Mark 3:13-19 | Jon Lewis
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· 22 viewsJon shares about the role of those in the Bible which we do not want to imitate. We don’t want to be “that guy”. We cannot mistake proximity to matters of God with intimacy with God.
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Pastor Kathryn Alban, The Way Church 10-8-23
“Matthew 7:24-27
Intro: Introduction: The Tower of Pisa is known for leaning to one side. Construction on the famous tower began in 1137, and it was built in 3 stages. The tower has been leaning since the beginning of construction. Engineers tried to fix the tilt by making columns and arches on the third level taller on the sinking side. They attempted this again on the fifth and sixth levels, without success. By 1911, when actual monitoring of the tower began, it was sinking by .05 inches per year. Engineers have tried many things since to fix the tower. They drilled holes into to the foundation and filled them with a mixture of grout and cement, but that only made it worse. They braced the first story with steel tendons and brought in 600 tons of lead ingots that were stacked around the base to counterweight the lean. In 1990, the tower was closed to the public and all living quarters close to the tower were vacated because city official were concerned it would fall at any moment. In 1995, they put in 10 underground steel anchors to invisibly push the tower northwards, but this attempt only brought the tower even closer to collapsing. They even dug under it and removed 77 tons of soil, and it only straightened the tower by 44 centimeters. None of the attempts by any number of engineers has fixed this tower, but the ultimate problem is that the The Tower of Pisa was built on top of soft, silty soil. An English geotechnical engineer was finally able to figure out the primary cause of the tilt- a fluctuating water table that is perched higher on the tower’s north side. However, the tilt of The Tower of Pisa ultimately comes down to one factor- it was not a built on a stable foundation (Madrid Engineering Group. 2013). It does no good to build a beautiful structure on an unstable foundation. The same is true in our spiritual lives.
Matthew 7:24–27 (ESV)
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
1. Sand Builders:
In today’s scripture Jesus is telling a parable at the end of, his famous, Sermon on the Mount.
the Sermon on the Mount was spoken by Jesus to teach what is righteous from what is unrighteous.
In this parable, Jesus gives two types of people; the Rock Builders and then the Sand Builders. I want to first talk about the Sand Builders.
The word built, in this scripture means, to found or establish.
The Sand Builders establish their house on the sand when they have the knowledge that there is a rock right in front of them.
Those who were listening to Jesus as he spoke this scripture were mostly from Galilee. In this land the climate was dry, so when there was heavy rain the ground was not able to absorb all of the water, causing flash floods. So if we can look at this story through the mindset of the people Jesus was speaking to, it would be pretty stupid for a person to build their house on sand, knowing that when the rain comes it is very likely for a flood to follow. So then the question is, why did the man choose to build his house on the sand?
You know I have always thought how nice it would be to have a home on the ocean. Just being able to walk right out onto the sand. Living right on the shore is enticing. In thinking about this i was curious to how many homes are actually distroyed due to hurricanes and flooding. An article I read said that it’s estimated that $500million coastal property is lost each year in the united states due to coastal erosion. And their is actually $150 million a year that is invested in trying to prevent this.
In our lives we can easily be tempted to turn from the solid rock and live for what looks apealing. We can live for making money, living comfortably, relationships, trying to be perfect through our own efforts, satifying others and so much more. When we do end up building our value, emotions, strength on these things if they are wripped away from us we crumble, having nothing left to hold us up. It can sometimes take more effort trying to then rebuild and prevent ourselves from falling again or getting hurt.
Another reason why someone may tend to build their house on the sand is that it is easier then building it on the rock.
In our world we like the quick success. We don’t like the idea of having to stuggle and work to were we know we need to be. Instead of climbing the strong rock, they build on the already level sand right next to them.
It is easy to get comfortable with were we are. We can sit in sunday service and hear the word then go on about our week. The difficult thing is actually applying the word of God to our lives. Actually trusting in God’s promises.
In our faith; some choose to take their faith and not put any effort into it; allowing their faith to be knocked over any second. But others choose to place their faith on the solid foundation.
2. Rock Builders:
The rock builders have the same knowledge as the sand builders.
They both are aware of the level sand and the tall, sturdy rock.
Both have been taught that a house built on the rock will be able to stand through a storm and the house built on the sand will crumble. The only difference is that the Rock Builder is willing to put in the effort to gain a solid foundation.
The Rock builder takes his/her knowledge and puts it into action, allowing them to have a house that will withstand any storm.
Does anyone like puzzles… I do. My family gathers to do a puzzle every time we get together. We’ve done some 1,000plus piece puzzles. 🧩 Now image doing a puzzle without the picture for a reference. I love puzzles but I dont think i would be able to do it. It doesnt even sound fun to try. Usually you have a reference picture so you know where things are supposed to go. It is a guide and often times when you are doing a puzzle you follow it. It would be silly not to follow it because it would make things a lot more complicated and pieces would probably end up in the wrong spot.
The same it is with people who build their house on the rock. They hear God’s words and know the way Jesus lead his life. Instead of doing life their own way. They use God’s instruction as their guide. The clear picture that God lays out on how we are to live is what those who have a firm foundation will grasp and act on.
Because of this they are not fradgile. Their faith will not crumble under pressure. but they can stand tall in the test of trial because their foundation is firm.
As such, those who build their house on the rock will use what they have learned, they will take the faith that they have in their hearts and will be able to stand on a foundation that will never be defeated.
In our Christian journey I am sure that all of us would like to be people who build our house on the rock. People who have taken what we have learned from the bible and base our trust, emotions, and every day situations in the faith we have in Jesus Christ.
So What does it mean to be a wise person who builds their house on the rock?
3. How to be A Rock Builder vs. a Sand builder:
1 Timothy 6:19-20 says, “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life…guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing departed from the faith.”
In order to have a firm foundation we are to turn away from the ways of the world; turn from gossip, turn from negative attitudes, turn from lies, and turn towards Christ. It is Jesus Christ himself, who is The Rock and the Sand is anything that is not of him. So if we want to have a firm foundation Jesus must be what we build our house, or place our life, on.
In our scripture from today,
Matthew 7:24 and 26, Jesus says, “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 who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
From Jesus’ words we see that we gain a firm foundation in Him when we put the words we have heard, the teachings of the bible, into action. See there is a difference between simply hearing the word of God and actually listening to it.
The Sand Builders have heard the word of the Lord but are still listening to the shouts of this world.
(Red Balloon skit 🎈 )
Listening requires obedience to the word of God, having our lives rest on His example. Listening to God is obeying his command in loving others more than ourselves, listening to God is not doing what all the other kids your age do, listening to God is not allowing money, anger, or hurt get the best of you, listening to God is putting God above everything else in your life. We must hear and DO the word of God.
Conclusion:
Why is it important to make sure we have a firm foundation in God?
Because we do not know when the storm will hit, we do not know when Satan will through temptations.
Yet we can rest assure that if our life is planted on Christ, the solid rock; then no matter what may come, no matter how big the storm is, no matter how much Satan temps us; our faith will stand.
Isaiah 28:16 says, “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.”
God has given us his son as an example of how we ought to live. Jesus was stride and tested as much, if not more, than we are today, yet Jesus never wavered.
In scriptures it referes to what God promises to those who place our trust in him:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
We each have to choose where we want to build our house. We can choose to build it on the sand, knowing the word of God and understanding right from wrong yet not putting it into action in our hearts and lives. If we choose this, we also know that when temptation comes our faith will not be able to stand. Our we can choose to build our house on the solid rock, which will never be shaken. Faith requires Christ, without him as our foundation then that which we say we believe, can easily be taken from us. Having Christ as our rock means understand Jesus teachings and putting them into practice in our daily lives.
I encourage you today, to not just hear the word of God, but to listen to it.
Listen to what God is trying to tell you and take action.
Whether it is a sin He is asking you to quit doing, whether it is letting go of something to better focus on him, whether it is simply spending more time with him in prayer; I encourage you to act on what you hear.
It can be easy to slip from having our foundation on Christ. It can happen without us even knowing it. What you need to ask yourself is if everything seemed to be crumbling, would you still trust in God. Is God the one holding you up or is it the momentary comforts in life?