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Matthew 7:26
ESV 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.
NIV But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
NASB And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
CSB But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
NLT But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
KJV 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:
NKJV “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

What does Matthew 7:26 mean?

Jesus is illustrating the difference between living by His teaching versus not living by them. The person who follows Jesus' teaching is a like a man who built a house on foundation of rock. When the violent storms came, the house stood firm. The "house" of one's beliefs and faith must be built on something solid and true—which is Christ only (John 14:6)—in order to withstand the attacks of the world (Matthew 7:24–25).

Now Jesus says that those who don't follow His teaching, once they have heard it, are like a man who built a house directly on the sand. He calls this man foolish for using sand as the foundation for a house. The result for this house, once the storm hits, will be very different than for the wise man's house.

Jesus is emphasizing that the difference is not between merely hearing or not hearing His teaching. The difference comes in living by Jesus' teaching. Those who truly believe Jesus' words will follow them as they carry out their everyday lives (John 14:15).
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