Chapter 7 closes the Sermon on the Mount with warnings about judging others and the need to practice the Word. Jesus uses the image of two houses to show the value of hearing and obeying. The house built on the rock withstands rain, wind and floods because it has a firm foundation. The listener who practices is compared to the wise builder who prepares the ground well. The Christian life is not measured by how much we know, but by how much we obey. When the storms come, what sustains us is obedience to the Word.