Keep off the sand

Matthew 7:21-29

June 1, 2008

On Oct. 17, 1989 a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco area and the people there gave a lot of thought to the foundation they were built on. Buildings built on solid ground sustained much less damage than those built on "filled in" areas. Interestingly, the south pier of the Golden Gate Bridge sits directly on top of the San Andreas fault ! Yet it was undamaged in that quake because the weight of the bridge rests on the two towers deeply embedded into the rock beneath the sea. Remember seeing pictures of that double-decker freeway in Oakland that collapsed? It was built on land that had been filled in. Yet, it all looked the same until the time of testing!

Well, here we are at the beach for another season- what a great place to talk about foundations and rocks and sand and storms.

Just yesterday we had some stormy weather, and look at the effect the water had on the sand around you.  Yet, as far as I can tell, the rocks have not changed at all since I saw them last.  The rock withstands the storms better than the sand does.

Now let's go back to Jesus' illustration about foundations—he tells us that a house built on a rock will stand the storms of life better than a house built on sand!

I think it’s the biblical version of the Three Little Pigs.

So the question of the day is where are you building your house, your life? If it's not on the Rock- Jesus and his teaching, it's going to fall down.

Jesus is speaking of the absolute necessity of building your life on the right kind of foundation. Because the foundation is what holds everything up, it’s what holds everything together. No matter what quality of materials you use; no matter how carefully you join the frame together; no matter how skilled your craftsmen may be – if the foundation isn’t solid and stable, your “house” will lack integrity. Over time, cracks will develop in the walls. The windows will stick. The roof will leak. And sooner or later, the storms of life will bring it crashing down, and everything you’ve worked so hard to build will be lost.

In 1174 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: A separately standing bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa . The tower was to be eight-stories and 185 feet tall. Magnificent!  There was just one "little" problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the foundation was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure! And sure enough, before long the whole structure had begun to tilt... and it continued to tilt... until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again.

What was the problem? Bad design? Poor workmanship? An inferior grade of marble? No. The problem was what was underneath. The sandy soil on which the city of Pisa was built was just not stable enough to support a monument of this size. The tower had no firm foundation.

Now, in Jesus’ parable, the man who built his house on the sand did a lot of things right, just as Mr. Pisano did. For instance, he was evidently diligent, energetic, a hard worker. It’s no easy thing to put up a house, and especially not in those days, with no power tools and no Home Depot or Lowes. He had to carry stone, and cut wood, and form bricks out of clay. It probably took him months of backbreaking labor. Yet in the end, all his hard work was for nothing.

You see, the house built on the sand was a good, solid structure; one that to all appearances was well-built. It didn’t fall down right away. It wasn’t obviously defective. As long as the weather was good, it was fine. It wasn’t until the heavy rains came that it collapsed. Because underneath it all, just waiting for the first real storm, was that hidden weakness, that lack of a true foundation.

It is possible to accomplish a great deal in this world without Christ. You can build a business or a career. You can make money. You can have a reasonably good marriage. You can develop a wide circle of friends. You can do good things – give money to charity, coach Little League, be a Big Brother, adopt a third-world baby, do pro-bono legal work for the poor, volunteer at a retirement home. You can have a good time and enjoy life. You can do many big, important, impressive, and admirable things. But eventually, a storm will come along which will bring it all tumbling down if your life is not built on a firm foundation, THE firm foundation, Jesus Christ.

There may be some here today who know themselves to be outside of the true Rock, the ultimate foundation. And to you I say, stop building your life on sand. Prepare yourself for the storms of life, and for that final storm, which will sweep away everyone and everything which isn’t founded on Christ. Place your trust in Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, because you don’t know when that storm will hit. You don’t know when, all you know is that it will come, and that it will be terrible for those without a firm foundation.

On the other hand, I know that most of you consider your lives to be built on Christ. But I have a warning. Don’t be complacent. What matters is whether your life demonstrates that a genuine change of heart has taken place, a change that comes through faith in Christ, and is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember that earlier in today’s passage, we heard Christ speak these chilling words:
"Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." – Matthew 7:21

Don’t just look good- Make sure that you build like the wise builder. Recall how Jesus describes him:
"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." – Matthew 7:24-25

How did this man differ from the foolish man? Did he work harder? No. Did he use better materials? Not necessarily. The only difference was in the foundation he chose to build on. But that made all the difference in the world. Even the most terrible, frightful storm could not destroy that house.

These words hold a promise for us in this life as well as for eternity. If we belong to Christ; if our lives are built upon faith in Him, and obedience to His commands, and fellowship with Him through the Spirit, then there is literally nothing that can separate us from him. Stuff may happen, the storms of life may rage, we may become frightened and fearful, we may even come close to despair. But no matter what happens, our faith cannot be destroyed; we cannot lose Christ or be lost by Him.

We are told in Romans 8:38-39,
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

They key thing to remember, when the storms of life threaten – when the sky grows black, and the wind starts to howl, and the rain pours down – the key thing to remember is that it isn’t a matter of us holding on to Christ. It’s not a matter of our strength at all. It’s a matter of Christ holding on to us. And he has promised that he will hold on to us, no matter what happens, both now and throughout eternity.

Are you building your life on Christ? Is He your foundation? Or are you relying on something else, or someone else, to get you through the storms of life and the judgment to come? If that’s the case, you’re in great peril. I urge you, come to Christ, even today. Don’t delay any longer. Confess your sins to him in prayer; accept his forgiveness; put your trust and confidence in him for salvation and eternal life.