THE HOUSE BUILT UPON THE SAND.

: New Testament Stories

What a foolish man the builder of the house shown in our picture must

have been! Of course, when the wind blew and the waves dashed against

his house, it would fall. Look how the sea has washed the foundation

away, and how the roof is falling in! And the people; see how they are

fleeing to save their lives! And all this calamity because he built

his house upon the sand. But the other house, shown in the distance:

how f
rmly that stands! What a bold front it offers to the waves, and

how safely it resists the fury of the storm. Its foundations are sure,

because they rest upon the solid rock.



Jesus had been teaching the people. He had taught them many wonderful

truths, which you will find written in the fifth, sixth, and seventh

chapters of Matthew; and in closing He said, "Whosoever heareth these

sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man who

built his house upon a rock. 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. 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. 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." The lesson Jesus sought to

impress upon the people by this parable was, that it is not enough

simply to hear what He says. Many will do that; but it is only those

who remember Christ's commandments and keep them, whose work will

stand when the time of trial comes.



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