Matthew 7:24-27
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
Jesus’ parable of two foundations is the main theme of Cody Carnes’ song “Firm Foundation (He Won’t),” which we hope to introduce to you this weekend.
God is often likened to a rock of stability and strength in the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 18:31, Psalm 28:1, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:19, and 1 Peter 2:6). The repeated refrain of the song, “He won’t fail (no, he won’t),” is true if it is taken to mean the ultimately, all of God’s promises will be fulfilled (Numbers 23:19, Joshua 21:45, Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, Romans 4:21, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Hebrews 10:23, and 2 Peter 3:9).
“He won’t fail” would not be true if we mean something like, “God will always answer my prayers in the way that I want,” or “I will never be disappointed.” After all, sometimes we want the wrong thing, or the right thing wrongly. At other times, our Good Father sees occasion for our discipline, correction, or the building of our character and faith. But, praise God! Those who hope in Him will never be put to shame, for all of His promises are “yes” and “amen” in Christ Jesus (Ps. 25:3; 34; 2 Cor. 1:20).
Please make a point to listen to the new song over the weekend. Remember that you are not spectators in worship. Rather, the worship band and singers are there to encourage your worship. So, take ownership of every word and give God your very best this Sunday!
Your brother,
Ryan
* All Spurgeon quotes came from Laid Aside – Why? in Spurgeon’s monthly publication, The Sword and the Trowel, May 1876, as edited by Hannah Wyncoll in the collection The Suffering Letters of C.H. Spurgeon (London: Wakeman Trust, 2007).a* E. Doumergue, Jean Calvin: Les hommes et les choses de son temps, 2 vols. (Lausanne: Georges Bridel, 1902), 2:504. Quoted in William D. Maxwell, Concerning Worship (London: Oxford University Press, 1948), 27.