“Stand Or Fall”
Matthew 7:24-29
Sermon Series: “Now What?”
Introduction: Will your life stand or fall during the trials of this life? Ultimately, will your life stand of fall before the throne of God at the final judgment?
1. We are building a life. Every person, whatever the age or life situation, is building a life. We can build wisely or we can build foolishly, but we are building some type of life.
2. Storms are coming to test what we are building. Storms are an inevitable reality of life. We are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or heading into a storm. Storms do not make us or break us, but they reveal the true nature of the life we are building. In other words, our future isn’t ultimately determined by storms but by our foundation. Remember that Jesus is stronger than any storm. Also, the ultimate storm is the final judgment of God.
3. We will stand of fall based on our foundation. This means that we can change our future by changing our foundation. Often, we want a bailout when what we need is a new foundation. We have to stop trying to change the past, but we can repent, let go of the past, and rebuild in a different way. We can make a decision to change in a moment, but building is a process. It doesn’t matter what kind of house we are building if it is on the wrong foundation. A lot of people are building mansions in the sand.
4. Only a life built on Jesus will stand (now and forever). Jesus is really the foundation. We build on Him by:
A. Genuinely confessing Him as Lord (Luke 6:46).
B. Listening to His Word. We have to read the Bible.
C. Obeying His Word (James 1:22). True freedom comes
from doing what God says. “Andy Stanley said, “If we could see what God sees, we would do what God says.” Faith is acting on His Word without seeing.
