River Church NOLA
Wed Oct 21
  • One Way
  • Rest On Us
  • Evidence
  • I Worship You Almighty God
  • Intro
    Boudreaux decided he was going to build himself a camp down on the beach at Grand Isle. Thibodeaux came by to watch, and there was Boudreaux, pounding his stakes straight down into the sand.
    Thibodeaux said, "Boudreaux, ain't you gonna drive some pilings? Pour you some concrete?"
    Boudreaux said, "Mais non, cher! Concrete cost money. Sand is free, and dey got all you want!"
    Two months later a hurricane rolled through. Thibodeaux drove down to check on his buddy and found Boudreaux standing on an empty lot, scratching his head.
    "Boudreaux, where your camp went?"
    Boudreaux said, "I don't know. But I tell you one thing — that free sand turned out to be the most expensive thing I ever bought."
    Pause
    We laugh, because down here we know better. You don't build in South Louisiana without asking what's underneath.
    But sometimes even smart people forget.  
    On June 24, 2021, in the middle of the night, part of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, collapsed. Ninety-eight people died. It was a beautiful oceanfront building — the kind of place people work their whole lives to afford.
    Here's what haunts me. Three years earlier, an engineer had inspected the building and warned of major structural damage underneath the pool deck and in the garage. The problem wasn't in the penthouse. It wasn't in the lobby. It was down low, out of sight, in the part nobody admired. And while the repairs were debated and delayed, the residents went on living their lives upstairs, never knowing what was happening beneath them.
    That's the frightening thing about foundations. You can't see them from the street. A house on sand and a house on rock can look exactly alike — same paint, same porch, same view — right up until the storm comes.
    So the question is this…

    What is your life built on?

    Not what does it look like, but what is it built on?
    Matthew 7:24–27 NLT
    24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
    These are the last words of the Sermon on the Mount. For three chapters Jesus has been teaching about anger, lust, honesty, enemies, money, worry, and judging others. Now He closes the way a good preacher closes — with a story that forces a decision.
    And Jesus knew what He was talking about. Mark 6:3 calls Him a tektōn — a builder, a craftsman. He'd stood on job sites. He knew the difference between a shortcut and a foundation.
    His first listeners would have pictured the dry, sandy creek beds of Galilee. In the summer they look like perfect building lots: flat, smooth, easy to dig. But when the winter rains come, those dry beds become rushing rivers overnight. The flat lot that looked so convenient in July is the exact place the water runs in January.
    Matthew tells us that when Jesus finished, the crowds were amazed, because He taught with real authority (Matthew 7:28–29). He wasn't offering one opinion among many. He was saying: My words are the ground you build on, or the ground you'll wish you had.

    Two Builders, One Storm

    Before we look at the sand and the rock, notice what these two builders had in common. It's more than you'd think.

    They both heard.

    Read it again: "Anyone who listens…" and "anyone who hears." The foolish builder wasn't someone who never came to church. He was in the crowd. He heard the same sermon. Jesus isn't talking about people who are out there somewhere. He's talking about people who are in here.

    They both built.

    Neither one was lazy. Both put up walls and a roof. Both had a house they could point to.

    They both got the storm.

    Same rain, same flood, same wind. Jesus never promised the wise builder a sunny forecast. Rain from above, floods from below, wind from the side — trouble came from every direction for both of them. Following Jesus is not storm insurance. It's a foundation.
    So what was the difference? Only two things — and you couldn't see either one from the road.

    The difference in the two builders:

    1. What they built on.

    Luke's version says the wise man "dug deep and laid the foundation on solid rock" (Luke 6:48). The difference was underground.
    Luke 6:48 NLT
    48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

    2. What they did with what they heard.

    One followed it. One didn't. James puts it bluntly: "Don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves" (James 1:22).
    James 1:22 NLT
    22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
    The storm doesn't create the difference between those two houses. The storm reveals it.

    1: The House on the Sand

    Why would anybody build on sand? Because sand has some very appealing qualities.
    What Sand Is Like
    1. Sand is easy. No digging, no blasting, no waiting. You can start building today. Sand is the foundation of the shortcut.
    2. Sand is attractive. Nobody builds on sand because they're stupid. They build there because of the view. Beachfront lots cost more than anything else on the coast. Sand foundations usually come with a beautiful view.
    3. Sand looks solid — until it gets wet.On a dry day you can walk on sand, park on it, stack things on it. But when water soaks in between the grains, they lose their grip on each other and the ground starts to behave like a liquid. Engineers call it liquefaction. Sand holds you up fine — right up until you actually need it to.
    4. Sand shifts. Dunes walk. Beaches move. Sand is never in the same place twice. You can't anchor to something that won't stay put.
    5. Sand erodes slowly. Louisiana knows this better than anybody. We've watched our coastline slip away — not all at once, but a little at a time, until one day the marsh your granddaddy fished is open water. Most sand foundations don't fail in one day. They wash out a grain at a time, and you don't notice until the storm.
    6. Sand is broken rock. Here's the one that gets me. Sand isn't the opposite of rock. Sand is rock — ground down into tiny pieces. That's what makes it so deceptive. A lot of sand foundations are fragments of truth broken off from the whole: a Bible verse pulled out of context, a good thing turned into a god thing, a half-truth that sounds almost right.

    What are some examples of Modern Sand?

    Nobody in this room is building on literal sand. But we build on the spiritual kind all the time. Here's what sand looks like in 2026:

    Feelings.

    "Follow your heart" is on every coffee mug in America. But Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is the most deceitful of all things. Feelings are real, but they shift with the tide. They make a terrible foundation.

    Money.

    A 401(k), a paid-off truck, a good job with benefits. Those are blessings. But ask anybody who lived through 2008 or the 2020 shutdown how solid money feels in a storm.

    Approval.

    Followers, likes, reputation, what the family thinks. Building your identity on applause is building on the most shifting sand there is — the crowd that cheers on Sunday can be the crowd that shouts on Friday.

    Performance.

    “I'm a pretty good person." Your résumé, your record, your track record of being the responsible one. Even religious performance — perfect attendance, a clean list of things you don't do. If your standing with God rests on your performance, you're on sand, because the storm will eventually find the crack.

    A person.

    A spouse, a child, a parent, even a pastor. People are gifts from God. But no human being was built to carry the full weight of your life. Put it all on them and you'll crush them — and when they fail you, you'll fall too.

    Politics.

    Whoever you voted for, if your peace depends on who wins the next election, your foundation moves every two years.

    Someday.

    "I'll get serious about God when the kids are older. When work slows down. When I retire." Good intentions are the softest sand on the beach.

    Hearing without doing.

    This is the one Jesus actually named, and it's the most dangerous sand for church people. Sermons, podcasts, Bible apps, worship playlists — we have more access to Jesus' teaching than any generation in history. But listening is not building. You can hear a thousand sermons on forgiveness and still be building on sand if you won't forgive your brother.
    Let me be honest. Every one of us has some sand in our foundation. The question isn't whether you've ever leaned on something shaky. The question is:

    When the last storm hit your life, what did you reach for first?

    That's what you're really built on.

    2: The House on the Rock

    Now let's walk over to the other lot.
    What Rock Is Like

    1. Rock doesn't change.

    The bedrock under that house was there before the builder showed up, and it'll be there after he's gone. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8
    Hebrews 13:8 NLT
    8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

    2. Rock bears the weight.

    Here's something we miss. The builder doesn't hold up the rock. The rock holds up the builder. David prayed, "Lead me to the towering rock of safety" (Psalm 61:2). You don't climb on the Rock because you're strong. You climb on because you're not.
    Psalm 61:2 NLT
    2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

    3. Getting to rock costs something.

    Luke says he "dug deep." That's slow, sweaty, unglamorous work. Nobody throws a party for a foundation. Nobody posts pictures of footings on Instagram. The most important part of the house is the part nobody ever sees.

    4. Rock doesn't move in the storm — but the house still gets hit.

    Jesus said the rain fell and the wind beat against the house on the rock too. Building on the rock doesn't mean you won't get wet. It means you'll still be standing when the water goes down.

    Jesus is the Rock

    Here's where the good news comes in. Jesus is not telling you to go make a rock. You couldn't if you tried. The Rock is already there.
    1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT
    11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
    Paul says the rock that followed Israel in the wilderness "was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).
    1 Corinthians 10:4 NLT
    4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
    Peter calls Him the chosen cornerstone, and promises that anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced (1 Peter 2:6
    1 Peter 2:6 NLT
    6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
    That foundation was laid at Calvary. When Jesus said "It is finished," the concrete set. You don't earn your way onto the Rock. You don't obey your way into God's love. You build on what He already finished. Obedience isn't how we get on the Rock. Obedience is what building on the Rock looks like.

    Modern Rock: What Building on Christ Looks Like

    So what does it look like duering the week to build on the Rock?

    Trusting His record, not yours.

    When guilt or shame comes knocking, you point to what Jesus did, not to what you've done (Romans 8:1).

    Obey Him, not just read.

    One verse lived out beats a whole chapter highlighted.

    Prayer as a first response, not a last resort.

    Taking it to God before you take it to Facebook.

    Faithfulness in small, unseen things.

    “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones" (Luke 16:10). Foundations are made of small things nobody notices.

    Forgiving when it costs.

    Few things show what you're built on faster than how you treat the person who hurt you (Ephesians 4:32).

    Honesty when a lie would be easier.

    On the tax form, on the time sheet, in the marriage.

    Real community.

    Not just attending, but being known — people who can tell you the truth and pray you through the storm (Hebrews 10:24–25).

    Open-handed generosity.

    Giving loosens money's grip and reminds you where your security really is.

    Quick repentance.

    Rock builders still mess up. The difference is they don't stay there. "If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 John 1:9).
    Notice none of these are spectacular. That's the point. Rock-building is mostly digging — ordinary obedience, done day after day, in the strength Jesus gives.
    So let me ask it straight:

    What has Jesus already told you to do that you haven't done yet?

    That's where the digging starts.
    Closing Story: The Last House Standing
    Let me tell you about Warren and Pam Adams.
    Pam had always dreamed of living at the beach. So they bought a lot in Gilchrist, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula. In 2005, Hurricane Rita came through and destroyed their house.
    A lot of people would have walked away. Warren and Pam decided to rebuild on the same piece of ground — but not the same way. This time they built to the new hurricane codes. Reinforced concrete foundation. The whole house raised high on pilings. It cost more. It took longer. They moved in in the spring of 2007.
    Seventeen months later, in September 2008, Hurricane Ike came ashore. On paper it was only a Category 2. But it pushed a storm surge like a Category 4. Warren said they barely got off the peninsula — another half hour and they'd have been trapped.
    When they were finally allowed back, the town was gone. Ike had flattened almost every one of the roughly 200 homes in Gilchrist. Warren said it looked like somebody had dropped a bomb.
    But a helicopter pilot flying over a few days later took a picture that went around the world. In a sea of splintered wood and empty slabs stood one bright yellow house. The Adamses' house. The last house standing.
    Now, here's what I want you to hear. That house did not come through untouched. The garage on the ground floor was swept away. The staircase was gone. Water and mud had gotten inside. It took a beating like every other house on that beach. The difference wasn't the storm. The difference was what was underneath.
    And Pam didn't gloat. She said she felt guilty that her house survived when her neighbors' didn't. Most of those homes were older, built before the new codes. Those were good people who just built the old way.
    They repaired the house. They opened a little barbecue place right across the street. For years, people would drive out just to look at that yellow house. Folks on the peninsula said that when they drove back in after Ike, they couldn't tell where they were — until they saw that house. It became the landmark everybody found their way home by.
    Pam said it best: "There's a reason that house was still standing."
    (Pause.)
    The Invitation
    Some of you have already watched a house fall. A marriage. A career. Your health. Your reputation. A version of your faith that couldn't take the weight. You built on the sand, and the storm came, and you know exactly what Jesus meant by "a mighty crash."
    Here's the good news of the Adams' story — and the far better news of the gospel: a fallen house doesn't have to be the end of the story. You can rebuild. Same life, same piece of ground — but this time on the Rock.
    And here's what I love: the people standing on the Rock become landmarks for everybody else. Your rebuilt life may be the yellow house somebody else needs to find their way home.
    So I'm asking you for a commitment this evening. Not a feeling. A decision.
    1. If you've never built your life on Jesus, today is the day. Not someday — today. "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). The foundation is already poured. All you have to do is build on it.
    Romans 10:9 NLT
    9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
    2. If you've been hearing but not doing, name the one thing. The person you need to forgive. The habit you need to break. The step of obedience you've been putting off. Write it down, and do it this week.
    3. If your house has already fallen, don't walk away from the lot. Come and rebuild on the Rock. God specializes in second foundations.
    As we sing, I'm going to ask you to respond. Maybe that's coming down front so someone can pray with you. Maybe it's writing your one thing on the card in your bulletin and dropping it in the box on the way out. However you do it, don't leave here the way the foolish builder did — having heard it all, and changed nothing.
    The storm is coming for all of us. The only question is what you'll be standing on when it gets here.
    Closing Prayer
    Lord Jesus, You are the Rock. You were here before us, and You'll be here after every storm has passed. Thank You that we don't have to make our own foundation — You laid it at the cross, and You finished it.
    Forgive us for building on sand. For trusting our feelings, our money, our reputations, and our own goodness. Forgive us for hearing Your words and walking away unchanged.
    For everyone here who has watched a house fall, give them courage to rebuild on You. For everyone who has been hearing and not doing, give them grace to take the next step this week. And when the rain falls and the floods rise, hold us up — not because we're strong, but because You are.
    In Jesus' name, amen.

      • Matthew 7:24–27NLT

      • Luke 6:48NLT

      • James 1:22NLT

      • Hebrews 13:8NLT

      • Psalm 61:2NLT

      • 1 Corinthians 3:11NLT

      • 1 Corinthians 10:4NLT

      • 1 Peter 2:6NLT

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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