September 14, 2008
"Building on a Firm Foundation"
Matthew 7: 24- 27
The church I attended when I lived in New Mexico met in a stucco clad building that was erected around 1920. Even though the church had smaller numbers than ours, the building was slightly larger, especially when one would include the balcony. At first glance it looked like a solid structure, but only at first glance. When you looked up at the balcony, you could see clearly why the church council worried every time it was used: The balcony was separating from the surrounding walls. And then when looked at the walls themselves you could see why our propane bill was so high. There were cracks large enough to put your hand through. Due to the sloping floor the quarters that dropped from little children's hands would roll nicely down the sloped floor, some even striking the wall. And the funny thing was that most of these problems began to appear only about 10- 15 years earlier, when they put an irrigation ditch up the hill from our church. Because they didn't line it, water seeped through. That was great for our pastor's lawn, but not so great for the church building. You see, the footings of the foundation were only about 12- 14 inches below the ground. Back when the church was built this was no problem. But after the irrigation ditch began leaking water those footings were sitting in mud-- not a very solid surface. Thankfully after I left for seminary the church built a brand new sanctuary with a much better foundation.
Just as foundations are extremely important for buildings, Jesus points out in this parable that they are also important for people. We must build our lives on rock and not sand. Now many of us learned this parable as children. In fact we may have sung a song based on it. Do some of you remember it? Let's sing it this morning.
The wise man built his house upon a rock;
the wise man built his house upon a rock.
The wise man built his house upon a rock
and rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up
and the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand;
the foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
And rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up
and the house on the sand fell flat.
So, many of you do know the parable, and even the song; but, what exactly does it mean to build on the rock? But. before we answer that question, we should note a very small but important word that is before both rock and sand. It's the word "the:" "the" rock, "the" sand. Most of the time when we use the word "the" we are referring to one particular thing. So, there is one rock; there is one sand. Now, what or who is that one rock? The answer is clear from the context.
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
Jesus said, whoever hears these words OF MINE. Clearly, by implication he is saying, "I am the rock." If you build on me and on what I am telling you, you are building on the one and only rock. In John 14: 6 Jesus refers to a related truth,
John 14:6 (NIV 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is only way the only truth, and the only life. And he is the only rock, the only firm foundation for our lives. To build on the anything else is to build on the sand. It is to build something that is no good foundation at all.
The "rock" is Jesus. No other person, religion, teaching, religious leader, or great thinker is the rock. They are the sand. But, the rock is also not a faith or our faith tradition; it is not morality or good behavior. To build on these is to build on sand.
Of course, I am speaking mainly to the choir here. And when I wrote those words down I was thinking, "Go get those mushy liberals, preacher, who in the name of tolerance deny that Jesus is the only Rock! But, then God reminded me of the times when I have done what I did for my own self-interest-or because what others would think of me- based on what was good for me. That most certainly is building on the sand!
But, what does it mean to build on Jesus? The answer is very clear from what Jesus said
Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
The first thing that it means to build on Jesus is to hear his words. This parable comes at the end of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The sermon begins in chapter 5:1 and ends with the words of this parable. Clearly Jesus was calling the crowd to listen to the words he had just spoken.
Of course Jesus' word also includes his other words and the words that his Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible to write. And so we should ask ourselves, "How many of us are serious about listening to God's Word?"
Some time ago I taught a Sunday School class in one of our churches. I asked my students a simple question. If one of your friends asked you, ‘What must I do be saved?' what would you tell them? Some answered, "Be good." Some answered, "Go to church." Some weren't sure what to answer. Not one of these kids who were all raised in the church was able to tell me Jesus' words, "Come to me," Not one mentioned the words John used to summarize Jesus message to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Not one mentioned Paul and Silas' words to the Philippian jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved-- you and your household." I am not talking Bible trivia here. I am not speaking about the finer points of Reformed theology. This is the heart of what the Bible is all about. If I had asked one the football players what a tight end does, he could tell me. If I asked one of the band members how to play their instrument, he or she could have shown me. But no one could answer that question correctly.
If as children, we are not listening to Jesus' Word, when our parents take the initiative to send us Sunday School and to bring us with them to worship, do we seriously believe that we are going to listen to it when get older we have the option of going or not going to church? And as parents we must not forget that our kids can so easily pick up on our attitudes. How zealous are we to hear God's Word?
This is my first message in a series on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. When Jesus called his first disciples, he called them to leave their occupations and their families and follow him, so that they might listen to his words and learn from him. He called them to sacrifice in order to follow him around and hear what he had to say to them. James and John are with their father Zebedee sitting in the boat with the nets. Jesus comes by and says, "Follow me." They jump out and start following after him. Can't you see Zebedee's jaw drop? Or think about Matthew. He's doing his job, collecting taxes. Jesus says, "Follow me." He closes shop and takes off after him.
There are Christians today who risk their freedom and even their lives to go to church to hear the words of Jesus. Remembers what we heard last week about the house churches in China. We don't have to sacrifice that much, do we? Yet, how well are we listening?
But Jesus' disciples weren't just called to listen, they were called to do what Jesus did and to live out what he said. The Greek word for disciple is mathetes; it was also used for an apprentice who learned a trade from someone else. A person would sign on with a carpenter or a basket maker, a tent maker to learn first hand their trade. As Jesus' disciples we are called to obey his words and live out the life he taught us to live.
Now some might wonder what this all has to with the storms that we face in life. How does doing what Jesus taught us to do help us when the storms arise?
As I thought about storms that were recorded in the Bible, I thought about the one mentioned in Matthew 8: 23- 27,
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
That's quite a story isn't it? It's quite a reminder to trust in Jesus in the storms of our lives. There's one difference though. As we go through storms, can we always see Jesus sleeping there at the bottom of our boat? No, his body is in heaven, isn't it? So, how does Jesus help US in our storms? Certainly he is here through the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit reminds of his Word. That's why it's important to study it. But there is another way Jesus is among us. Paul points to it in 1 Corinthians 12, when he said,
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Think about it. Didn't Jesus redeem us from sin and death so that we might be one with him? Isn't he working in us everyday so that we might become more like him? Why was Jesus training his disciples? Wasn't it to carry his ministry here on earth? And isn't that why we, his disciples today are here?
Now look at the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached, beginning in chapter 5. In the beatitudes he says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God." One type of the storm that cause much so suffering is the battle between people. (Yes, we often suffer from man made storms.) Imagine what effect it would have on such storms if we truly were the peacemakers Jesus is calling us to be. Look at some of the rest of sermon. Imagine what effect we would have on the storms of life if we built others up with our words rather than tear them down. Imagine how much gentler our storm of conflict would be if we didn't rest until we resolved them. Imagine what effect we would have on the storms of life if controlled our lust and our greed and served others rather than view them as means for our own pleasure. Imagine what effect it would have if we practiced forgiveness, if we prayed instead of fretted, if we were sincere and not hypocritical and if we truly trusted our Lord. Imagine what effect it would have on the storms of life if we became that city on a hill, that lighthouse for all suffering on the stormy sea of life.
The Texas coast has just been pounded by Hurricane Ike. Jesus body can make a real difference in this storm. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina news organizations went down and interviewed people. Person after person stated that the groups that made the biggest difference were the ones that ministered to them in the name of Jesus. They were the most dedicated and the most effective. When Jesus disciples act like his disciples those who suffer can see him in their storm. And the foundations of so many homes are saved by his power and grace: both the homes of the victims and the homes of those who are serving in his name.
In Jesus' parable, the foundations of the houses are different: one is the rock, one is the sand; but one thing is the same: the storm-the wind and the waves. In a world that is not right, storms are a part of all our lives. Just hurricanes blow in to the gulf in late summer, so storms blow into our lives Oh, these storms may be different. And some of us, for reasons unknown, must endure more violent storms than others. Not one of us is exempt from storms-- certainly not disciples of Jesus. Hurricanes and tornados knock down Christian homes as well as non Christian ones. Churches also are destroyed by flood and fires just as other buildings are. Christians die of cancer and suffer from mental illness. All the storms of life are also for us. We must never forget Jesus prediction "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16: 33)
In this storm-filled world we build on our foundation with fear and trembling. Yet at the same time we must realize. "It is God who is at work within us both to will and work for his good pleasure." And how does God help us? Certainly he does by his Spirit and his Word. But there's another way not so immediately apparent.
When I was in Iowa, I remember that one spring we had light but substantial rains and mild weather. I mentioned to one of the farmers in our church that this must be especially good for his crops. "Perhaps," said the farmer, "but I sure hope we don't have a drought later this summer or some strong winds."
"I don't understand, I said, "with all this rain, won't the corn be strong enough to last through a drought?"
"No." he replied, "because of all rain the roots will not be that deep." And so the plants are especially vulnerable to drought and a good wind could easily knock them over."
Just as God uses dry spells to strengthen the roots of corn stalks, sometimes he uses storms in our lives to firm our connection with our foundation. Romans 5: 3- 5 tells us
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Yet, there are times when we see the storms and our faith fails and we feel ourselves sinking. Like he did with Peter, our Lord reaches out his hand and rescues us. In the end, even our connection to our foundation is established by his love and grace.
Let us pray for the grace we need to stand.
Dear Lord, in your word you tell us that in this world we will have trouble, please strengthen our connection with our foundation, so that even in trouble we might know your grace. For Jesus sake, AMEN