Articles
Building On A Strong Foundation
Matthew 7:24-27 says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” We find in this teaching that Jesus is showing us that we must have a strong foundation. Notice also that Jesus is saying that our foundation must be on doing what the Lord has said. We can learn from this teaching of Jesus, that the two builders had some things in common and certainly had some differences.
First, notice some similarities between the two types of builders. The builders both heard the sayings of Jesus. From the text we notice that both saw the necessity of building a house, and they did that. It is possible that both builders felt secure in the house that they built. Notice as well that both suffered the same trials of the rain, the flood, and the winds. However, this is where the similarities end.
Now notice that there are several differences that Jesus describes for us. First, recognize that one builder was wise and the other was foolish. Even though they both heard the sayings of Jesus, one did them, and the other did not. The foundations that each of the men built were different, as well. One built on the rock, and the other on the sand. A faulty or defective foundation can lead to destruction, while a strong foundation can withstand the elements. The houses may have looked alike on the outside but were vastly different in their foundations. One built on the rock, and it stood. The other built on the sand, and it fell.
Our lives need to be built upon the foundation of the solid rock, Jesus Christ. Our lives need to be patterned after the Word of God and the example of our Lord and Savior. Whose foundation have you built your life upon? Is it built up the foundation of man or the foundation of the solid rock?
