Matthew 7:24-27, Hebrews 6:18-19

David Hellyer considers the importance of building our lives on the foundation of Jesus.

David Hellyer

I recently discovered that the hymn writer Edward Mote had lived in my home town, pastoring one of the local churches for 26 years. You may have never heard of Edward Mote, but it's fairly certain that you will have sung at least a section of his best loved song, 'My hope is built on nothing less', which he wrote in c1834. The first verse is the most recognisable and various Christian artists have borrowed from it in the past.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

What a great verse, packed with such great truth. Clearly it's based on the parable of the wise and foolish builders, which you find in Matthew 7:24-27:

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash".

There are two things that really jump out at me from this parable. Firstly the importance of building your life squarely and solely on the teachings of Christ. My family and I recently moved house to a new build. There are new houses springing up all around us in every direction. We're watching houses being built on a daily basis. One thing you notice immediately is that the house never stretches out beyond the boundaries determined by the foundations. The builders wouldn't want to jeopardise the strength of the house by building half on the foundation and half off. It may well be tempting for us to borrow ideologies or worldviews from the world around us, but Edward Mote had it right when he wrote, 'I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name'. If we want to live a life that is strong and will weather the storm, we need to stick to building on the firm foundation, as all other ground is sinking sand!

The second thing that stands out to me is the fact that the storm hits both buildings. The wise builder didn't get a pass on the storm because he had a firm foundation. In fact if it wasn't for the storm we wouldn't see the importance of the foundation. Sometimes as Christians it's tempting to feel like either somehow we're entitled to a life free from storms and troubles, or that if we go through troubles it's because we're doing something wrong. I don't believe that either of these viewpoints is true. We all know in our experience that we go through hard times; that's just part of life in our fallen world. The storms battered both buildings, but we can stand strong like the wise builder's house. The important factor isn't whether or not you go through a challenge, it's the way you come through the other side. Security and certainty are found in Christ, but uncertainty and insecurity cloud any future without Him.

If you haven't done so already, decide within yourself that in this year you'll live your life squarely on the foundation of Jesus and His teaching. We are those who have fled to Him for refuge and we have a hope, which is strong and trustworthy and an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:18-19).