Pulpit Today

Featured Messages

Sermon

Grace That Makes Us Glad

Clarence O. Clough, Jr.

Bible Search

New International Version New American Standard Bible King James Version

Sermons

Your Foundation: Firm or Flawed?

Matthew 7:24-27

By Robert D. Pace

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of seven wonders of the modern world. Its story is interesting.  It was constructed of white marble and is a bell tower in a cathedral complex.  Construction began in 1173 and wasn't completed until three architects had exhausted their labors over the course of 199 years.  Bonano Pisano was the initial architect and builder who's work stopped when the tower had only three and a half stories.  He quit working when he noticed its foundation was flawed. Ninety years later, with the structure leaning, another architect undertook the project.  He should have torn it down but he attempted to correct the tilt by making upper floor adjustments.  He added three and a half more tiers but realized his efforts didn't correct the problem.  Eighty years later a third architect simply capped the structure with a dome, but that didn't correct the problem either.  Today, over 800 years later, the tower leans seventeen feet to the south and each year it sinks a fraction farther.  Architects studying the structure are in agreement—it will inevitably fall!

 

Here's what's interesting about this.  It was a construction effort that spanned 200 years that never corrected the essential flaw.  It didn't matter that the structure was made of durable marble or that upper level adjustments were made to correct its tilt. For 800 years the edifice has served only as an ornamental bell tower, unfit for human occupation—all because its foundation was neglected.

 

That leaning wonder of the world speaks to us today.  It tells us that the foundation is the most important aspect of any physical structure.  If the foundation is flawed the whole building is vulnerable.  And the same applies to our personal lives.

 

The writers of Scripture knew this and it's why they blueprinted only one foundation for living—Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says: "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (NIV).  He is the only sure foundation upon which we have to build our lives.

 

In our text, Jesus described two builders constructing houses.  One builder was wise, the other was foolish. They were described this way not because of the material they used, but because of how they laid the foundation.

 

The fundamental difference between the two foundations is this: One builder patiently dug past the topsoil and laid his foundation on rock, while the other ignored the fundamental rule of construction, took the shortcut, and built on sand.

 

These two builders probably built structurally similar houses; perhaps in the same subdivision.  The same storm battered both houses.  But the foundation made the difference between one house enduring and the other collapsing.  That was the essential factor of security.  And the foundation we use for our personal life is the essential factor for our welfare.

 

When storms strike, our chief defense isn't our ability to pray.  And prayer is imperative.  But anybody can pray.  Muslims and Buddhists pray. Our chief defense for weathering storms depends upon where we stand with Jesus Christ.  There's something about being founded upon Him that locks us down and secures us.  If you have built your life on Christ, you will never be dismayed!

 

Isaiah 28:16 says:  "I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."

When Paul preached this in Romans 9:33 he said, "the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

 

The reason we won't be dismayed or shamed is because every aspect of Christ has been tested and found completely reliable!  He's proven Himself as our security for everything we will ever encounter.  Look at His life:

 

The religious detectives placed Him under the microscope of hyper-criticism but they found Him faultless.

 

They scrutinized everything He did and said. They knew where He went, who went with Him, and what He did when He arrived, but He never slipped.

 

Every charge brought against Him was baseless.

 

That's why we can build on Him.  He is "tested . . . [perfect,] sure . . . [and] the one who trusts will never be dismayed."

 

His ability to supply our needs was tested. And that's why He wouldn't dismiss the 5000 without feeding them.  He didn't need a marketplace; He needed nothing more than a lunch-basket and the multitude was satisfied.

 

The fury of nature tested Him when the tempest swirled around His boat.  So He spoke three words, "Peace, be still," and proved His lordship.

 

Death tested Him when He stood at the tomb of Lazarus. So He stretched out His arm and snatched him from the grave and proved He was the "Resurrection and the Life."

 

He was tested by sickness. So He healed without sedatives and never used a surgical instrument.  He proved He was Jehovah Rapha, "God our healer."

 

Do you see?  Jesus has been tested in the fire like gold, and"the one who trusts in Him will never be dismayed."

 

There are twenty-four letters in the Greek alphabet.  And when Jesus said He was "the alpha and omega," the first and last letters of that alphabet, He indicated He was all the goodness that could be spelled from those two letters and every one between.  From Alpha to Omega, A to Z, He has been tested.  Are you building your life on Jesus Christ?

 

(Transition)  So how do we build our lives upon Jesus Christ?  First, we must be devoted to truth.  And truth resides in Christ and His Word.

 

Build Your Life Upon Christ and His Word

 

In a world of moral equivalence and moral relativism, God-fearing Christians still believe absolute truth exists.  What is that truth?  It's Jesus Christ and His Word!

 

When have you last designated thirty days of Bible devotions to studying only the four Gospels?  Of reading the red and responding to the report.  When is the last time you studied the Words of Christ in order to know what He has to say about life and contemporary issues?  Jesus and His Word still answer every question of life.

 

But the world is at war with truth.  Look back on history.  The world has never known how to handle truth.  They stoned the prophets, crucified the Lord, and have shredded the Scriptures.  Even today, truth is assaulted.  We ban it from schools and suppress it in the marketplace.

 

Do you know what the world's perception of truth is?  It's whatever the world wants it to be! The myth that the world asserts is, absolute truth doesn't exist.  Philosophers tell us that what was fact 6000 years ago, 2000 years ago, or even fifty years ago isn't necessarily fact or even relevant today.

 

Listen to what William Faulkner said about truth.  "Truth—that long clean clear simple unenviable unchallengeable straight and shining line, on one side of which black is black and on the other white is white, has now become an angle, a point of view."^{<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]-->}  He's right. Men have completely distorted truth. Let me show you what I mean:

 

Samuel Butler said, "There is no permanent absolute unchangeable truth; what we should pursue is the most convenient arrangement of our ideas."^{<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]-->} 

 

Lawrence said, "Truth does not lie beyond humanity, but is one of the products of the human mind and feeling." ^{<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]-->}  (Truth is based on feeling?)

 

Existentialism defines truth by the empirical evidence of what we hear, see, taste, touch, and smell. 

 

Multiculturalism suggests truth is relative to cultures. The truth for Asia isn't the truth for Africa.  What's truth for Europe isn't truth for the Middle East.

 

The German Philosopher Nietzsche said, "There are many kinds of eyes.  Even the Sphinx has eyes—therefore there must be many kinds of "truths" and consequently there can be no truth."^{<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]-->}

 

(Illustration)  In the early 1990's Ohio State University built The Wexner Center for the Performing Arts.  The University commissioned its architect to design the building to reflect the incoherence of life and to prove that orderly rules do not manage the world.  From inside to outside the building was constructed in disarray.  The floor was slanted and there were randomly placed pillars hanging from the ceiling and stairways wound to nowhere.  Ravi Zacharias, one of America's foremost Christian apologists, toured the building and then asked this question: ‘Did the architect design [this] foundation with the same incoherence of the rest of the building?' ^{<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]-->}  Of course not, the builders laid a perfect foundation!  In the University's attempt to disprove truth, they proved it!

 

(Transition) Regardless of how archaic it sounds, truth is rooted in Christ and His Word.  Jesus said:  "I am the way, the truth and the life."  The Psalmist said:  "Your Word is truth."  Have you built your life on Jesus Christ?  Are you solidly founded on Him?

 

Why Men Deny Truth

 

Do you know why men deny truth, or worse yet, try to pervert and pollute it? Because truth is like a light that exposes the lies that are hidden in the dark!  It "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

 

Truth exposes man's sinfulness and need for a Savior.

 

Truth shows that abortion is murder.

 

Truth shows a right and wrong way to live!

 

People attack truth because it's infinitely easier for them to assail it than to comply with it!  That's why truth is assaulted.

 

(Example)  The British journalist, Steve Turner, said this about truth: "We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.  Reality will adapt accordingly.  The universe will readjust.  History will alter. We believe that there is no absolute truth excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth."

 

Do you understand the consequences of believing such a false notion as that?  When everyone does what's right in his own eyes it leads to chaos!

 

Consequences of Misidentifying Truth

 

(Illustration)  Sometime ago I heard a man share his testimony on Pat Robertson's 700 Club. He told of being raised in the inner city where his friends looted and mugged.  Consequently, all he knew was to imitate their lifestyle.  He told of being a teenager and burglarizing a convenient store. Several hours later the police knocked on his door, handcuffed him, and hauled him off to jail—his robbery had been videotaped.  Here's the amazing part of his testimony: He said the arrest completely mystified him. In all honesty He couldn't understand why the police apprehended him.  And it was because he was raised to believe that aggression and robbery was normal behavior.

 

That's what happens when truth is abandoned.  It's what Isaiah predicted when he said, "justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; [and] truth has stumbled in the streets" (59:14).

 

When we see misdirected people it's our obligation to point them toward God's Word. We must speak up

 

(Illustration)  I know everyone's children lie except yours and mine.  (Sic!)  Anyway, I remember when my daughter Kristen told her first, "untruth."  She was three years old.  At that age her first order of the day involved peeling the tape from her disposable diaper.  We knew she was out of bed and ready for the world when we heard that peeling sound reverberate from her room.  This particular morning she delivered herself from bondage and walked into our bedroom.  We talked with her a few moments and then I said, "Kristen, it's time to bathe."  (Now here she comes with her first lie.)  She responded, "I didn't wet last night, I don't need bathing."  I knew better so I challenged her.  "Alright then, let's go check your diaper."  Instantly she said, "You can't, I threw it away."

 

Despite the good laugh I got from this, it's always a parent's responsibility to teach their the value of truthfulness.  We're called to speak into the lives of our loved ones and show them the foundation of truth for which to build.

 

Conclusion

 

Are you building on Christ?  I like what one person said: "On Jesus Christ this Rock I stand, all other rocks are shamrocks!"  Actually, "all other ground is sinking sand."  Are you building on Christ?

 

When we accept Christ's forgiveness and confess Him as Lord and Savior God undergirds us with the foundation for living.  When we build upon that foundation with His precepts and commands we solidify ourselves.  And there's no security in this life or the next without a foundation of Christ.

 

Jesus said that Hell awaited everyone rejecting His plan of redemption. Hell is also called "the second death" and it's the most horrifying place in the universe:

 

Matthew 8:12 depicts it as a place of darkness, remorse, and torment.

 

In Matthew 25:46 Jesus called it a place of inescapable, "eternal punishment."

 

Luke 16:26 describes Hell as inescapable. There's no exit door, no fire hatch, and no second chance once you pass through Hell's gloomy tunnel.

 

Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 that the ungodly "will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord."

 

And Revelation 21:8 categorizes Hell as a place of the lowest associations when it says: "the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."

 

People will be confined to that awful, tormenting place because they rejected the Chief Cornerstone.  But you can avoid Hell by building your life on Christ's unassailable foundation.