THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK, AND THE HOUSE ON THE SAND

Teachings of Truth from Our Lord

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
(MATTHEW VII. 24-27)

Take a few minutes and meditate on the two pictures before reading the text below. when the storms of life come over you, do
you crumble with fear, anxiety, worry, doubt or do you stand strong(?)

SPIRITUAL HEARING

Spiritual Hearing is the person who seeks to know what the Lord teaches and wills, and who determines to do that which is commanded, without
waiting to consider worldly policy/practices

Heaven is not formed in a person by knowing and understanding Divine Truth, but by Knowing, Understanding and DOING Divine Truth.

The difference between the person building on the rock, and the person building on the sand, is that one does the Lord's sayings, and the other
does them not.

Both hear His sayings: both know and understand Divine Truths; but one applies them to their life, and is protected against evil, while the other
keeps them as intellectual things, but not applied to their daily life; and, therefore, the storms of temptation beat upon the latter person, and he falls
in spiritual death.

A WISE MAN

A wise man is the person who does the sayings, or teachings, of the Lord, is likened to a wise man. The world often calls a person wise who knows
much; but the Lord calls a person wise, when they make a good use of his knowledge, by living- according to it.

And foolishness consists not in a lack of knowledge, but in making no good use of what we know; not applying our knowledge to a good life.

The wise person gave proof of their wisdom, by building their house upon a rock. In the spiritual sense, the parable refers to spiritual things; to the
spiritual house which our spirit is building, in our minds,

THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE

Each persons own mind is their spiritual house, that in which they shall abide. The mind consists of the will, with its affections, and the
understanding, or intellect, with its thoughts. A person's spiritual life is in their mind, that is, in their will and understanding. And the kind, or quality,
of their life depends upon the state of their mind.

We are all building up our minds, with certain principles; we are all building up the inward houses in which we are to live forever. Day by day,
moment by moment, we are adding piece by piece to the structure, after our chosen plan.
If we build our house with heavenly materials, good affections and true thoughts, our Lord will enter into it and abide with us. And we so build, when
we keep His sayings; for He says, . If a man love Me, he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make
our abode with him."

THE ROCK

"The rock" is the symbol of truth. And, the Lord, is the Truth, He is called the Rock. "Jehovah is my Rock, and my Fortress

The Rock, then, upon which the wise person builds their mental house, is the Lord. In a more particular sense the Rock is the Lord's Divine Truth.

We receive the truth in faith. To build our house upon a rock, is to build our minds upon the Lord's truth, held in genuine faith.

The two parts of man's mind are like the two parts of a house;

The will is the foundation - The house is founded upon a rock, when the will firmly holds the truth of our faith; when we know and
understand the truth, and set our hearts firmly upon the truth

The understanding is the superstructure - But when the understanding, looks to the truth, and we do not fix our heart upon it, the truth is
in one part of our mind, only, the superstructure, and is not in the foundation - Then our house may appear to be well built, but it is not
secure; for it is not founded upon a rock, but upon the sand.

THE SAND

Literally, the rock and the sand are made of the same material; they are both stone.

But the rock is firm and held together

the sand is the broken and scattered pieces of great rocks no longer held firmly together.

The particles composing the rock are like the living truths in our minds, conjoined, cemented, firmly held together, by the binding principle of living
love.

The particles of sand, lying loosely together, and merely adjoined, not conjoined, only placed side by side, but not cemented together by any living
principle, and easily scattered apart, are like the truths laid up in our memories and intellects, which give no firm base, or foundation, upon which to
build up any spiritual life.

The fact that there is no firm foundation except upon the rock of living faith in the truth, based in the will, appears even more clearly from the
parallel passage in Luke, in which it is said, "He that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man, who, without a foundation, built a house," etc.

"a person can receive nothing, unless it be given them from heaven," there is no power, or security, or stability, or happiness, in relying on self.

And when a man receives truths superficially, he does not allow them to show him his own evils. And, hence, he does not put away his evils, and
does not practice the truth. But the parable shows us why, and how, the sand is an insecure foundation for our house.

THE RAINS, FLOODS, WINDS

The danger comes from the rain, the floods and the winds.

these come upon both houses; but one stands, while the other falls.

The house founded upon a rock does not escape meeting the rain, floods and storms, but it escapes being destroyed by them.

The rains, floods and winds, represent the temptations which beset and assault us, in our life-experience. It rains on the just and unjust.

We must all meet them; but while the good stand secure under them.

Our faith is tried in temptations. If it be true, and founded on the Lord, loved in the heart, it will stand the test, and will come out like gold from the
fire, purer and better; but if it be false, merely intellectual faith, not based in the ruling-love, it will be undermined and swept away.

FLOODS

In temptations, these false suggestions flow into the mind, in gradually increasing volume.

Compared to long continued and heavy rains produce a flood, so, in the mind, during temptation, the wicked rain of false suggestions gradually
produces a flood, an accumulation of falsities, swelling up, like an angry flood, and rushing on, in a body, to overwhelm every spiritually living thing
in their path.
 WINDS

And the winds come, also. These destructive storms of wind, which accompany the violent rains and rising floods, represent the peculiar attitude of
falsities in which they engage the thoughts.

They come with a more cunning and subtle power than the rain and the flood; like the wind, they penetrate through every nook and corner, and use
every weak spot to exert their influence.

They come quietly, at first, but increase into tornadoes, and threaten everything before them.

TEMPTATIONS

By means of our natural tendencies towards evils, evil spirits are able to draw near to us, and to excite our tendencies.

by means of the truths taught us from the Lord's Word, the angels draw near to us, to counteract evil influences.

Temptation comes to all; but, to the good, it does the work of purifying; while, to the evil, it brings confirmation in evil.

The severe trials of temptation are well pictured by the combined attack of the rain, the floods and winds, beating upon a house

"Rain," as water, is the symbol of natural truth.

But, when rain is violent and destructive, it denotes truth perverted, and changed into falseness.

The violent rain beating upon the house represents falsity attacking the mind, false suggestions, cunning untruths, coming upon the mind, from evil
spirits, exciting the inbred natural tendencies to evil.

MENTAL HOUSES BUILT IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

The parable says that the person who lives by the Lord's teachings, and who is a wise person, is like one who builds their house on a firm rock.

But, spiritually, the wise person builds their spiritual house on a spiritual rock and the fool builds their spiritual house on spiritual sand.

The text is literally true of spiritual things. The good persons inward house is actually built in heaven; for heaven is not merely a place, but an
inward state. And natural death is the means of bringing them into full and conscious possession of their house.

The house founded on the rock endured the storm and did not fall; the person whose faith was founded in their will endured, because they sought,
and received, life and help from the Lord, who, alone, is able successfully to combat against evil spirits.

THE FALL

But the house built on the sand yielded to the storm, and fell; and "great was the fall of it.
The mind which knows and understands truth, and yet inwardly cherishes evil, falls, in temptation, and, by its voluntary abuse of its knowledge and
understanding, brings upon itself "the greater condemnation." Its fall is great, entire, complete.
A fall under the great and overwhelming torrents of falsities from evil, is truly a great fall, a complete spiritual undermining, a watery grave to the
perishing spiritual man.

CHARACTER

Only the practiced truth builds up the character,

The great business of our life is to build a house for our Lord to dwell in, in our hearts and lives.
If we do not build for our Lord, we shall build a mere" den for wild beasts, and a cage of every unclean of the world.
" Every good affection is a sound piece of timber, for an inward house; and every true thought is a strong and durable stone.
On the other side, every evil affection is a decayed timber, and every false thought is a rotting brick.

THE CHURCH ON THE ROCK

Jesus said to Peter, "Thou art Peter; and upon this rock will I build My Church."
And the rock upon which our Lord builds His Church, is a living faith in the truth, based in the will of every human
And when we build our spiritual house upon a rock, that house is a Church, for our Lord abides in it, and in it we worship Him.
The Church is thus planted in man, in the truths of faith, based on love.
If we are not principled in love to our Lord, we are led by self-love.
 BLUEPRINTS / BUILDING PERMITS

Our Lord gives us, in the holy Word, all the plans, specifications and estimates that are necessary to do our building well.

And it should be our great delight to do this work of building. But foolish people try to build with their own plans, while the good and wise build with
the Lord's plans.

The wise person selects his materials with great care, and builds with care, But the careless person takes any materials that seems to come to
hand.

How do YOU start building your spiritual home on a rock foundation

I say start with the ten commandments, dont add to it or take away from them.
practice one a week until it becomes instilled in you

May Peace be With You And Your Spirit