EXPLORE THE TEXT
Believers can stand firm on God’s Word.
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house.
Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine
and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house,
and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Note that while verses 21-23 touched people’s emotions, Jesus’s story about the builders appeals to people’s minds.
This is a hallmark of a master teacher.
Share this content from page 63 of the PSG
Jesus called His followers to build their lives on the strong foundation of His teaching.
He illustrated this with a parable about houses, foundations, and storms.
Building a life is like building a house.
The foundation of any house is essential.
In this parable, a choice was made of building
the foundation on solid rock or shifting sand.
Two things were the same:
Both groups heard Jesus’s words and both groups experienced storms.
Jesus has given us His teachings and “storms” are going to shake our lives.
The foundations-accepting or rejecting Jesus and His words-was what made the difference.
briefly discuss how the crowd reacted and why.
Jesus demands a response from each person.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 66 of the Personal Study Guide.
Direct adults to read through the application points from the session again and to give themselves a ranking for each one on a scale of 1-5 (with 1 being “lacking” and 5 being “perfect”). After a few minutes, allow volunteers to share which point got their highest ranking and why. Emphasize that no one is perfect, but God wants us to come to Him and allow Him to make us more like Him in each of these areas.
Encourage adults to read and discuss the first set of questions on page 66 of the PSG. As a group, make a list of ways they can encourage one another and hold one another accountable for bearing good fruit and building on a strong foundation. (Possible answers: phone calls, meet weekly in pairs, encouraging text messages, and so forth) Suggest they follow through on identifying a partner and identify one way to live out this application step.
Once the adults have paired off, encourage them to pray together. Close the session in prayer, asking God to teach each person how to live their faith in a genuine way every day for their good and God’s glory.
During the week, text or email the group the second set of questions from page 66 of the PSG. Feel free to share your greatest area of struggle and ask adults to pray for you in that area. Encourage the other adults to share and to pray for one another. Remind them to connect with their prayer partner during the week and to reach out to you if they have more questions about becoming a Christian.
All Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. (See Psalm 119:89; 2 Timothy 3:15-17.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
Wise people build their lives on the foundation of Jesus. Look up the passages in which the psalmist referred to God as his “rock”: Psalm 18:2; 62:2,6. List other images in these verses used by the psalmist to describe what it meant to have God as his rock (for example, “fortress”). Prophets also described God as a rock. Read
1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 26:4; 28:16. Note qualities such as “everlasting” and “unshakable.” Now read the following New Testament passages: 1 Corinthians 3:11; 10:4; and 1 Peter 2:4-8. How do these verses add to your understanding of Jesus as your foundation?