Many years ago, actually on our honeymoon, we attended the second ever West Coast Believer’s Convention in Anaheim, CA. One of the speakers was Charles Capps. This post is based on the notes I took of his message.
Foundation Text:
Luke 6:46-49 46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?
47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:
48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
In vs. 46, Jesus asks, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do the things which I say?”
We can confess Jesus as Lord and become born again. But He doesn’t really become Lord and Master over our lives unless we obey Him. The Pharisees addressed Him as “Lord” or “Master” (teacher) but didn’t follow His teachings.
John 12:47-48 NASB 47 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
God does not purposely withhold His promises from us based on whether He “likes” us. He is impartial – that means He treats everyone equally.
To be impartial, you must have an impartial standard by which individuals are evaluated by, regardless of the judge’s personal feelings toward those being judged.
God’s standard of judgment is His Word. If we do not follow God’s procedures and principals as outlined in His Word, and therefore we don’t get the desired results, it’s not because He doesn’t want us to have anything. It’s because He must remain impartial.
The main thing that God is looking for is faith and trust – which are attitudes of the heart. What you do externally can vary.
The Parable / Analogy
Luke 6:47-49 compares two types of people, who get two different types of results, based on what they do. (A parallel passage can be found in Matthew 7:24-27).
The first individual 1) Comes 2) Hears 3) Does
The second individual 1) Comes 2) Hears 3) Does not do
Both of the individuals came to Jesus and heard his words. Did the stream beat harder against the second house, causing it to fall? No – it says “the stream beat vehemently” against both houses. But the first house stood and the second fell.
What was the cause of the second house’s downfall? “It was the storm”. Actually, no. The storm was the occasion of the downfall, but not the cause. The cause was the lack of a foundation.
The Storms of Life
The “storms” are the pressures and circumstances of life that come against everyone. If you are a house in a certain region, and a storm comes to that area, the storm will beat against you. If you live in this earth, you will experience storms of life. Jesus said it this way: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). But they do not have to destroy you! In fact, it is God’s will that you hardly notice the storms are there!
Notice that vs. 48 does not say “The stream beat vehemently, and the house rocked and swayed, but it did not fall”. No! It says that the stream could not shake it! Not that the house barely made it through, but that the storm did not even phase it!
Outside there can be thunder, wind, rain, and lightning, but inside you are warm, cozy, and protected. Sure, you can hear the noise of the storm around you, but you are curled up in front of the fire with a cup of chocolate, unaffected by what is going on outside.
Purpose of the Storms
Some say that storms of life are sent by God to make you strong. If that were so, verse 49 would say, “The stream beat vehemently against it, and the house rose up about four feet off the ground and a firm foundation was poured and the house settled back down on it and it stood and became stronger.”
Actually the storm doesn’t necessarily have a “purpose”, it just is. If you happen to be in the way, you will feel the effects. If you look at the examples of literal storms in the Bible, you can find some caused by God, some caused by Satan, and some that just happened because of the curse on the earth.
“God is putting me through a wilderness experience like the Israelites”. Did the wilderness build them up? No, it killed them off! The wilderness experience was designed to kill off the unbelievers! It will do the same to you!
Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Most of the time this verse is quoted out of context. “All things” actually refers to the preceding verses. Many interpret the verse to mean “All the bad things in your life are sent to do you good.”
No, many things are sent to do you harm. Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He also seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8). But God can take even those things that Satan means to harm you with and bring you benefit out of it.
For example, take Joseph:
- God was not responsible for his brothers’ jealousy, and selling him into slavery
- God was responsible for prospering everything that he did so he was exalted to head steward in Potiphar’s house.
- God was not responsible for the lust of Potiphar’s wife and her wrongly accusing Joseph, causing him to be thrown into prison.
- God was responsible for Joseph becoming the head inmate.
- God was not responsible for the butler whose dream Joseph interpreted forgetting him for two years.
- God was responsible for giving to Joseph the interpretation of dreams, and eventually exalting him to the second highest position in Egypt.
- In Joseph’s words to his brothers, “You meant it for harm, but God meant it for good.”
Three Foundation Stones
Why did one house stand in the midst of the storm? It was founded on the rock. There are three “rocks”, or foundation stones, that the New Testament speaks of.
Christ, the Chief Cornerstone
Jesus is our first and foremost foundation. We trust in Him for our salvation. As the old hymn says, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all others are but sinking sand.”
However, you can be built on Jesus, trusting Him for your eternal salvation, and still be defeated by the circumstances in life.
The Rock of Revealed Knowledge
Matthew 16:16-19 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The name Peter is petros in the Greek, meaning a large stone or boulder. Jesus said it was on the petra, meaning a huge hunk of rock like a mountain, that he would build His church. Jesus was not saying that He would build His church on Peter the person, but upon the revelation knowledge that Peter was exhibiting.
Revealed knowledge is not learned knowledge from books or listening to preachers (i.e., flesh and blood), but comes from the Holy Spirit. It is hearing the voice of God. Christ’s church is built on those plans that come from the Spirit of God to man.
But, even then, you can have revelation knowledge and still be defeated by the storms of life. In the parable of the two house builders, both of them came to Jesus and heard the words He spoke.
Acting on the Word
This is the third foundation stone, and this is the one that Jesus is emphasizing in His parable of the two house builders. It is the stone that is needed not instead of the others, but in addition to them. To be at the place where the storms of life will not defeat you, you need all three foundation stones in operation:
- Christ the Chief Cornerstone. In the parable, both men came to Jesus.
- The Rock of Revealed Knowledge. In the parable, both men heard the words of Jesus.
- Acting on the Word, or Doing the Sayings of Jesus. In the parable, only the first man acted on what he heard. It was the second house builder’s failure to act on Jesus’ words that was the cause of his downfall.
Doing the Sayings of Jesus
James 1:21-22 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Receiving the word implanted – this is the revelation knowledge, the second stone.
Lack of acting on the word can cause self-deception, even without the help of the devil. The deception comes when you say, “The Word doesn’t work” when the truth is that you didn’t work the Word.
Even when you “act on the Word”, it must be done properly. For example, sometimes people try to act on somebody else’s word; copying someone else who gave away their car, threw away their medicine, broke their glasses, quit their job, etc. This is bypassing the second stone – acting on something revealed to someone else. It worked for them because they were following God’s leading. It won’t necessarily work for you if you copy them.
“But God’s not partial”. This is true. If He provided for someone who believed God and acted on the leading God gave him, He’ll do the same for you. The key is that you have to get your own leading.
People want everything laid out in a formula or a cookbook recipe. If you have a formula, you don’t need relationship.
For example, look at James 1:2-4, trials and testings of life: storms. We want our formula all outlined:
1) Find scriptures. 2) Confess and make declarations 50 times. 3) Rebuke the circumstances. 4) Bind the devil. 5) Get out of bed and act healed. 6) Put $100 in the offering. 7) Give your old car away. Etc., etc.
But continue on in James:
James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
If you lack wisdom, ask God – this is the second foundation stone.
God operates by PRINCIPLE, not FORMULA.
The principle can be found in God’s Word. How to apply the principle specifically in your life in your situation requires wisdom.
Jesus in the Storm
Mark 4:35-41 35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
The Word had been spoken, “Let us cross to the other side”. Jesus fully expected to get there, regardless of what circumstances arose to hinder Him. Accordingly, He went to sleep in the back (He had been preaching all day).
In vs. 38, the disciples were full of care and anxiety over the storm. Jesus had just finished teaching (see Mark 4:19) on how the cares of the world come to steal the word. They didn’t learn the lesson.
Have you ever said to God what the disciples did: “God, don’t you care what happens?” Actually, it depends on what you mean by “care”.
1 Peter 5:6-7 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
We cast our care, our anxiety, mental anguish, and burdened state of mind, upon Him because He cares for you (lit. it matters to Him concerning you). There are two separate words in the Greek both translated “care” but they have different meanings. No, God doesn’t get into anxiety or mental anguish over us. But yes, it does matter to him concerning us.
In vs. 39, Jesus rebuked the wind – the underlying force that caused the waves, and told the sea to be at peace and still. Notice that He didn’t rebuke the waves. Sometimes we go about rebuking circumstances without taking care of the root cause.
Mark 6:45-52 45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.
46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;
50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.
52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Here is another instance. Jesus had sent the disciples ahead and went up on a mountain to pray. In vs. 48 He saw them struggling on the sea. Not with His physical eyes – it was nighttime – but by a revelation from the Holy Spirit: “Your boys are in trouble again”.
Jesus walked to them on the water, and would have passed them by. Ever wonder why? When we are in the midst of the storm, Jesus is right there with us. But to receive His help, we still need to ask for it. God gives aid to those who not just cry out, but those who cry out to God.
The disciples in the boat were probably crying out, “If only Jesus were here!” I mean, He had rebuked the wind and there was a great calm last time, right? When their cries and prayers were answered and Jesus came to them on the water, it terrified them! Actually I heard there was a seaman’s superstition that if you saw a ghost or spirit while out to sea, it was an omen that you were about to join them.
Matthew 14:22-33 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Good old impetuous Peter. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water”. What is Jesus going to say? “No Peter, it isn’t Me, don’t come!” He says, “Come!”
So Peter steps out of the boat, and walks on the water. If we stop at vs. 29, we see Peter in the midst of a great miracle. You would think that walking on the water was something only God could do. But here was Peter! He is operating in great faith.
But in vs. 30, Peter begins to get distracted by the circumstances, and the devil hands him a line: “You can’t walk on the water when it’s windy”.
Now think about that. Try walking across a swimming pool when it’s perfectly calm! The wind had absolutely nothing to do with Peter’s ability to walk on water. While you are right in the middle of a miracle of God, Satan will try to remind you of the circumstances and get you into fear. If he can do that, the miracle will stop.
Peter began to sink. Think about that – if you step off into the swimming pool, do you begin to sink? Now, you go right under, sploosh! In Peter’s case, the miracle began to unravel, and his feet slowly started descending into the water.
But even as he began to sink, Peter cried out and Jesus was there immediately to save him. “O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” I imagine that Jesus did not say this in a harsh, accusatory way, but with a smile.
And the miracle was completed – they walked together back to the boat, and when they got in, the wind ceased.
Lay the Foundation
Luke 6:48 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Laying a good foundation takes work. When you see a large building under construction, they spend a lot of time in a hole in the ground before anything that looks like a building goes up.
Years ago I worked in San Francisco, and they were building the PeopleSoft tower (now the tallest building in SF). They spent months and months messing with a hole in the ground before a single girder went up. To support a tall building in earthquake prone SF, they had to dig deep – just like Jesus said.
To get to the rock, he had to dig through the sand. The sand represents the world’s system (that’s why the second man’s house fell – it was built on the world’s system). Notice he didn’t just find a big rock and build on that – he had to dig down to get to it. The second man just laid his house on the top. They could have been neighbors.
The “digging deep” is study of the Word of God, and prayer and meditation. How much do you need? Until you’ve dug through the natural ways, excuses, and mental assent and get down to the core – which is your heart. The foundation needs to be laid in your heart, so you believe – then you’ll be able to act on it.
It is doers of the word that get success, not tryers. A tryer will attempt to do until he gets evidence that it doesn’t work, then quit.
A doer is committed to believe the Word, regardless of circumstances. That is the one who will succeed!
