We have finally reached the third part of Foundations. It's been real, but we knew it had to come to an end at some point, right?
If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, what are you doing here? Go back and read the recaps!
Now, lets dig into the message. Also, an aside: just because someone looks like they know what they're talking about doesn't mean that they actually do. Moving on.
Take a look at our theme verse for this series in Matthew 7:24-27:
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
You may remember that you were supposed to memorize this passage. Anne Mackey was the only one brave enough to do this fully, though Cotter and Jacob Moore also put in a valiant effort but fell slightly short. So, props to Anne, Cotter and Jacob. Also, apparently “props” is still a word.
Who builds your house (you may recall that "house" is an illustration for your life)? Is it God? Do other people build your house? Maybe your friends or your parents? Jesus said, “The man who listens to my teaching and follows it will be wise, like a person who builds a house...” You build your own house; you build your own life. We've established that you need to build on Christ, on a solid foundation, based on His blueprint. That's all important. But you still have to do the work of building. You can't rely on other people to build your house for you.
You have to do the work, do the planning and spend the time on it. You can't just say, “God called me to be a billionaire, He'll make it happen! All I need to do is sit back, relax and eat Twinkies.” Not quite. It doesn't matter what calling you have, what gifting you have, what talent you have. You still have to build your own house. You still have to put in hard work. Yes, God has an amazing plan for you! But you can't just drift in to it. You can't just settle for whatever life throws at you and still have God's best.
At your age, you have an opportunity to build something lasting. To do something meaningful. To change your destiny. You can build a shack or you can built a mansion out of your life. Many people with more talent and gifting than you have built shacks out of their lives and many people with little talent or gifting have built mansions. What will you build?
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says: Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
If you build your house out of straw yet build it on the foundation of Christ, it will stand. But you will be left with nothing in the end. If you build it out of gold on the foundation of Christ, it will stand and you will be left with something lasting.
You can build your life out of easy materials on Christ as a foundation. You'll still be saved, but you won't have anything to show for your life. Or you can make it out of something long lasting. God doesn't decide what you use to build your house. He has a blueprint that calls for certain materials, but you decide whether to use them or not!
What you build will be tested – by time and by storms. Build your life out of materials that will last. Build for eternity, not merely for today. Build by God's standard, not the world's standard. Don't waste time building temporary things. Start building now; it's not too early, it's not too late. Build a life that will last forever!
Build your house, your life, out of the best materials! Build your on the rock of Christ, use God's blueprints and build it out of lasting materials!
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