SWEEPING STORMS, SOLID STONE, & SINKING SAND–Part 3 of 3

Matthew 7:24-27  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.

SINKING SAND – 7:26-27

In this post, we will look at the foundation that faltered. There are three truths that we notice about those who build on sinking sand.

First, foolishness is seen in the BLUNDERING of the fool. One of the definitions of the word “Blundering” is, “deaf".” We see here in these two verses that those who build in sinking sand are spiritually deaf – they hear, but they don’t listen. Hearing is merely the ability of the ear to sense sounds around one. But listening is more of a conscious effort to interpret the sounds, requiring concentration of mind.Simply put: Hearing is the sensing of sounds; Listening is understanding the meaning of sensed sound. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_hearing_and_listening#ixzz1EQRwykW9

We notice that they received the same warning but ignored it. We can think about it in this sense - Just because you brought someone to church, or that they even grew up in church, does not mean that they listened. You can hear what is said, and even regurgitate what is said, but that does not mean that you listened. Listening leads to application, and when there is no fruit of application, it points to a lack of listening.

Secondly, foolishness is seen in the BUILDING of the fool. No one truly in their right mind would build a house on sinking sand. One of the first things you do is inspect the foundation of a building. Since house was built without any problem, he assumed everything was good. But just because you don’t see many problems in your life right now, that does not mean that you have the right foundation. Faith is tested in the trials of storms – and if you are not in a storm now, it will be coming soon.

Finally, foolishness is seen in the BROKEN PIECES of the fool. The Bible tells us in Matthew 21:44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” What a shame to live a full life – only to lose it all in the end. Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The house did not fall because of a faulty roof, bad siding, or leaky windows – but because of a weak and improper foundation. Everyone sees the building, but God sees the foundation.

As we wrap up these three post, understand that just because you are going through a storm, that does not necessarily mean you are living in sin. Everyone goes through storms at some point in your life. They key is to have the right type of foundation that will stand the test of the storms.Which type of foundation do you have? If your salvation is not built upon repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, it is sinking sand that will not stand the test of eternity.