Dear BPCWA worshipper, By God’s arrangement, last week’s pastoral closed with the verse from Luke 6:48-49 about 2 houses, one with a foundation on a rock and another on the earth. On the same day, God gave us an object lesson through the weather, with a severe weather warning for damaging winds in WA. I’m sure no one could miss the howling wind outside your houses last Sunday evening, and the broken tree branches strewn on the floor. This brings to mind a similar analogy which Christ taught in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Don’t focus on the facade. Here, the comparison is between the wise and the fool. We should sit up when God uses the word “fool”. Both built a house. Both may have had a commendable facade. The one on sand may even have been bigger or looked more pleasing to the eye. When things are rosy, one may even think that the more attractive house is better, never mind the foundation. In the context of this passage, Christ was warning of false prophets in sheep’s clothing (Mat 7:15), and those who call Christ, “Lord, Lord” (Mat 7:21), some of whom have prophesied in His name, in His name have cast out devils, and in His name done many wonderful works (Mat 7:22). They were active in “service”. The wise and the fool could both go externally by the name “Christian”. They could be in what is called a church. Even the world acknowledges, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Don’t judge the worth of something merely based on outward appearances. It isn’t what you call yourself. It isn’t what a church calls itself. There is more to evaluate than just the externals.

The defining difference. It doesn’t take a building expert to know that building on rock would be a more difficult and work-intensive process. It is generally more challenging and significantly more expensive due to the hard excavation involved. But those who want the building to last will take pains to ensure that the foundation is solidly grounded. Mid to high-rise buildings depend on deep piling to bear the massive building loads when the topsoil is soft and unstable. Stability is of utmost importance to a house’s foundation. While Perth was spared much of the extremities, some coastal towns were not. It was reported that Lancelin was on high alert as huge swells breached its already eroded coastline, with residents of buildings near the ocean concerned about swells and potential flooding. While typically considered attractive to live in, a seaside home in such a place would probably not be your building of choice when rain, floods, and winds come, and the stability of the building is compromised. In Christ’s parable of the wise and foolish builder, both “heareth these sayings of mine” (Mat 7:24, 26). What differentiates the wise from the foolish is that the wise “doeth them” (Mat 7:24) while the foolish “doeth them not” (Mat 7:26). It is not just about attending a church with good Creeds and Confessions. It is not just about attending a church with good and sound teaching based on those Creeds and Confessions. I would even take it a step further – it is not even only about attending a church with good and sound teaching that you can understand, retain, and articulate. The difference is in the doing, i.e., obedience to the teaching. This parable is about the hearer who does what he hears preached, when the preaching is consistent with Christ’s teachings.

The rain, floods, and winds will come. The time comes when both houses are exposed to the same calamity: “the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house” (Mat 7:25, 27). Such a situation is something that we can relate to here. While last weekend’s rainfall wasn’t quite as high here, the wind gusts were the same as the speed of cars on our freeways, sending windows vibrating. Many of us heard the booming and howling of the wind through rattling windows. The lesson here is that trials and tests will inevitably come to both houses. When things are rosy, the difference may not be evident. Troubles and difficulties are designed to test, and they are divinely designed to expose the fault lines.

Which will you choose? We know the end of the 2 houses. The house of the wise builder withstood the tests. The house of the foolish builder fell. And great was that fall (Mat 7:27). Do note that Christ does not give the hearer wriggling room to excuse himself for not doing because he doesn’t agree with Christ’s teachings. He who hears Christ’s teachings must do them (Mat 7:24) or face the consequences of a great loss. But such warnings are out of His mercy. Everything that the foolish builder had “invested” in his house was lost and wasted. This parable was not meant as an entertaining story. It is a warning intended to force every man to answer the question, “Which type of builder are you?” I thank God that by and large, we have unity of beliefs in BPCWA based on God’s Word. That is good, but that is still insufficient. Christ tells us that we are all builders, and we are challenged here by Christ to reflect honestly on which type of builder we are. A profession of faith isn’t sufficient. A genuine profession of faith is always accompanied by actions in obedience, without which it isn’t a genuine faith. This is, of course, an unpopular teaching. After all, man feels good to have a form of religion. In the end times, there will be a form of godliness. But to practise the faith that you profess takes personal sacrifice, which many do not want. One can choose to be a foolish builder and lose it all. The house of the wise stands not because of his engineering skills. It stands simply because it is built upon the rock, which is Christ. Christ’s teachings will never fail. That which stems from the world, which seems so much easier to do, will inevitably fail when trials come if not built on Christ.   

You could apply this to your personal life as a Christian. If you are the head of a family, you could apply this to your family’s life. Don’t be duped into thinking that building on sand is ok simply because it’s so much easier to do so. Again, the warning is that “great was the fall of” (Mat 7:27) the foolish builder’s house. Christ guarantees that your foundation will be exposed one day. But I want to apply this to BPCWA as the house of God as well. As we look around us, it may seem difficult to practise what we learn from God’s Word. It may seem to cost so much in terms of commitment, and we may seem on the facade to lose out to other churches that offer a broad and easy way and seem so much more attractive to the majority (Mat 7:13-14). Yet, here is where this parable must be an encouragement to us. It isn’t about the outward appearances, but about simply obeying because it is Christ’s ways, i.e., built on Christ. Christ’s ways will never fail. We must always trust Christ’s infallible “building standard” (His Word) to ensure the lasting stability of BPCWA. What will the next 10 or even 40 years be for BPCWA? Trials are not for us to take the easy way out. Trials are to reveal what we really are and to build us up to withstand stronger winds. There will be rain, floods, and winds. But when they come, we must just dig our heels even deeper into the rock and keep doing what God instructs, and it will not fall (Mat 7:25). And if we do so, His abiding Presence will keep us firm for Him. Every time we see the winter rains beat upon our windows and the wind blowing hard, may each generation of worshippers in BPCWA remember to be hearers and doers of God’s Word so that BPCWA will always withstand the tests God allows, until:

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbour bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor