Wisdom to a Storm-Proof Life

Wisdom to a Storm-Proof Life

Matthew 7:24-29 “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 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 great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

With all the possible storms in life, believers can storm-proof their lives, although expecting that their lives are never storm-free.

In his sermon titled “Storm Warning”, Keith Krell tells of the story of a 1992 Hurricane Andrew survivor. In the midst of thousand of destroyed homes in South Florida, in an area where the wreckage look like a war zone, there was one house that remained standing, still firmly anchored to its foundations. When a news reporter asked the homeowner why his house has not been blown away, he replied. “I built this house myself. I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for a 2”x6” roof trusses, I used 2”x6” roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to the code could withstand a hurricane---and it did!

In the same way that house builders have provisions for building a house, believers also have the provisions for a storm-proof life. Like the homeowner who strictly followed the building code, believers should also follow a strict spiritual code to survive the storms of life. When the homeowner followed the specifications of the materials that should use for building his home according to the building code, he built the home with such assurance that it can withstand the fury of the future hurricanes. When a believer follows the specifications of the spiritual requirements of living a righteous and holy life, the believer is building his life on a sure foundation that can never be shaken by any storm of life.

Believers also have the truths of the word of God to live by. The truth in the Scriptures tells us that can not have a storm-free life. There will always be storms in life that will batter, threaten, and shake the believers’ faith and devotion. There will always be trials, burdens, weaknesses, illnesses. There will always be persecution, false accusations, painful remarks. There will always be sorrow, a loss, a death of a loved one. There will always be failures, heartaches, defeats, disappointments.

The truth of the Scriptures on the other hand, tells us that our God is our sure foundation during the storms of life. God does not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity (1 Corinthians 10:13). God does not forsake His people, but He is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). God is the strength of the believer’s heart. God is forever the believer’s portion, whenever his flesh and heart fails (Psalm 73:26). God works all things for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Although believers can not have a storm-free life, they can actually have a storm-proof life.

There is a great difference between a storm-free life and a storm-proof life. A storm free life is a life that does not experience storms. Meaning to say, this life does not experience trials. This life does not suffer persecution. This life does not worry about meeting the needs because the needs are abundantly provided. This life does not face “danger and famine and sword” as how Paul described the life of a believer (Romans 8:35). This is the life that surely does not depend on a greater power.

A storm-proof life, on the other hand, is a life that constantly experiences trials. A storm-proof life is ripe with persecution. A storm-proof life is bereft by self needs and worldly desires that build up confidence on one’s self. A storm-proof life depends on a greater power for foundations of faith and strength.

The difference between the two ideas of life is the foundation that builds each

life. The storm-free life is not founded on the faith of God. The storm-proof life is founded, grounded, soaked and specified on the true faith in God. So whenever trials, persecution, death in the family, financial burdens, loss of a job hit this storm-free life, it is shaken to the very core of its foundation, and the individual falls apart. But whenever trials, persecution, death in the family, financial burdens, loss of a job hit this storm-proof life, it is not shaken to the very core of its foundation, and the individual experiences peace and security amid the storm of life.

In order to storm-proof our spiritual lives, we need to build our spiritual foundations.

Just the homeowner who followed the hurricane code and building specification, believers should follow the storm code and life specifications. So it is important that we take a look at our spiritual foundations. Matthew 7:24 goes, “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. What are these words that Jesus Christ claimed to be the basis of the foundation of Christian faith?

There are three elements to building our spiritual foundation.

Element 1: Study

Christian faith starts with hearing. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17). The basis of our spiritual foundation, our spiritual strength, our strength to battle the storms of life, is the earnest search for the biblical truths of the Scriptures. Why do we read the Bible? Why do we attend Sunday School? Why do we attend bible study groups? Why do we hear the Sunday sermon? Hearing the truths in the Bible is the source of our foundation. Truths in God’s Word reveal what God can do to a believer who is suffering, who is wavering, who is alone and rejected. Truths in God’s Word inspire the believer to hope and believe, and never to falter.

                                    Knowing God’s Words through the Scriptures as our codes, rules,

and principles in life is one way to build our spiritual foundation, our faith. Whenever trials and temptations come, whenever persecutions and trouble arrive, we know where to find our strength and our ever present help (Psalm 46:1). This builds up our faith, and shields us from the devastation of the storms of life.

Element 2: Obedience

Obedience is a requirement of approval from God. 1 Samuel 15:22 records “And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams’.” Hearing the words of God is not enough. Hearing alone is an empty. Hearing and  obeying are a complete experience of a victorious Christian life. Applying the teachings in the Bible, and living the life of obedience based on the laws of God builds up the spiritual foundation of life. Obedience is a foundation of our faith, with which we can live through the storms of life.

Element 3: Wisdom

Wisdom is the results of obeying God’s word. When believers hear and obey God’s word, they receive the wisdom of life.  When believers hear and obey God’s command, they build their lives according to the spiritual codes that allow life to battle the storms of life. No matter how pure and promising the Scriptures are, or how rewarding and compelling the laws of the Lord, it is still our decision to embrace these teachings and promises. It is wisdom to follow God’s commands. It will never bring us to destruction. It is never the intelligence of the world that builds the foundation of our faith, but the wisdom that comes from knowing God and living His promises.

There is a popular joke that tells us that intelligence alone does not save a person. “A minister, a boy scout, and a graduate student were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only three parachutes for four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and jumped. The graduate student said, “I should have one of the parachutes too because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the boy scout and with a sad smile said, “You are young and I have lived a rich life, so you take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The boy scout said, “Relax, Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my backpack and jumped out!

Matthew 7:24-27 provides us an important illustration of the foundations of life.

This parable of Jesus teaches us of what happens to believers and nonbelievers whenever the storms of life test their respective faiths. “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 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 great crash.”

Jesus Christ himself taught us that He is our spiritual foundation. “Anyone who hears these words of mine” is a great revelation of the most important survival tool in human’s spiritual life. How many of us have ever thought that our spiritual foundations are found in our good works, in our own kindness, in our own wisdom, in our own generosity? It is only by hearing Christ words and following these words that we learn to depend on Him during our storms of life. Jesus Christ in fact, is our very own foundation. Jesus Christ is the rock of our life, our sure foundation (Psalm 18:2; 1 Corinthians 3:11).

As our rock and our salvation, how does Jesus Christ lift us up during the storms of life? First and foremost, Jesus Christ purchased our life with his sacrificial love, with his own life, with his own righteousness imputed upon us, and his willingness to take upon himself our very own filthiness. This alone, shows that Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. No amount of storms in life, trials, persecutions, famine, nakedness, perils, dangers, even death, can ever shake our spiritual foundation when it is grounded on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ.

Bryan Chapell tells this story that happened in his hometown: Two brothers were playing on the sandbanks by the river. One ran after another up a large mound of sand. Unfortunately, the mound was not solid, and their weight caused them to sink in quickly. When the boys did not return home for dinner, the family and neighbors organized a search. They found the younger brother unconscious, with his head and shoulders sticking out above the sand. When they cleared the sand to his waist, he awakened. The searchers asked, "Where is your brother?" The child replied, "I’m standing on his shoulders". With the sacrifice of his own life, the older brother lifted the younger to safety. The tangible and sacrificial love of the older brother literally served as a foundation for the younger brother’s life. Isn’t Jesus Christ a brother to all of us, a brother who is willing to laid down his life as the very foundation of our faith and our eternal salvation (Hebrews 2:10-12)?

The storm of life brings about trials and hardships from all around us (Matthew 7:25). Trials and temptations, hardships and dangers, can come from above, from below, or from every side of our lives, but our faith in Jesus Christ will allow us to batter the storm. Our foundation is secure, our rock is immovable.

            It is always true that storms destroy! It is true that a loss of a job is unimaginable. It is true that death in the family is very painful. It is true that rejection hurts. But in Jesus Christ we know comfort in our pain, joy in our adversities, and strength in our weaknesses. This is what we call standing on solid ground! While others drown in sinking sand of desperation, believers have the peace that the world can not give and the hope of eternal live beyond the temporal.

The storms of life may rage but we have our faith in Jesus Christ.

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?