Choose Your Foundation

Well, good morning, everyone.  It is such a joy for me to be with you today.  David and I co-labored together in the ministry many years ago.  I remember praying with him about this church plant.  And David made a remarkable choice.  When I first interviewed him 20 years ago, he said right upfront, “Sean, I believe that God has called me to be a Lead Pastor.”

And that one choice led to the birth of Renovation.  And it led to this building.  And it has impacted so many lives over these past 14+ years.  And I do not say this casually.  I believe that one of the greatest and most remarkable abilities in this world is the ability to choose.  This is God’s sacred trust and responsibility to us.

And, everyday, churches get built or ruined.  Marriages get made or broken.  Kids get loved or neglected.  People’s characters get strengthened or shipwrecked.  Destinies are carved out, heaven or hell, because of this extraordinary ability entrusted to us by God’s grace.

(2) And no one understands this better than Jesus, no one.  So, Jesus tells a story about the impact of a choice.  This is at the end of one of the greatest sermons ever preached.  The sermon became known as the Sermon on the Mount.  And it is found in Matthew chapter 7, which is on page 662 in your chair Bibles, page 662.

And, at the end of the sermon, Jesus in a sense says, “My whole sermon, all this information that I just shared with you, comes down to a choice.”  And the more that I study these words, the more I am struck by its simplicity, yet brilliancy in its insight to human nature and human destiny.

(3) Check this out, if you would.  Matthew chapter 7, starting at verse 24 (24-29), “’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.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

(4) Now, before I unpack this, I want to test your knowledge of children’s books.  There is another famous story in the history of children’s books similar to the one Jesus shared.  See if you recognize it.

(1) In this other story, all the characters are builders.  They each construct a house.  There is a contrast between wise and foolish building.  Every house faces a test.  If the house was built wisely, it stood.  If the house was built foolishly, it fell down.  Anyone recognize the story?   “The Three Little Pigs.”

But each pig builds a house, and each house faces the big bad wolf.  And so, the story goes.  “One day the big bad wolf came and knocked on the first little pig’s door, and said, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in.’  And the little pig answered, ‘No.  No.  I won’t let you come in, not by,’” the what?  “The hair on my chinny chin chin.”

I just wanted to test if a guest speaker could get you all to say that.  But in this story, whether the house survives, or collapses depends on the wisdom with which it was built.  And there is something universal about the story, whether it is the story of “The Three Little Pigs” or Jesus’ story in the Sermon on the Mount.

(2) So, let me draw out three observations from Jesus’ story, also known as a parable.  And when you read a parable in the Bible, it is helpful to understand what is similar and what is different in the parable.  So, I want to focus first on what is similar.

The first observation from Jesus’ story, whether it is the house on the rock or the house on the sand.  Everyone is a house-builder.  Everyone is a house-builder.

And, like it or not, you and I are responsible for our houses.  Now, Jesus is addressing his followers.  So, you can replace the word “house” in this parable with the word “life” or “soul.”  In other words, you and I are responsible for our lives, for our characters, for our souls.  This is not optional in Jesus’ story.  There are no exceptions.

(3) But, as fallen people, sometimes we have the tendency to build our lives, our souls in foolish ways.  Let me give you a physical example of this, a literal and in many ways metaphorical example of this (show picture of Winchester Exterior).  This is an actual house in San Jose, California, called the Winchester Mystery House.

Maybe you are familiar with it.  If you have taken a tour of this house, they share a sordid story behind it.  The woman who built it, her name, was Sarah Winchester, the heiress of the Winchester rifle company.

And a series of tragedies happened in Sarah’s life.  Sarah gave birth to an only child who passed away from a life-threatening illness.  Then, in a matter of months, Sarah lost her mother, father-in law, and husband.  And a few years later, her oldest sister passed.  So, Sarah was left with a large sum of money.

(4)  And she moved from Connecticut to California.  Apparently, based on an article published in the San Jose Daily News that became legend, Sarah developed this belief that she was to build a home.  And if she kept building the house, she would live.  But if she stopped building the house, she would certainly die.

(1) But legend or not, Sarah took this large sum of money, and in 1886 began building this enormous house (show picture of Winchester Aerial).  As you might be able to see from an aerial view, the house became a maze.  She kept carpenters working on it over a period of 36 years.

They built and rebuilt, altered and changed, constructed and demolished one section of the house after another section after another.  Rooms were added to rooms, walls were joined to windows, levels turned into towers.  There were countless staircases (show picture of Winchester Staircase).  One eventually led up to a ceiling.  You can see a picture of that here.

(2) By 1906, the house had reached a towering seven stories tall.  Then came the great San Francisco Earthquake.  Portions of the mansion were nearly in ruins.  Floors of the house collapsed, never to be rebuilt.  The foundation was simply not strong enough.

And after 36 years of this, Sarah died in her sleep.  And the 24/7 sound of hammers and saws came to an end.  The place was said to be so confusing that it took the moving company six weeks just to get all the furniture out of the house.  And one of those trips – in and out of the house – was for Sarah herself.  Here is the deal.  Here is the point.

No matter what kind of house you build on this side of eternity, and we have some pretty impressive houses, some pretty impressive lives in this part of the world, at least on the outside according to the world, one day the moving company is coming for you and coming for me.  And, like it or not, we are all responsible for our houses.  In other words, we are all responsible for our lives, for our characters, for our souls.  Everyone is a house-builder.

(3) Second observation, second similarity in the story.  Every house faces storms.  Every house faces a storm.  Now, context is helpful to understand this passage.  Jesus is speaking to a group of people from an area called Galilee.  And Galilee was known for severe winds and torrential down pours.  Galilee was also known for potential earthquakes.

So, for the people listening to Jesus’ story, the question would not have been, “Are the storms coming?”  Instead, the question would have been, “When are the storms coming?”  In other words, the storms were imminent.  They were impending.

And the description of the two storms in Jesus’ story, the one that comes to the house on the rock and the one that comes to the house on the sand, are similar, in fast, absolutely identical, word for word.  Take a look again, if you would, Matthew chapter 7, verse 25.  “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house.”  Then, verse 27, “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house.”  Jesus wants to make it clear.  This is not a story about how to build a house where there are no storms.

(4) In 1957, my dad built a one-level, three-bedroom ranch house.  He built it with cathedral ceilings, a full walk-in basement, even an attached garage, not s common in the inner city of Philadelphia.  He completed the project in a year and a half while also working full-time at another job.  He eventually sold the house to someone else.

(1) Well, 50 years later, we had the opportunity to visit my dad’s custom built house for the first time.  The succeeding owners had not maintained the property very well.  And it showed.  The house had been weathered by a constant beating of wind and rain and sleet and snow.  It is almost unbelievable what storms can do in 50 years.

And I know there are some people in this area of the world, who might say, “But you know, I am smart enough.  I am strong enough.  I am resourceful enough.  I am spiritual enough.  I can engineer a storm-free life.”

But Jesus in a sense, says, “No, you can’t.”  Neither can I.  And I want you to know that Jesus understands all about storms.  He experienced storms, including the ultimate storm of paying the penalty on a cross for your sin and for mine.  Jesus understands all about storms.

In fact, this is His prediction.  Jesus says in John chapter 16, verse 33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  What is Jesus’ prediction?  “You will have trouble.”  This is the kind of fallen world that we live in.

(2) And I have talked with individuals who have great families, well-mannered kids, healthy lives, good jobs, nice homes.  These are bright individuals, many who love Jesus.  And then, within months, their family, their health, their vocations, their resources are turned upside down.  And the storms come down and rise and blow and beat against their house.

Storms come to every life.  And, of course, the ultimate storm Jesus is talking about here is the judgment of God, which will come one day to every house.  So, everyone is a house-builder.   In other words, everyone is a life-builder, a soul-builder.  Furthermore, everyone faces storms.  Maybe now.  Maybe later.  But the storm is coming.

(3) So, the whole thing, the whole deal comes down to this, which brings us to the last observation from Jesus’ story.  It comes down to the difference in the story.  And what is the difference?  The storm reveals the foundation.  The storm reveals the foundation.

And the question for every one of us comes down to a choice, God’s sacred trust and responsibility to us.  What foundation are you building your house on?  There will be storms.  But what foundation are you building your house on?  Are you building your life on the rock?  Or are you building your life on the sand?

Again, Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7, verse 24 (24-25).  “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.”

Jesus in a sense says, “You have to build your life on something.”  And you will.  You will build your life on something or someone.  You will make something or someone your authority.  It might even be yourself.

(1) But Jesus in a sense says, “If you build your life on me, if you become my child, if you make me your King, if you live by my words with your time, with your money, with your relationships, with your values, with your energies, then whatever storm hits you, in the end, you will not ultimately fall.  You will not ultimately be overcome.

But build your life on anything else, and you can.  Build your life on anything else, and you are building it on sand.  And one day the storm is going to come.  And you may have a real impressive looking house, a real impressive looking life, at least on the outside according to the world, but it is going to blow away.”

(2) And it is interesting.  The man who built his house on the sand did not deliberately set out to do something evil.  Jesus does not say that he is a wicked man.  How does he describe him in verse 26?  He describes him as a foolish man.  This is a human condition.

I was thinking about this in the context of the parent child relationship.  When little kids do something foolish, parents always seem to ask the same question, don’t they?  My parents asked me.  I have asked others.  It is a question that involves one word with three letters, and what is it?  It is the word “why.”

Why?  Why did you stick paper up your sister’s nose?  Why did you leave a toy right where the car would run over it?  Why did you put a metal can in the microwave and turn it on?  Not that any of these things happened in my household growing up.

And little kids will often give the same answer.  It is a response that involves three words.  And the words are: “I don’t know.  If I knew, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place!”

(3) And if you were to ask this man who built his house on the sand, “You foolish man.  You have one and only one life.  You know you are going to die.  You know the storm is coming.  Why in the world would you build your one and only life on the sand?”  What do you think he would have said?  “I don’t know.  I guessed it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

No architect tends to say, “Here is good sandy spot.  Let’s build a house here where it will wash away.  Architects do not tend to say that.”  But it has happened in history.  This is life.

(4) Unless you choose, generally speaking, no one plans to lead a mediocre life.  No kid sits down and tends to say, “I think that I will become deceitful and corrupt and grow a hard heart toward God and his people.”  No couple getting married, sits down and tends to say, “Let’s plan on ending this someday in a court.”

No one jumps on the internet and tends to say, “I think that I will click on this adult website, so it will become an addiction.”  No one walks into a bar, and tends to say, “I think that I will become an alcoholic in the next few years.”

(1) No one plans for children, and tends to say, “I am going to get so busy, so wrapped up in my career and be gone so much that my children carry a hole in their hearts.”  No one nurses a grudge and tends to say, “I think that I will try to become a more bitter, angry, resentful person before I die.”  Generally speaking, no one sits down and plans on going to hell.  But it happens.

And, as a pastor, I do not know how to say this tenderly or seriously enough.  But your life might be in drift mode right now in real serious ways.  And you are going to end up with a mountain of regret.  And if someone were to ask you someday, “How did it happen?”  You might reply by saying, “I don’t know.  I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

(2) But there is something about this man, Jesus.  There is something about him, that whispers to the deepest places in our foolish hearts.  And he says, “There is another way for you.  You can choose better.  You can choose nobler.  You can choose wiser.  You can choose deeper.  I died on a cross.  I paid the penalty for your sin.  I was raised on the third day.  And I will forgive you.  I will teach you.  I will guide you.  I will go with you.  I will partner with you.  And I will give you power.”

So, Jesus in a sense says, “You have a choice.  Everyone is a house builder.  Every house faces a storm.  But will you build your life on the rock?  Will you build your house on me?”

(3) And maybe your house, your life has been fairly well engineered up to this point with all the latest conveniences.  And it might look good on the outside, at least according to the world.  But all it takes is one storm, just one storm.

Maybe your life is a little more like the Winchester Mystery House.  It is confusing.  It is a maze with staircases that lead to nowhere.

Maybe your house has been weathered.  It has been weathered by the constant beating over the years, a consistent hammering of wind and rain and sleet and snow.  Maybe it has been hit by more sudden and dramatic experiences, earthquake like damage.  And there are just shattered pieces everywhere.  Maybe you are in a storm right now.

(4) Would you be willing to take your house with all its pieces, whatever state your house is in, and place it on a proper foundation.  Would you put it on the rock?  Have you done that?  Are you willing to take your house and say, “God, here I am.  Here is my house.  Here are all the pieces.

The storms will come.  But I will follow you.  I will build my life on you.  And I will obey your words.  I put them into practice, which is the thrust of this passage.”

Because here is the deal.  A storm will come everyone’s way someday, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow.  But it will come.  And the question is: What foundation did you build your life on?  What foundation did you build your life on?

Here is my encouragement for us.  Do not want to wait for the storm to come and decide that.  Do not wait for the storm to come and decide.  By God’s grace, you get to choose.  Let’s pray.