Matthew 7: 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.

Matthew 7: 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.

Matthew 7: 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.

Matthew 7: The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29

Storms in life…

are inevitable…

The consequences are often a result of decisions we make.

Some storms are brought on by our own decisions, others are coming no matter what.

How people look at a storm has everything to do with the preparations they have made.

As you drive past the three police checkpoints to the tiny Texas island of Gilchrist, population 700, the odor is nauseating. Dead cows litter the highway. A beachfront home stands among the debris in Gilchrist, Texas on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico… But the true shock to the senses is the complete devastation on the island. A 14-foot wall of water devoured homes, churches, businesses and people's dreams.

There is one exception. An impressive yellow house sitting high atop 19-foot pilings is still standing. In fact it is the last house standing on the Gulf Front. I took a trip past the security checkpoints with Mike Riley who built the house two years ago. Riley says he is "proud it survived." He says the reason it is standing is because, "We bolted... strapped it... did what the engineers spelled out."

Mike says the house survived because he built it on the highest ground with the highest elevation. Still, the house has new construction, taking advantage of the lessons learned after Hurricane Rita struck the area three years ago. The pitch of the roof and the hurricane windows can withstand winds up to 130 miles per hour. Ike's winds were 110.

The other homes are in ruins. The narrow strip of land is vulnerable. But the last house standing is at least one example that with the proper building materials and the right engineering plan, man can sometimes stand up to …

Wise Man Foolish Man

The wise man built his house upon the Rock, The wise man built his house upon the Rock, The wise man built his house upon the Rock, And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, But the house on the Rock stood firm. The wise man built his house upon the Rock, The wise man built his house upon the Rock, The wise man built his house upon the Rock, And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, But the house on the Rock stood firm. The Wise Man Built His House…

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, the rains came tumbling down. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, And the foolish mans house fell flat. 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, the rains came tumbling down. And the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, The rains came down and the floods came up, And the foolish mans house fell flat.

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, And the blessings will all come down. The blessings come down as your prayers go up, The blessings come down as your prayers go up, The blessings come down as your prayers go up, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ. So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, And the blessings will all come down. The blessings come down as your prayers go up, The blessings come down as your prayers go up, The blessings come down as your prayers go up, So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and great was its fall. 28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Life or Destruction Heaven or Hell

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

By the way things look (v ) Or by what you hear (v )

The issue becomes who are you listening to, Jesus or someone else?

Three Constants – Three Variables

Both hear, only the wise man does anything about it.

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Both men build, choose different foundations.

Both houses are hit by a storm, only one survives.

Your survival depends on your foundation!