The Two Foundations
By-Crickettt
Matthew 7:24-27 (NASB)- “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. 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. 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. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Matthew 6:20-21(NASB)- "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
**Read Matthew 13 (Parable of the Sower) that Jesus taught regarding the importance of His Word.
**In the scripture verses above, it talks about building on the rock. There are scriptures in the Bible that teach us that Jesus is called the "Rock"...He is the only "Firm Foundation" in which we should put our faith and trust in.
**Jesus said you would know a person by their fruit. In other words, you would know what kind of person they are because of their actions. We all mess up at some point in our lives when we get angry, gossip, accuse falsely or purposely hurt other people’s feelings because of jealousy, envy, dislike, frustration, etc.
However, it's only when we stop and take a step back and examine our motives and our heart that we finally realize we are walking in sin. It is our job as believers in Christ to earnestly humble ourselves before God first and ask for forgiveness. The Bible says, if we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Secondly, we need to come to God with a thankful heart, honoring Him and praising Him for who He is. Acknowledging Jesus as our Lord and Savior...God's only Son… who paid the ultimate price already on the cross for us so we can be free and forgiven of all sin. He was resurrected from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father as a mediator on our behalf. Through Jesus, we are able to come directly to the Father with our petitions and requests and He hears us.
The Beatitudes is a popular sermon Jesus gave to a great multitude of people who had come to listen to Him teach. He often spoke in parables (or stories) so they could understand the meaning of His messages. Jesus knew once they left and went home, some of the people would forget His message, not meditate on His Word or obey His teachings as they continued about their busy lives. He wanted them to get His Word into their heart and obey His laws so their lives would be changed, and their Faith would grow. Jesus also knew there would be people who would keep His message in their heart daily and earnestly desire to know more about Him and His Words so they could apply His laws in their lives.
This particular parable of "The Two Foundations" deals with the matters of the heart according to the foundations, mankind has built. Jesus' message is very clear when He says, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". Whatever we say and do, reveals to others exactly what is embedded inside our heart. Problems and excessive worrying bring about actions of strife and physical sickness. Hate, jealousy and bitterness can bring about actions of deliberately hurting others or even using violence. Lying, deceiving and cheating brings about actions leading to hurtful distrust, stealing, adulterous acts, and the list goes on and on. The Bible says, the devil comes in like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; his mission is to steal, kill and destroy. Everything we embed deep within can destroy us from the inside out if we are not walking in God's love. All of these actions whether good or bad, are reflections of what we truly harbor deep inside our hearts.
Let's take a look at these Two Foundations:
- The house built on the rock:
*The person who built his house (his life) upon the "rock" (Jesus) is one who hears the Word of God and acts upon it. He would be like the wise man who became stable and ready to handle the storms of life. His faith was built up in God and made stronger through each circumstance and storm he faced. His life was transformed through reading and meditating on God's Word. He chose to act in faith instead of focusing too much on the problems. His trust and knowledge in God helped him get through every circumstance. When difficult storms in life arose, God's promises became the anchor that held him firm. He had created a solid foundation, knowing God was there each step of the way. God's Word is Truth and Life. He discovered that a closer walk with God strengthened his heart and gave him the courage to stand boldly before His throne of grace. God says He will never leave us or forsake us. All we have to do is just Believe and Trust. It might take a while for us to see the victory in our circumstances but, God is faithful, and He instructs us to be patient and wait on Him. God is always working behind the scenes, putting everything in its rightful place in order to bring about the right results that He desires for us. We have to believe that God always sees the bigger picture ahead for us and knows what is best. We may never understand it all or even why things happen the way it does. But, by holding onto Faith, God will continue to work.
- The House built on the sand:
*The person who built his house (his life) upon the sand (shaky ground) is one who hears the Word of God but does not apply it to his life. He would be like the foolish man. When the storms of life came suddenly upon him, he had no anchor in God's Word to hold on to and was not prepared. He was like a ship being tossed back and forth on the rough seas and became unstable in all his ways. His mind was clouded with doubt and unbelief and eventually He fell apart with no answers. He did not take the time to secure his heart and mind and spirit in the Word of God. He did not have a good prayer life with God which is so vitally important. When people do not have the Word of God deeply rooted in their hearts or a diligent and consistent prayer life, their foundation will crumble. When problems and chaos come around, as it always does, they won't have a solid foundation "built upon faith" to believe things will all work out. Instead, they become fearful, worried and unsure of what each day holds. The problems escalate and they become totally drained to the point of complete helplessness. That's when They have to realize that God is always on His throne and He is still always in control no matter what they see and hear around them.
When we earnestly pray and confess our sins and thank God for meeting our needs, we are spending precious time with our Father who adores us and wants to help us. He says, if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Reading your Bible every day and learning who He is and what His will for your life is and being obedient to what He says, gives you stability in your faith. By embedding His Word deep inside your heart, you will be ready for the battles that come your way because it's in God's hands.
Now, I ask you these questions, "What is your life and your heart built upon? Is it on the treasures of God's Word or on what the world has to offer?" Have you built your house upon the Rock or the Sand? I hope you will prayerfully consider the answer and let God show you what changes you need to make in your life. He's there waiting for you to come and talk to Him. He is your Father who loves you unconditionally. Let Jesus be the Rock of your Foundation today.
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