It is all too easy for a Church to pride itself on being a Bible-teaching Church. And in such a Church there can be a lot of pressure on the preacher to make sure that any given sermon is accessible, relevant, faithful, and engaging in equal measure. And in many ways that is entirely appropriate. A Church should expect their preachers to ‘hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught’; to show ‘integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned’; and ‘able to teach’ (Titus 1:9; 2:7-8; I Tim.3:2).
But if that is all is said, then it is hopelessly inadequate, and dangerously imbalanced. Yes, there are questions to ask about a Bible preaching and teaching ministry, but there are also questions to be asked of the congregation. How do they hear the Bible... or perhaps more accurately, what do they do when they hear the Bible being taught.
That is Jesus’ concern as He brings this initial sermon to a close. What do we do when we hear Him? What do we do when we hear the Word of God? Hearing – even understanding – the Word is not an end in itself. Jesus warns us of the dangers of being those who hear... even those who listen intently, who are moved, inspired, uplifted, challenged. All of this is important and good in its place, but none of this is the end of the process of response.
The end point of the process is our putting into practise what we have heard. To hear Jesus and to fail to put into practise what He tells us is folly. More than that it is spiritually dangerous. Jesus may well have Prov.10:25 in mind as he develops this parable: When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. In which case the storm is the storm of judgment. And those who hear and do not put His teaching into practise are the wicked. That might seem a bit strong!? But to call Jesus Lord (a recognition of His authority) and to then fail to do as He says (a denial of His authority) is at best dishonest, and is to render ourselves a living contradiction. To love Christ is to obey His commands (John 14:23-24). Our failure to put into practise what Jesus says is symptomatic of a far deeper issue.
Questions:
What obstacles are there to our putting Jesus’ teaching in practise (perhaps just his teaching in 6:20-45)? Be as specific as you can?
How could we overcome those obstacles?
Do you think Jesus’ insistence that we do what He says makes light of, or ignores, those obstacles?
Does this emphasis on obedience undermine ‘faith’? Should we present the Gospel merely in terms of believing in Jesus?
How can we support each other to more consistently be those who do as Jesus says?
What do you think the ‘torrent’ represent? And what do the houses standing firm and being completely destroyed respectively represents?
Is Jesus here describing two kinds of Christians? ...or is the distinction between those who are Christians and those who aren’t?
What encouragement can we draw when we look back over our lives and see that we are becoming those who put Jesus’ words and put them into practise?
Often this passage is presented as if it is about building your life on Jesus, the Rock. Why is this not a good way of reading or understanding this passage?
