Our Firm Foundation (2)

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

"But everyone who hears these words of mine and does nto put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." 

(Matthew 7:24-27)

Dear Friend, 

I keep returning to the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation". It echoes in my mind and in my heart.

Let's take a little time to mine the riches of this great hymn, shall we?

"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?"

What is a foundation? Thanks to Merriam-Webster, here are a few definitions:

• a body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid
• an underlying base or support
• a basis (such as tenet, principle, or axiom) upon which something stands or is supported

What do we know about our foundation?

Our foundation is firm. It remains solid and unshaken, and we can rest safely on it. 

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

"But everyone who hears these words of mine and does nto put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)

Our foundation is the Word of God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us..." (John 1:1-5, 14 **but the whole chapter gives a fuller understanding)

Our foundation is complete.

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Our foundation is secure because of the work of Jesus.

"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:18-19a)

Our foundation is our safe place.

"In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?' <Note: an unbeliever might challenge our faith: "Run! your foundations are being destroyed and you have no hope!" This is not true; our foundation cannot be destroyed! Read on to the second half of this Psalm...>

"The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them.The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, He hates with a passion. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. 

"For the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; the upright will see His face." (Psalm 11)

Some questions to consider:

• (Matthew 7: 24-27) Jesus gives us a parable with a very clear truth: we choose our foundation by hearing and putting into practice His words. What truths can we understand about the Word, our foundation?
• (John 1:1-5, 14) Who/What is the "Word" of our foundation? What are the works of the Word?
• (Hebrews 1:1-3) What does "He sat down" tell us?
• (Hebrews 6:18-19) What is the purpose of an anchor on a ship/boat? What is our spiritual anchor?
• (Psalm 11) People, and circumstances, will counsel us to flee FROM the foundation, rather than TO the foundation. What gives (should give) the believer the strength to stay?
• In what ways does our modern culture confirm or challenge these truths?
• What conclusions can we draw about the work of the Word of God in our lives?

Digging deeper: Read Hebrews 4:12-13 and draw some more conclusions about the Word of God.

Our gracious and loving Heavenly Father, the work is done, our foundation is sure, thank you! We flee to You, and in You we have hope.

This is a related hymn, full of truth, hope and comfort.