Title: Building the Right Foundation
Theme: To show that to build a Family Legacy we must start with the right foundation.
Text: Psalms 127:1, Matthew 7:24 – 27
Psalms 127:1 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
Offering:
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; (10) So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Opening on Building on the Rock from Tony Evans: Building Foundations Message
The words in Matthew 7:24-27 conclude one of the greatest sermons ever preached. Jesus Christ brings to culmination the great Sermon on the Mount, and he does so with a poignant truth about two men. These two men raise the question, what kind of foundation are we building on? These two men can be seen in terms of a comparison, a contrast, leading us to a clear conclusion.
The two men shared the same vision
Note first of all the comparisons between these two men. These two men had the same vision. They both wanted to build a house. Their dreams were the same. Their longings were the same. Their desires were the same. What makes these two men alike is that their view of the future was on par. They both wanted to build a house.
Both men listened to divine truth
Not only did both have the same vision, they both went to the same seminary, because it says both men "heard these words of mine." Both men went to the same classroom and had the same professor. You don't get any better than this, because in this case, the written word was communicated by the living Word. Jesus himself was the professor
Both men faced the same storm
There's a third comparison. These men lived in the same neighborhood. I know what you're saying. You're thinking, I've read this story, and I don't see anything about the location of the houses. They lived in the same neighborhood because they were both affected by the same storm. The description of the storm is precisely the same in both cases, and affected both men. Both men were subject to the same storm, which meant they were in reasonable proximity to one another.
The two men possessed two different characters
Those comparisons in this story are paralleled by some contrasts, some things that made these men different from one another. First of all, these men possessed two different characters. Jesus calls the first man a wise man. He calls the second man a moron. The Greek word for "foolish" is where we get our word moron from. One is viewed as wise, a wise man who wants to build something, a wise man who gets spiritual training, and a wise man in the storm. The other man is a foolish man who wants to build something, a foolish man who exposes himself to divine truth, a foolish man in a storm. Wisdom, in Scripture, is the ability to take divine truth and apply it to life.
The fool in Scripture is not necessarily the person who lacks information. It is the person who does little or nothing with the information received.
The two men had different foundations
What contrast demonstrated the fundamental difference between these two men? It's all about foundations. It says that the wise man built his house upon the rock, and it says the foolish man built his house upon the sand. While both men have the same vision, while both men have the same dream, the same training, and the same storm, they did not have the same foundation. The undergirding and underpinning of their dreams, of their training, and of their trials were not the same. What's the difference between building on a foundation of rock and building on a foundation of sand? What were the two thinking that made one a fool and one a wise man? When Luke tells the story in Luke 6:48, it says the wise man dug deep. It costs to build on rock. You can build on sand fairly cheaply. To build on rock is hard work; to build on sand takes little time. It costs time and energy and effort and additional funds if you're going to go deep. You can be cursory if you want to stay on top of the shifting realities. You can be quick about it on sand; you can't go too fast on rock.
This difference between the two men is fundamentally rooted in the fact that the second man, the foolish man, was building a house for show. The man building his house on rock was building a house to last. The second man was not concerned about how long the house would be there. He just wanted to make sure for however long it was there people would want to drive by and look at it. It was for a public persona, not for depth.
The two men experienced different results
The biggest contrast of them all is the results, because it says one house stood and another house fell. Not only did it fall, "it fell greatly." It was a total collapse. What does the Lord want us to learn? What is his fundamental point? You have to notice something in the text. If you were to drive by both men's homes, you would not discover there was a difference. If you were to talk to the men, you would not know that there was a fundamental difference. The only time you would discover there was a difference between these two men and the lives, homes, or ministries they erected was during the storm. Only the storm reveals the nature of your foundation. As long as the sun is shining, you won't think about what you're built on, you may not care about what you're built on, but the storm has a way of letting you know what kind of foundation you're resting on. Notice the language. In both cases "rain descended," "floods came," "winds blew, and burst against that house."
Our foundation must be formed before the storms come
You have to understand something about foundations. You can't pour them when it's raining. You can pour a foundation before it rains. You can pour a foundation after it rains. But what you can't do is pour a foundation when it is raining. Whatever foundation you're going to have, you need to get solidified before the storm, so when the storm comes you're not in crisis.
Why does God give you a storm? Because it lets you know what kind of foundation you're on. Only in a hurricane will you discover whether you're really resting on the truth of God or whether you're merely listening to it. There's a lot of difference between saying amen on Sunday and saying amen on Monday in a storm. There's a lot of difference in worshiping God when all is well and worshiping God when all is wrong. But if your foundation is sure, then it will be the application, and not merely the information, of divine truth that will hold you steady.
So how do we build a foundation that will leave a legacy?
Acrostic: L.E.G.A.C.Y.
1. L - Leadership
The first step to building a legacy in the home is to be a leader. A leader is not someone who sits around a barks orders but who has a vision for the family. They see the future. They see what their family: spouse and children can become. They first lead by example and then help others discover their divine calling.
Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
G3949
- Original: παροργίζω - Transliteration: Parorgizo - Phonetic: par-org-id'-zo
- Definition:
1. to rouse to wrath, to provoke, exasperate, anger - Origin: from G3844 and G3710
▣ "do not provoke" This is a present active imperative with the negative particle which usually means to stop an act already in process (cf. Col_3:21). Like Eph_5:25, this was the needed balance, in the Greco-Roman world, and ours. Fathers are not ultimate authorities, but Christian stewards of their families.
Christian fathers must understand their stewardship role in the lives of their children. Fathers are not to teach personal preferences, but spiritual truths. The goal is not parental authority, but passing on God's authority to children. There is always a generation gap, but never a divine authority gap. Children do not have to reflect parental habits, choices, or lifestyle to be pleasing to God. We must be careful of the desire to mold our children into our current cultural understanding or to reflect our personal preferences.
As a local pastor near a large state school, I noticed that many of the wildest young people came from conservative Christian homes which allowed them no personal choices or freedoms. Freedom is a heady experience and must be introduced in responsible stages.
Christian children must develop lives based on personal conviction and faith, not second-hand parental guidelines.
▣ "bring them up" This is a present active imperative which comes from the same word root, "to feed to maturity," as in Ephesians 5:29. As it is the husband's responsibility to continue to help his wife grow to spiritual maturity and giftedness, he is also to help his children reach their full spiritual maturity and giftedness (cf. Ephesians 4:7).
2. E- Enjoyment
The second thing we must do is to enjoy our family. God has given them to us so let us enjoy. Listen to Psalms 127 again.
Psalms 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
This means enjoying what they do as much as they enjoy what we do.
3. G – Giving
Another element to “Building a Family Legacy” is to give to the family. We are not called to be selfish about our own desires but to give to one another.
What can we give? Our most valuable commodity is our TIME. Not our resources. Not a roof over their head or food on their table, our time.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! [11] (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (6) "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
4. A - Acceptance (affirmation) (achievement, purpose, direction, calling
Three more to go. To “Build a Family Legacy” we must learn to accept them as who they are. God has given each of your family members a unique calling and purpose. We must learn to accept that and not try to make them like ourselves. We must mine their purpose and calling our of them, and then direct them. Give them the best teaching, education and devotion toward that calling.
For some it may take a lot more prayer to help them discover. But we must be attentive.
What if we prayed the simple prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:10 over our children?
1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez prayed, "Oh that Thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldst keep me from harm."
5. C – commitment
We must be committed to build this legacy. We must be committed first to follow God but also to building a future. Not just scrapping by. Not letting someone else (school, church, etc.) do it.
Proverbs_16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (5) Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6. Y – Yearn for God
- Transliteration: Kamar
- Phonetic: kaw-mar'
- Definition:
1. to yearn, be kindled, be black (hot), grow warm and tender, be or grow hot, become hot, become emotionally agitated
a. (Niphal)
1. to grow warm and tender
2. to be or grow hot
bequest, legacy(noun)
(law) a gift of personal property by will
Our final part of building a family legacy is to yearn for God. Let God build the house.
Psalms 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain
This starts with us. We must lead by example and show them what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Conclusion
I want to challenge you to evaluate each of these steps in your life. This is not just about having children. A home is a home and must be built correctly to work. Where are you lacking?
