What Makes a Trustworthy Foundation for Life?

What Makes a Trustworthy Foundation for Life? (Matthew 7:24-27)

Matthew 7:24-27, Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Jesus begins by warning of false foundations. He set forth a simple test with a simple illustration. It is not enough to just hear His Word, but to actually do it (James 1:22-25.) A hearer only deceives himself. The doer is the man who is to be blessed. He will withstand the storms of life and judgment. That doing begins with trusting Christ. Jesus uses another simple illustration from life: a house and its foundation.

A structure built upon bedrock will be solid and stable. Failing to build on an enduring foundation leads to destruction. A structure built without any foundation may stand for a short time, but when the inevitable storms come, the foundation of the house will collapse. The clear and simple application is of not only hearing, but actually doing the full spectrum of God’s Word in our lives. Some people miss salvation because they have built their lives on the shifting sands of religion.

The actual doing of God’s Word is the foundation that brings strength, security, and blessing. This is true in the matter of being saved in the first place and it is particularly true of the ongoing Christian life. It is the doer of the Word who is like the house on the rock. The one not doing His Word is likened to the house on the sand.

Every man faces the rains and storms of life. Storms can come anytime, anywhere. They can come today: through accident, through some bad news, through some tragedy—whatever. The day is coming when it will be too late to build. The foolish builder is a man who hears the instructions and does not obey them. Rather than building on the rock, he builds upon sand. He knows how to build, but he chooses not to build according to instructions. The sand is anything other than Christ.

The foolish builder built foolishly: there was great destruction—the difference was the foundation. The house fell. If we do not follow the Lord's sayings, His instructions, we will see our house fall and collapse. The trials of this life and the great trial to come will beat upon our house and condemn it to destruction: "And great was the fall of it." When do we need a solid house the most? Isn't it when the winds begin to blow and the storms come? When the storm begins, it is too late to build the house. How tragic to build and then experience the collapse of our lives when the storms come! A terrible storm is coming at death and in the Great Day of Judgment, a storm against which no man can stand unless he is held up by Christ. The man who builds on sand is hopeless.

Christ Jesus is the foundational stone for every true believer, a resting place for those who build for eternity. The Words of Christ are a trustworthy foundation. Obeying God is like building a house on a strong, solid foundation that stands firm when storms come. When life is calm, our foundations don't seem to matter. But when crises come, our foundations are tested. Be sure your life is built on the solid foundation of knowing and trusting Jesus Christ.

The Bible never says that the rains won’t come. But if we’re built solidly on God’s Word, then we’ll survive the storm. If we’re built on worry, doubt, fear, and the world’s temporal pleasures, then our lives will shift, crack, and eventually crumble. Wise people hear the Word of God and do what it says. Foolish people hear the Word of God but don’t do what it says.

We shouldn’t be afraid of the storms because we believe in the God of the storms. We shouldn’t pray that God takes away our trials, because trials help mold us into His image—and they reveal the person we really are. Take some time today to examine your life. Is it built upon shifting sands or on the strong foundation of God’s Word?

• Why would people build a house without a foundation?
• Perhaps to save time and avoid the hard work of preparing a stone foundation.
• Maybe they haven't heard about the violent storms coming, or they have discounted the reports.
• Possibly they think disaster can't happen to them.
• Whatever their reason, those with no foundation are shortsighted, and they will be sorry.
• When you find yourself listening but not obeying, what are your reasons?

Prayer: Almighty Father, there are so many times when I turn the volume down on You and go my own way. I honestly don’t know why I do that because it never goes well. I want to be more sensitive to Your Spirit. Help me to stand on Your Word, and live according to Your principles. Help me to trust You enough to obey Your Word. Forgive my unbelief and pride to think I can manage on my own. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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