The Wise 🏠 & the Foolish Builders 🏚️ | 📖 Luke 6:46‑49 & Matthew 7:24‑27

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

[0:15] Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application. This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

[0:26] Let's dive in together into God's Word. Alright, well, good morning everyone. We are continuing and getting close to the end of our sermon series, going through the parables of Christ.

[0:40] These simple truths, simple stories that help us grow in our faith. You know, it's amazing how the Word of God will speak to us in so many different capacities.

[0:54] Whether you are a child or you're an adult, whether you're a new believer or a lifelong follower of Christ, the Word of God continues to speak to us every single day.

[1:05] Amen? It's remarkable the power of the Word, but also the power of our God. Knowing that the Lord is consistent, He is a sure foundation for our lives.

[1:19] And today, we're going to go over the parable of the wise and the foolish builders. Many of you may know this particular parable. And it's so interesting when we think of this, there are some things that are glaringly obvious.

[1:34] For some of us, we may have built a sandcastle before. And how easy it is, that sandcastle, to be completely decimated and destroyed by, well, water, a river, right?

[1:48] Or an ocean, if you will. I know many times when I was a kid, I wanted to build a sandcastle as much as possible. And then when the water came through, it was completely destroyed.

[1:59] It's a very similar parallel to what we found. When we think of the construction world, right? We think of architecture. We think of all of these buildings that have happened, that have been built throughout history.

[2:10] How important it is for us to consider the location and how the building is built. For those of you who may have worked in real estate before, it is the three rules of real estate is location, location, location, right?

[2:25] And so there's a lot of truth that we find not only in real estate, but also when we are considering this parable. Now, how many of you, I don't have a picture of it, but you can think of it for a second here.

[2:39] How many of you have seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Even if it's a picture, right? You get the idea, right? This tower is leaning, right?

[2:49] And, you know, it's a 185-foot tilt. And it's not... What's fascinating is it's still tilting over time. And eventually, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is going to be the Fallen Down Tower, or I don't know what you call that, on-the-floor Tower of Pisa.

[3:07] And it's a very good example of when we think of architecture, when we think of this idea of foundations in the physical or in our everyday world.

[3:19] Eventually, that foundation is just, well, it's not really good. Eventually, that tower is going to fall. And as much as I like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I kind of want it to stay put.

[3:30] I don't want it to eventually fall. Can we at least somewhat agree with that, right? It would be unfortunate for any sort of tower to fall over and to be destroyed. Well, when it comes to towers, we can think of the parallel that comes with our foundation that exists in Christ.

[3:49] For Christ is our rock, our salvation. He is our safety. He is our security. And we are to come to Christ as the solid rock, the cornerstone of our lives for our salvation.

[4:05] It's important for us to build upon that foundation in Him. I want us to turn. You see on here the screen on the title slide. There's the Matthew and the Luke passage.

[4:17] I want us to turn to the Gospel of Luke. It's going to be on page 1024 in your ESV Pew Bibles. And I just want to show you one of the accounts here that's happening.

[4:29] It's important to know that both of these parables are at the end of Jesus preaching a sermon. And so we go over here. It's going to be 1,000...

[4:42] Excuse me, 1,025 in your ESV Pew Bible. Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 46 through 49 here. Where Jesus is asking this question.

[4:57] Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you? Well, that's a good question, isn't it? It's a good question that we can not only think about back then, but we can think about now.

[5:09] It's important for us to obviously believe in Jesus Christ. But it's also as important for us to follow within the footsteps of Christ and God's call for our lives.

[5:24] In other words, to trust in Him. How many of you heard that song, to trust and obey? To follow within the footsteps of Christ. To consider, to think about where does God want you to be?

[5:36] Now, obviously, for all of us, He wants all of us to be in that salvation, right? To believe in Him and to be saved. But beginning from that, that new life in Christ, we are to be on a journey in Him.

[5:51] And so, verse 47, And what's very important about this idea that you find in Luke compared to the Gospel of Matthew is this intentionality where you are digging and you are preparing the way for the foundation.

[6:16] Much like how it is important for us as, before we believe in Christ, to seek out truth. To seek out the way. To seek out the newness of life.

[6:26] To seek out the light of Christ. It's much like how Scripture says to seek first the kingdom of God. We are to seek after the Lord.

[6:37] Much like how we found in other parables. The pearl of great value. Or the treasure. To value it. To cherish it with all that we have. And so this imagery then is one who is digging deep and laying the foundation on the rock.

[6:52] And again, this foundation is what we find in Christ. And it says, When a flood arose, the stream broke against the house and it could not shake it. You find that in both cases, in both Matthew and in Luke, there is a storm that happens.

[7:09] And it is the question of where is your foundation? Now, for a lot of us, we may think for a second, who in the world would build their house on sand?

[7:20] That just doesn't make any sense to us because not only the culture that we live in, but also, okay, it's nice to have a house. But if it gets destroyed within a storm because it's not indicating, well, you have the storm that's happening.

[7:38] And the one that's on the sand is the one that's going to ruin here. Just like we're finding within the scripture, right? When a flood came, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built, right?

[7:50] Well built on the foundation. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, it immediately fell and the ruin of that house was great.

[8:03] I think of, and maybe you might, I think of this, where you have a house and it's in the wrong place where a, literally a river or an avalanche comes in and it destroys the house.

[8:18] Or if you build a house by a volcano. I remember when I was living in Hawaii, I remember that there's some places where it's saying, hey, you're right by a volcano.

[8:30] And there's some disclaimers on here that you have to be careful that the volcano might erupt, you know. But at least there's some sort of disclaimer with that. It's just so important for us to be mindful, not only when we're building literal houses, but where we place our faith and trust in.

[8:49] And so in this, before the parable, both in Matthew and Luke, you have the warnings of false prophets.

[9:00] You have also the importance of bearing good fruit. I want us to turn back for a second here, right? You have where Jesus pronounces to love our enemies, right?

[9:13] Where it says in Luke chapter 6, verse 27, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. That's very difficult.

[9:25] Easier said than done. But what Christ calls for us to do is something that is significant. It goes on into judging others, right? Judge not, right? And it goes on further about the tree and its fruit.

[9:37] When we're talking about this idea of prophets, pastors, you shall know them by their fruit. And it's so important for us when we're thinking about the context that is leading up to the foundation.

[9:53] Well, one way to consider someone's fruit is to consider the congregation, the hearers, where is their foundation at? That is one way that you can assess a pastor and who they are as a person, if they are true or false, at least when we're talking about this context here.

[10:12] And so we find that there is this kind of this two-ticket system that exists. That we are to believe in Christ and we are to be saved and we're called to be transformed.

[10:24] We're called to be molded by him to follow in those footsteps to do what the Lord wants for us. Now, when we think of this idea of obedience and following in the Lord, it's understanding that what Christ has for us is something that is much better than what the world has to offer.

[10:46] For some of us, we may think of, well, how there's emptiness within the world, right? How we think of there's a lot of famous people and they have emptiness in their riches, despite their fame, despite their notoriety.

[11:03] Well, wait a minute. I thought if everyone, I thought if you were going to be famous, you would have it all. But yet there's so many people who are famous and yet there's this emptiness inside of them.

[11:14] There's this void. There's this sense of, I've got it all, but yet I feel so empty. I hope that none of you have felt this way. But if you have, seek the Lord.

[11:25] It's much like how some people, they have all the money in the world, right? You can buy planes and houses. I mean, I know that sounds nice for a lot of us to have a new house or a new car.

[11:36] But when you place your trust in that which is failing, very often you find people, they have that void, that sense of emptiness. It's because they are seeking the things, well, in the wrong places.

[11:51] They're not finding the solid rock. They're not finding the foundation. So we are to hear, we are to trust in the Lord, and we are to follow in those footsteps because God has a much better way for us.

[12:06] A much better way for us to be transformed, to live and love like him, to put on the new self, to exhibit love, peace, kindness, and joy. A type of love that is unlike any sort of love that we may experience.

[12:22] To know that, I mean, I think about it, when someone does me wrong, I remember it. And how many of us, we want to get even? Don't raise your hand, please. But you get the idea here, right?

[12:34] When someone does you wrong, you either want to run away, or you want to hide, or you want to fight back, whatever, right? Fight, flight, freeze, whatever. All these different words for the same concept. But when we think of God and his love and his forgiveness, that's entirely different than, I want to love like the Lord.

[12:52] But it's still going to show that his love is far much greater than how we can be. And that's okay. That's why we place our trust in him. His love, his forgiveness, that's something that is far greater.

[13:06] And so to hear and to do is the house on the rock. The storm hits and the foundation remains. To hear and to not do then, that's a little more difficult.

[13:17] It's saying that having, following in the footsteps of Christ, bearing fruit, as it were, is evidence that we have our full faith and trust in the Lord.

[13:29] That's why you have a lot of people say, you might have someone say, well, where is your fruit? Are you growing in Christ? You believe in Christ. Now be on that path of transformation.

[13:42] To live in love like Christ. To grow in the faith. To learn more about scripture. Okay, what do you mean that when we talk about baptism, that it's a representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ?

[13:56] What do you mean about, you know, Noah as a representation that you need to get on the boat before the flood comes? Or what do you mean that when you think of the story of the people of God in Egypt, how it's a representation of being in bondage and being set free from those captives, those, the oppressors, as it were.

[14:25] There's a lot of connections that we find. There's a lot of things that we learn when it comes to the word of God and being in prayer. And you have to think of how are you changing?

[14:38] Because if you really think about it, for you to receive the greatest gift that will affect your life here today and for eternity, you would want to change.

[14:51] You would absolutely want to change. If I write you a check and pay off your entire student loan balance, or I pay off your car, or I pay off your house, you wouldn't want to celebrate?

[15:02] You wouldn't want to live your life differently? If you don't, then that's a different discussion. But the greatest gift, you would want to share it.

[15:15] You would want to change and be molded by him. Because you just received the greatest gift by believing in Christ and being saved by him. Now be on a path of growth and action.

[15:28] And so we have the parabolic symbols, right? The rock is Christ as our what, church? As our foundation, right?

[15:38] Then we have the house, which is our life, our discipleship, and our what? Our works. And then the storms and the flood represents trials, right?

[15:50] Some may think of it as the refiner's fire, right? How we get, there's the sense of testing that happens within our life. And then even later on with the final judgment, we can think of that later on within scripture.

[16:05] And to hear and do is faith and works. Now, it's very important for us to think for a moment. You notice in this parable that both people build houses, right?

[16:19] And when we look at it from here, we can see that the works that you do is the house. It's a representation of that. And it's important for us to see that works do not save you.

[16:37] It is the foundation that is in Christ. It is believing in Christ and having that relationship with him. That is what's going to matter. And when we see it like this, it helps us with our understanding for what God is going for.

[16:52] Now, when Christ is saying that not doing them is like someone who doesn't build their house upon the rock, he is saying that you believing in Christ is just, it is important just like you are to do the work that Christ has for you.

[17:11] And it's important for me to point out that we are not saved by what we do. We are saved by Christ as the solid rock and what he has done for us. Okay?

[17:22] That is important for us. And there's many, many verses. You'll find these in your notes if you want to check those out at home.

[17:33] A lot of very beautiful verses that just help us understand and piece together these different parts of the parable. Much like how we found with other parables. How they are so simple, but yet they are so connected within Scripture.

[17:47] And so this takes us then to the next, let's go to that next slide, right? I've mentioned that it's found in Matthew and Luke at the end of Christ's sermon, right?

[17:57] I've mentioned that before the parable, there's the warning of false prophets and bearing good fruit. Again, you shall know them by their fruit. And the parable shows the importance of grace than works.

[18:10] Let's go to that next slide. So what do we then, what can we learn from this? Well, the first thing is that our house, our life is built on the rock. On the foundation that is in Christ.

[18:22] Belief in Christ is the foundation. And works then are the construction of the house. We think of all sorts of different houses. We even think of how we are to store up treasures in heaven.

[18:34] How it's very similar to this idea that we are going to have some sort of understanding. We are building up upon that foundation in Christ.

[18:46] Because God calls us to be saved. And he calls us to grow. And he calls us to do in his name. To share the love of Christ with others.

[18:58] To proclaim the good news of the gospel. To share within your testimony. And how God is changing your life. I mean, you can talk to anyone about the blessings that God has given to you.

[19:15] Even for today. Sometimes we don't have a lot of sleep. And sometimes we have bad days. But every day is an opportunity for us.

[19:26] To at least be grateful. And thankful. And offer it to God. The good, the bad, and even those ugly days. Let us be encouraged to offer that to the Lord.

[19:39] And Christ's salvation. It withstands every season and storm. You know, it's so important when we think of Psalms. When we think of throughout Scripture.

[19:49] That there's many times that we face adversity. We face opposition. We face people who slander us.

[20:00] People who try to bring us down. We think of how there are situations in life that just happen. When someone gets sick. Or when just your car doesn't start working.

[20:13] Right? All these things that happen. It is knowing that God is there for you. In every season of life. When you believe in Him. And church.

[20:25] I don't know about you. But that gives me great comfort. To know that even in the greatest of successes. But also in the lowest points of my life. And in your life as well.

[20:36] God is going to be there with you. It's just like how Scripture says. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no what? I'll fear no evil.

[20:47] Right? For you, God, are with me. Right? When it talks about the rod and the staff. That it is protecting. Right? That God is with us. That foundation that we are talking about.

[20:59] So again. Christ's salvation withstands every season and storm. There is nothing to fear. Do you realize how many times in Scripture it says that we're not to be afraid?

[21:13] But do we still get afraid? You can be honest here. Right? There's times that we still get anxious. Scripture says not to worry. What are you talking about? I'm worrying about that. Right? Scripture tells us to be patient and to love our enemies.

[21:26] Wait a minute. I'm still struggling with that. But we're a work in progress. That God continues to work in and through us. There is nothing for us to fear in knowing the Lord.

[21:38] And we can have that confidence that we can build our lives in full trust in Him. The second thing then is that a firm foundation brings what?

[21:49] And what, church? Wisdom and security. Right? So this idea I mentioned of this idea of digging deep. Right? Preparing the way for the Lord.

[22:02] Right? You think about how when you're going to lay down concrete, you got to make sure that everything's set and ready to go before you lay that foundation. It is the same kind of language that we're finding here.

[22:13] Seeking Christ in the word. In the word. In prayer. And we have to also think of someone who seeks God. We've found this in two other parables.

[22:25] The pearl of great price or of great value, depending on what your translation says. But also the parable of the hidden treasure. The foundation then brings forth security.

[22:40] Much like how God continues to give us wisdom and insight for our lives. Isn't it amazing? There's scripture that talks about how there are things that are hidden from unbelievers.

[22:54] I always thought that was so strange that scripture talks about that. But when we seek. Do you know? On my glasses here. A little fun fact. It's one of my favorite verses on here.

[23:06] It's Proverbs 25.2. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is the glory of kings to discover a matter. What that means. God likes to hide things.

[23:17] And that we are called to discover those things. That can be things that are in his word for sure. It could also be the great discoveries that man has found over the century.

[23:28] Right? When you think of all the scientific discoveries. You know. The galaxies and whatnot. But when we think of God's word. It's. Sometimes we read it and we get brand new insight. Sometimes we hear a sermon.

[23:39] Or we hear someone on the radio. Or whatever it is. And it gives us brand new insight. And you're like. You know. I never looked at it that way before. And it's consistent with God's word. And it's going to help me grow in my walk with the Lord.

[23:52] Or maybe I needed that psalm. You know. Just like how. There are moments in our life.

[24:02] Where God wants us to be ready to receive his word. And to be ready to. Receive it at a certain time. For comfort. For correction. For inspiration.

[24:13] Whatever it is. That's the beauty. Of our word. Of our Lord. Through the word. And so I want you to ask yourself. As we're going through these interpretations.

[24:25] Right? The first one. Right? Our life. Is built upon the rock. How is your foundation? That's a question you have to think. Is your foundation in Christ?

[24:35] Or is it not? That's only a question that only you can answer. If you. Are confident in knowing the Lord. You can say definitely. My foundation is in Christ.

[24:47] And if you're not sure. Well I'd love to talk to you. Or. Your brothers and sisters in Christ. Would love to talk to you as well. When we're thinking of the firm foundation.

[24:58] Bringing forth wisdom and security. Think about the intentionality. Of seeking God. Continue to seek the Lord. Continue to seek his word.

[25:09] And continue to have that desire. To be molded by him. And to be continually transformed by him. Do you still seek the Lord. Even after knowing him.

[25:20] Because I want to. I don't know about you. I want to be close. With the Lord. I want to be in his presence. I want to be in his word. I want to be connected with him. We think of this idea.

[25:31] Of having a relationship with Christ. Well like any relationship. You've got to put into it. Right. I don't just tell my wife once.

[25:41] I love her. And then leave it at that. It is. No. I constantly tell my wife. That I love her. I constantly tell my children.

[25:53] That I love them. Right. It's that intentionality. Words and actions. Showing love. Showing them. And also speaking that. It's the same thing with a relationship with the Lord.

[26:07] When's the last time you've prayed? When's the last time you've thanked him? When's the last time you've asked God to reveal his will for your life? Maybe you might be at a point where you're wrestling with what to do with your life.

[26:21] From anything as a career change. From should I marry this person or not? Should I associate with these people? Asking God for guidance is so important for us.

[26:33] And what's difficult is when he answers and we don't like what he has to say. Right? We want him to answer in our own favor. But God has a much better plan than what we have.

[26:47] And so we finally see in this third one that storms test and foreshadow the final judgment. That trials then. When we go through tribulation.

[26:58] We go through adversity. Or we go through any sort of storm in our life. It reveals the foundation that you have. Does it remain?

[27:09] Is it, is your foundation on sand? Or is it on stone? And on the rock, we stand firm. It's just like how we find in this parable, not being shaken.

[27:25] That's some powerful language. Right? I don't want to be shaken. And I hope for any of us, we don't want to be shaken. We want to stand firm on the truth of God's word, but also the grace and love that comes from him.

[27:42] And so, think for a moment, when storms of life hit, will you be shaken? Only you can answer that. And so with all of this, this then takes us to our application.

[27:56] How should we live? What do we do about this? Well, the first thing is check the what? Check your foundation. Is it in Christ?

[28:08] Believe in the Lord first. Growing in him and doing good in his name is evidence of having faith in him. And having that foundation in Christ is critical.

[28:23] We are also called to grow in him and to do good in his holy name. Let us think for a moment. How can we continue to grow in Christ?

[28:34] And what is God calling us to do with our lives? Certainly, we're all called to be saved. But then it comes to specific things, what God wants for you.

[28:47] How God wants you to be transformed and molded. These kind of things. And so the foundation first, then build your house.

[28:59] The second thing then is from foundations come buildings, right? Well, that no duh. But yet there are still people that build houses on sand.

[29:11] And when we scoff and when we think that's so ridiculous that someone would build a house on sand. Well, imagine how the Lord feels when you build your house on the sand and not on the solid rock.

[29:26] Think how he's like, what are you doing, man? You're putting all this work and intentionality on building something great, but it's not going to last. Think of the same way we feel if someone was to be so foolish as to, remember, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

[29:44] That's a living example right there. It's eventually going to fall and it's going to be sad when that does happen, but eventually it will. A life without Christ cannot stand.

[29:57] Works may look good, but they do not save you. And what's important for that is we may know people who they're all about doing good, but they might not have that relationship.

[30:12] That's why it's so important. Even for people when they look the part or they act the part. What about here? What about the heart?

[30:23] Has it been softened? Has it been transformed? Are you saved? That's the question. And so knowing Christ, having a relationship with him, transforms us and moves us to build.

[30:39] To not only build your own individual house, but when we think of the body of Christ, when we think of us coming together and building up the church. Imagine the impact that we as Christians can do when we work together and we change the culture.

[30:55] Just as Christ transforms us, we are in the name of Christ to transform our own community, our own culture.

[31:07] That's so important for us. There's a lot of people out there that are so afraid of culture. It's this us versus them mentality. And certainly there is good and there is evil.

[31:19] But instead of thinking of it of how we can fight it, think of it of how we can transform it. Much like how Christ changed the course of history by his life, his miracles, his parables, all of these things.

[31:39] The death, the burial, the resurrection of him. Because so many people wanted there, wanted Christ to be that revolutionary that would overthrow the government. But no, Christ had a very different way.

[31:54] Let us keep that in mind, that we are called to be ambassadors for Christ. We are to build the church, but we're also to influence our neighbors, our friends, our families, and to influence our culture.

[32:09] That actually leads to the next one, right? Spread the foundational truth to others. The foundational truth is that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

[32:20] Amen? It is that the good news of the gospel. That Jesus came. That he was born in that manger. Humble beginnings.

[32:31] That he lived. Performed miracles. He taught so many different things. Healing the sick. Walking on water. Turning water to wine. All of the, and even the difficult things that Christ talked about.

[32:46] How he fulfilled prophecy. Just like when I mentioned 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 4. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the scriptures.

[32:58] That it was all fulfillment of prophecy. Showing the significance and the importance of who Christ is. Not just for us, but for everyone.

[33:10] And so, share your faith through the words that you speak. And the actions that you perform. How you live your life. Let the love of Christ shine for others to see.

[33:25] Let the light of Christ radiate through you. Now here's the thing. You're not going to be perfect. But it's matters of the heart. That you are changed.

[33:38] And you are a work in progress. And God, you are saved. But God is molding you to be more like him every single day. Just as we are called to live and love like Christ.

[33:50] We are called to minister. We are called to love one another just as Christ has loved us. We are to be that salt and light. And so, think of your...

[34:03] When we think of that first one. Am I ready to have Christ as my foundation? Is a question you could think about. For the second one. Am I bearing fruit? And am I building my house?

[34:16] Am I working on that? Upon that foundation? Upon that salvation? And then spreading the foundational truth. Whose house can I help build?

[34:29] That's a question to think about. Who can I help encourage? Who can I help share in the foundation? Hey man, you got to have a foundation. You got a beautiful house here.

[34:40] You need a good foundation now. Those kind of things. And it's important for us to know that in all of this. Let this be an encouragement for you that we were once in darkness.

[34:54] That we are sinners who are in need of a savior. That we are like vessels. That we are like lost sheep.

[35:05] And we were all in sinking sand as it were. How many of you remember the story of when Peter was sinking beneath the waves?

[35:16] And Christ extends the hand to pull him out of the sinking waters. It's very similar in this idea that we are like in that sinking sand or that sinking water as it were.

[35:30] And that Christ is extending that hand to pull you out of the sand. And to put your feet on solid ground. And so, consider the sand.

[35:42] Consider that without knowing the Lord, you are in that sinking sand. And let us also see the hand. Or as I've mentioned so many times, the invitation that Christ has.

[35:55] Will you respond? Will you reach your hand out and be ready to be pulled out of it? And when your feet are placed on solid ground, stand firm on the rock and build that house.

[36:13] No more sinking. No more darkness. Just think for a moment. When you are saved, you are with the Lord. That's a beautiful thing.

[36:25] It's just like it says in 1 Peter. To walk in the light. That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

[36:39] I want you to turn real quick in closing. Let's turn to Revelation 22 here. Because what's beautiful about parables is how connected it is with Revelation.

[37:04] Of course, it's connected with all of Scripture, right? They're all interconnected with each other. But I always find it so fascinating how parables are connected with Revelation.

[37:15] Are we there, Revelation 22? Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as a crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.

[37:30] And also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the trees were healing the nations. There's such very similar symbolic language here.

[37:43] But verse 3 here. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

[37:59] They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads, and night will be no more. Church, what does it say?

[38:10] They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

[38:21] Talk about the consistency within Scripture, having that firm foundation, and knowing that we are out of the darkness into that marvelous light, out of the sinking sand and put onto solid ground, and knowing that as we believe in the Lord, we are called to grow and to become more like him through word and through deed.

[38:41] Church, let us build our life on Christ, the solid rock, the cornerstone, and let us shine his light into the world.

[38:53] Let's pray together. And Father, we thank you for this remarkable parable. This is a very easy, but still very deep part of Scripture.

[39:08] We pray that we may know you first and foremost, that we may believe in you and be saved believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.

[39:20] We pray that we may grow in you, that we learn what it means to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and we learn more about your word. We pray that we will be baptized, and we will partake in the local church, that we will partake in communion and understand these things and have a hunger for you and your word.

[39:43] May we draw near to you. May we continue to grow in you. And we pray that with all of this growth, we may be moved to be an ambassador for your Son, Jesus Christ, that we may be the salt and light, that we may share in the gospel, in our testimony, but even just being present with other people.

[40:08] May we live and love like you. May we be examples for others to see, and may we be empowered through the guiding of the Holy Spirit to be an influence for our friends, for our families, for our neighbors, for our co-workers, our teachers, students, those that we interact with, even if it's someone at the grocery store.

[40:32] May we change our community and our culture. May you lead and guide us. And may we not be afraid. May we stand firm on Jesus Christ, the solid rock, the anchor for our lives.

[40:49] We say all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our faith. And we all say together, Church, Amen. Thank you for listening for this week's message from Ontario Community Church.

[41:04] I pray that you are encouraged and strengthened in your walk with Christ. For more sermons and resources, visit OntarioCommunityChurch.org. May God bless you as you live out His grace and truth every single day.

[41:28] I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader.

[41:38] I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader.

[41:49] I pray that you have a great leader. I pray that you have a great leader.