Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
Building Strong Foundations
August 29, 2004 Matthew 7:21-7:27
Turn your eyes upon Jesus…
There are lots of things on which we can build our life. We can build it on education. We can
build it on finances. We can build it on strong moral values. We can build it on personal
satisfaction and feeling good. We can build it on traditions and the experience of our community.
We can build it on gaining access to power. You name it and somebody has probably done it.
The truth is that everyday someone chooses one of these things and then tries to live out their life
by building on it. And many of them do it in the name of religion!
This morning I want to ask you to think about what is at the core of your life? What is it that
holds you together and gives your life meaning?
This past week I was out at the American Baptist Assembly at the Minister’s Council Senate
Meetings. I was there representing the American Baptist Pastors in Connecticut.
Now I have to tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience over the last three years. I
have met some great people, all committed to excellence in ministry and equally committed to
encouraging and building up our colleagues in professional church leadership.
But this year was a bit of a downer. Whereas the last two years we focused on Jesus, this year
we got caught up in a debate about homosexuality and the church. Now this is not to say that
this is not an important topic. I am not saying that we should push our debate about such timely
issues under the rug. But the truth is, that whenever we start focusing on issues like this,
whenever we take our eyes off of Christ and his great commission, we lose the great power of
the Holy Spirit to transform the world around us.
The truth is that there was so much energy spent on that subject, that I began to think that some
people had made this issue, and others like it, the foundation upon which their life and ministry
was built. To be wrong, would mean that they were wasting their life.
Its funny, but I think the devil’s best plan of attack is to get us to turn from Christ and focus on
side issues. Instead of walking with Christ and feeling his blessing, instead of reaching out and
drawing people to Christ, he gets us to attack one another and tear down the goodwill that our
ministries have created within our communities.
In our text today, Jesus addresses this and speaks of the absolute necessity of building your life
on the right kind of foundation. The foundation is what holds everything up, it’s what holds
everything together. 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.
Not too long ago, the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” was finally reopened to the public, after having
been closed for almost a dozen years. During that time, engineers completed a 25 million dollar
renovation project designed to stabilize the tower. They removed 110 tons of dirt, and reduced its
famous lean by about sixteen inches. Why was this necessary? Because the tower has been tilting
further and further away from vertical for hundreds of years, to the point that the top of the 185-
foot tower was seventeen feet further south than the bottom, and Italian authorities were
concerned that if nothing was done, it would soon collapse. 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.
In order for you and I to avoid that problem, I’d like to look more closely at the parable. First of
all, note that there are only two builders in the story. When it comes to matters of ultimate truth,
there are really only two options. You’re either trusting in Christ, obeying his commands,
following his example – or you’re not.
Now, the world would have you believe otherwise. The world says you have a myriad of
choices; that there are many ways of being a spiritual person – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,
Mormonism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Native American spirituality, Wicca, etc, etc.
In our culture, people tend to follow a “buffet” approach to religion, picking and choosing
elements from various traditions which they find personally meaningful. But God doesn’t see it
that way. According to the Bible, there aren’t many ways, all of them more or less equally valid
and equally beneficial. According to the Bible, there are only two ways – Christ and everything
else. One way leads to life; the other leads to death.
Does that mean there is no value at all in other systems of belief? No, not at all. Most of the
various religions in the world contain at least a kernel of truth. But we have the whole truth in the
gospel so we don’t need them.
For as Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” – 2 Peter 1:3
Knowing Christ gives us everything we need to navigate our way through life. Everything. There
is nothing we can obtain through the study of Eastern mysticism, or Zen Buddhism, or New Age
philosophy – nothing we can gain through them that will make us one iota more spiritually
advanced than studying Christ. He is completely sufficient.
Now, let me say this now: The man who built his house on the sand did a lot of things right. 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 or Home Depot. It probably took him
weeks and months of backbreaking labor. He didn’t quit; he persevered until the structure was
complete. Yet in the end, all his hard work was for nothing.
I point that out because we often confuse activity with godliness. We assume that if someone is
hard-working and energetic, they must be a sincere Christian. But that’s a mistake. Because all of
that activity and service may be built upon a foundation of sand. They could be doing all those
things for all the wrong reasons.
Now, please understand that I’m not criticizing active service; far from it. In fact, all members
of Christ’s church should be doing something. But I am suggesting that we need to examine our
hearts. Ask yourself; what is my foundational motivation in doing this? Is it a sincere love for
Christ and for his people? Or is it something else?
You know that 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 perfectly adequate. 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.
There may be some here today who know themselves to be outside of Christ. And to you I say,
stop building your life on sand. Prepare yourself for the storms of life, which will sweep away
everyone and everything which isn’t founded on Christ. Turn from your sin; place your trust in
Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Finally, let’s look at the wise builder. 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. 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. 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. Listen to these precious
promises:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." – 1 Corinthians 10:13
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are
one." – John 10:27-30
"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. "
– Romans 8:38-39
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.
In closing, let me ask: which builder are you, the wise or the foolish? 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 judgement to come? 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. Then begin building and watch
what god will do with your life.
August 29, 2004 Matthew 7:21-7:27
Turn your eyes upon Jesus…
There are lots of things on which we can build our life. We can build it on education. We can
build it on finances. We can build it on strong moral values. We can build it on personal
satisfaction and feeling good. We can build it on traditions and the experience of our community.
We can build it on gaining access to power. You name it and somebody has probably done it.
The truth is that everyday someone chooses one of these things and then tries to live out their life
by building on it. And many of them do it in the name of religion!
This morning I want to ask you to think about what is at the core of your life? What is it that
holds you together and gives your life meaning?
This past week I was out at the American Baptist Assembly at the Minister’s Council Senate
Meetings. I was there representing the American Baptist Pastors in Connecticut.
Now I have to tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience over the last three years. I
have met some great people, all committed to excellence in ministry and equally committed to
encouraging and building up our colleagues in professional church leadership.
But this year was a bit of a downer. Whereas the last two years we focused on Jesus, this year
we got caught up in a debate about homosexuality and the church. Now this is not to say that
this is not an important topic. I am not saying that we should push our debate about such timely
issues under the rug. But the truth is, that whenever we start focusing on issues like this,
whenever we take our eyes off of Christ and his great commission, we lose the great power of
the Holy Spirit to transform the world around us.
The truth is that there was so much energy spent on that subject, that I began to think that some
people had made this issue, and others like it, the foundation upon which their life and ministry
was built. To be wrong, would mean that they were wasting their life.
Its funny, but I think the devil’s best plan of attack is to get us to turn from Christ and focus on
side issues. Instead of walking with Christ and feeling his blessing, instead of reaching out and
drawing people to Christ, he gets us to attack one another and tear down the goodwill that our
ministries have created within our communities.
In our text today, Jesus addresses this and speaks of the absolute necessity of building your life
on the right kind of foundation. The foundation is what holds everything up, it’s what holds
everything together. 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.
Not too long ago, the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” was finally reopened to the public, after having
been closed for almost a dozen years. During that time, engineers completed a 25 million dollar
renovation project designed to stabilize the tower. They removed 110 tons of dirt, and reduced its
famous lean by about sixteen inches. Why was this necessary? Because the tower has been tilting
further and further away from vertical for hundreds of years, to the point that the top of the 185-
foot tower was seventeen feet further south than the bottom, and Italian authorities were
concerned that if nothing was done, it would soon collapse. 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.
In order for you and I to avoid that problem, I’d like to look more closely at the parable. First of
all, note that there are only two builders in the story. When it comes to matters of ultimate truth,
there are really only two options. You’re either trusting in Christ, obeying his commands,
following his example – or you’re not.
Now, the world would have you believe otherwise. The world says you have a myriad of
choices; that there are many ways of being a spiritual person – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,
Mormonism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Native American spirituality, Wicca, etc, etc.
In our culture, people tend to follow a “buffet” approach to religion, picking and choosing
elements from various traditions which they find personally meaningful. But God doesn’t see it
that way. According to the Bible, there aren’t many ways, all of them more or less equally valid
and equally beneficial. According to the Bible, there are only two ways – Christ and everything
else. One way leads to life; the other leads to death.
Does that mean there is no value at all in other systems of belief? No, not at all. Most of the
various religions in the world contain at least a kernel of truth. But we have the whole truth in the
gospel so we don’t need them.
For as Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” – 2 Peter 1:3
Knowing Christ gives us everything we need to navigate our way through life. Everything. There
is nothing we can obtain through the study of Eastern mysticism, or Zen Buddhism, or New Age
philosophy – nothing we can gain through them that will make us one iota more spiritually
advanced than studying Christ. He is completely sufficient.
Now, let me say this now: The man who built his house on the sand did a lot of things right. 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 or Home Depot. It probably took him
weeks and months of backbreaking labor. He didn’t quit; he persevered until the structure was
complete. Yet in the end, all his hard work was for nothing.
I point that out because we often confuse activity with godliness. We assume that if someone is
hard-working and energetic, they must be a sincere Christian. But that’s a mistake. Because all of
that activity and service may be built upon a foundation of sand. They could be doing all those
things for all the wrong reasons.
Now, please understand that I’m not criticizing active service; far from it. In fact, all members
of Christ’s church should be doing something. But I am suggesting that we need to examine our
hearts. Ask yourself; what is my foundational motivation in doing this? Is it a sincere love for
Christ and for his people? Or is it something else?
You know that 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 perfectly adequate. 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.
There may be some here today who know themselves to be outside of Christ. And to you I say,
stop building your life on sand. Prepare yourself for the storms of life, which will sweep away
everyone and everything which isn’t founded on Christ. Turn from your sin; place your trust in
Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Finally, let’s look at the wise builder. 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. 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. 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. Listen to these precious
promises:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." – 1 Corinthians 10:13
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are
one." – John 10:27-30
"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. "
– Romans 8:38-39
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.
In closing, let me ask: which builder are you, the wise or the foolish? 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 judgement to come? 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. Then begin building and watch
what god will do with your life.
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