Build On The Rock

Build on the Rock

Text: Matthew 7:13-27

By: Ken McKinley

(Read Text)

If you have been watching, listening or reading the news then there’s no doubt that you are aware of the situation our economy is in. Automakers, banks, mortgage companies, and everyone else it seems is crying for money. Large industries are going bankrupt and the stock market is on a serious downslide. And I’m sure you’ve heard different sides to the story. Some claim that it is President Bush’s fault, others claim that it’s the cost of the wars we are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, others say that it’s the fault of the industries.

Not I’m not going to say that those things and others did not contribute to our economies woes; I’m not going to say that, but I don’t think that they are the initial cause. They are contributors to our economic crisis, but they are not the initial cause. The initial cause is that our entire financial system is built on a faulty premises. It’s based on an illusion. Here in the U.S. we spend more than we earn, we consume more than we produce, we borrow more than we save, and we fool ourselves that we can do these things forever. And we base this notion on the idea that the Federal Reserve Note (the American dollar); is the glue that holds all of this together. The problem with this is that the Federal Reserve Note is a fiat currency. A fiat currency is one that is basically created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve.

In the last 3 or 4 years the Fed has created around 5 trillion dollars in new money. Money that isn’t based on anything. It’s money created out of thin air and not backed by anything. You history buffs will know that this all started in 1913. Woodrow Wilson was President, and since that time we’ve gone through one Great Depression and several recessions. And its all because our currency is built on a faulty foundation.

Now I’m not here to preach about the economy, I want to talk about something more important… I want to talk about eternity. I simply use our failing economy as an illustration. Jesus is telling us in our text, on this last Sunday of 2008 that there are some, who if they examined their lives, might find that they have built on just as flimsy a foundation as the one our economy is built upon.

He was telling His listeners this, and us as well, in order to distinguish the difference between true and false Christians. He was telling His listeners this, and us as well, so that they and we might look within our own hearts with honesty and assess our own spiritual condition.

So lets listen to what Jesus is saying here. He is talking about two men. Now both men wanted the same thing; both wanted to build a house. No doubt both of them wanted a place they could call home, spend time with their families, and live in security. These two men wanted the same thing.

Now Jesus didn’t distinguish between the two houses, or where they were built, or what materials were used to build them. The only distinguishing feature He mentions are the foundations. So we could assume that from the outside, the two houses looked exactly the same. The same doors, the same windows, the same roof; maybe even the same blueprint was used to build the house.

But one builder was wise and the other builder was foolish.

The Bible tells us that it is the fool who says in his heart that there is no God.

The foolish builder didn’t take the time to build his house on a sure foundation.

You know what? There is no quick and easy road to spiritual maturity. We want an easy to read, and easy to follow, step by step guide to Christian maturity and success. I know this is a fact because Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life has sold more than 20 million copies. (and I wonder what those buyers are thinking now that Mr. Warren is buddying up with the man that many of them voted against).

So instead of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ by faithful attendance at church, and by a consistent pattern of Bible reading and prayer, and by being doers of God’s Word rather than just hearers only. Many people look for the quick fix, microwaveable maturity.

The foolish builder didn’t stop to consider the possibilities and consequences of building without a foundation. He was short sighted. If this were to day we would say that he was spending more than he earned, we consumed more than he produced, and borrowed more than he saved. He was the average American consumer, CEO, and politician all rolled up into one.