Anchor My Faith

A Foundation on Rock

Scripture: Matthew 7:25-29; Luke 6:47-49

In our previous lesson we learned that our works will not qualify us for admittance into heaven. ⁸ “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8 – 10 ESV). Salvation is by faith and the works that God gives us to do are a demonstration of that faith.

In this lesson we cover a new section in which we will look at the foundation we are building our lives on. Jesus continue teaching and says: ^{Lk 6:47} “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. ^{Mt 7:25} And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. ^{Lk 6:48} And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, ^{Mt 7:25} but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock, ^{Lk 6:48} because it had been well built.”

We come to two very familiar examples that illustrate what it means to hear Jesus and do what he says. The first illustration is of a man who comes to Jesus and hears his words and then responds to them in obedience. In doing so, he is like a man building a house who searched for a good location on which to place his foundation. Having chosen the place, he dug deep and anchored his foundation on the rock. After building his house a severe storm came with very much rain, which created a flood that rose against the house along with a strong wind, but the elements of wind, rain, and flood could not shake the house because its foundation was secured to the rock below it. The man took great care in how he built the house and as a result it was able to withstand the storms that came against it.

The second illustration is about the man who heard the words of Jesus but did not do them: ^{Mt 7:26} “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, ^{Lk 6:49} without a foundation. ^{Mt 7:27} And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. ^{Lk 6:49} When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

The man who heard what Jesus taught but decides to turn away from them and live in his own way is like the man who chose to build his house on the sand without a good foundation because it was easier, requiring less work. But when that storm that came against the first house came upon this house, the outcome was quite different. The first house withstood the storm, but the second house did not and it immediately fell and the ruin of that house was great.

Are you reading or hearing the words of Jesus? If not, why not? If you are, how are you responding to them? Are you like the first man or the second? Is Jesus the rock your foundation is connected to, or is your faith anchored to sand and when trials or persecution come along, do you fall away from your walk with God?

^{Mt 7:28} “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” Do the words of Jesus astonish you and do you come under their authority in obedience out of love for him?

Prayer

Father, there appears to be a lot of sand being used to build upon in the western church today. The words of Jesus are so available to us, but are easily ignored and when we do hear or read them, we don’t apply them to our lives and as a result evil is overcoming our great nation.