SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Jesus was predominantly a teacher. His favorite name for those who came to him was disciple. Disciple means learner or student. In his parable of the two houses, Jesus illustrated the crucial importance of his teaching as the only way to an enduring life.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus teaches about wise and foolish builders. “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds 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 its foundation had been built on a rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not 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 big crash.” Jesus is speaking about the absolute necessity of building your life on the right kind of foundation. The foundation is what supports everything else and holds it together. If the foundation isn’t solid and stable, your “house” or your life will lack integrity. If your foundation isn’t solid, eventually, the storms of life will cause your life to come crashing down. Belief in Jesus will give your life a firm foundation which will help you deal with the storms that you will encounter in your life.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed for almost a dozen years. During that time, engineers completed a 25-million-dollar renovation project designed to stabilize the tower. The removed 110 tons of dirt and reduced the famous lean by about 16 inches. This was necessary as the tower had been tilting further away from vertical for hundreds of years to the point that the top of the 185-foot tower was seventeen feet further south than the bottom. Italian authorities were concerned that if nothing was done, the tower would collapse. What was the main cause for the instability of the tower? The tower did not have a firm foundation as the sandy soil of the city of Pisa was not stable enough to support a monument of that size.

The man who built his house on sand did a lot of things right. The man was evidently a diligent, energetic hard worker. He had to carry stone, cut wood, and form bricks out of clay. It probably took him weeks of backbreaking labor to complete his house. Yet, in the end all his work was for nothing since he built his house on a sandy, weak, unstable foundation.

Sometimes, we confuse activity with godliness. We often think that if someone is diligent, energetic, and hardworking they must be a sincere Christian. They must be close to God if they are doing so much for the Lord. We assume that ministry involvement is the mark of spirituality. That might be a mistake. All of that activity and service could be done for the wrong reasons. If that person does not have a strong spiritual foundation, all of the most strenuous efforts are for naught. The foundation and reason for service needs to be based on the love of Jesus Christ.

Let’s looks at the wise builder. Recall Jesus’ words. “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.” How did this man differ from the foolish man? Did he work harder or use better materials? The difference was the firmness of the foundation of his house. If we have a firm foundation in our belief in Jesus, our faith cannot be destroyed. We cannot lose Jesus, nor will he turn his back on us.

Listen to these precious promises.
Corinthians 10:13 ” No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”
John 10:27-30 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

The teachings of Jesus are important to the Christian religion. Jesus is the most important as he is the living incarnation of God. We need to focus on the wonderful, divine character of Christ who is the foundation of our faith.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God who said “Let light shine out of darkness“, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. People who make a habit out of fixing their gaze on the person of Christ will begin to conform to the pattern of his life and likeness. Jesus has repeatedly said, “I have given you an example to follow.” Let him be the foundation of your life.