You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message.
Sometimes we're cruising through life and then suddenly we're hit with something that shakes us.
Maybe a child has an accident, an unexpected bill arrives, a spouse gets a diagnosis, a relationship falls apart. In those moments, it can feel like everything is about to collapse. And it's in those moments that we find out what our life is really built on. Whether we have a firm foundation or one that crumbles under pressure. Welcome to Mountain View Church. My name is Jeremy and I serve as lead pastor. Today we'll continue our series, Jesus, Like No Other, focusing on his wisdom. Our core passage is taken from his final words in the Sermon on the Mount. Essential words about building, foundations, and ultimately survival.
I'm Derek. I'll be reading from Matthew 7, 24 through 29. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. Jesus finishes his most famous sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount with a story. Two men are building two houses on two different foundations. When a flood comes, one house stands and the other falls apart. The metaphor has two applications. The first is simple. What we build our lives on matters, especially when life gets difficult. But there's also a second and more sobering conclusion to his sermon.
When this world ends in the great judgment, only those who have built a foundation on Jesus will remain. I'll unpack both applications, but first, let's get some context. With this final story, Jesus is driving home everything he's taught with one vivid image. If you're interested, you can read the entire Sermon on the Mount spanning from Matthew 5 through 7. It unveils what it means to live in God's kingdom, how to relate to God and others, how to handle anger, loving our enemies, giving generously, praying with sincerity, and trusting God completely. The sermon is a radical call to live differently.
And now, right here at the end, Jesus brings the entire teaching to a decision point. Not just to hear his words, but to act on them. Verse 24 is the core of his teaching. He says, This is a message about obedience. Not just to admire a sermon, but to apply it. Not just to hear Jesus' words, but to put them into practice. It connects with the broader call to follow Jesus by becoming one of his disciples.
This closing story is a strategic moment that separates spectators of Jesus to the true believers or what will become the true believers that will carry on his message. It's a call for the original audience and for us today, both, to build our lives on Jesus Christ because Jesus provides the firmest foundation. Coming back to our text, the start of verse 25 uses very vivid imagery. We read, In certain areas of the Middle East, there's a real danger of flash floods, specifically common in the Judean wilderness. In the dry summer season, a house could be built on the sand with little trouble. But when the winter rains come, only a house anchored to bedrock would survive.
Dr. Paul H. Wright adds further archaeological context. He says, houses were constructed of heavy stones or stone blocks and often set on terrain that was not particularly level. If the foundation stones of a house were not laid on firm ground or rock, i.e. bedrock, the weight of the house could cause them to sink or slip and the house to collapse. This would be aggravated by the erosion power of heavy rain and high winds. This teaching was using a real-life example that would have connected well with the original audience.
The crowd that was listening to Jesus would have witnessed this kind of devastation firsthand in the past. And although we're 2,000 years removed from the original audience, we understand storms and we understand flooding. We understand the foolishness of building on a weak foundation. So, we should be able to grasp the metaphor even within our modern context. For example, we can listen to all the self-help experts and know everything about strategic and adaptive planning. We can read books on leadership and discipline and emotional intelligence and even spiritual growth. We can master our calendars, our finances, and our habits. But when the pressure builds or when tragedy strikes, it's like a storm pounding the structural integrity of our lives, pounding the house of our lives. Your life might look strong and feel strong, but you'll eventually realize that your life is slipping away because the foundation is faulty.
If it isn't built on Jesus, none of it will hold up when life falls apart. Just so we're clear, this is true of churchgoers as well. I've seen it happen. They attend church their entire life. They listen to sermons, volunteer, pray, and even memorize scripture. But little did they know that they were just piling up religious lumber on a shifting, sandy foundation.
They did all the right things without ever giving full authority of their life over to Jesus. The evidence becomes crystal clear when a crisis hits. Suddenly they drift away or sometimes intentionally walk away from the church. Somehow they built their foundation on the church as an institution instead of on Jesus, who is the bedrock. You see, they miss the truth that the church is a group of fallen people, all of us striving to stand on the rock that is Jesus. The harsh reality of this parable is that it also plays out on an eternal level.
It's not a mistake that in the teaching just before the story of the two foundations, Jesus said this, Jesus is warning us that knowledge, effort, and even religion without him as the cornerstone will eventually lead to a collapsed life. But it also leads to an eternity of separation from God. He is the only true and secure foundation forever. As one scholar explains, the house is a person who has heard Jesus' words. The rock represents the teachings of Jesus that as one does them result in withstanding the storm, whether it be eschatological judgment or life's trials. It's important to note that Jesus isn't contrasting a good man and a bad man. That's not it. He's contrasting a wise man and a foolish man. Both have heard his words. The wise man submits to Jesus as the greater authority, choosing to follow his way over his own and builds his life on that foundation.
The foolish man, however, hears the same words, but believes his way is better. He keeps himself as the ultimate authority, treating Jesus like a good teacher, whose ideas are optional. Their ideas to follow if they happen to align with his own, but not something to build his life upon. The great theologian John Calvin put it this way, Christ, therefore, compares a vain and empty profession of the gospel to a beautiful but not solid building, which, however elevated, is exposed every moment to downfall because it wants a foundation. The general meaning of the passage is that true piety is not fully distinguished from its counterfeit till it comes to the trial. Coming back to the original audience, it was predominantly a Jewish crowd. Jesus' warning would have echoed back to the judgment themes found in the Old Testament prophets.
For example, in Isaiah 28, we read, Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not be in haste. In a way, Jesus is revealing that he is the cornerstone that Israel has been waiting for, the promised Messiah. He is the tested and true foundation foretold by the prophets. He is therefore not just offering a better way to live. He's declaring that the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan is standing right in front of them.
And this is the bigger picture, the deeper meaning behind the story of the two foundations. When the final judgment comes, only those whose lives have been built on Jesus, who have heard and obeyed his words of the gospel, will stand. All others, no matter how religious, how respectable, how spiritual they seem to be, they will fall. This is why we can't afford to treat Jesus' words as optional wisdom. They are foundational wisdom for both this life and for eternity. Now, before we move into our application, let's focus on the rock, the rock that is Jesus.
This parable isn't just about wisdom for life. It's a call to build everything, your identity, your values, your eternity, on Christ himself. In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote, Jesus isn't just a wise teacher or a moral guide. He is the foundation of the entire church and every individual person within it. Paul reinforces this truth in a more straightforward term to the Corinthian church. He writes, for no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the rock of our salvation. He is our cornerstone, the one we're called to believe in, to trust in, and to build upon with full confidence.
When the storms come, and they will, he will hold us. And this is a core truth of the gospel. Jesus isn't inviting us to try harder or behave better. He's inviting us to surrender and to submit to him as the only firm foundation. He's calling us to stop building on sand by trusting in our own morality or leaning on our own strength or even striving for more religious activity. He lived the perfect life that we couldn't live. He died the death that we deserved, taking our sin on the cross. Then he rose again to offer us eternal life. This is true for you right now.
He's offering himself to be your foundation, not just your inspiration, but your bedrock. The question is whether or not you will stop building on shifting sand and put your full trust in him as the rock. Because only those whose lives are built on Jesus will stand, both through the storms of today and the eventual judgment of tomorrow. Now, we started this message with the word obedience. It's obedience that makes all the difference. That's the real test of whether or not we're building our life on Christ, whether or not we're displaying a firm foundation. So let's take a moment to put that into practice.
Think for a moment and pick one area of your life that feels unstable right now. Maybe it's your marriage, your parenting, your finances, your career, or your future. Choose one thing. Then ask this question. What has Jesus said about this? What has Jesus said about this? And what would it look like to obey him in this area right now? What would it look like to obey Jesus in this area right now?
If you have a journal, take a moment, pause the video, write down some thoughts. If you're in a community group or part of a group, walk through this exercise with them. Do it together. But please don't walk away from this message unchanged. The application is so important. Jesus makes it clear. The wise builder is the one who hears his words and puts them into practice. This matters because storms will come. They will come to all of us. Some of you might already be in one right now. Everything gets exposed in the storm.
That's when your foundation is revealed. If your life is built on Jesus, he will hold you up because Jesus provides the firmest foundation. So today's the day. If you haven't already, start now. Build your life on Jesus. If you've been drifting, today's the day to come back. If it feels like everything's collapsing, now is the time to rebuild. And if you've never trusted Jesus as your foundation, he's offering you grace, forgiveness, and a new beginning right now.
Jesus lived the perfect life you couldn't live. He died on the cross in your place, and he rose again so that you can stand firm, both now and for eternity. Don't walk away from this moment without responding. Would you pray with me? Dear Jesus, you are the only foundation that holds. Forgive me for the ways I've tried to build my life without you. Today I surrender. I trust you with everything. My life, my choices, and my future. Help me to obey your words, to live like you, and to build on you from this day forward.
It's in your name we pray. Amen. We really appreciate you tuning in every week for watching and listening to each week's message. Thank you for being here today. If you haven't done so already, please connect with our church community at mountainview.church slash connect or send us a DM on social at mountainviewwhitehorse. If you're watching on YouTube, please consider subscribing and turning on notifications so future messages will automatically appear in your feed. Now, here are a few updates on what's happening at Mountain View this week.
Hello everyone, it's Katie Bodwin here with the Senior Youth Group. I wanted to pop in and say hello and to remind all the youth that we are gathering at our normal time this Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. We're going to be making a whole bunch of signs for our upcoming car washes and we really hope to see you there. Our second order of business is we are looking for new youth leaders. So if you feel like this might be a way that you could help serve the church, our youth are awesome, vibrant, wonderful community, wonderful group to be a part of. And I would love to invite anyone who feels that they may have the time or the want or the calling to participate in this ministry to please contact myself, Katie Baldwin, or to check in at the front desk with Caitlin. I'd love to talk to you more about the time commitments and what that looks like.
In addition, we're also looking for one or two chaperones to go to the Fusion Youth Conference in Alaska, and that's going to be July 29th to August 2nd. If you would be interested in either of these two things, please reach out, please contact us. We are looking for volunteers for the summer, and we would love to chat with you about this. Have a great week. Hello Mountain View! I have a couple cool things that I want you to know about. Now we have a lot of ways to serve on Sundays or during the week that are based on a set schedule and sometimes that doesn't work for people. If you work shift work for example or if you're out of town a lot or if you have like eight kids or whatever, it can be very hard to commit to regularly scheduled programs and groups and for some folks that is the thing that holds them back from getting involved in serving each other.
If this sounds like you, I may have a solution. First is meals ministry. Some of you may know it's sometimes called a meal train, but this isn't exactly the same thing. Basically, when someone in our congregation goes through something that makes life difficult for a time, like a death in the family or an illness, cooking meals can just be an extra headache that they just don't have the time or energy for. When this happens, I send out an email to our meals team, and we have a group of people who voluntarily prepare frozen or freezable meals and deliver them to the person or the family who's going through it. This can be a huge blessing during a tough time.
If you want to get added to the meal team, email me, Aaron, at Mountain View Church, and I will get you added to the list. The second opportunity is our treats team. You will have noticed that multiple times during the year, during special events or celebrations, we have a table full of homemade treats for you to enjoy in the back of the auditorium. These have been provided by a small group of volunteers who love to bake and contribute to making these days a little more special. When we have an upcoming event, I send out a request to the treats team, and they respond if they can bake on that particular occasion.
I would like to expand the treats roster. So if you love to bake and see others enjoy your baking, please email me again at erin at mountainview.church and I will add you to the treats team. These are both ways to get more involved in our Mountain View community that aren't regularly scheduled, but they make a big difference. Feeding someone is a great way to show love. And both the meals team and the treats team are ways to do just that.
If you've been watching or listening for a while, you've noticed that different people read scripture on film each week. Could you see yourself doing that? Could you see yourself in that role? If so, please complete a volunteer application at mountainview.church slash serve, and you might be our next scripture reader. A reminder that our Next Steps Discipleship Workshop is happening today, Sunday, May 25th at 12.30 p.m., and lunch is provided. So come on out, meet some new people, learn more about Mountain View Church, and discover your next step in your faith journey.
For parents, a reminder that our Basecamp Children's Program happens every week. This week's downloadable video lesson and activities are available right now at mountainview.church slash basecamp. And if you happen to be in Whitehorse on a Sunday, have your kids join us in the full program at 9.30 or 11 a.m. And if you have teenagers, our youth group meets every Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. You can visit mountainview.church slash youth for more info. Now it's time for this week's discussion and prayer focus. Write your comments in the feed or ask someone next to you that you might be watching or listening with. Question, where in your life is Jesus calling you to start building a foundation on him?
Where in your life is Jesus calling you to start building a foundation on him? After you spend some time talking about that, maybe taking some notes, putting some comments in the feed, spend some time in prayer. Pray for the courage to trust Jesus and obey his words in both stability and storms. Pray for the courage to trust Jesus and obey his words in both times of stability and the storms. Then plan on being right here again next week. We'll explore Jesus' calling from Luke 19. We'll meet a man named Zacchaeus who shows that no one is beyond the call of Jesus. He calls each of us to a transformed life. Hope to see you there.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse UConn.