LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Christ, the unshakeable Rock
The wisdom of building the house on the Rock.
Celso Machado
(Brazil)
“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great”.
(Luke 6:47-49).
When concluding the sermon on the mount, in the gospel of Matthew, the Lord finishes with a clear exposition on building, but, of an individual building, that is to say, our individual responsibility, because it says “his house”.
The Lord mentions two types of men and makes a comparison in relation to the building of a house. One man is sensible and the other, foolish; both have one characteristic in common: hearing. But, what distinguishes one from the other, is that for one of them, the reality of hearing consists of putting into practice what was heard. And the effectiveness of each one is revealed according to the place where the house is built: one on the rock and the other in the sand.
In this practical way, the Holy Spirit leads us to build the house in the correct place, that is, on the Rock. This passage is only mentioned again in the gospel of Luke. And Luke includes some details that we can focus on: those “that come” to Christ, those “that hear” his words, and “do them”.
In this respect, the Lord makes a comparison. In this passage it says that coming to Him allows us to hear, but that alone is not sufficient: the result of someone who hears is found in the fruit of their reaction; that is, in putting what has been heard into practice, and along with that, learning to enjoy it, as they come into a greater knowledge of the Lord.
The difference between hearing and knowing
In the Old Testament, in the First book of Samuel chapter three, in the account of the calling of the boy Samuel, we have a beautiful experience that teaches us about the difference between hearing and knowing.
The Holy Spirit gives testimony that, although Samuel was hearing the call, he still did not know the Lord and, for that reason, his Word had not yet been revealed him. (1 Sam. 3:7).
Samuel’s later knowledge relating to the Lord and the revelation of his Word, was the fruit of his listening attitude, revealed by his ready response: “Speak, your servant is listening”.
The measure of God’s speaking to us is in accordance with our response when we hear Him, and the fruit of that response comes from putting into practice what we have heard from the mouth of the Lord. “man does not live by bread alone but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3).
Through the context of Samuel’s experience, we understand that Eli had a certain degree of “knowledge”, however, it was not he who heard the voice of the Lord. Not only was he losing his hearing, but, also literal and spiritually, his vision. He lost the vision of God completely, and along with it he acquired a spiritual deafness.
Only when the Lord called Samuel for the third time did Eli understand that the Lord was calling the boy. Eli had knowledge of rites and ceremonies, and even of canonical writings, nevertheless, it was not he who heard the Lord, but a boy.
Spiritual maturity is not acquired by knowledge alone; what reflects the reality of that knowledge is the manifestation of the life of Christ in us. Samuel got to know the Lord through practical experience, and in communion with him, the word began to be revealed to him.
“And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and he let none of his words fall to the earth”. In this way, the testimony of the Lord was recovered.
“and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” (1 Sam. 3:21). When we compare this passage with the passage of Luke, we see the importance of hearing related to action.
First of all, this sensible man digs. A life that does not scrimp effort, digging and digging, until it opens up a deep ditch. To dig on the rock, and what’s more, to dig deep, is not easy. This building cannot be something on the surface, it has to be deep.
Depth in Christ brings security, because we learn to trust the Lord through circumstances. The presence of the cross will reveal the depth level that we have in Christ.
Only the discipline of the Spirit can forge the character of Christ in us; and this is done when we accept the Lord’s dealings with us. When the rivers of the day to day come upon us to reveal our level of depth in Christ, they also reveal where we have built our house, if it has been on the rock or the sand.
The foolish man didn’t even bother to lay foundations. Not only did he begin building in the wrong place, but he also looked for something easier. Further still, he could even lay the foundations, but on the wrong base, in a place where there is no security. It could even withstand until the moment of the flood, but when those flood torrents come, the structure would be broken.
Knowledge is not sufficient when there is foolishness present. If there is no practical life, testing will accurately reveal the place where “his house” has been built, and ruin follows soon after. Remember that the house built on the rock was unmoved. It was well-constructed, it had foundations, and also depth.
You can have the foundations; nevertheless, these must be deep and in the right place, that is on the rock. The rock, which is a clear figure of Christ, will never be moved.
The psalmist said: “From the end of the earth I will cry out to you, when my heart is faint. Take me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). If we are not in Christ, we are easily shaken. A good building must be dug deep, so that the foundations can be laid on the rock.
The lesson from mussels
When we go to the coast, we see that, in some places, there are a lot of rocks, some of which go out into the sea. We call it an area of “rocky outcrops”.
In these rocky outcrops an enormous variety of creatures exist who survive thanks to the movement of the tides. Among them there is one which is much appreciated in culinary art; it’s a mollusc that has the common name ‘mussel’. It feeds itself by filtering the seawater, extracting the nutrients from it. These creatures remain stuck to the rock, even though they are submerged for hours and undergo harsh treatment, with the constant beating of the waves on the rock, and sometimes also from the strong currents.
There is a science called “Bioengineering”. This science studies how to apply the capacities that organisms possess, whether it be in nautical, aeronautical, genetic or other areas. Bioengineering is trying to investigate and to synthesize the type of adhesive that mussels use to fix themselves to the rock. Even when submerged in the water and undergoing all kinds of rough treatment, they continue stuck to the rock. What type of glue is this?
They think that when they are able to synthesize this glue, they will discover one of the most effective and powerful adhesives for the industry, mainly for the naval industry. Such a glue could fix steel to steel with no need to weld, thus avoiding unexpected ruptures in the hulls of ships.
As a figure, we are like those mussels. If we are stuck to the rock nothing can affect us, whether it be the waves of life, the flood torrents, or anything else, because the One who keeps us stuck to the rock is the Holy Spirit.
In the letter to the Romans 8:26, the word `help' has the greatest number of letters of all the other words of the Greek New Testament, totalling 17 letters: `sinantilanbanomai', which when translated literally would be, “sticks and doesn’t let go again” ”.
Thanks to God for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who helps us in our weaknesses and unites us to Jesus Christ, making us secure without letting go, whatever our lives may come up against. “For this reason I am certain that neither death, nor life… will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
Another important detail is that, when mussels are removed from the rock (which is done with much difficulty), they are so firmly stuck to it, that they only come off with a piece of the rock stuck to them. They may die, but the rock stays stuck to them.
There are bigger mussels and smaller ones, but the interesting thing is that the smallest ones taste better, whereas the biggest lack flavour. In the Kingdom, if you want to be first, you need to learn to serve. If you want to be greatest, you must learn the duties of a slave.
Only in an attitude of humiliation, only as the smallest and as children can we give off the flavor and aroma of Christ.