THE SURE FOUNDATION
Text: Matthew 7:24-29
"It is told that [Horatio] Nelson [1758-1805] was famous for his courtesy to defeated enemies. [He was one of England's most famous Naval heroes.] On one occasion a defeated captain came on to Nelson's quarter-deck as a prisoner. He had heard of Nelson's courtesy and came forward holding out his hand almost as if it were a reception. Nelson spoke one sentence. "Your sword first and then your hand". The first necessity was submission. This parable teaches clearly that the claim of Christ must either be totally accepted or rejected. It is the claim of Jesus that to take His way is the way to security; to refuse to take it is the way to disaster". (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel Of Matthew. Volume 1. Revised ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970, p. 218). Again this parable makes the point that there can be no compromise when it comes to living by the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We either live by His words or we don’t.
As someone has said, “People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.
“We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Citation: D. A. Carson, quoted in "Reflections," Christianity Today (7-31-00)]. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 278). It is obvious that such a lifestyle is illustrates those who will wind up being restless in search of the rest that only God can give.
It is as St. Augustine once said, “we are restless until we find rest in God”. There are many in the world who will try to satisfy that restlessness with other than God. They usually try to satisfy that hunger for eternity with things that are temporary. What is it that makes people use substitutes instead of turning to God? What is it that causes people to create their own religions? What is it that causes people to pursue such an idolatrous endeavor? As someone (Ed Young) has said, “… most pleasure seekers are trying to cover a wound”. (Ed Young. Been There. Done That. Now What?. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, p. 47). They seek pleasures in the hopes that life will be satisfying only to still feel restless.
Matthew 7:24-29 is a Biblical parable that points to the necessity for obedience. In that parable, Jesus illustrates His point through three things in that passage of scripture which are the construction site, the storm's test and the results of the test.
THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
The place where one decides to construct and build one's spiritual abode is an important factor that must be considered.
Hurricane Hugo (1989) more than any other recent hurricane proved just how foolish it is and was for expensive housing to be built on a poor foundation in SC. But, it is unfortunate that some people just do not learn from their mistakes. Proverbs 26:11 grotesquely illustrates by comparison how fools return to their folly: "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly" (NIV). Proverbs 5:22-23 make the following point: "The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline" (NIV). Are we sometimes ensnared---trapped by repeating some of the same ineffective methods that that got us nowhere? Are we learning where our potential for lack of discipline can cause us to fall behind in making progress?
The way that people seek to establish the foundation of their spiritual lives is important. Who can forget the story of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs? The first house was built out of straw. The second house was built out of sticks. The wolf was able to blow both house down because of the poor choice of building materials. But, the third house was made of bricks and withstood the wolf's attempt to blow it down. Friends our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ warned us about how there are false prophets who come in the guise of sheep when the truth of the matter is that they are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15).
Have you ever tried to do something your own way without God’s help successfully? There is the story of a World War II pilot who had plane troubles that forced him to bail out. He landed in the water, freed himself from his parachute only to face what seemed like death by drowning as the shore seemed miles away. He resolved to quit fighting and give in to his fate expecting to drown. Exhausted, he let his body go only to discover that his feet landed on the bottom as the water rested at his shoulder level. (Richard Carl Hoefler. The Divine Trap. Lima: The C. S. S. Publishing Co., 1986, p. 11). Like the pilot in this story, our efforts have their limits.
From the moment Jesus was born the world has been forced to make a decision concerning life and death. Consider Matthew 2:1-12 and the three responses to the Savior's birth. Like the Wisemen or Magi we may seek Him. Like the Chief Priests we can ignore Him. Or, like Herod, we can stand in opposition to Him. (Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume 1. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989, p. 14). To reject Jesus is to build on the sand, because like the hymn says “Jesus is the solid rock on which we stand, cause all other ground is sinking sand”.
THE TEST OF THE CONSTRUCTION
A test will determine not only what we learned, but also where things went wrong. In medicine, doctors will run tests on a patient in order to make a diagnosis and treat the problem. When it comes to diamonds, jewelers have what they call the "water test" which will display a genuine diamond from an imitation. Under the water a diamond will sparkle whereas an imitation would practically be extinguished. (A. Naismith. 1200 Notes, Quotes And Anecdotes. Great Britain: Pickering Paperbacks, 1988, p. 197). It is the storms of life that test the foundation of what kind of foundation we have built our houses on---sand or the solid rock of Jesus.
A test can also determine the lack of effort that was put into a project. Charles Linbergh was not the only one who desired to set a record back in the 1920's by crossing the Atlantic. There were two Frenchmen who had the same goal. The difference between the two was that Lindbergh was patient as well as diligent in practice and preparation unlike the Frenchman who were ill-prepared and impatient. The Frenchmen started out but never reached their desired destination. In fact, they were never heard from again. "All three men paid a price: two of them at the end, Lindbergh at the beginning". (Ernest A. Fitzgerald. Keeping Pace: Inspirations In The Air. Greensboro: Pace Communications Inc., 1988, p. 81). The parallel between the persons in this story and the men in Jesus's parable in Matthew 7:24-29 is this, the Frenchman could be likened to the foolish man who built his house on the sand as opposed to Lindbergh who was as the wise man who built his house on the rock
THE RESULTS OF THE STORM
When it comes to living by the words of Jesus, there can be no short cuts or compromises. Which would you want a house that could withstand a storm that is built upon a good foundation or a house that is built upon a sandy foundation that will wash away during a storm? Energy spent in the wrong direction will not be as effective and productive as energy spent in the right direction. It does not matter how hard one has labored, if one has not built his house on the foundation that God provides through His word and in the life and example of our Lord and Savior, God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, then his/her spiritual structure will fail. Consider Psalm 127:1a "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain" (NIV). God has given us the foundation on which to build through His Son Jesus Christ and all other ground as the hymn "My Hope Is Built" says "all other ground is sinking sand" which the Bible confirms. To build on any other foundation is to built apart from God and therefore "labor in vain". God provides the way, truth and life (John 14:6) through Jesus because He is not willing that any of us perish (Second Peter 3:9).
Submission on our part involves the will in that success becomes possible when we surrender ourselves to God. Like the conquered captain taken captive by Horatio Nelson, we must surrender our swords of resistance and rebellion before we can honestly and wholehearted give God our hearts in devotion and our hands in His service. Consider Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps" (NIV). Proverbs 14:12 speaks against the peril of compromising our spiritual issues concerning God's will: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (NIV).
Failure to "alter our courses" to that of God's will say something about who we are, what we believed, where we failed and why. To hear the words of Jesus and reject them is to be foolish. The Greek word for fool is "moron" which in secular Greek was used to describe tasteless foods. But, when used in reference to people, it was used in the context of people who showed poor judgement, lacking intellectual and spiritual capacities". (Wayne A. Detzler. New Testament Words In Today's Language. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986, p. 164). I am sure that there are some of you who have heard Moe call Larry and Curly (The Three Stooges) a moron.
When people have lived their lives, being obedient to the words of Christ it does not guarantee an exemption from suffering. A cautious person will try to avoid suffering (Hoefler p. 14) and build on the sand whereas a courageous person will strive to build a spiritual house that can withstand a storm because of the foundation on which it is built. Matthew 5:45 says "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (NIV). No one can therefore argue that God shows partiality. "God gives not special privileges to the righteous, but special power" (Hoefler, p. 15). That is the power not only to sustain the storms of life, but also overcome the tragedy that has sometimes been the results of the storms of life (p. 15). That is why the results of the storms tell us as well as others a lot about us. The storms can be helpful in helping us to see progress and also prevent the pride that most often accompanies spiritual complacency. AMEN.
