A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Quilt mural
on Village Quilts shop in Kitchen Kettle Village
"Don't
Build Your Life On A Sink Hole!"
Message summary:
Eventually, sometimes sooner, sometimes later
the type of foundation we have built our lives
on will be revealed. Are you building on the
Rock or on sinking, shifting sand? "Don't
Build Your Life On A Sink Hole!"
Listen to
our message on your audio player.
"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" (Matthew 7:26,27).
Shoppers
at a local Tanger Outlet Mall in our
area were in for a shock last Friday
afternoon when their cars sunk into a
sink hole. (Photo here) The hole
swallowed six cars but thankfully no one
was hurt. However one woman was in her
car at the time and she had a very
"unsettling" experience to share with
her family and friends (probably on
Facebook). She initially thought it was
an earthquake.
It is believed the sink hole was caused by the very heavy rains in our area over the last several weeks. We have certainly had plenty of pouring rain, rising streams and blowing winds. Events like this make you wonder just how susceptible any of us might be.
Regarding the sink hole at Tanger Outlets it was in an area where there had been some new construction. Although contractors are supposed to compact the soil over building foundations and parking lots one considers that this may have been a factor.
Jesus
concluded His "Sermon on the Mount" with
a teaching contrasting two types of
foundations. It's a short section and
you can read it here in Matthew 7:24-29.
It has long been one of my favorite
passages of Scripture and one which has
frequently been cited in the 22 years of
writing these
Daily Encouragement messages and the
basis of numerous sermons in nearly 45
years of preaching.
In building our lives there are two places we can build our foundation; on rock or on sand. Today let us give special focus to the second foundation, described in our text as "a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Everyone is building a house, speaking of what we believe and how we live our lives. Jesus calls one a wise builder and the other a foolish builder.
There
are several identical similarities. In
both cases they:
1) "Hear these words of Mine"
2) "built a house"
3) Face an identical storm, "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house."
However the dissimilarities are critically significant:
1) One builder is called "wise", the other "foolish".
2) One, upon hearing the words of Christ, "puts them into practice" (obeys them), the other "does not put them into practice" (disobeys them).
3) One house "did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock", the other house "fell with a great crash".
Eventually, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, the type of foundation we have built our lives on will be revealed. Are you building on the Rock or on sinking, shifting sand? "Don't Build Your Life On A Sink Hole!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Listen to
our message on your audio player."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" (Matthew 7:26,27).
Shoppers
at a local Tanger Outlet Mall in our
area were in for a shock last Friday
afternoon when their cars sunk into a
sink hole. (Photo here) The hole
swallowed six cars but thankfully no one
was hurt. However one woman was in her
car at the time and she had a very
"unsettling" experience to share with
her family and friends (probably on
Facebook). She initially thought it was
an earthquake.It is believed the sink hole was caused by the very heavy rains in our area over the last several weeks. We have certainly had plenty of pouring rain, rising streams and blowing winds. Events like this make you wonder just how susceptible any of us might be.
Regarding the sink hole at Tanger Outlets it was in an area where there had been some new construction. Although contractors are supposed to compact the soil over building foundations and parking lots one considers that this may have been a factor.
Jesus
concluded His "Sermon on the Mount" with
a teaching contrasting two types of
foundations. It's a short section and
you can read it here in Matthew 7:24-29.
It has long been one of my favorite
passages of Scripture and one which has
frequently been cited in the 22 years of
writing these
Daily Encouragement messages and the
basis of numerous sermons in nearly 45
years of preaching.In building our lives there are two places we can build our foundation; on rock or on sand. Today let us give special focus to the second foundation, described in our text as "a foolish man who built his house on sand."
Everyone is building a house, speaking of what we believe and how we live our lives. Jesus calls one a wise builder and the other a foolish builder.
There
are several identical similarities. In
both cases they:1) "Hear these words of Mine"
2) "built a house"
3) Face an identical storm, "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house."
However the dissimilarities are critically significant:
1) One builder is called "wise", the other "foolish".
2) One, upon hearing the words of Christ, "puts them into practice" (obeys them), the other "does not put them into practice" (disobeys them).
3) One house "did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock", the other house "fell with a great crash".
Eventually, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, the type of foundation we have built our lives on will be revealed. Are you building on the Rock or on sinking, shifting sand? "Don't Build Your Life On A Sink Hole!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father,
we place our faith on nothing less than
Jesus' blood and righteousness. The
sweet glorious message of Scripture
teaches us that yesterday, today, and
forever, Jesus is the same. All may
change but Jesus never, glory to His
name! In this day of shifting sands
where philosophical rubbish on every
front seeks to snare even the elect if
possible, we take a firm stand as we
anchor our faith in the bedrock of Your
unchanging Holy Word, not the hollow and
deceptive philosophy that depends on the
basic principles of this world. Instead
we look to Scripture for daily guidance
on how we are to live our lives here and
now, even as we prepare for our future
eternal home. Amen.
A
photo of the Village Quilts shop in the
Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse PA.
Note the quilt mural on the side of the building which is our lead photo today.
Note the quilt mural on the side of the building which is our lead photo today.
Last
night Brooksyne joined fellow choir members
and the orchestra of Calvary Church in singing
at the Mount Gretna Tabernacle.
Brooksyne
took this photo looking
out over part of the gathering
from her location in the choir.
Calvary
Church Pastor Beau Eckert preached the
message, "Everyone Has A Story".
We'll share more photos from Mount Gretna with tomorrow's message.
We'll share more photos from Mount Gretna with tomorrow's message.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Wise Man Built His House" Video Brooksyne's Note: While listening to the children sing this great Scripture chorus I was taken back to my booster band years MANY years ago. As a youngster growing up in a small country church we children opened the worship service following Sunday School with our booster band songs. The leader lined us up along the altar railing and we sang our hearts out with such numbers as "Zaccheus was a wee little Man", "Only a Boy Named David", "The Wise Man Built His House" and other such tunes. Our parents beamed as we did all the motions with the songs.
Yesterday we led the chapel service at Paramount (formerly Longwood Manor) and Stephen preached the sermon we present today. As he was preaching I thought this would be a great song to lead the people in after his message. I did so and I believe every person sang along and did the motions as well since it didn't require moving anything below the waist. It was a lot of fun and later I considered how my small hands that "built the house upon the rock" as a child is now nearing my senior years where I am still building upon the rock. Much has transpired in the many years that I first sang it, but now I really know what it means, and I know that building my life on Jesus has helped me stand firm through the many storms over the years. My life has not been like the "house on the sand that went splash" but the "house on the rock" that stood firm.
"The Solid Rock" Video Sovereign Grace Music
"Praise The Name Of Jesus" Video Shane and Shane "He's my Rock"
"Hallelujah What a Savior" Video Calvary Church choir and orchestra from the service last night at the Mount Gretna Tabernacle. Note: Video was recorded in low light thus some loss of quality.
Finally today:
Our
longtime friend, Sally Novosat, whom we visited
and then wrote a tribute for in July has now
taken on immortality in heaven this past Friday.
We include this link to her obituary where
friends and family have posted their fond
remembrances of her. Since 1993 when we left our
pastorate in St. Marys, PA Sally has written to
us regularly and always expressed her great love
for Jesus in every letter. Now she can express
it personally as she is there with Him!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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