The Secret of an Unsinkable Life, Part 2

If you've ever been inside a house during a hurricane or tornado you know the horrific damage caused by extreme weather. The average home, cannot withstand torrential rains and deal force when today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll will employ this metaphor to describe the spiritual parallel is not original with Chuck. Actually it was Jesus who first described the wisdom of building your house on the solid foundation. Let's open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 7 beginning at verse 24 titled today's message the secret of an unshakable life begin with prayer belong to be men of integrity are father we are flawed. Our record is marked with times of failure.

Not only have we disappointed you disappointed ourselves.

We have made poor choices.

We have faltered when we should have stood firm and we have weakened should have been strong so together as we stand, we are able to do so because of your grace that provides what we don't deserve in your mercy ministries to us in the misery of our memories. Thank you father for your great heart of forgiveness for your love that is everlasting overwhelming and beyond description. Thank you for caring about us far more than we have ever cared about you. Thank you for your consistency, your sovereignty, grateful we are that you have given us our families. We thank you for the women who have stood beside us.

Our wives who know us better than anyone else on this earth who understand us even when we don't understand ourselves, who have provided for a stability when we lack it in perspective, when we missed it. Whose counsel is wise and always for our good. How much better we are his men. Because of these ladies.

So today we thank you for them. We thank you for each of our children how precious they are to us were grateful for their love for us, for their acceptance for their forgiveness for the respect remind us that we earn it. Each day we live that every dog brings a new day of possibilities refresh our home Lord is the enemy would push us down and do his best to drown us in our own failures. But today we stand by your grace.

Because of your mercy and we look ahead counting on you to provide the strength we need to face whatever storms may come. They are in evitable as we learn about in the story that Jesus told keep us firm and are resolved through the rains and the floods and the winds and the storms that slam against our homes. Maybe may we be men of integrity.

But we live in a world that has long since forgotten the meaning of that word must please man in a very special way. As we together acknowledge you as Lord of our lives and our gifts we give with gratitude for all the things you provide the pleasure of our homes. The delights of days gone by. Even the beauty of the earth.

All we have to enjoy day or night because of your provision. We thank you we praise you, and we give to you because of that, through Christ our Lord. Pray everyone's listening to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies going to Insight world.or/studies. Another message from Chuck titled the secret of an unsinkable life. I think it's worth noting that and certainly we should be surprised that when it comes to the end of the most famous sermon ever preached. He ends with the story. First are some identical elements. Verse 24 we have an individual who is building his house toward the end of verse 24.

Look at the end of verse 26 is another man who built his house two houses but they're far from identical matter of fact, this is about houses of all uses houses alongside the true about a life you have a second occasion to build your life house you're building it now when it's over, there's no returning to the project, you will experience the result of how you build your house the identical life situation. Verse 25. The ring fell, the floods came the winds blew slam against that house. Look at verse 27 identical words. Rain fell, the floods came the winds blew and slam against that house storms happen.

The point is, life is difficult.

There different results. The homes being built.

Builder number one builds a house. According to the end of verse 25 that in spite of the store did not fall Mark that it did not fall. Verse 27 builder number two working on a house made it look just like the other one from a distance, but I notice here, it fell and Craig was the fall that held together, even though there was sincerity among the builder and the crew working on that house it could withstand the storm. There's a reason for some reason. Obviously the end of verse 25 one is founded on the rock he found a place where he could start at blue rock or bedrock to his house them fall, but the other house because it was built on sand last word in verse 26 fell totally collapsed so much truth to be found in the simple story closely.

The first builder built on the rock and it didn't fall because it was founded on the rock in the second builder built on sand in his house had a mega collapse as the rain fell, the winds blew great was the fall. End of sermon. Jesus doesn't now say I want every head bowed every eye closed were missing just as I am, as you start working your way down the aisles. No. The pause is definitely your left to examine your own house to picture it is realized that there is a lesson you dare not miss before I get there. Let me warn you against an intellectual understanding of the story.

You are made up of intellect your mind, emotion, and your will us all three are engaged as you hear the teachings of Jesus. You don't miss the significance of the one who acts upon what he hears and the one who does not act on like some of you your hard of hearing, but your heart of listening, you hear the very same thing.

These this story is about to move a building just like but one is is known for hearing and doing something about it in the other. Just hearing good friend of mine named Ridge grant wonderful professor. Double seminary is the chair of the media arts and worship department Dallas seminary, has written a book about story.

He calls it, telling stories to touch the heart.

Listen to what Dr. Grant says about intellect, emotion will our job as storytellers is to campaign for righteousness to solicit the support of the intellect, the emotion and the will and the concerted effort to vote against selfishness and in favor of righteousness. When we appeal to only one third of that which makes us human. The intellect we leave two thirds, emotion and will, to argue the other side to vote the other way and if self-interest is the issue as it always seems to be the majority rules stay with it. He goes on, we fool and flatter ourselves if we think we can isolate our intellects to obtain absolute objectivity.

We simply cannot make a decision decision without emotion and will, tugging at our sleeves are intellectual sleep will and emotion will annoy us to death that we try to be ignored like that.

So let's put them to work for us.

Let's engage them in the story a good story doesn't permit casual observation, it wraps you up in truth and recognition and won't let you go. You were there in the story. Your imagination is kindled you are involved you are interacting with troop on truth on a deep and personal level because you are in the story and the story is now in you that it's over and you sit in the embrace of truth. The story is still resonating in the deepest part of you, for the moment, you were still because it simply takes time to get back in what you emerge from the story you're never the same again. That's what stories can do where you story what your foundation for your life. Don't just use your intellect to try to imagine something that let your emotions go project yourself to your last breath when you have absolutely no control. From then on.

As you move from time into eternity when your foundation will be the most important most important ingredient of your life. One man writes of this when he writes, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

I do not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name on Christ. What the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand directly from the story out of Matthew seven are you in the story. Here's the question. It is not in my building a life course you are. Your alive your aging. Whatever your age or older now than you were last year. You're living a life of course are living the question in my building alive about the questionable hard times, of course, they will use think you've seen tests there are winds to blow and rings to fallen floods to rise you and I have no knowledge of right now the coming because the Lord says elsewhere difficult times will come in the last days there will be savage. No need to get off in it, but you and I know that the terrorists live in our country ready to make the next test will come, so that's not the question here's the question, is my foundation solid ensure the ultimate is going to get me through eternity.

If the answer is, I'm not sure it's on sand. If your answer is no, I really don't believe it will your building on sand is only a matter of time before there will be a collapse at that point I can help you, nor can anyone else, no matter how much we love you. The wise person heard and acted upon what he heard the foolish heard in went to lunch or took on the rest of the day. So here's a lingering lesson as I read it and think about it the right foundation will take you through any store other foundation. No one can lay in the name of Jesus Christ, we learn that last time he alone is the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father but through him, through him, through him, since he is the way without the way there's no going without the truth is no knowing without the life living your life being built on Jesus Christ is not today's the day to deal with. No matter how much the person loves your sitting next to you or near you. There's nothing we can do to make that decision for you. You make. But the good news is when the storms, and you find yourself beginning to sink, you will be rescued thanks to the love of the father who gave his son for us that when I came across the wizards tied one of Frederick Buechner's books. He tells the story of aborting Teddy Schroeder and his sister named being again story. They lived during the desperate era of the Great Depression. Back in the late 20s and early 30s a turbulent time for them and their family, and not everything is going well in the family. Teddy has this respect for his dad.

Even though some things about his dad were disappointing to him. They were all at the beach. They parents and grandparents.

Teddy and being in the joy of swimming in the ocean with his father. The great scene. Dad's a good swimmer, Teddy's becoming one that is. Let's went out to the barrel's the barrels were out quite a distance from the shore marking. You don't swim beyond this too dangerous. Teddy wasn't sure, but his dad was in off they went. Dad swim ahead of them. Teddy is behind splashing along now." Teddy thought the barrel still looked a long way off the beach was so far behind hard to recognize his mother had been sitting on the same. His arms will be getting to a he was feeling out of breath when he started to drown. He thought the call for help in his father's little ahead of them didn't hearing what of a giant octopus swam up from the low and rapid slimy tentacles around a member you feel like that when you're a kid, jaw, no, there comes a massive thing out of the dark.

What if that just as he was thinking of those scary things. His father turned around and treaded water waiting for this.

How about a live the rest of the way son. So Teddy paddled over and put his arms around his father's picnic. He held on from behind and that was the best part of the day Teddy the party remembered for many years afterward he remembered as his dad swam how the sunlight flashed off his father's prickly wet shoulders and the feel of the muscles working within as he swam he remembered the back of his father's head. How was here's a look from behind.

He remembered how his father's hair felt thick and wiry like a horse's mane against his cheek. Now he tried not to hold onto his neck too tightly. Soaking his mother and said bad things about his father. She said that he hadn't had the get up and go that he was worse than grapple Schroeder, already 30 years younger. She said he needed a swift kick in the pants things like that. Teddy knew that his father did things that he wished he wouldn't like drink too many cocktails drive his car up in the longer come to kiss him and being good night with his face all clammy and cold but as he swam out to the barrels.

On his father's back. He also knew that there was no place in the whole Atlantic Ocean where he felt so safe was while I was picturing that poignant scene. My mind whirled back to an old gospel song I was sinking deep sin, far from the peaceful sure very deeply, staying with in sinking rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry and from the waters remembered lifted me safe in my love lifted me love lifted me when nothing else could help love lifted me.

Please close your eyes and value hits just for a few moments. I will in soon with her. All of this will be a memory but you will never forget the story engage not only your intellect but let your emotions run free. Force yourself to realize there will come a day, perhaps sooner than you think when you take your last breath, knowing you don't know when emergency vehicles may be in front of your house this afternoon.

Tonight, perhaps in the morning, you may not awaken in the morning. Perfect moment for you to seal the deal. The fathers turned around and said come on I'll take you to the barrels on my back trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be rescued, trusted, now thank you Lord for your mercy. When we are sinking. Thank you for your understanding.

Your friend, thank you for being there.

There is no one else who could help. Thank you for preparing us to live. Now so that we might glory in your presence throughout eternity. Thank you for rescuing us as we were sinking in.thank you. In Jesus name.

Everyone's forever recorded in the seventh chapter of Matthew is the secret of an unsinkable life.

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