need to believe Christ when he says "seek and you shall find, ask and shall be given, knock and the door will be opened." That means pray for help. Ask, seek, and knock. If I come humbly, God will give me the help I need. But I have to ACT.
The wise man acts. The fool does not. The storm comes either way. It's our choice to stand or collapse.
