Be a Doer of the Word of God

The Sermon on the Mount is the title given to the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5–7. These three chapters are rich with theological insight into how Christians ought to live and treat each other. Jesus closes the sermon with these words:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24–27)

The difference between being labeled wise or foolish by Jesus is determined by what you do with his words. Both men who built their houses had heard the Word. The wise man took it a step further. He did what Jesus said to do. Again, it goes back to submission and obedience. The doer of the Word obeyed what he heard. This is what today’s churches need—doers of the Word. We need men, women, boys, and girls, who will leave the worship service ready to put into action the truth communicated to them through preaching. Our world needs people who read the Bible with a prayerful heart, pondering the things of God, allowing the Word to transform them. This is real-time transformation. Jesus confirms this is what separates the wise from the foolish.

The rewards and consequences of Jesus deeming us wise or foolish cannot be overlooked nor overstated. Both the wise and the foolish man faced the storm. The rains came, the winds blew, and the house shook in both of their lives. However, the difference was the damage assessment after the storm. Only the man who acted on the Word of God still had his home intact. The foolish man’s house fell, and in what are some of the most sobering words in the Bible, Jesus said “and great was the fall of it.” Everyone knew the house fell. Its destruction was swift and complete. The difference in whether your house will stand or fall has nothing to do with your personality, your background, your talent, your spouse, or even God’s anointing on your life. The determining factor, according to Jesus, is whether you do what he says to do.

 The overarching question to determine whether we are submitted to his Word is this: Does the way we live our lives every day confirm what we believe theologically? In other words, could a person who does not know us observe the life we lead during the week and come away with a basic framework of what we believe about God? The answer to these questions will give you insight into where you are in your relationship with Jesus Christ, how submitted you are to his Word, and to what extent the idolatry of “self” is determining your values.