Episode 45 - My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less

Many of us are familiar with the parable of the wise and foolish builders.  It is a favorite parable of many.  So too is the song written by Edward Mote by the same title in which he declares, and so do we declare that we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ so that when the storms of life come upon us, we stand firm.

I invite you to join me in some thoughts about this wonderful parable that speaks to all of us in a very real way.  

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

Please contact me if you have questions or you wish to share with me something about your walk with the Master. My email is walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com

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Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to the podcast, Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we daily walk with our Master. 

In this episode I want to share some thoughts about building on a firm foundation.  This firm foundation supports us as we build hope.

You might be familiar with the old hymn, “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” It was written in 1834 by Edward Mote.  It was originally titled, “The Solid Rock.”

As the story goes, Edward did not have a religious upbringing.  His parents were managers of a pub and left Edward on his own.  At 18 he became an apprentice to a cabinet maker who introduced him to Christianity.  Edward went on to become the owner of a successful cabinet-making business.  He would also write 100 hymns.  But the hymn The Solid Rock is his best-known hymn.  

One day while walking to his work, he began thinking that he would like to write a hymn.  The parable of the wise and foolish builders from Matthew 7:24-27 known as the wise and foolish builders must have been on his mind because by the time he reached his shop he had the chorus for the hymn:

"On Christ the solid rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand."

And by the end of the day, he had written 4 stanzas.

As it turns out, the first time the song was sung was at the home of a friend of his who was a preacher.  The man’s wife was gravely ill so after Sunday services Edward went to their house to visit.  During the visit the minister suggested they sing some hymns. He looked around but couldn’t find a hymnal.  Edward happened to have the hymn in his pocket, so they sang it.  Edward was encouraged by their enjoyment of the hymn, so he had 1,000 copies printed.  It soon grew in popularity.

The hymn references several points about the parable of the wise and foolish builders  and withstanding storms in life.  He wrote

My hope is built on nothing less

Wholly lean on Jesus’ name

I rest on His unchanging grace

My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood

He then is all my hope and stay

All of us are facing or have faced storms in our life.  When we think about storms in life we usually don't think about thunderstorms or snowstorms. We usually think about life events such as: 

dealing with difficult or broken relationships 

dealing with difficult or disappointing family history

going through a financial crisis 

withstanding legal problems 

facing health problems 

dealing with aging

the death of someone we love 

dealing with rebellious children 

work problems 

dealing with conflicts 

and the list goes on

Sometime in our lives we are all going to face these kinds of storms.  Someone once said that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a storm in life and those who will be going through a storm in life.  

I find it interesting that our Lord finishes the sermon on the mount by using this parable that addresses the value of a firm foundation.  

The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 is known for its practical instruction.  It is the teachings of Jesus about living in God’s Kingdom according to God’s will.  In it we find some of the most practical teachings of Jesus and many of the teachings are related if not directly speaking to storms in life.  

It seems that at the end of the sermon, Jesus wants to drive home an important point: to benefit from his wisdom, we must be like the man who built his house on the rock rather than the one who built their house on the sand. 

The picture he presents in this well-known parable is clear.  

In a storm, a house without a solid foundation is going to get knocked down, swept away, hopes and dreams dashed.  We know the house represents our life and the foundation is the teachings of Jesus.  Build on the foundation of His teachings and we will survive the storms of life.

There are several things we should learn from this parable.

The choice is ours.  God does not force His will upon us but instead leaves the choice to follow His will or reject His will and follow our own.

Everyone is building their life on some kind of foundation.  There are only two foundations upon which to build.  We either build on a solid and deep foundation or we build on a shallow and weak foundation.  The weak foundation is our own way of thinking and doing.  But the strong foundation is building upon God’s will.

Speaking of choices, it’s interesting that just before this parable, Jesus tells another sort of parable.  We know it as the narrow and wide gates.  He tells us we must make a choice of the path we will follow and tells us the consequences of our choice.  

As I read and understand this parable, I see that regardless of whether we’re on the wide path or narrow path, there will be difficulties in life.  But when we’re on the narrow path, we are walking with our Lord and have His strength upon which to draw.  Those on the wide path often rely on themselves and don’t see the danger of their choice.

I apologize for deviating from my main thought so let’s get back to the point.

Making good choices is a recurrent theme in the Sermon on the Mount.  In the parable of the wise and foolish builders we have the choice of following our Lord’s teachings or not.  Jesus tells us that there are two foundations: one that will withstand the storms and one that will not.  

The picture is clear.  We are either walking God's way, experiencing His transformation in our life, and relying on His strength for difficult times.  Or, we are walking away from God, producing nothing of eternal value and are vulnerable to the storms that will come our way.   Again, we can’t be both. We are one or the other.   

The storm reveals what kind of foundation we have built on.  The two builders thought they had built on a suitable foundation.  I can picture them as comfortable homes. Perhaps even on the surface they couldn't really tell which house was built on the sand and which was anchored deep to the rock.  It was only when the storms hit that we see the difference in the homes.

So it is with us.  Sometimes we might feel our faith is genuine.  But it isn’t until we face a storm that we experience the true test of our faith.  This is especially true when things are going well.  

There is an inherent danger in this, just like these two builders Jesus speaks of.  Although both builders in the parable were confident in their foundations, one was blind to the danger.   

Let’s talk now about how to build on a firm foundation

First, come to know and act upon our Lord’s truth.  As Jesus began the parable in Matthew 7, Jesus said, anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man.  

It’s interesting that He points out hearing.  It’s more than just taking in the sound of His voice.  It means we must listen.  Listening is to internalize what is saying and to act upon it.  We do this through prayer, Bible study, worship, and involvement with other believers. 

There is an interesting statement in Acts 2 after the Apostle Peter spoke to the crowd when for the first time the way of God’s salvation was revealed.  In verse 41 Luke states, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”  First, they received his words.  The word receiving is more than simply hearing.  It means that they internalize it and assigned meaning to it.

Then the second part occurred.  After receiving what Peter was teaching, they acted upon it by being baptized, as Luke states, “for the forgiveness of your sins.”  It was after receiving and being baptized that they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, meaning they were added to the church, not a denomination or building, but simply added to God’s Kingdom.  

One more point, all of this is just a beginning, we must continue to grow and learn as disciples of our Lord.  In other words, we build upon the foundation of our Lord and when the storms of life arrive, we can stand strong on His strength.  We do this by putting into practice daily our resolve to follow our Lord’s teachings.  As stated in Acts, we receive it.  We internalize it.  We act upon it.  And, we use it to grow closer to our Lord as faithful disciples and servants of our Master. 

A person who has a firm foundation,

 Trusts God's wisdom when life is confusing 

Relies on God's strength when during times of weakness 

Looks beyond the present heartache to God's purpose and eternal glory 

Relies on grace in times of personal failure 

Runs TO God rather than away from Him 

There are many reasons why someone chooses to build on sand.  Some might not want to put forth the effort.  Some only live in the present.  Some think storms in life won’t happen to them.  Some might simply not know any better.  Sadly, some just don’t care.

But this I know for certain.  We must make the effort to build our foundation now so when the storms come, we have a firm foundation for our faith, and we will withstand the storm.  It may not remove the storm, but it will help us make our way through it and grow in our faith and spiritual maturity.

Or as the song states, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

 Well friends, I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining us in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you would like to learn more, please email me at:

walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.