Foundation
Reliable • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Reliable Series / Big Idea: Because God doesn’t change, we can trust Him with every part of our lives. - Slide
Reliable: Foundation
Main Idea: Because God doesn’t change, His reliability becomes our stability.
If you go to the beach this summer, you see kids building sandcastles. They’re beautiful, magnificent and indestructible in the kids eyes. But we know what they built is doomed. Even if they build a mot around it. Why because the water comes. It always comes.
We laugh at that, but the reality is that most of us are doing the exact same thing with our lives. We’re building massive life-castles on the shifting sands of culture, politics, finances, health, and our own shifting opinions. Jesus steps onto the scene today and offers us a counter-cultural alternative: a life that overcomes and endures . Because God doesn’t change, His reliability becomes our stability.
End of the Sermon on the Mount / Jesus
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Two people / Two who build differently.
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Everyone: Then and now. Then: Historians estimate the audience likely numbered in the hundreds or thousands of people. Now us today.
Words of mine:
• Anger and Murder
• Lust and Adultery / Divorce / Oaths and Integrity
• Non-Retaliation (Turning the other cheek) / Love for Enemies
• Do Not Worry
• Judging Others / The Golden Rule
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Have you ever been given advice you wished you would have listened to?
"Hearing sermons is a dangerous business if one does not put them into practice." - John Stott (Slide)
Your foundation isn't what you believe; it's what you do with what you believe.
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
This is about the foundation. In architecture, the foundation dictates the height and strength of the building. Most of us want a “skyscraper” life, but we have a “soft” foundation. Jesus is saying, check your foundation! If the foundation is wrong, the whole project is a failure before the first wall even goes up.
Building on the rock takes time and is hard work.
Storms come for every person and every family in this life.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Jesus uses three images: rain (from above), streams (from the below), and wind (all around). It’s a total-system failure of the environment. There is not where to run.
The world will throw everything at you. Intellectual doubt, personal tragedy, cultural pressure, loss of job or health. - Name your storm.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
His reliability becomes our stability.
If He’s the Rock, you’re safe. Why? You’re built different!
You see this in older seasoned Christ followers. They have been through some brutal storms. And they are still standing, even with a smile on their face. How? They have built the foundation of their lives on the rock of Jesus. Following his ways.
God’s ways are, the best ways!
Some ppl see “Jesus” as just a life-hack for them. And this is foolish.
26 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.
The sand is anything other than Christ. It could be your career, your family, or even your own righteousness.
Sand is actually very comfortable to build on. It’s soft, it yields, it’s easy. It quick to build on. But it has no staying power. If you build your identity of hopes on something that can change, you will be in a constant state of anxiety.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The storm is the ultimate audit. You can't fake a foundation during a hurricane. You can paint the walls and buy the best furniture (the look of Christianity), but the storm only cares about what’s underneath the surface. The Rock is the only thing that doesn't move when the storms of your life come and your world gets wet.
The storm always reveals which man was wise and which one was foolish. The trials of this life will expose what your foundation is made of.
Jesus describes two people who decided to build differently and experienced two different outcomes. One stood strong and endured. The other crashed.
What if I have built my life on the wrong foundation. Well you could rebuild and start over. This time building the right way.
Look at this picture and think about your life.
https://i.redd.it/a95tezhcsrp51.jpg - Slide
This iconic photograph captures the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which struck the Texas coast in September 2008. This location is Gilchrist, Texas.
The Owners and Their Motivation: The house belonged to Warren and Pam Adams. The couple had previously owned a home on that same lot, but it was completely destroyed by Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Heartbroken but determined to stay near the ocean, they decided to rebuild—but this time, they committed to making the house as "hurricane-proof" as possible.
They decided to build different. Moving from fool to wise.
How It Survived: While nearly every other structure in Gilchrist was wiped off its foundation by Ike's massive 15-to-20-foot storm surge, the Adams' house survived due to specific engineering choices:
• Foundation & Elevation: The house was built on top of massive, reinforced concrete pilings that were driven 20 feet deep into the ground. This allowed the storm surge to flow underneath the living quarters rather than through them.
• Wind Resistance: It was built to exceed local building codes, designed to withstand winds of up to 130–150 mph.
• Strategic Design: The owners used extra-strong structural ties, reinforced windows, and a roof designed to stay attached during high-velocity winds.
If you have been living life like a fool without Jesus, do what the Adams’ did. Rebuild and address your foundation. Asking Jesus to become your Savior and you foundation. Following His building code.
How do we rebuild for the storms of this life? We build our lives on the firm foundation of Christ.
