THE ROCK

Matthew 7:24-27 “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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and

the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But 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 foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

So exactly what does it mean to build our house on the rock?

It means to build our lives on the teachings that Jesus has just presented in the Sermon on the Mount.

When we think about storms in our lives they are things like:

There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a crisis and those who are going to go through a crisis.

1. Everyone is building upon some type of foundation.

Either we are building the foundation of our lives God’s way or we are building it in our way.

Which one is it for you?

Here are two determining factors that can help: Time Money

Times of testing reveal what type of foundation we are building our lives upon.

The time to prepare for the storms of life is BEFORE they come!

The person who has a deep foundation:

-Trusts God's wisdom when life is confusing -Relies on God's strength when they are weak

-Looks beyond the present heartache to God's purpose and eternal glory

-Relies on grace in times of personal failure -Runs TO God rather than away from Him

Which are you?

3. How to build upon a firm foundation

First, We Must Listen to the Truth

-Listen to what the Bible tells us. -Listen to what the Spirit tells us. -Listen to what committed Christians tell us.

Second, We Must ACT on the Truth.

Jesus is concerned that people will hear what He is saying, but leave and forget what was said and never put any of it into practice in their lives.

James 2:17 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

How can you know if you are hearing but not doing?

Your worship Your tithe Your priorities

Your spiritual fruit or lack of it Your personal prayer life

You can know all kinds of things about God, but it will not help you if you don't do what He says.

It is the same with building a house, isn't it?

We will overcome the storms of life if we build on the right foundation of Jesus’ teachings, because our strength will not come from us, but from the Lord.

Our wisdom will not come from us, but from Him. Our focus will not be on our present struggle, but on our future hope.

We then know where to turn, who to trust, and what is really important.

I Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Many want the benefits of dwelling in the King’s House, but few want the responsibility of Kingdom citizenship.