Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
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i want to invite
all men on a journey
a journey that has to do with why you
matter
i know we’re living in a day when the
importance
of men has been downgraded has been
reduced and in some places totally
removed
appropriate masculinity has gone
unappreciated
and undervalued but god is calling men
to rise to a whole new level
remember god asked adam a fundamental
question
adam where are you i’d like to say adam
where you at
because this whole future of
civilization
will be keyed in to fulfilling your
god-designed
god-created and god-given
role so then it’s time to rise up
over the next number of months we’re
going to be challenging men to a
new level of manhood personal family
church and cultural impact and when
god’s men rise up things are going to
change
when we fail to rise up as the bible
makes clear
things will disintegrate so join me
let’s go on a journey together and see
what happens
when kingdom men rise
the reason that god created adam first
was that adam was supposed to be the
foundation
for the family which was to be the
foundation for the culture
that it was adam’s responsibility to set
the stage
for where everything else was to be
built on
he was to be the foundation which is why
god raised the question adam where are
you
because the foundation had moved
and now everything else was in chaos
and so we want to talk today about
foundations
focusing on the men but not limiting it
to the men
because jesus says when he starts the
story
in matthew 7 verse 24 that this applies
to everyone
but even though it applies to everyone
he focuses on
two men so the question i want to ask
all the males by time we’re finished is
which man
are you but then
we can ask everybody which person are
you
these two men had some commonalities
things that they held in common
these two men had a contrast which made
them
very different and this
leads to a conclusion about these two
men
that is riveting in its
effect but transforming
in its ability to change our lives
so let’s start off with what made these
two men
alike what compared them what
what what made them on the same page
well the first thing that was comparable
to both of these men
is they both shared the same
dream they both wanted to build a house
in the bible a house can refer to one of
four different things
number one a house can refer to your
life as it is referred to here
both men wanted to build a house that is
to build a life
of substance significance value
that mattered they wanted to accomplish
something
with their lives
every man should want to be something
accomplish something
to build a life that matters a life of
impact a life of value a life of
substance a life
of significance every man wants to build
a house
you don’t just want to be here and
when you die you don’t see anything you
built
you know you want to you want a life
that matters
or building a house and the bible can
refer to building a family
families throughout the bible are called
the house of somebody
the house of david that means it was
david’s family
so building a house in the bible refers
to building a family
no serious man walks down the aisle
planning to get divorced
no serious man should be planning to
abandon his children
no you want to build a house you want to
build a
home you want to build a a future for
the family you want your kids to be
impacted so that they grow up to be
mature
responsible adults you want to build a
house
or to build a house in the bible can
refer to building a ministry
the temple in the old testament was
called the house of god
the church of the new testament is
called the household
of faith the bible talks about building
the church
you want to see the spiritual growth and
spiritual development
of the family of god why because you
want to build a house of ministry
or to build a house can refer the bible
to building a society
after all israel was called the house of
israel
we call it the white house
or the house of congress what do we mean
by the house we meant
we mean that representative entity that
represents
the society so to build a house is to
build a community
or a society that’s whole and that’s
unified
and where the culture is benefiting the
citizenry
all that is to build a house
and both men wanted to build a house
they wanted a life of
significance they want a family that was
strong
they want a ministry that was effective
and they wanted to live in a culture
that was ordered a well-ordered society
that’s to build a house every man in
here should want to build all four of
those houses
a life that matters a family that’s
strong
to be part of a ministry that’s vibrant
and to make a contribution to a society
that’s well
ordered every man here
every person here every christian here
should want to build a house
so the first thing that these two men
had in common
was that they wanted to fulfill a dream
of building a house
the second thing that made these two men
alike
was they both went to the same church
now we know they both went to the same
church because it says
both men heard these words of mine
now if jesus is the preacher
it’s a perfect sermon
because jesus said they heard the words
of mine so there’s no flaw
in the exegesis in the exposition
in the application of the scripture
because they’re both seated
and they’re both listening to these
words of mine they’re in the same place
at the same time hearing the same
preacher preach the same sermon
they both hear these words of mine that
tells us something about these two men
they were orthodox in their orientation
because they’re not going listening to a
cult preacher
they’re listening to these words of mine
they’re listening to the living word
preach the written word and there is no
better word
than that word so they’re going to an
evangelical church an orthodox
congregation because they’re seated in
their seats
they’ve got their bibles open they’re
listening to jesus christ preach
so they were at least oriented to the
word of god
because they’re both listening to these
words of mine
so the first thing is that they both had
a dream the second thing is that they
both were
orthodox in their orientation because
they were willing to hear the word of
god
there is a third commonality between
these two men
they lived in the same neighborhood
now the reason we know they lived in the
same neighborhood as they were affected
by the same storm
it says the storm came and hit both of
their homes
so that meant they were in the same
vicinity of the storm
a storm in the bible is an adverse set
of circumstances
when the bible talks about a storm it’s
talking about negative
events entering into your life a storm
is trouble
tribulation and trials a storm is
something that comes
on you that wants to knock you over
mentally emotionally
physically and spiritually that’s a
storm in the bible
the differences between these two men
are spelled out
because verse 24 says one man was a wise
man
and verse 26 says the other man was a
fool
one man was a wise man the other man was
a fool
so that tells me a lot right there that
means that
a wise man can have a dream and a fool
can have a dream
a wise man can sit and listen to jesus
and a fool can sit and listen to jesus
a wise man can be in a storm and a fool
can be in a storm because while they
were a lot alike there was
one fundamental difference one was a
wise man
and the other was a fool
what made the difference
their foundation it says in verse 24
the wise man built his house on a rock
it says the foolish man built his house
on sand
it’s talking about what they built their
house on
that has to do with your foundation your
foundation is what you put your
structure
on and it’s always where you start
because you pour the foundation first
you know put up the doors first the
glass first
the the windows first you don’t you
don’t drywall first you don’t put up the
roof first
you pour that foundation first why
because everything else is
banking on its stability the ability of
everything else to hold steady is tied
to solidifying a strong foundation
one person the wise man built his house
on
a rock the fool built his house on
sand
let’s talk about those two different
foundations for a moment
if you build on sand that’s going to be
quick
don’t take a lot of time to put put sand
and put a sand castle together on a
beach
if you build on rock it’s going to take
you some time
if you build on sand it’s going to be
easy
if you’re going to build on rock it’s
going to be a little harder you got to
drill through that
if you build on sand it’s going to be
cheap
don’t cost much to put together sand
oh but it’s going to cost you something
if you build on a rock
you see one man was willing to put in
what it would take for his foundation to
be strong
the other man was not willing to take
what was necessary
for his foundation to be strong but he
still wanted the house
this issue of the foundation is critical
so one man built on sand and the other
man built on
a rock
so what was
what was the difference between these
two men
what do you mean by rock versus sand
here it is both men heard these words of
mine but here is the difference
it says the wise man verse 24 heard
these words of mine
and acted on them
it says the fool heard these words of
mine
and did not act on them
if you want to build a life a home
a ministry or a society
a house it must be resting on the right
foundation
and the foundation is not merely
information the difference
between the wise man and the foolish man
was not how much edumacation they had
the difference between the wise man and
the fool
was their willingness or unwillingness
to act on what
jesus had taught or put in another way
only when the word is applied does the
word work
if it is not applied it’s still god’s
word
it’s still alive but you won’t
experience what it can do
until you act on it they were listening
to god’s word
both of them but only one did something
with what he heard
and therefore only one experienced what
was needed to be experienced
based on what is taught
so one man is called a wise man and the
other is called
a fool so let me define the two
wisdom in the bible is the
ability and responsibility
of applying god’s truth
to life’s realities now what a lot of
christians try to do
is mix rock and sand
what they want is they they know they
need god rock
but they also have their own way of
doing things sand
so what they want is sandy rock
they want to mix it to okay
and one the fundamental difference
between rock and sand
sand is human wisdom rock is
god’s point of view acted on
well what a lot of christians though
they they know they want rock and need
rock
but they used to sand so they try to mix
them together
so let me help you with the sandy rock
mixture
matthew 15 verse 6 says you do
nullify the word of god
with your traditions so once you bring
man’s point of view and attach it to god
when it contradicts god’s point of view
matthew 15 6 says you cancel out god
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when you want sandy rock what you are
doing
is being double-minded and james chapter
1
verse 5 says let the double-minded man
know he will receive nothing from the
lord
so if you try to bring human wisdom and
attach it to divine revelation
what you need to know is god says don’t
think you will get
anything once you marry the two with a
double mind
god cancels the whole thing so a lot of
us
are canceling out our prayers we’re
praying for
one thing bringing human wisdom into it
which cancels the whole prayer
he says you cannot have both it did not
become apparent
who the fool was and who the wise man
was
until the storm came see as long as it
was sunny outside both houses looked
good
both men looked great both families
looked intact
both ministries appeared to be solid
the nation seemed to be on track that is
until the storm came
it was the storm that revealed
what the real deal was
let’s look at the storm says the rain
came the flood came the wind blew
so whenever you have rain coming down
flood coming up and a wind so strong
it can knock over a house that’s called
a hurricane
that’s a hurricane it’s not a rain
shower it’s a hurricane
and in your life you’re going to run
into hurricane season
hurricane season is not some minor
trials when all hell breaks through
breaks loose in your life it’s when your
world shuts down on you
it’s when when everything that could go
wrong does go wrong
it’s that bad prognosis from the doctor
it’s that
just something that devastates you that
overwhelms you
it’s hurricane season
and if you’re alive you’re going to run
into that season
or that season is going to find you
he says and when the rain came the flood
came and the
wind blew the wise man’s house
stood and the fool’s house
fell because they didn’t
start at the same place the houses may
have looked wonderful on the outside
but the storm always reveals what you’re
resting on
you can fix a foundation or pour a
foundation before a storm
you can repair a foundation after a
storm what you can’t do is fix it in a
storm
see a lot of folk want god
in a storm oh they didn’t pour a
foundation before the storm
so they’re wondering why they why they
falling apart because the idea is you
pour the foundation first
in other words you you set this thing in
motion first
many couples want to get a divorce when
they never pour the foundation
so no wonder when the storm comes it
blows the marriage over
because you didn’t pour a biblical
foundation or a single a biblical
foundation or
or any carry financially a biblical
foundation whatever the issue is you
never poured god’s foundation
and you wonder why you’re being blown
over by the circumstances that take
place
in our lives i love the
story in in uh
in mark chapter four where jesus is
teaching he’s teaching on the seashore
of the sea of galilee
and then he tells his disciples let’s
get in the boat and go to the other side
to see a galilee
sea of galilee is about eight miles
across and the sea of galilee is
surrounded by
hills or little mountains or large hills
that surround it and sometimes the wind
will enter into a funnel
down into the sea of galilee and that’s
called a
lilac a wind storm and it and it
disrupts the water uh tumultuously
so while the disciples are crossing the
sea of galilee in mark 4
the bible says they encountered a lilac
a windstorm that like a mini tornado
that was whipping up the water and these
are professional fishermen
so so they’re used to to rough seas but
this one scared them to death they
became afraid for their lives
while they’re bailing out water trying
to survive
they look and see jesus asleep in the
stern
on a pillow
because the bible says he will sleep on
a cushion
tell the truth and shame the devil have
you ever felt like god is going to sleep
on you
your whole world is falling apart and
you’re calling on heaven and the line is
busy
jesus is not doing anything he’s nowhere
to be found
that was theirs that was their sentiment
and the bible says they had to arouse
him which means he was sound asleep
they had to shake him to get him up he
was so asleep in a storm
so he sleep in the storm they wake him
up
and then they ask the question that we
all ask when god disappoints us
do you not care that we perish don’t you
care what i’m going through don’t you
care how i’m hurting
don’t you see my tears don’t you see how
afraid i am don’t you
care about me because sometimes when you
in a storm
it looks like god is nowhere to be found
he’s snoring on you
sleep on you the line is busy and your
world is falling apart
do you not care jesus christ when they
wake him up
he gets up and his first words are why
are you so timid oh ye of little faith
what had happened was
the storm caused them to forget the word
because if they were to remember the
word and saw jesus on his pillar they
would have gotten out their pillar
and everybody went on their pillar and
everybody wouldn’t been sleeping
in the midst of a storm because they
would have remembered
his word god will allow a storm to see
whether you knew what you were saying
when you said amen
to the sermon
the point is simply this your foundation
determines your future
and your foundation is the word of god
applied not just the word of god studied
heard or known
until application hits you will not see
the intervention
of god so while you are waiting on god
i am waiting on god he is waiting on us
he is waiting on the men to take their
rightful place
to begin to dream dreams and to have
visions that begin to apply
and to say like joshua as for me and my
house we will serve the lord
he’s waiting for men to pour the
foundation on which everything else can
stand
but then he’s waiting on all believers
to apply god’s truth to their lives
whether they be male or female to see
god
intervene so don’t get me wrong
i am not suggesting to follow god means
to avoid storms
and sometimes until you really follow
him you haven’t seen it rain yet
i am saying when the word of god is
applied
without being mixed with human wisdom
that contradicts his authoritative word
you have now engaged the programming of
his word
to work and you will watch him
even in the missile storm the wise man
still had a hurricane
he didn’t avoid a hurricane he just
withstood it
he didn’t succumb to it because
he was resting on the right foundation
then we were created to be builders
we’re told to build a house now the
house
in the bible can refer to a number of
things it can refer to building a life
it can be referring to building a family
it can refer to building a
church or ministry and it can even be
used
of building a society so you’re in the
home
house building business but if we do not
lay the right foundation
the structure is in trouble it is
incumbent and critical that men
understand that the reason god
created us first before
he created a woman was we would be
responsible for laying the foundation of
all the other buildings
that would be erected on it
when the foundation gets shaky the doors
are in trouble the windows are in
trouble
the walls are in trouble the roof is in
trouble because
the foundation is not living up
to its manufacturer’s specifications
now foundations aren’t necessarily
pretty but they are strong
because they’re designed to hold up
everything else man
let’s rise to the level of being solid
foundations
so that the buildings that we are
responsible for seeing
erected in our lives and in our culture
stand strong because the foundations
upon which they rest are strong enough
to hold them up
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you