Bulletin Articles
Cracks in the Foundation
For years now, we have all smiled while watching the children sing "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock," and "The Foolish Man Built His House on the Sand." And we eagerly anticipate the big ending where the children all clap together! What a great children's song... or is it?
The story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock is found in Matthew 7:24-27. It is one of the parables of Jesus, told during His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus shared a story about two men: one who built his house upon a rock and another who built his house upon sand. The house built upon a rock weathered the storm, and the builder is called wise; but the house built on the sand collapsed during the storm, and the builder is called foolish.
Jesus was not concerned with house construction or building code violations. The spiritual meaning of the parable is found in verse 24: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” We are each building a life. The proper foundation for a life is Jesus’ words—not just hearing them, but doing them, too.
When we see people fall, when we see families fall, when we see churches fall, the answer is in this parable. They were not built on the rock of Jesus Christ, plain and simple.
It seems at times that everything in the world is set up to make us turn away from God’s words. Often, our own feelings pull us toward doing the exact opposite of what the Bible says. But a wise man will follow the words of God despite these pressures—not as a way to “show off” or earn salvation, but because he trusts God. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented Himself as the final authority on and fulfiller of the Law; He ends the sermon with a call to heed His message and, in fact, find one’s security in Him.
1 Corinthians 3:11 (CSB): "For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ."
If these verses are so obvious, then why in the world do we fail? The reason is that man does what he wants when he wants, versus what God tells him to do. It’s never enough! Man wants more; families want more; churches want more! Then the sand seems okay. Wow, this seems to work. Look, we’re on sand and doing just fine. Then the storm comes. And the group of children clapping simultaneously isn’t so cute anymore. Men, families, and churches collapse over and over when the storm hits.
Revelation 22:19 (CSB): "And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book."
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the wise man’s house will stand firm. Are we?
