Luke 6: 46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Any structure has to have a foundation. You don’t just put it on the ground. The hardest work in building is digging down to the foundation. Eventually you’ll come to a rock. Sometimes you have to dig deep. There is a mantle of rock in the earth and no matter where you live, if you’re willing to dig, you’ll find a rock. Rocks have proven to be good foundations. The Indians used to say that rocks live forever. They tell us a lot; that can take us to God. If not for the rocky mantle of the earth it would not stand as it does. It serves as the foundation of the earth.
Everyone has the opportunity to be saved. Jesus gave himself. God let the world have his son. He let us do what we do best—sin. He knew the spiritual foundation was gone after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. Every generation since Adam has been born in iniquity. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The world as a whole is lost. If there is no foundation in any generation it will fall. Was there any way to prosper in this life? Is there a way to build the kind of life we imagine? Man continually looks for something for his soul even if he doesn’t realize it. There is a choice. You can build any way you want, on the rock or the sand. There is a big difference. It’s the practicing of truth.
There must be more than a profession, more than a belief. It has to be a practice and only in that does it work. Putting faith in Jesus Christ and not obeying and doing what he says doesn’t bring about change in what we do. The Bible says that kind of faith is vain. What we do by itself does nothing but if we believe on Jesus Christ and accept him we are saved. We hear and believe to the extent of practicing it. If you believe and everything you do is in contradiction to God, your faith is vain.
We’re all in the process of building. We can’t quit building. We don’t do what God says for a while and then stop. That’s like building a house without windows. That’s what is wrong. People want to have a foundation in Jesus but few have obeyed and followed him. Faith has to be seen by those around. People should know you’re a Christian. We should consider what Jesus says before we think about what anyone else says. Listen to him. We’re not saved by works alone. Even my dad thought if he was good enough it was all he needed. He was a good man. He said he believed in the Lord but he trusted what he could do. He didn’t see himself as a sinner. One day he came to my house and said “you’re right. I am lost.” I sat him down and read the Bible to him. We prayed and he got saved. We didn’t know that three years later he’d go to meet the Lord. He got on the foundation. Little did he know the storm of cancer was coming. There was a difference because he trusted Jesus. If he’d not trusted Jesus he would have gone to hell. His life was different after he got on the foundation. Praise God there is a Rock!
Plant your feet firmer. Dig down. We don’t know the future but if you’re on the Rock, stand firm. Check the foundation for cracks. Look in your heart and seek the Lord. I encourage you to make sure your life is firmly planted. Get your house totally on the Rock. It’s you standing and staying in Jesus. We’ll weather the days ahead. If you’ve built your life on the sand it will shift and all fall in. That’s not the wise way to build.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 