Out there in the world everyone is busy creating their own reality in which to live. Well, that’s what people think they’re doing a lot of the time, whether consciously or unconsciously … We build our little worlds and live in them comfortably. This is reality, so we think. But then a life storm hits us and the little world we have created collapses and, suddenly, a bigger, much more real reality imposes itself on us, if I can phrase it is clumsily as that …
Jesus said that in this world we will have troubles but that we should take heart because He had overcome the world. Just what did He mean by that statement, and how did He achieve this? I believe He was talking about reality – God’s reality. And God’s reality is a completely and utterly holy and flawless reality. When Jesus told the parable about the two houses – one built on a sand foundation, and one built on a rock foundation – He was talking about reality then, too. He was comparing building our lives according to our own sense and understanding of reality which, by itself, is necessarily flawed since we don’t know everything about everything, and we’re not completely holy yet, with building our lives according to God’s revelation of His reality. (Sorry about the long sentence!)
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) [Jesus]
"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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
God’s revelation about reality is never subjective, but objective – that is, His reality is completely beyond interpretation and variation by humans. It is rock, and cannot be reduced by human subjectivity or attempts to adjust it. His reality cannot be changed to accommodate us.
And so, here’s the thing about that parable … when the storm hits the house built on our own subjective sense of reality, it inevitably crashes. That ‘reality’ is exposed as quite deficient. It is not reality at all, and we cannot survive it and ultimately transition to eternity in any joyous way. But, you know, that exposure of a fake reality is not a totally bad thing, is it? I mean, if the crash comes early enough for us to learn, we can rebuild properly. On rock. Not sand. That’s important, of course. But also inherent in this parable is this absolute truth that sooner or later, reality – God’s reality – forces us to get over ourselves and be objective, which is about learning God’s holy and unchanging reality, and building according to that building code. Here’s the thing about reality: there’s either food in the cupboard, or there isn’t. There’s either petrol in the car, or there isn’t.
There is either spiritual substance in my faith walk, or there isn’t … If there isn’t, my house is built on sand – and it won’t last. Why waste time?
Sooner or later, the real reality of human existence forces us to become more and more objective, or else, we live in denial and we once again build on sand.
The Word of God describes His holy reality. It’s here now, and will never change. The Bible calls it the Kingdom of God. God’s sovereign rule and authority of which there is no end.
Of course, in using this parable Jesus was foreshadowing an eschatological reality – an end of time reality where there will be no dispute about it. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. No exceptions … because there is only one reality. But He was also encouraging us to build on rock now – according to God’s reality which is rich and powerful …
Romans 14:17 (NIV) [Jesus] “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, …”
Why not decide now to build your “house” on the rock – the words of Jesus. And the words of Jesus, His teachings, are a lot, lot more than the golden rule. No one can reduce Jesus’ words to suit their own reality. That is subjectivity again; that house will fall. No, to build with objectivity – which only God has – is to put into practice what Jesus taught, and in all its fullness. This is obedience, and there is a direct correlation between this obedience and experiencing God’s holy reality.
If we build like that, we build in congruence with God’s holy, eternal reality, and there is nothing any storm can do to destroy that house – nor the joy and peace in that house.
Think on these things.
Ps Milton