"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock," (Matthew 7.24). He goes on to explain that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it was founded upon a rock. Now, something that might surprise most people is that, about 60 years ago, when I was in the early stages of my ministry, I actually built my own house. I still live in it today. I built it on the side of a hill, and there were seven houses built in the same location. But mine was different because I brought in a good architect. The result was that, when we cut into the hillside, we built the house on a solid concrete foundation. And after 60 years, my house hasn't moved. But many of the other houses, which didn't have that same foundation, are actually sliding down the hill. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is because it illustrates exactly what Jesus is saying. It isn't simply a question of building a house; it's a question of what you build it on. Jesus goes on to say that, when He had finished speaking, the people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And this is what I want you to understand. There are two very important things we need to recognise. First, in Christ, we must have a solid foundation. That foundation is our salvation, and everything else in our lives must be built upon it. We come to Christ, we repent of our sins, and we are converted. That is the foundation upon which we build our lives. But there is something else. The people followed Jesus because of one outstanding thing: He taught them with authority. He wasn't like the other religious teachers, the scribes, and we could include the Pharisees. There was an authority in His teaching that they had never experienced before. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_IyryT5DTbI For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk
