The Fundamentals

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him into a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock Matthew 7: 24-25

We live in a fast pace hurry up world. No one wants to wait on anything. We have fast foods, microwaves, instant e-mail, and wireless networking. I have been part of a conference where participants were all over the country; it was all done by teleconference complete with audiovisuals and a number to order refreshments.

We have all these conveniences, yet we still don’t have time to get much done. I download devotionals, news and a ton of other information on my PDA, yet I rarely get a chance to view it all. Therefore I update new information before I get a chance to review the old. We are so stressed out that we can’t seem to focus on the simple pleasures of life.

We have an awesome computer system on my job. It is very fast and advanced. We can access patient records anywhere in the United States. In an instant we can download heart tracings, x-rays, lab data, and any past history that we need. Paper is just about obsolete.

When the computers aren’t working, and sometimes that happens, it brings things to a halt. Upgrades are ongoing, and ever so often we have to change out all of the computers.

In spite of all the things we do to make our job easier, it all boils down to whether or not we can do what we are trained to do. I have to be able assess, evaluate and treat a patient whether or not I can get his/her history off a computer. I have to know when his condition changes suddenly and what to do about it. I will never forget why I came into the profession in the first place, because that is the basis for my existence.

The principles or building blocks that I learned in nursing school are still powerful in my current operation. The fundamentals are still the same. Computers are nice, but if I didn’t have one, I would write on a card or a piece of tissue. I would do whatever I had to do because I hate sickness and suffering.

It is the same way in life. If we want to be sure and make it through the trials that come our way, we have to be rock solid in the fundamentals.

I have been here for over five decades now, and I can tell you from experience that this life on this side of heaven will bring issues that will beat you down. There is no easy solution and no quick fix.

Jesus is giving us the fundamentals of our faith, because grasping them can make the difference between standing solid and a total loss. This illustration shows us that the fundamentals are actually quite simple. All too often we make walking by faith a lot more complicated than it should be.

I played basketball in high school. I wasn’t very tall and I didn’t weigh much. But I worked hard on the basics (fundamentals). I was good at handling the ball so I was quick at getting to the basket for a high percentage shot. In addition to being a good outside shooter, I perfected the timing on stealing the ball. Therefore when I played the game, size wasn’t an issue. I was able to overcome because I was solid fundamentally. As a result I was actually pretty much fearless on the court.

This is the principle that Jesus is teaching us. It is absolutely vital that we build our faith on a solid foundation, and the strength of that foundation is fundamental.

Jesus talked about two men and two houses. Both of the houses were buffeted by hurricane caliber wind and rain. All things were identical except the foundation. Predictably, the house with the solid foundation lasted; the other collapsed in such a way that it could not be rebuilt.

Just like the houses, we can have two people claiming to know Jesus. They can go to the same church and live in the same neighborhood. They can sing the same songs and talk the same spiritual talk. But the difference is that one hears the Word and does it, whereas the other does not. So what does the Word tell us? It tells us how to keep our life from falling down.

Notice that verse 24 says, "Therefore". Before Jesus told this story, He said that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord", will enter into the kingdom. Many will say I did this and that, but Jesus will tell them to, "Depart from me, I never know you" see verses 21-23. Jesus Christ has many fans, but that does not mean He knows them.

The first fundamental is to make sure that Jesus knows us. In order to do that, we will have to go deeper than religious rhetoric and lip service. What I’m referring to is totally life changing. It will make a wife love her husband and a husband love his wife. It will bring an addict out of the crack house and into the church house. It will make a young woman save sex for marriage.

Jesus is interested in Christians that reveal Him in their homes, workplace, schools and colleges. He wants His Word to be revealed in our marriages and in all of our personal endeavors. I’m speaking of fundamental faith, fruits of righteousness and authentic fellowship; something that is so real, you cannot experience it and live in sin.

Not only does Jesus have to know us (which He already does), but we have to know Him. Once we know Him, then we can trust Him. We cannot trust a person that we don’t know, and we can’t obey a person we don’t trust. If we live our life outside of the will of God, we are on sand. Every day, the sand is shifting under the weight of adversity. And whether we feel it or not, we’re getting weaker and weaker. The wind and rain may not seem to be bothering us right now because we don’t feel wet. But we’re weaker.

There is no other way a Christian can live except by faith. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith means that I trust and obey the Word of God. Hearing and doing is the fundamental principle to building a rock solid life in Christ.

But whosoever keeps His Word, in him verily is the Word of God perfected. Thereby we know that we are in Him 1 John 2:5. Do you know Him? Do you love Him? Do you trust Him? Do you hear the Word and obey it?

Every good builder knows the importance of the foundation. The bigger the building, the stronger the foundation must be. It may take months of digging and pouring iron, steel and concrete before a single wall or floor is laid. But it is worth it.

You see, we cannot control the whether. Storms come out of nowhere. Things are smoothly, and then suddenly an unexpected problem appears. Family problems, health problems, financial problems and marriage problems are all real. The storms of life, no matter how violent they are, can only reveal how fundamentally strong we are.

This life is brief; "It is even a vapour that appears for a while and then vanishes away" James 4:14. Time is passing by. Here and now isn’t all there is. God is coming back one day. We need to prepare ourselves for eternity. Eye hasn’t seen, ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him 1 Corinthians 2:9

Someone wrote a popular song entitled, "I Can Only Imagine". One moment in God’s presence will more than pay for all of the trials we experience on this side of Eden. If the earthly house of this tabernacle dissolves, I have a building not made by hands 2 Corinthians 5:1.

Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants you totally on sand. But Jesus came to give us life and that more abundantly.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like phony. I want realness. I don’t want to hinder anybody. It is clear that many, who think they have favor with God, don’t. It is so important to get the fundamentals right so that our foundation will be strong enough to save us. Not only do we need to hear the Word, but do it. Only then can we be sure to avoid a final disaster.

Edmund Brown