The story has been told of a man who came late to church one Sunday. Slipping in at the back, he asked the usher, ‘Is the sermon done?’ She replied, ‘No, the sermon was preached; it is yet to be done!’

As he concludes his Sermon on the plain, Jesus impresses on his listeners the importance of doing the sermon (v 46). The crowds had frequently marvelled at Jesus’ sermons and signs (Luke 4:15,22,32,36; 5:26). But amazement isn’t action and Jesus is preaching for a response: ‘Work [my] words into your life’ (v 48, The Message). This entails digging beneath the surface and never settling for the superficial: ‘These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words…’ (v 47, The Message). This is hard but necessary work for those seeking everlasting life. 

Connected with this image of foundation words is the metaphor of the good tree (vs 43–45). As the builder must dig deep to reach bedrock, a tree must put down deep roots before it can yield good fruit. A faithful and fruitful connection to Jesus is one that allows his words to ‘remain’ in us, directing how we live and love (John 15:5–10).

My hope is built on nothing less / than Jesus’ blood and righteousness … On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; / all other ground is sinking sand.’¹

Discovering how a person gives and receives love is important, particularly when it is different for you; it gives you the chance to express your love to them in a way that they can receive and experience. The idea of individual ‘love languages’ is helpful for any relationship and has certainly enriched my marriage and friendships. Jesus here seems to imply that his love language is obedience. He is not impressed with flowery prayers, with people who call him ‘Lord, Lord’, but with people who do what he says.²

The image Jesus uses here is of building a house. My wife and I once had the privilege of designing and building a house and we were amazed at how much went into the foundation. What was unseen, deep under the ground, was actually the most important part, though we were least interested in it because we’d never see it. Yet it was what allowed us to continue enjoying the rest of the house for the long term, even if the outside paint ended up more pink than we intended! I rarely see that house any more but, whenever I do, I’m proud to have contributed something so enduring to that community.

It is all too easy to content ourselves with only hearing what Jesus has to say, but this is like building a house on shifting sand, with no foundation. Instead, we must hear his words and then, crucially, put them into practice. This discipline of ‘living it out’ is what produces the kind of deep and solid foundations in our lives which will hold us when the inevitable storms of life come. When life is calm the foundations do not matter much, but a crisis tests and reveals our foundations like nothing else.

What is the last thing God spoke to you about? Take a moment to reflect on your response. Are you putting his words into practice and speaking his love language?

¹ Edward Mote, 1834  ² Also expressed four times in John 14:15,21–24