46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
In verses 46-49, we have a parable of the two foundations. Those who apply Jesus’ teaching to their lives build a solid foundation. Jesus closed His sermon by challenging His followers to apply His teaching to their lives.
6:46
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
It is absurd to call Jesus “Lord, Lord” and not apply His teaching to one’s experience. “Lord” is a term that implies allegiance, implying fidelity. The double “Lord” is emphatic. Giving Jesus the title of “Lord” is not a sufficient standard for following Him. Confession of Him as Lord involves engaging with His teaching, not merely hearing it and letting it go without applying it, which sets up inconsistency with who Jesus is—affirming Jesus as Lord does not allow for nominal living.
6:47
Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them,
To “hear” and do Jesus’ teachings is to apply them to one’s life.
I will show you whom he is like:
In verses 48 and 49, Jesus would give an illustration of those who do not and those who do apply His teaching to their lives. There is a correlation between “teaching,” or His operating principles for life, and appropriating them into one’s experience.
6:48
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.
A person who applies truth to their experience will build a strong spiritual foundation. “Dug deep” indicates a solid foundation, especially when dug to the rock level.
And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
The “foundation” here corresponds to a person who knows and applies Jesus’ teachings to his experience. This structure in the believer’s life can withstand forces against it.
6:49
But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.
If a person applies truth to experience, he will have a strong spiritual foundation and not become vulnerable to spiritual failure.
And the ruin of that house was great.”
Attempting to build one’s life without Jesus’ teachings (a foundation) and applying them will cause spiritual disaster. A person with no spiritual roots will crash in his attempt to follow Jesus.
PRINCIPLE:
Believers apply Jesus’ teaching to their lives because they acknowledge Him as Lord.
APPLICATION:
As it is foolish to build a house without a proper foundation, it is foolish to attempt to follow Jesus without applying His teaching. Otherwise, a person functions as a hypocrite.
Obeying Jesus’ teaching is fundamental to discipleship; however, obedience does not earn acceptance from Him. Forgiveness comes from God’s grace through faith in Him.
Believers keep Jesus’ teaching because they are committed to Him as Lord. They are “doers” of the Word (Jas 1:22). Hearing His teaching is not enough; they are to practice what they believe.
