A Lasting Foundation

Matthew 7:21-29—HOUSE OF CARDS

Building a house is always a serious undertaking.

I was about 5 years old when my uncle began showing me how to build a car house. He taught me three different ways in which I could stack the card. And each time he would start and I would want to jump right in after him and start building the house with what he had already done. But he would not let me. Finally after he had given me all of his instruction I was given the deck of cards. Repeatedly every time I went to build the second floor of my house it would fall down. Then finally I got a few cards to balance on the top, and my uncle gave a little blow and it all came tumbling down. After a crying fit I began again. Eventually I got skilled enough to build a 4 story house, but as with all card houses they eventually fall down.

The materials are just not good enough to build a house.

Cards are paper which comes from Wood, but that does not mean it is just as good as a log to build a house out of.

Read Matthew 7:21-29

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

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.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

When I hear about people prophesying, casing out demons and performing miracles. I don’t doubt their salvation. I know that God is showing up in those place, and he is working through those people. So how can the same people who are apart of these amazing things not have a place in heaven? I did not understand.

Then I meet a man who spoke with a prophetic power that opened up the word of God and shared its truths with amazing clarity. He could speak to children, youth, adults all with the power of God. He often prayed for people with the result of healing. And I thought wow there is a man of God. I had come to respect him deeply, and observe his ministry. Then suddenly his marriage ended in divorce, he had been unfaithful to his wife, but this was not the first time. And I was shaken I thought how could God have been using him to do these great things?

Prophesying, casting out demons, and miracles are works of God, and God is the one who does them. Some of us are fortunate to be apart of these works, but they are not our works. They do not form the foundation of our relationship with God.

An amazing worship experience is exciting, and it is exciting to encounter God and see him heal people, but this is not the foundation of our faith.

I find it interesting that the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew on both houses. The one built on the sand, and the one built on the rock. DO we believe that? Being a Christian does not mean that nothing is ever going to go wrong in your life (you probably didn’t need a young pastor to tell you that did you). The difference is the outcome, what the house looks like after the storm.

I am from Idaho and if we got the rain in Idaho that you have here I think the state would float away. But in both states rain is needed to give the ground nutrients and life. To help the crops grow. In our lives I believe the rain can often seem like a difficult trial or test or just a big pain in the neck. But it is rain because it cares the potential to help us grow. As our faith in God and our obedience is tested it grows stronger.