A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Thursday,
June 10,
2021
This stone mansion was built on a rock
overlooking Tulpehoken Creek and the Union Canal north
of Reading in Berks County, PA
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"Where
The Wise Man Builds"
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"Therefore everyone
who hears these words of Mine and acts on them,
may be compared to a wise man who built his
house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and slammed
against that house; and yet it did not fall, for
it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who
hears these words of Mine and does not act on
them, will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew and slammed against
that house; and it fell—and great was its fall"
(Matthew 7:24-27).
Today
we will share of one more lesson observed during
our trip this last weekend along with some
photos. On the way home we rode one last bike
trail along the Union Canal Towpath in Berks
County. We were very tired from our almost 25
mile ride on Saturday, not just because of the
strength exerted but due to the extremely
warm temperatures, so we were pleased to shorten
this route to about a ten mile round trip. It
was a beautiful trail with much to see along the
way, including the mansion built on a rock as
seen in our lead photo. It brought to mind an
old children's song:
The
wise man built his house upon the Rock,
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
But the house on the Rock stood firm.
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
But the house on the Rock stood firm.
Christ's parables deal with pertinent
themes that would have readily connected with His
initial listeners. His stories also have a
remarkable cross-cultural and multi-generational
impact. He concludes the message known as "The
Sermon on the Mount" with an illustration from His
work as a builder (Mark 6:3) emphasizing the
vital necessity of a good foundation. In fact some
2,000 years later we still build houses on solid
foundations which calls to mind the old adage, "A
house is only as good as its foundation.""These words of mine" may apply to all that Jesus said in His ministry, but it seems that they would especially apply to His words in this sermon in Matthew 5-7. However, I also believe we do well to consider this application to the entirety of God's Word. I recall when John Keefer, our pastor at the time, made a point that we must get our guidance not from Hollywood but the Holy Word.
Christ speaks of two different types of
builders and foundations in Matthew 7 as He concludes His Sermon on the Mount; one is designated as wise and the
other as foolish. The first foundation built by
the wise builder is likened to one hearing
Christ's words and putting them into practice, the
second foundation is built by the foolish builder
and is likened to one hearing Christ's Words but not applying
them. The foundation is what a house is
built upon and of course Jesus is really talking
about the foundation of our lives here on earth in
this illustration.Both houses faced the very same storm. In fact identical wording is used: "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house." But one stood and the other fell.
The difference was not the ferocity of the storm but the veracity of the foundation.
Our Lord's great emphasis in this teaching is that we are to be like the one whom He calls "a wise man." When our home was built I am thankful that consideration was given to strong winds since we have a large open farm field across from us with little to break the powerful wind, and we sure get powerful winds, it seems in every season!
In life the winds will surely blow and
beat against our spiritual house (Paul refers to
our bodies as a tent). Some of you may be enduring
tremendous winds of opposition and trial as you
read our message. We must be sure that we are
building our foundation on the Rock. Let us
determine that we will both hear His words and put
them into practice.Today, you may or may not be facing howling winds in your life. But you will! We don't know the precise time they will arrive but they most certainly will. We, as God's people, need to pay careful attention to the words of Jesus and, equally important, we must put them into practice. By doing so, we'll not be blown away but will stand on solid, unshifting ground when the tidal waves of opposition beat against our spiritual house.
On
Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father in heaven, we ask You to
help us apply Your teachings to our lives so
that our foundation will be unshakable and
storm-proof when the howling winds and surging
rains beat against us. The foundation of this
world is temporal and growing more and more
decadent, so we choose instead to build our
lives on the eternal foundation of Your
everlasting Holy Word, as You teach us all
throughout Scripture. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.
Four Foundations That Will Stand!
1) The solid foundation of Biblical authority. "The grass withers, the flower fade. But the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).
2) The solid foundation of Jesus Christ. "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:10,11).
3) The solid foundation of the church. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:19-21).
4) The solid foundation of the apostolic doctrine. "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3).
Daily
prayer: Father in heaven, we ask You to
help us apply Your teachings to our lives so
that our foundation will be unshakable and
storm-proof when the howling winds and surging
rains beat against us. The foundation of this
world is temporal and growing more and more
decadent, so we choose instead to build our
lives on the eternal foundation of Your
everlasting Holy Word, as You teach us all
throughout Scripture. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.Additional
note: In studying for today's message I
came across an interesting teaching point. Both
Matthew and Luke record this parable but Luke's
gospel adds an interesting detail. "He is
like a man building a house, who dug deep
and laid a foundation on the rock; and when
there was a flood, the river burst against
that house and yet it could not shake it,
because it had been well built" (Luke
6:48). May God help us all to dig deep!
Four Foundations That Will Stand!
1) The solid foundation of Biblical authority. "The grass withers, the flower fade. But the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).
2) The solid foundation of Jesus Christ. "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:10,11).
3) The solid foundation of the church. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:19-21).
4) The solid foundation of the apostolic doctrine. "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3).
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"In Christ Alone/The Solid Rock medley" Video Brentwood Baptist Virtual Choir & Orchestra & Travis Cottrell
"In Christ Alone/The Solid Rock medley" Video Brentwood Baptist Virtual Choir & Orchestra & Travis Cottrell
"The Wise Man
Built His House Upon The Rock"
Video
Children's song but good for all ages!
"American
Dream" Video
Casting Crowns (suggested by Ester)
"The Wise Man
Built His House Upon the Rock"
Video Reading
3:50 (Sandcastle Kingdoms) Ben
Piershale explains that we are all
given a choice as to what we build our
life upon - Rock or Sand. Ben is an
evangelist, entrepreneur, husband and
dad. A former youth pastor he uses
social media to share the hope of
Jesus Christ.
Today
we share photos from our bike ride along the
Union Canal towpath in
Berks County.
We
began our ride at the Gring's Mill, Berks
County, PA
Wertz's
Covered Bridge
constructed in 1867,
also known as the Red Covered Bridge, is an
historic wooden covered bridge located over
Tulpehoken Creek and the Union Canal Towpath
in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It serves as
the walkway entrance to the Berks County
Heritage Center, which also includes the
Gruber Wagon Works.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Another
view of the Wertz's
Covered Bridge. At 204-foot-long it
is the largest single-span covered bridge in
Pennsylvania.
The Gruber Wagon Works
was built about 1882 (the same year my
grandpa was born), an extremely rare example
of a fully outfitted 19th-century wagon
manufacturing facility. Originally located
in nearby Pleasant Valley, it was moved in
1976 to its present location in Tulpehocken
Creek Park to make way for a flood control
project. It was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1977 and now serves as
part of a county open-air museum.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Union
Canal towpath
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
We
could see and hear the booming WW2 aircraft
from the Reading air show as we rode along
the path.
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& Brooksyne
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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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