Are You Building on a Firm Foundation?

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24-27, NKJV)

Today, we look at the final words in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

This sermon is vital for a Christian to read because it shows us how to live as Jesus did. He covered everything: blessings, the Law (and how he fulfilled it), murder, adultery, marriage, oath-taking, going the extra mile for someone, loving our enemies, how to pray, praying for our enemies, fasting, money, worry, judging others, taking the narrow path and more. His ideas were, at the time, extraordinary and unique. They still are. Can you imagine any government that, instead of going to war, would sit down and pray for their enemies? What a world we would live in if we all followed Jesus. May His Kingdom come!

Jesus finishes his sermon by emphasizing how vital His words are. By living and applying them to our lives, we build a firm foundation founded on the rock Himself - Jesus Christ. When the storms of life come our way, we will not fall because our faith, hope and trust are built on a firm foundation - Jesus. 

But the foolish man has not built his faith on the rock of Christ. And if you are thinking this is just about people who have not accepted Christ as their Saviour, think again. Sadly, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the church at large has lost its firm foundation. I see it time and time again where Pastors encourage the members of their congregations to study books instead of the Bible. Members get all their "wisdom" from man rather than God's Word. Books like the Circle Maker, for instance. This book has deceived many well-meaning Christians into believing God gave them a new way to pray. He has not. A careful examination of this book reveals it is not even Scripturally based. Yet many congregations are reading it. 

Be wise, therefore, and build a firm foundation on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. A Bible study should be based on the Bible and nothing more. Taking you through Scripture, precept by precept. It should not be based on new ideas or "fads." This is where the church is losing its firm footing by placing more emphasis on "book-studies" than Bible studies.

When a new "fad" book appears that everyone is "raving" about - beware! And compare it against Scripture. If it is built on a firm foundation of Scripture, then you will be in the Word more than you will be reading that book. It will merely be a guide to your Bible studies, nothing more. Keep standing on the Word of God, and you will build a firm foundation in life.