By now every one knows about how the “housing bubble” burst here, in America. But what we don’t hear a lot about are the spiritual houses collapsing around us everyday. Luke 6:46-49 has this to say:
46 So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.
If we look closely at this passage from Luke, a couple of obvious things stand out: coming, hearing, and doing. I like how the scriptures point out the way Jesus would wait upon the Father, continuously seeking Him, and hearing from Him as to what to do and what to say. We find that Jesus said, “I’m never alone because I always do that which pleases the Father.” Jesus continuously came to the Father, he continuously listened to the Father’s words, and finally; he always did what the Father showed him. Jesus’ relationship with the Father had the same characteristics he talks about in our section out of Luke 6. If we are to avoid a housing collapse in our lives we need to understand what Jesus was talking about in regards to this Coming, Hearing, and Doing. Let’s look first at the Coming.
As most of you know, our English New Testaments were translated from Greek manuscripts, and sometimes looking at a verse as it is written in the Greek will bring out aspects of the verse we might otherwise miss. In the case of our passages out of Luke 6, the original Greek brings out clearly that the coming to him Jesus has in mind is a continuous coming to him. The Greek reads, πᾶς ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός με or, “Everyone who is coming to me” Just as Jesus went continually before the Father, so we must continually come to Christ. So many refer back to the time they came to Christ, “Yeah, 20 years ago I got saved…” But are we coming to him today? Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the Father. Our relationship with Jesus must be an on going, right now, present tense relationship. Remember during their time in the wilderness, after the Exodus, the children of Israel were to gather fresh manna every morning. In Moses’ tabernacle, fresh bread was placed upon the table of show bread every Sabbath. It was not allowed to get stale. Brothers and sisters our coming to Christ must be continuous. There is fresh bread but we must come!
The Greek also depicts this coming as something that we do. It carries the aspect of the subject (us) doing something intentionally, with his own benefit in mind. (We Americans ought to be good at this: “What am I going to get out of this?”) This is an intentional coming to Christ on our part. So often we think that we are just going to magically grow in Christ through some kind of osmosis, but; Jesus is saying here in Luke 6 that it is you and I who are to come to him on purpose, continually. Let me ask you to think for a moment… What do you continuously run to? We intentionally go to the TV, the computer, our entertainment, our families, and the list goes on and on, but; do we intentionally turn aside and draw near to hear God speak to us? We ask God for his grace for this and that, but; what about asking him for the grace to seek his face. Grace is not solely for when we mess up. Grace is the power of the kingdom! Let’s ask him for the grace to seek his face.
We also need to see here in Luke 6 that Jesus said we are to be continuously coming to HIM, hearing Him, and doing His word. It’s all in Him! So many of us spend our time running here and there, looking for the latest word from this one or that one, and; Jesus wants us to be coming to him, and hearing his words. Intimacy with Christ is the key thing here. Let me tell you something, “God is not hiding out in the Bible.” Now understand me, the Bible is the inspired word of God profitable for teaching, correction, reproof and training in righteousness, so that you and I can be adequate and equipped for every good work; but the only way we can properly understand this book is through relationship with Christ. This is what Jesus told the Jews in John 5:39, 40, “You search the scriptures but you don’t see 
that they speak of me, and you are unwilling to come to me that you may have life.” This book speaks of him! The Bible is not intended to be worshiped or as some kind of magic book with spells in it that will magically give us eternal life- No!! This book is to bring us to Jesus. We can read this book every day (the Jews had most of it memorized, and oh yeah, the devil can quote it too), but if we are not continually coming to Christ, they are merely words on a page.
Here is the best part of all: Even though our passage tells us that our continuous coming to Christ is something we do ourselves, he is the one that makes first contact! Remember the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9? Remember he was the crippled son of Jonathan who David sought out to show mercy and kindness to? (See our post Mephibosheth Saith) Like David, your King is seeking you out, he will carry you into his presence himself, and he will make the way. Mephibosheth was not seeking David, David sought him. And Jesus is seeking you!
The first step in building a House on the Risen Son is a continual coming to Jesus!
(Next time we’ll look into the hearing part.)
NLI Ministries 