A Firm Foundation

[0:00] Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass Ass All right, if you've got a Bible, Matthew chapter 7.

[0:41] Matthew chapter 7. Hey, Faith family, great singing. That was amazing singing. You've encouraged me already just through listening to you sing. And tonight's one of those nights, the music has kind of already told you what the passage is going to be.

[0:56] If you didn't see the theme through each one of those songs, you're like, probably has something to do with rock and cornerstone and a firm foundation. Like, kind of all goes together.

[1:07] Because tonight we are in Matthew chapter 7, verse 24 through 27. Another famous section of the Sermon on the Mount. And we are coming to the end of this sermon.

[1:19] It covers Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7. And we're in the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. And I went back and looked. We have been in the Sermon on the Mount since the, I think, the second week of January.

[1:33] So it's been six months that we've taken through this greatest sermon ever preached, which is the Sermon of Jesus. And I hope that you have benefited half as much as I have teaching this.

[1:47] It has been such a joy and a pleasure to teach through the Sermon on the Mount. So I trust it's been a blessing to you. I kind of don't want it to end. I think we'd do well to just go back and start over and work through it again.

[2:00] There's so much good stuff there. We're not. Lord willing, the plan is to wrap this series up next weekend. And then we'll start a new series for the rest of the summer.

[2:10] So let's look at Matthew chapter 7 and verse 24 for this evening's message. And if you're able to stand, please do so as we read the Word of God. Jesus is speaking this.

[2:23] Matthew records this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And he says this, And everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

[2:40] And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. But it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.

[2:53] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house.

[3:11] And it fell and great was the fall of it. This is God's Word. Would you pray with me and for me as we ask God to teach us tonight?

[3:22] Let's pray. God, here we are. We want to hear from you. We want you to give us ears that would listen to what you have to say to us. Hearts that would receive your Word. Jesus, you say in this text, those who hear these words of mine and do them.

[3:41] So help us listen and hear and give us strength to do. We pray this in Jesus' powerful name. And God's people said, Amen. Amen. You can be seated. It was the most intense storm on record in the history of the Florida panhandle.

[3:58] When Hurricane Michael came ripping through Florida, many of you will remember this, right? Back in 2018, it left behind some enormous destruction.

[4:10] In fact, when that hurricane made landfall, it was a Category 5 hurricane, sustained winds of 161 miles per hour, resulted in 74 deaths and caused over $25 billion in damages.

[4:30] Now, the governor at the time, Rick Scott said this. He ordered a mandatory evacuation because, quote, Michael is a massive storm that could bring total devastation.

[4:42] Let me be clear. This is a monstrous storm, and the forecast keeps getting more dangerous. And indeed, it did.

[4:56] And yet, right there, in the midst of all that devastation that was caused by Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Florida, which was the heart of where the storm hit, there stood a home that endured the storm.

[5:13] In fact, every other home around it was completely wiped away or severely damaged. It was the only one left standing.

[5:26] The home was built by Russell King and his nephew, LeBron Lackey. They said that they built their home, quote, for the big one because eventually the big one is coming.

[5:40] And just how did they build this home? Well, they went against Florida code. What I mean here is they built their home in a different way than the accepted guidelines that you're supposed to follow.

[5:57] For instance, the code was to build a home that would withstand 150 mile per hour winds. They built theirs to withstand 250 mile per hour winds.

[6:10] They used 40 feet pilings buried under the ground, far more than anything required by Florida code. The house was then high enough to be able to withstand the surge of seawater.

[6:22] They used poured concrete reinforced by steel cables and rebar with additional concrete in the corner of the house. They made the space underneath the roof as minimal as possible so the wind couldn't lift it off.

[6:38] The paint they used was salt tolerant. In other words, Russell and LeBron went above and beyond what was required. Listen, even though they knew there'd be a greater cost, a cost of money, a cost of time, but they knew they couldn't, listen, build their home the normal way.

[7:01] In fact, they said, quote, we did this because if you lose the infrastructure, you lose everything. And while they were building this home, guess what their neighbors did? They laughed at them.

[7:12] Why are you putting so much effort and so much time and all that extra stuff into the building of this home? And yet, when Michael ripped through that town, theirs was the only oceanfront property left standing.

[7:34] Faith Emily, let me ask you tonight, do you know someone or know something that is able to endure the storm? That when the winds and rain have finally passed somehow, and you don't know how, some way, and you don't know that way, they're still standing.

[7:55] Like, for instance, Mary Beth Hoffman, a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with a rare breast cancer. She was given 1% chance to live. And after 132 rounds of chemo, she's still standing today.

[8:12] Or Cain Tanaka, who has faced 119 years of life. Mercy. And she's still standing.

[8:23] Or Jamal, who got the nickname, the Miracle Man, who, according to Toronto Police, was shot in a parking lot 33 times. And he still survived.

[8:36] Or maybe the greatest of them all, Rocky Balboa, punched 5,783 times in the face. Okay, I'm making that number up.

[8:46] By a Russian. And in the end, he was still standing. Some things in life, some people in life, are able to stand in the storm.

[9:03] Look at me. Are you that kind of person? Are you that kind of person?

[9:16] That when the hail of insults are pounding upon you, when it is pouring down persecution on you, when the floodwaters of adversity are crashing on you, when sorrows like sea billows roll?

[9:31] Faith family, are you the kind of person, are we the kind of church that can still say, it is well with my soul?

[9:41] Because here's the deal. That's the kind of person Jesus wants you to be. In fact, that's the entire reason he's been teaching everything he's been teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount.

[9:58] Because disciples of Jesus, those that are part of the kingdom of God, are to be a kind of people that stand in the storm. That's really the big idea here in Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 through 27.

[10:13] Look at verse 24 and 26 again. Jesus says, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is going to be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

[10:24] Verse 26, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Let me just give you four very simple themes that are found in this text.

[10:38] And here's the first one. It's this. Everybody builds their life on something. Every one of you, those of you watching online, everybody builds their life on something.

[10:50] Jesus here in this passage is using a very common metaphor. He's been doing this throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Like a broad road that's smooth and easy to travel or a narrow path that's rough and difficult to travel or a tree that produces good fruit or a tree that produces bad fruit.

[11:10] These are all metaphors that you can understand, right? And the same with this one. All of us can relate to building a home. Most of you have gone through this or you've experienced something like this before.

[11:24] But here's where it's different. Here's where you need to understand what's in the mind of the original listener that we might be disconnected from. In Jesus' day, notice this on the screen, to build a home was the same thing as to build a life.

[11:40] To build a home, to have a home, was representative of your entire life. And we're kind of disconnected from that because for most of us, the home that you live in is simply where you live until you move.

[11:53] And then you'll probably move again. I'm just curious, show of hands, how many of you have lived in more than one home throughout your life? Show of hands. Yeah, almost everybody in the room.

[12:05] But in Jesus' day, that's not a very common thing. For instance, in our day, you may have a starter home and then maybe you have a couple of kids and so you need to upgrade your home so you get something a little bigger.

[12:17] And then you save up some money and then you're able to buy that dream home you've always wanted. And maybe if you're fortunate enough, you'll have that second home that's a cabin by the lake or a condo at the beach.

[12:28] But this is far removed from Jesus' audience, right? In the ancient Near East, your house was your life. It represented all that you were.

[12:39] I mean, these were multi-generational dwellings. It wasn't uncommon at all in a home to have your children and your parents and even lots of other relatives all living in the same place.

[12:52] Can you imagine? Some of you are like, no chance. I mean, you think Christmas vacation's bad. This is like, you know, 365 days a year, everybody's living together, including Uncle Eddie.

[13:03] The whole life, the entire orbit of your life was centered around that home. And of course, if you... By the way, this is common in many cultures today, right?

[13:17] We've built homes in other countries because the entire family was living in one home. And this allowed them to be able to... others to move out and have a different place. The land would be passed down from generations.

[13:29] I could go on. Here's the idea. Here's the idea. Jesus' audience, when they hear this metaphor, when they hear this illustration, they know that he's talking more than about a building.

[13:40] He's talking about a life. He's talking about everything you build your entire life on. And everybody builds their life on something.

[13:53] Your beliefs, your traditions, your core values, the relationships you have, the lifestyle you live, your appearance, your performance, your profession, how you spend your money, the decisions that you make.

[14:04] And what Jesus is asking us to do here is the same thing that everybody would do before you would build or purchase a home. Namely, do an inspection. Do an inspection.

[14:17] What is the foundation of your life built on? What is the foundation of everything that you do? What's it established in?

[14:28] If you wouldn't buy a home without an inspection, why would you live a life without doing some inspection? Amen? So what's your life based on?

[14:38] What's your life built on? That's what Jesus is causing you to think about here. And of course, this is not the first time that he's asked you and I to do such self-reflection.

[14:50] Do you remember what he said back in Matthew 6? Look at verse 19. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal.

[15:02] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, neither thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your, everybody say it, heart will be also.

[15:17] In other words, Jesus has already in Matthew 7 said, what's the treasure of your heart? What do you really want? What do you really long for? What's the ultimate craving of your life?

[15:27] And he's asking that same thing in a different way. Now he's saying, what's your life based on? What's your life built on? What's the foundation? Look at me, faith family. Everybody builds their life on something.

[15:40] Second big idea. Look at verse 25. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew. I can't read when the lights go out. And beat on the house, but it did not fall because it was founded on the rock.

[15:54] And now look at verse 27. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against the house and it fell and great was the fall of it. Here's the second big idea.

[16:06] Not only does everybody build their life on something, but secondly, everybody faces a storm eventually. Amen? Do you know that to be true? Like, is this relevant at all to you tonight?

[16:19] Everybody builds their life on something and everybody faces a storm eventually. It's like Russell and LeBron at the beginning of the opening illustration. They said they built their home for the big one because eventually the big one's going to come.

[16:34] They just knew. If we live in Mexico Beach, Florida long enough by the ocean, at some point, on some day, eventually, it's coming.

[16:45] And so we have to be prepared for that. You and I both know there is no such thing as a calm and stormless life. That living a life expecting no storms is like living in Minnesota expecting 90 degrees year-round.

[17:03] It ain't happening, sweetheart. There is not a reality of which that exists. Nor is there a reality where your life is stormless. And many of you know this to be true.

[17:15] In fact, many of you, I know this because I know you, you have faced storms. Have you not? And some of you are going through them right now.

[17:28] The storm of battling cancer. The storm of the loss of a loved one. The storm of hopelessness or depression.

[17:39] The storm of being betrayed by your friends. The storm of seeing your career in shambles.

[17:51] The storm of cancel culture and the Twitter mob. The storm of financial ruin. Oh, this is a very, very relevant message.

[18:04] Amen? Because you know what it's like to go through storms. And if you do not cheer up, you will. You will be.

[18:14] Star Wars, right? It's coming. It's coming. Some of you are like, that's great news. No, it's just real. That's just real. If you live in Mexico Beach, Florida long enough, a hurricane's coming.

[18:28] If you live life long enough, a storm is coming. Eventually, storms pass through. Now, to be fair to the text, because at Faith Family, we're about the text.

[18:39] What does the text say? What does the text mean? What are the possible meanings of the text? And so, to be fair to the text, I need to say that there is a bit of a debate on what Jesus means here by the storm.

[18:50] Some argue that Jesus is not referring only to personal suffering, but that He's actually referring to final judgment. And they would argue that because the one road leads to life and the other road leads to destruction, right?

[19:06] The good tree that bears good fruit and the bad tree that bears bad fruit is burned. And so, there does seem to be a flow that Jesus is pointing here to final judgment.

[19:18] And of course, in the Bible, God's judgment is often seen as a storm. Amen? And you could probably come up with your own examples of this.

[19:29] Noah and the flood was God's judgment upon the earth. Jonah is running from God, and he experiences a storm. You see this imagery and language in Ezekiel and the prophets in the book of Revelation, which we studied, frequently uses storm imagery to talk about the wrath of God.

[19:50] Jesus, when He is crucified, what happens? Darkness comes upon the land. And so, frequently throughout Scripture, the idea of a storm does refer to the judgment of God.

[20:02] And you say, well, Pastor, which one do you think it is? And I think it actually applies to both. I believe this text, faithfully understood, applies yes to personal suffering and final judgment.

[20:16] Namely, those that build their house the way Jesus wants you to build your house will be able to stand in personal suffering, and you'll be able to stand on that final day because of Christ and Christ alone.

[20:30] So, I think both apply here. Remember, the point is, when the storm comes, it's not an if, it's a when. When it comes, will you stand?

[20:42] And don't you know, faith family, how the storm can come upon you so fast? I mean, have any of you been through that? Like, you were just driving along, going along, doing your thing, and before you knew it, there was hail coming down and dark clouds all around you, and you were absolutely consumed in a frightening storm.

[21:01] Doesn't that happen in life? Don't you wish there was a weather forecast of life? Hey, three months from now, you're going to go through a really bad storm. But that's not how life works, is it?

[21:13] It can change so fast. I was recently reading about Nikki Walker. She's a 37-year-old woman. She was celebrating her birthday. Her mom sent her a balloon and wrapped inside, it was wrapped inside of a box with a surprise.

[21:27] And she decided she'd open the present outside. As soon as she opened the present, a strong wind came through, and the balloon went straight up into the sky, along with over $100 in cash that had been tied to the balloon.

[21:45] Nikki said in the article, quote, It all happened in a split second. I didn't have a chance to react. And such are the winds of life.

[21:57] Amen? One moment the house is here, and the next moment the house is gone. So here's the flow of the idea. I hope you're with me.

[22:08] Everybody builds their life on something. You have built your life on something. What is it? Do the inspection. Do the hard work of asking, what is your life based on?

[22:19] Why? Because eventually you're going to go through a storm. It's not if. It's when. And a matter of severity. And that leads us to the third big idea.

[22:30] Look at verse 25. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it didn't fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

[22:41] Now look at the contrast in verse 27. Rain fell, floods came, winds blew, beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

[22:53] So here's the third big idea. Listen, everybody builds their house, or everybody builds their life on something. Eventually a storm is coming, and thirdly, the storm reveals your foundation.

[23:03] The storm is going to reveal what your life is based on. It's why you need to do the house inspection, because when the storm comes, you're going to find out whether or not it can hold you up or not.

[23:17] Faith family, had you looked at all the homes in Mexico Beach prior to Hurricane Michael, you would have said, they all look fine to me. I don't see any difference between them.

[23:28] Why? You didn't know which had a firm foundation and which didn't until what? Michael came through. Until the storm came through, and then it revealed the one that had the foundation and the others that did not.

[23:44] Storms have a way of showing us what our life is truly based on. Let me give you an example of that in the Bible. I'll try to do this quickly for the sake of time.

[23:54] But turning your Bibles to the book of Jonah, I think this is a great example of what Jesus is talking about here. Look at Jonah chapter 1. You'll see it on the screen as well. Jonah chapter 1, and let's look at verse 4 through 6.

[24:08] It says, So here we have this storm upon the sea. There was this mighty tempest on the sea, and the ship threatened to break up. The mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his God.

[24:21] They hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. Jonah had gone down in the inner part of the ship and lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him and said, What do you mean, you sleeper?

[24:33] Arise! Call out to your God! Perhaps the God will give a thought to us that we may not perish. Now, quick context here. You know the first part of the chapter.

[24:45] God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah says, No, thank you. He runs the opposite direction. And so God brings a storm into his life.

[24:56] And as this storm begins to happen, what are the responses? Well, the first here is notice how everybody starts the prayer chain. Did you see that? Hey, you pray to your God, and you pray to your God, and you pray to your God, and Jonah, why don't you pray to your God too?

[25:10] Maybe somebody will listen. Maybe something will get us out of the storm. Here's the point, everybody. Look, look, look. Storms will reveal what your idol is.

[25:22] You will find out the idol of your life, the thing that you think you need most, in the midst of a storm. And that's what they're doing.

[25:32] They're running to some type of idol, some type of God that can rescue them. Look at what they do in verse 7. It says, They said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.

[25:46] So they cast lots, and it fell on Jonah. And then they said to him, Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What's your occupation? Where do you come from? What's your country? Oh, what people are you?

[25:58] So in other words, they shift now from offering up prayers to the gods, hoping their idols will save them, to thinking they can figure out on their own.

[26:08] I should stop and preach here for just a moment, even though I don't have the time to do so. Some of you, when you go through the storm, all it does is motivate you to try harder, to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and to do this on your own.

[26:24] And you think, foolishly I might add, I can get myself out of this. I can do this myself if I ask the right questions, if I research Google enough, if I can figure this out on my own.

[26:40] And you, listen, you think getting out of the storm is a do-it-yourself project, and you will find yourself very, very, very much mistaken. Look at what Jonah does when he's going through the storm.

[26:53] Verse 5, it says again that Jonah had lain down in the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. There's so much here, I wish I had time to teach, but I'm just trying to give you a sampling of it.

[27:07] Jonah goes into spiritual despair. Jonah here is not tired and lazy. He's spiritually worn out and exhausted from running from God.

[27:19] And he basically, we have kids in the room, so I'll keep this PG. He just tells God, I don't want to do this anymore. Forget you. I'm done. I'm checking out.

[27:30] And you know what the storms do for some of you? It reveals where you are spiritually. And you just basically say, God, I don't care anymore. I've served you.

[27:42] I've done this. I thought I've put in my time. And if this is how you treat your people, then I'm just going to go downstairs, curl up under the covers, and say, forget you.

[27:56] Storms have a way of revealing where you are and what your foundation truly is. Notice this on the screen. The storms of life either drive you closer to God or drive you further from God.

[28:11] They never leave you neutral. Amen? So sometimes the storm has a way of revealing that foundation of where you are with God.

[28:22] And sometimes, like Jonah, you just slip into a spiritual darkness, a spiritual slumber. Notice what happens by the end of the passage in verse 14.

[28:35] It says, Therefore they called out to the Lord, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life. Lay not on us innocent blood. For you, O Lord, have done as it's pleased you. And they picked up Jonah, hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

[28:48] And the men feared the Lord exceedingly. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and made vows. It's interesting here, Jonah, not the prophet of God, but these mariners, these experienced sea individuals, they're the ones that make vows to God.

[29:08] They're the ones that finally surrender and say, God, let's do it your way. And they throw Jonah into the sea. Storms sometimes have a way of making us surrender and saying, God, I can't do this anymore.

[29:25] Amen? God, I'm done. Like, I tried the idol, and that didn't work. I tried doing it on my own, and that didn't work. I tried going down below and sleeping a while, and that didn't work.

[29:36] So, God, you know what? I surrender. I'm building my life on you, not my way. Listen, everybody builds their life on something, and everybody goes through a storm eventually, and that storm will reveal what the foundation of your life truly is, the idol of your heart, whether you're running to God or running from God.

[30:06] So, are you the kind of person that can stand in the storm? Let's go back to the Sermon on the Mount now and look at verse 24 and 26 of the final, and I would argue main point.

[30:17] Yes, I'm just now getting to the main point of this passage. You've got nowhere to be. Look at Matthew chapter 7 and verse 24. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the, say it, rock.

[30:34] Remember that. And then verse 26, everyone who hears these words of mine does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the, say it, sand. So now we're looking at the rock and the sand.

[30:45] Here's the fourth and final big idea here in this passage is this. Every heart, and I'm using that word intentionally, every heart built on Christ and his teaching will stand.

[31:01] So here's how I take the text. Everybody builds their life on something and everybody faces a storm eventually and that storm is going to reveal what your foundation is. And if your heart, you know why that's important if you've been with us the last few weeks, if your heart is built on Christ and his teaching, you will stand in the storm.

[31:23] Whether that is personal suffering or final judgment. If your heart is built on Christ and his teaching, you will stand.

[31:35] Now, the reason why I'm emphasizing and his teaching is because most people would say that the rock is Jesus, right? That the rock that Jesus is talking about here is Christ.

[31:48] Christ, all other ground is sinking sand, you're right? We sing that song. And that's true. The Bible does teach this. An example, Psalm 18 verse 2.

[32:01] The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

[32:15] Listen, faith family. Jesus is our rock. Amen? Amen. But, that's not all that Jesus says here. He doesn't say, and everyone who puts their faith in me is like the one who built their house on the rock.

[32:30] Though that's true, no, Jesus is everyone who hears these words of mine and does them. In other words, what Jesus here, and I think this is important, is he's saying that you can't separate building your life on me and walking the kind of road I've called you down.

[32:49] The heart road. You can't be built on the rock by just having faith in me if you're not also following the road of which I've called you down, which is to deal with the heart, to look at the inner righteousness of your life.

[33:07] Yes, it's me, but not me separated from what I've taught you in the Sermon on the Mount. I think that's a very important passage, or a very important point, that we don't just say, it's just Jesus.

[33:22] Yes, it's Jesus, but also what he's taught us for three chapters. Because he says that it's based on hearing his words and doing them.

[33:35] So, this begs the question, well then what has Jesus been teaching us through the Sermon on the Mount? And here's the answer. I have nailed this down multiple times and I will continue.

[33:46] It is not enough to love God with your hands. That is some kind of external religion. That is not enough.

[33:58] Amen? You must love God with your hearts. That is, it's got to be inside. It's got to be genuine towards him.

[34:10] There's a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees that goes beyond the external into the heart. Have we not seen that over and over and over again in the Sermon on the Mount?

[34:24] Let me make this point again three ways. Number one is what Jesus has been teaching throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Some of you are getting tired of this review, but I want you to get this.

[34:35] I want you to see, I'm not pulling this out of thin air. This is based on the text. Jesus has taught, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the pure in heart, those that don't just murder but don't have anger in their heart.

[34:46] Not just those that don't do an oath, but they're always honest and truthful. They do good like give and pray and fast, not to look good, but because they actually love God.

[34:58] They treasure God in their hearts. The heart treasures him, not earthly things, which is why they don't worry about everything in the world because they trust God with their heart.

[35:09] And they're not all consumed in your junk because they're quite aware of their own junk. They don't judge your speck because they're very aware of their own log.

[35:20] And you would say, yeah, but to go down that road is really, really hard. I know. That's why very few people go. Most people will go the religion way.

[35:32] They'll go the external way. They'll go the, well, what do I need to polish up? Do I need to buy a new Bible? Get a new outfit? What church should I go to? Should I pray that prayer or memorize that verse?

[35:43] Just tell me what I need to do. What you need to do is give your heart to God. Not fall in line with the churchy stuff, but build your heart on God, which starts by realizing you're a bankrupt person spiritually and you have nothing to give.

[36:04] This is the Sermon on the Mount. Secondly, I'm arguing for why the big idea, which is loving God with your hands is not enough. It's about the heart. Is that when Jesus gets to the conclusion, what are the four illustrations he ends with?

[36:19] Number one, we talked about three of these last week. The wolf in sheep's clothing. Remember that? The external looks good, but inwardly it's wrong.

[36:30] It's off. It's not as it should be. The tree that produces, it appears good for a while, but then turns bad. It looks good externally, but give it time, and its fruit is shown.

[36:44] Thirdly, the false prophets. Remember that did all those things in Jesus' name? We cast out demons, and we prophesied in your name, and look at all the things we did.

[36:57] And what does Jesus say? I never knew you. I never knew you. You had the external appearance, but God didn't have your heart.

[37:12] Now, what's the fourth of those four illustrations? It's what we're looking at this week, which is imagine two houses. And they both look fine externally.

[37:23] You look at those homes, and you say, I don't see anything wrong with any one of them, but wait till the storm comes. Wait till the storm comes. And then you'll find out what's inside. You'll find out what it's built on.

[37:35] You'll find out whether or not its heart belongs to God, or whether or not it was just doing good works with its hands. Are you with me? Do you see how all this fits together? And here's the third argument as to why this, I believe, is the right interpretation, is the rock versus sand.

[37:51] You need to keep in mind that when Jesus is teaching this, he's around, in and around the Sea of Galilee, where there is 10 feet of sand, and underneath that is bedrock, which meant that those listening to Jesus know that if you're going to build a home, you have two options.

[38:07] You can build it on the surface, and that's going to be the cheap way to go, right? It's not going to cost you a lot of money to build a home on top of the sand. But if you want to have to dig down 10 feet of sand and into bedrock, whoo, that's going to cost you.

[38:27] Big time. It's going to cost you time. It's going to cost you money. There's going to come a great cost with that. In other words, listen, and tell me if this sounds familiar. There's an easy way to build a home, but it's shallow.

[38:44] And there's a hard way to build a home, but it's built on the rock. And when the storm comes, you'll find out which is which.

[38:56] Jesus here, I think, is clearly, clearly teaching that the life that endures the storm is the life whose heart belongs to God and doesn't settle for an external religion or going through the motions, but God has their heart.

[39:15] In fact, I could give you many examples, but I'll just give you this one. It's like the parable of the soils. Do you remember that parable? How some of it grows for a while, but it doesn't have any what?

[39:26] Root. Thank you for saying that correctly because some people say root and I don't know what that is. It's root. But it's grounded in something and that seed, that soil, perseveres to the end.

[39:39] It's the same idea. So what's the point, Pastor? Here it is. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been teaching about having a heart for God. A heart that loves God.

[39:51] Listen, mere external religion is not enough. Religion, listen to this, religion is a surface righteousness that masks an unstable foundation.

[40:07] Let me say that again. Religion is a surface righteousness that masks an unstable foundation. and if, please, I beg of you, faith family, hear this tonight.

[40:20] If your relationship with God only consists of external actions, you will only be around until the next storm.

[40:35] You will walk along and then crisis happens and God is nowhere to be found in your life. Why? Because you were just going through the motions.

[40:45] You never built your heart on God. But when your heart is built on God and the storm comes, when the storm comes, you ain't going anywhere.

[40:56] You may struggle. You may doubt. You may have questions. You may have many, many tears. Amen? But you ain't going anywhere. Because you love God more than you love the comfort of your life.

[41:13] He, and this road he's called you down is your rock. See it on the screen faithfully. The way of the kingdom may be the hard road, but it's built on a solid foundation.

[41:29] Say, preach preacher. That'll preach right there. The way of the kingdom. Jesus is ending the Sermon on the Mount. This kingdom way, this greater righteousness way of giving God your heart.

[41:40] It may be the hard road. It is the hard road. But it is built on solid ground. It's the kind of life that isn't going anywhere just because it's raining outside.

[41:54] This is what Christ is calling us to. So, faith family, what's the foundation of your life? What is it? What is your life built on? Are you the type of person who can stand in the midst of the storm?

[42:08] And if not, I plead with you with every breath I have to put your faith in the one, listen, who not only taught us these words, but lived these words.

[42:23] You realize Jesus didn't just teach the Sermon on the Mount. He lived the Sermon on the Mount. Why? Because one Friday afternoon, darkness covered the land. And Jesus faced a storm the likes of which no one in this room has ever faced.

[42:43] And I pray no one in this room ever has to face the storm of God's judgment. And on that day, it rained the wrath of God as Jesus bore our sins and took our place.

[43:07] But when the storm finally ended and the debt was finally paid, guess what, faith family? Three days later, Jesus was still standing.

[43:18] And He was the only one in all of history who ever could remain standing. So because He endured that storm, if you put your faith in Him, you can endure any storm.

[43:40] And all God's people said, Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Let's pray. God, thank you for your word to us tonight. So, so practical and relevant to your disciples today.

[43:58] There is an easy path to follow the crowd and to put on the religious robe, but it doesn't last in the storm.

[44:13] It's not deep enough. It's built on sand, not rock. So I pray that over these last few weeks, Holy Spirit, that you've been working in our hearts and working in our lives to build in us that deeper love for you.

[44:34] Not just a surfacy going through the motions of church, but a real hard heart work. and I pray that you would make us in by your grace and by your strength the kind of people that can stand in the storm that we may get punched in the face 5,000 times by life, but we're still standing.

[44:58] Not because, look at us, we're really strong people, but the rock in which our life is built on has faced hell in one. So what are we afraid of?

[45:11] Yes, it hurts. Yes, it rips our insides out, but greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world. So make us, not by our strength, but by yours, that kind of people.

[45:28] That's who you want us to be. Help us at Faith Family be that kind of church that says, world, you may bring it on, we're not going anywhere. we will stand on the rock.

[45:42] In Jesus' name we pray, and God's people said, Amen.