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“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27, ESV)

Pastor Skyler’s sermon on this passage is titled “Built to Last”.

The question of standards is an important one. If the standard you use to decide how to live is the word and tradition of man, then the standard is changeable. We have all changed our minds, after all. So, it stands to reason that any standard of faith and practice that is based on the rituals and traditions of man is subject to change as well.

As an example of this, take the Roman Catholic church. Over the centuries, through various councils and stages of evolution, Roman Catholicism has morphed and changed to fit the culture of the day. Its foundation is like the sand Jesus spoke of, constantly shifting.

However, if your standard is not based in the word and traditional practices of man or institutions, if it is, as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli held, based on the word of God, then it is not the standard that changes, but we that must change to meet it.

The Reformation occurred because men of God noticed that the beliefs and practices of the church had strayed from the standard of God’s word. This movement produced the five Solas: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Christus (Christ Alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (To The Glory of God Alone).

The first of which rightly establishes the foundation for the others as the Word of God. These doctrines are not held to because of mere tradition. They are instead derived from the Bible. We must hear the words of Christ and strive to obey them over and above any earthly tradition. Only then can we hope to live to the glory of God.

 

For Further Study

 

Small Group Questions

  • What stood out to you from last week’s sermon?
  • What are some examples of false foundations, used by us or by the world in general, other than the Word of God? Why do these foundations fail us?
  • In this age of the internet, with so many authority figures and teachers available, how can we remain steadfast in holding to the Word of God as our highest authority for how to live the Christian life?
  • As a group, read Psalm 119:89-105. What stands out from this passage about how we ought to view God’s word? How can we cultivate a love for God’s word?