Beginning the Christian Life
Introductory Study
Build on the Rock
Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV)
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Luke 6:46-49 (KJV)
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
We cannot overestimate the importance of a sound foundation. If a building is to be useful, sturdy, and permanent, it must have a solid base. This is one of those facts with which everyone agrees. Wherever men erect building they must pay attention to the foundations. Since this is something understood by all men, God has used it to teach us Divine truth.
A foundation supports a building. Each part of the building depends on the foundation. The Bible speaks of our lives as buildings and tells us the kind of foundation upon which they must be built. The bible also speaks of our lives as buildings and tells us the kind of foundation upon which they must be built. The Bible also speaks of the Church as a building, and tells us the kind of foundation upon which it must be built.
We are going to study about the personal foundation which each of us must have if we are to build lives that are sound.
What the Lord Jesus teach about our personal foundations?
1. What constitutes a sound life? (vs.47)
a) “Whosoever cometh to Me”
b) “Heareth my sayings”
c) “Doeth them”
2. Can one hear and not do? (vs.46)
a) “Ye call me Lord, Lord”
b) “Ye DO NOT the things which I say”
c) “This is KNOWING the Word and NOT DOING IT!”
3. What is a man like who hears and does the Word? (vs.48a)
a) “Like a man which built a house”
b) “Digged deep”
c) “Laid the foundation on a rock”
d) “He ‘digged deep’.” He removed everything between him and the Rock, made sure that he was on solid footing.
4. Why must the house be built "on rock"?
a) “The flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house”
b) It is the nature of life to be stormy! (Hebrews 12:25-29)
c) Nobody escapes the storms.
5. What happened to the house "on rock"? (vs.48b)
a) The storm “could shake it”
b) “For it was FOUNDED UPON A ROCK!”
c) There will be storms in your Christian life, but if you are hurting and doing the work of God, the storm cannot shake you.
6. What is the danger in building our lives? (vs.49)
a) “He that heareth, and DOETH NOT!”
b) “A man WITHOUT A FOUNDATION!”
c) “Built upon the earth”
7. What happens to the house without foundation? (vs.49b)
a) “The stream did beat vehemently” (same storm)
b) “Immediately it fell:”
c) “The ruin of that house was great
8. What did the Apostles Teach about our personal foundation?
DESCRIBING THE FOUNDATION (Hebrews 6:1,2)
a) “Repentance from dead works”
b) “Faith toward God”
c) “The doctrine of baptisms”
d) “Laying on of hands”
e) “Resurrection of the dead”
f) “Eternal judgement”
NOTE: We cannot “go on unto perfection” unless these foundation stones are rightly laid. This is why so many Christians do not grow and mature. Their foundation is not sound. Once the foundation is properly laid we must then “go on”.
SUMMARY: The Christian must have a good foundation if he is going to build a good house. The foundation must be laid according to the Architect’s plan. We have this plan in the Bible. In the following studies we are going to carefully consider the things which must be in the foundation.