Built Different | Pastor Nadine Raphael

When you face betrayal, he's the rock. When your health is struggling, he's the rock. When the enemy is coming up against you and your family, he's the rock. The rock doesn't mean no storm. It just means that I'm standing firm in the midst of that storm. So it doesn't matter if you come or go. It doesn't matter if you support me or not. If you like me, my life is built on the rock. I'm Nadine. For those that don't know me, who has never heard me preach before? Just kinda, oh wow. Okay. So, first services was the same thing. I, you know, I'm passionate. Right, y'all? Right, right? I'm passionate in my preaching. I got saved over 30 years ago while serving six years in prison. And God came in to sell 232. Mm. I was young, what a God. I was young, you know, in my early 20s. And God showed up in that cell on a cold morning at 3.15 a.m. In an eight foot concrete cell and saved me and delivered me

and gave me a purpose and a hope and a future. You know, that's what he does, right? That you're not too far from God that he can't reach where you are. You're not too far in the pit that his hand can't stretch even deeper still and pull you up out of that pit and use you, put his spirit inside of you and use you and give you a calling and a purpose on your life. And how many know he's still doing that? He still reaches into pits. He still goes into prison cells. It may not be a physical prison, it could be a mental prison, a spiritual prison. It could be an emotional prison and he's still reaching for people and delivering them and calling them and giving them a hope and a future. And so that's my little, that's my story. I hail from New York where the Knicks is about to sweep. Come on. God is like, keep it godly, Nadine. I'm like, that's godly. They're about to sweep the Spurs. Okay. In the name of Jesus. So we got a word today. We got a word. At the time of the passage

that we are about to read together, Jesus has done some noteworthy miracles. That particular day, he has done extensive ministry. And so the crowds are forming. They're not dying down. They continue to come. It's one day and the crowds begin to get larger and larger to the point the scripture says it became a multitude, which is thousands in Greek translation. And they're all gathering. And they're there, part of it is to see the miracles that they've heard about this guy who opened blind eyes and caused the deaf to hear and the mute to speak and the lame to walk. And so they came to see a miracle, but also they heard that when he teaches, it oozes with power and authority. And so they've gathered. And so Jesus needing some rest, he takes his 12 disciples and they go up a Judean mountain to get away from the crowd, but the crowds follow. And he sits them alongside this mountainside, the Judean mountainside, and they have no clue that they were about to hear what Bible historians call the greatest sermon ever preached to date, preached by the greatest preacher ever. And that sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon contains 111 verses of the most profound and comprehensive teachings from Jesus

about kingdom living in all the Bible. It contains teachings like the Beatitudes, attitudes that are indicative of those who say that there are the kingdom, you know, blessed are the pure because they shall see God, blessed are the meek because they shall inherit the earth. He taught things like love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, don't curse them, but bless them. He taught them to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He covered anger and lust and marriage and adultery and divorce and he taught them how to pray the Lord's prayer. He preached about beware of false prophets and entering through the narrow gate and the teachings go on and on, three chapters. Matthew chapter 5 all the way through chapter 7 is this sermon. He doesn't end the sermon on a high note. He doesn't end this sermon trying to excite the crowd the multitude. He doesn't end this sermon looking for applause or an emotional response. He ends with a challenge because hearing the truth does not change lives. Applying it does and he ends the sermon with a challenge. It's found for us in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 27 and I'm going to ask us to stand for the reading of this word. This, he just finished preaching all of this stuff. How to live right, how to treat your enemy, how to love those that don't love you, how to love those that persecute you, how to give like Gary just shared. I mean he taught all and this is how he ends the sermon. Matthew 7 verse 24 through 27 he said, therefore whoever hear these sayings of mine and does them I would liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descend the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did

not fall for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand and the rain descend the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall. The title of today's message is built different. Let's pray. Father in the name of Jesus we want our lives to be on a firm foundation. There are times that we don't know that we have drifted to sand today I ask that you would expose us intimately that you will begin to deal with our hearts not to shame us not to judge us but to lead us onto a firm foundation. Lord we give you permission circumcise our hearts with your truth today. Lord we ask that the Holy Highlighter the Holy Spirit will illuminate the scriptures to our hearts so that we can walk out of here fully transformed that we can walk out of here yielded and surrendered not just to a sermon but to you. Have your way let your word take root bear fruit 30 60 and a hundredfold in Jesus name amen amen you may be seated. In this parable we have two builders that's you and I that's every it represents everyone who hears the words of Jesus. In this parable it has two houses that represents the life that everyone is building. We're not all building the same lives but the houses represents the life that you're building that I'm building. Then it has two foundations and that means the lives what we are building our lives on but it has one storm and I must say that this storm storms comes to all of our lives just because you have a certain background or you have a certain you you're from a certain financial demographic or your gender it doesn't matter. Storms comes to every life. Storms are trials they're difficulty they're challenges in life. One of the greatest misconceptions among believers is that to believe that if you follow Jesus somehow you're storm-proofed. That if you just are faithful or you're you pray enough or you attend church or you serve in church somehow you can avoid storms but that's not the teachings of Jesus. Jesus never promises us a storm free life. He does promise us that he will be with us in the storm. That he will guide us through the storm. That he will lead us in the storm. That's he says in this world there will be trouble but

be of good cheer. Why? Because I've overcome the world and so that is what he promises us. The issue though is not the storm. It's not the whether the storms are coming. The issue is can we withstand them when they show up? Can we hold our ground when the storms come? Can we have will we have fortitude to endure the storm? However the parable is not about storms. It's good to know that well yes storms come but that's not what the parable is about. Parable is about our foundation Because all of us are building on one of these two foundations There's either rock or sand There's no third option We are all building our lives on one of those two Foundations. I want us to look at three powerful realities About our lives And the foundation that we are building it on the first reality is Your foundation determines your future Everyone jesus says in verse 24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house That's one's life on the rock The rock here is not a stone It's not something that you can hold in your hand the greek word for rock here is called petra It means a massive bedrock It is an immovable Foundation and the wise builder dug deep enough until he hit a bedrock Strong enough to support the house. He was building To support his life that he was building the house on this builder is called wise not because of his iq This builder is called wise not because of his intelligence Jesus called him wise because he applied the truth that he heard He allowed the word to transform how he lived his life

But there's a second builder jesus said in verse 26 and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them Will be like a foolish man, why is he foolish because he built his house on sand And it fell his house did with a great crash. The greek word for sand is amos It's loose sand. It's it's it's it's not the sand necessarily that you see on the beach. It is Compacted sand so compacted over time that it looks like rock You will almost think it's rock until pressure arrives and exposes it for the sand that it is The house looked strong until the storms came How many know storms comes and visit everyone? No one in this room will be exempt of storms No, it shows up in our lives and the storm showed up in this builder's life and the house that he built and the Foundation that he built on built it on could not stand up to the storm Jesus calls this man foolish Not because he had low iq Not because he was ignorant, but because he heard the same teachings of the wise and chose not to apply it The person who builds their life on jesus's truths Is a person who builds their life on a firm foundation But the one who builds his life on the rock on the sand are those who builds their life based on money They build their lives based on success based on relationships Based on achievements possessions likes and follows They build their lives based on the good that they do how good they are Their self-righteousness how many scriptures they know? How they can recite how well they can pray? How often they attend church? They build their lives on people's opinions of them How i'm seen in public So there's no internal there's no private fortitude because all they care about is their public life And how it is seen listen

Anything that can be taken from you should never be a foundation that you build on Because it's here today and it's gone tomorrow Nothing wrong with some of the things that I just mentioned. The problem is they cannot withstand the storms They cannot withstand the floods when it comes They cannot withstand the winds when it blows but notice jesus says but the man who built on the rock not many rocks the rock The rock is not simply doctrine The rock is not simply church attendance the the rock is not simply christian culture The rock is a person and that person has a name and his name is Jesus is the rock. Can somebody say amen? Paul writes in first corinthians 10 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ in a world that is constantly changing and people are changing circumstances change the economy change Government change but jesus the rock he remains the same. He was the same yesterday He's the same today and forever more. So when you're When business fails, he's the rock. When finances fail, he's the rock. When friends walk away, he's the rock. When you face betrayal, he's the rock. When your health is struggling, he's the rock. When the enemy is coming up against you and your family, he's the rock. The rock doesn't mean no storm. It just means that I'm standing firm in the midst of that storm. So it doesn't matter if you come or go. It doesn't matter if you support me or not. If you like me, my life is built on the rock. Listen, the hymnal said that on Christ,

the solid rock, I stand because all other ground is sinking sand. We gotta make a decision to make, I told y'all I get loud. We gotta make a decision to stand on Christ, the solid rock. This is what David declared. He says in Psalm 18, two, the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation. He says in Psalm 62, six, the Lord is my rock, I shall not be moved. He said in Psalm 27, the Lord is the light of my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? David wasn't writing this because he saw no storms. He looked over his shoulder and he had a decades of storms. He had been hunted, he had been betrayed, he had been attacked, ridiculed, persecuted, disappointed, and he came to this one conclusion. After all that I've been through, I come to this same conclusion, the Lord is my rock. He is my firm foundation. When the lion came against me, he was my rock. When the bear came against me, he was my rock. When that big old Philistine giant showed up against me, the Lord was my rock. No, you may not have a Philistine giant. The giant may be fear showing up in your life.

The giant may be a supervisor that's breathing down your neck. The giant may be a health report that you receive, but you got to make a decision. It doesn't matter how great the giant is. I serve a God that's greater than all the giants in the earth. I serve a God that is faithful. I serve a God that is able to deliver me from the mouth of the lion, to deliver me from the bear, to deliver me, can somebody say amen? We serve a God who is our firm foundation and he is my rock. That's why David can write in Psalm 23, the Lord, he's with me in the valley. Even though I walk through the valley, I shall fear no evil. Why? Not because I got some kind of weaponry. No, I got something greater. I got the rock that is with me. His promises don't change. His character doesn't change. His word doesn't change. He's faithful. Even when I'm not faithful, he remains faithful to me. No matter what we go through church, when our lives is built on the rock,

it keeps me firm. In times of trials, in times of struggles, you got to remind yourself who your rock is. Your rock ain't the job. Your rock is not your bank account. Your rock is something greater than that because those things can change. Jesus himself, he impacts when your life is built on the rock, it impacts the outcome of your future. But secondly, when your life is built on the rock and when you know that it's built on the rock and you're trying to make sure that it's built on the rock, the parable, the text shows us another reality. Your foundation is not revealed by what you say, it's revealed by how you live. We can say anything. That's not going to demonstrate what foundation that you're on. No, it's how the choices that you make, it's the decisions that you make, your actions, that's what determines what you're actually building your life on. Luke 6 46 says, why do you call me Lord, Lord, Jesus says, and do not do what I say. Anyone can say the right things and quote the right scriptures

and sing all the worship songs about what a God, what a God, but the true test of our foundation is not the songs that we sing on Sunday, it's how I show up on life on Monday, it's how I show up on the job on Wednesday, it's how my, when my family's going through a trial on Thursday, it's how I respond to those trials. Church, when building your life, when Christ is your foundation, you make decisions based on biblical conviction, not on what is convenient, not on what is comfortable, not on what looks good, no, you live for God's approval. and you don't live for people's applause. You pursue obedience to God over popularity or wanting to be accepted. This is when you know that Christ is your foundation. There are times that I've been asked to go and preach, and I travel and preach and all of that. And I know the people want to hear a bubblegum message. I know they want just an appetizer, Nadine. Come on, somebody. I know there are some churches that just come and make us feel good. Just come and give us a good shouty, shouty message. And I got a decision because that's the first time I'm being invited to that house.

And there are times you want to be invited again, and God has given you a message that, no, no, no, Nadine, you're not going to tell them what they want to hear. You're going to tell them what I want them to hear. And in that moment, I got a decision. Whether I'm going to preach for the applause of people or I'm going to preach to hear a well done from my father, I got a decision to make. You got a choice to make. Whether I'm trying to get an amen from you or I'm trying to get an amen from heaven. It's in those times I got to make a decision if they never invite me back. I know that I'm going to be obedient to what God has called. Listen, it may not look like that for you. It may be different on the job when they're asking you to fudge the numbers, when they're asking you to lie to the client, when you're a salesperson, and I love our salespeople, but when you're that call salesperson and you know this is a lemon and you got to make a decision, do I sell this single mother a lemon that I know this car is going to break down on her? Do I sell it to her because I need the commission? Or do I honor my relationship with God by being truthful and honest with this person? And here's the thing, church. You may think that I'm losing this money now,

but anything you do for God will never be a loss to you. He will give it back to you full press measure, full and running over. He will pour into you. You could never out give God. The sacrifice you make for God today, you're going to look over your shoulder and you're going to see God gave me 10 times more than what I gave him. Can somebody say amen? We got to live our lives in our actions that determines the foundations that is on. King Saul, first king of Israel, started out humble but drifted to public approval. He cared more about the people's opinion of him than God's approval of him. When pressure came, he was exposed as a people pleaser. And his foundation crumbled and he lost the kingdom. He told God, I feared the people and obeyed their voice. We can build our lives. And it doesn't matter how extravagant and popular that that life looks. It won't mean much if you're building it on the wrong foundation. The question is not what you have built. It's not look at my house and look at my car and come to the corner office that I have that I'm out overlooking Miami and I got all of these things. No, no, no. It's not what you're building.

It's what you have built it on. What am I building my life on? Is it to get people to think that I'm someone that I'm not? Oh, man, we got more to cover, but let's sit with that for a minute. Lord, because you can think you're building it one way, I guarantee you the man who built his house on a sand thought it would stand. He thought he was good. No one builds their house with determining that it's going to fall. He thought he was good until that day when hurricane category three came into his neighborhood, the neighborhood of his life, of his marriage, of him as a father or her as a mother, as a wife, until the winds blow into that family. That is when you know the foundation that you were building on all along. The foundation that we are building on will show in our decisions and our actions and how we treat people and how we surrender to God and how we yield to God, how we follow God, how we commit to God, how we repent before God. And where it shows? In storms, which leads to the third point. Your foundation is revealed by storms, not success. Verse 27 says, the rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew and beat against that house. Hear me church both houses looked fine when the sky was clear Both houses

Look good under the glistening gleam of the sun Both appear to be successful with no visible difference the the the the the the neighbors couldn't tell Those who visited the house they couldn't tell Even the builders themselves Felt confident about the house that they were building, but the foundations are not tested in sunshine Our foundations are tested in storms. Anybody can praise god with a full bank account Anybody can praise god when your health is good Anybody can praise god and it seems like god is answering all your prayer requests But what happens when the skies open and the rain comes? When the job is removed when they downsize your department When you face betrayal from someone that you trusted And loved deeply when you got served the divorce papers When the doctor told you that you have how many days to live and and when those that you've been faithful to Turned out to be unfaithful to you. The storm doesn't create the weakness It just reveals it It reveals what i've been trusting all along What i've been depending on what i've been leaning on what i've been looking to all along you can have all the things And it doesn't mean that you're on a firm foundation You can pray until the paint comes off the wall and it doesn't mean that you're on a firm foundation You could sing until you put people up under their seats the way the way you hit those notes, but it doesn't Mean You are on a firm foundation. Remember samson Perfect example, he defeated the philistines enemies by himself. He won battles He walked in supernatural strength the bible says from the outside He looked unstoppable, but the beneath the victories there were cracks in his foundation He had compromise in his life. He had pride in his life He had lust in his life and every challenge that he faced was god's Invitation to deal with the cracks in his life and instead of dealing with the cracks. He covered it It's easy to cover it

We can go to church to cover it. We can we can Serve on the teams to cover it. We can we can have the nice house to cover it We can show up with the nice outfits to cover it. We can have drive the nice cars We can we can cover it in so many ways, but eventually Storms Show up in is this too hard for y'all I promise you there's no judgment I wasn't raised in a church. There is i'm not i'm not speaking this from a high horse. Listen, I remember when I was in prison And I was at this time I was about three years in in my prison sentence And I was at this time saved and serving the lord and all that other stuff And I was doing bible studies and I was doing the prayer meetings and I was holding church services like this On sunday mornings for the inmates and and I mean I was living in that glory Until the storm came And we got a new warden and that warden didn't like the amount of influence I had in her prison And so she began to mistreat me to withhold my mail in prison you live for mail That's your that's your connection to the outside world So I would be waiting for mail and they'll call my name and i'll go to the office to get mail and they'll laugh and say Not today Or my my family will come visit and they'll tell them the visiting hours is over Or i'll have to eat last. I mean i'm telling you you don't know how strong you are until the storms come Yeah There's a lot of things that you could deal with but there are certain things that you just I remember that with the last Straw for me is when my I had a daughter and she was about two years old at the time And she came to visit me and I hadn't seen her in a year And they withheld that visit from me, you know, I was so mad And I went to hug her and the guards tackled me to the ground And my daughter was crying I couldn't do anything and they took me to segregation which is a prison in the prison And I remember being so mad. It wasn't that I was mad at the guards church. I was mad with god Because you could do something and you

I'm doing this for you, I'm preaching for you, I'm honoring your name and all these inmates in here doing crazy stuff, they're not in segregation, but I'm doing Bible study and I'm in segregate, listen, there are storms that will show up in your life, it's not to break you, it's to show you the cracks that you have, Nadine, you are depending on how good life is, how comfortable life is, you are depending on a life without storms, but I'm showing you that your faith needs to come up, you need to have faith in me, whether there's storm or no storm, whether the sun is shining or no sun is shining, because I was making a decision that I'm not doing no more Bible studies, I told them in that cell, I'm not preaching in this prison anymore, I'm not teaching in this prison, I'm not doing services anymore, and he said, what about the people, I said, find somebody else to do it, and he gave me Jeremiah 12, I'm not going to go into it, I preached that message here, run with the horses, y'all got to find it somewhere, I don't know where it's at, but he gave me Jeremiah 12, if you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, Nadine, how are you going to do against the hooves of the horses, he said, you got to develop your faith in such a way that you can contend with horses, because the calling that I have for you, the purpose that I have for you, the assignment that I have for your life, you're going to need to be on a firm foundation so that your calling can sit on it, your assignment can sit on it, because sometimes the weight of the calling is too strong for the sand that you built your life on, so you can't carry the assignment, God said, let me expose the cracks you have, and exposed he did, he woke me up in that cell, I came out of that cell a different person, I realized, Nadine, storms are going to come, it's not to break you, it's to strengthen you, you got to know where your strength comes from, you got to know where your help comes from, you're going to let this warden stop you from the call of God on your life, she's going to determine you walking in your assignment, that day turned me around and gave me a fortitude and energy of strength that has carried me and seen me to this very day, listen, there are storms that God allows for divine inspections to show you your foundation, we're rebuking challenges that God has actually permitted to show you that you live in fear, you have a codependency issue, you have a need to be needed, when people don't need you, you don't feel valued, you use people, you take advantage of people, you're opportunist, you look for people as usury, how I'm going to use this person to

get to the next, I'm not saying you individually, but y'all understand what I'm saying, right? The storms comes to reveal the cracks that I have, not every storm is an attack, there are some storms that's not meant to destroy you, it's meant to redirect you, Jonah, because you're heading in the wrong direction, and so God has to send a storm so that you can get thrown off the boat, and then he sends the fish, because he's not trying to drown you, he sends the fish to save you, so that while you're in the belly of the fish, you can start recalculating, you could start repenting, you could start realigning, you could start saying, God, I'm so sorry, I was going off, but now I'm realigning, I wonder if we are rebuking storms that's meant to help us, because the greatest danger isn't that you're drifting, it's believing you're anchored while you're drifting, thinking you're something you're not, thinking you're firm when you're actually on sinking sand, I'm going to say it again, the greatest danger is not that you're drifting, because if I'm drifting, I could realign, no, no, no, the greatest danger is believing you're anchored all while you are drifting, so if you're asking, Lord, why am I facing this? Maybe the Lord is saying, because I love you too much to allow you to keep building on a foundation that can't sustain the future that I have for you, eyes have not seen, ears have not heard the plans that, and the purposes that I have for you, Jeremiah 29, 11, right, I know the thoughts that I have for you, plans that are good, and not evil, to give you a hope and a future, can your foundation hold up the call, the anointing, the purpose, the future that God has for you, so if there's pride beneath your surface, ask the Lord to reveal it, if there's complacency beneath the surface, ask the Lord to uproot it, if there's compromise beneath the surface. Lord, help me to remove it. Because the beauty is God gives us room, not only to address the cracks in our lives, but to make sure that we're on the right foundation. So how do we build on the rock? Matthew 7, 24 again says, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them. How do we build on the rock?

Number one, we have to, by choosing to not only hear God's word, but obey it. James 1, 22 says, but be doers of the word, not hearers only. Both builders heard the same sermon. The difference wasn't knowledge. The difference wasn't information. The difference was obedience. The difference was application. The wise builder applied the word. The foolish builder just admired it. That was a great sermon today. That was a great message today, Pastor T or Pastor Emma. The wise builder, no, he applied it. Many people collect sermons, they collect notes, they go to conferences, but spiritual maturity is not measured by our knowledge. Spiritual maturity is measured by our obedience. We gotta apply and obey the knowledge that we have, Psalm 119, 11 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. David, again, is writing. He's saying that I'm devoted to you, your word, God, so that sin will be diminished in my life. Being devoted to God's word creates stronger husbands. When a wife is devoted to God's word, it creates stronger wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, when a church, that's why it's good that, listen, church,

it's good that you go to a Bible preaching church because what's gonna sustain us is the knowledge of God's word and obedience to it, but you can't be going to a church that don't even preach the word of God. They preach their own opinions and feelings. No, we gotta know what the word of God says so that we can apply it to our lives. He says that it's the blueprint for our lives. The word of God, it teaches you on forgiveness, anxiety, anger, humility, self-control. No, a church that's founded on the word of God is a strong church. It's the church that Jesus Christ is building in this time. That's why the Bible says the word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to my path. It shows me the way that I'm supposed to take. Jesus said, whoever hears these word of mine and does them. This isn't about seeking perfection. Please, we won't get there. This side of eternity is about seeking obedience with the help of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't just say for you to walk in this and leave it on your own. No, he gives you his power, his spirit on the inside of you, enabling you to do what you cannot do on your own. Amen? All right, we build on the rock when we hear and applies God's word, but also by developing a genuine relationship with Jesus.

It's not just about religious routines, but a personal relationship with Jesus in prayer, spending time with the Lord in prayer, in worship, in fellowship with God, in dependence on when he convicts you, when the Holy Spirit convicts you, instead of you shrugging it off, you align with the conviction. When he says to say sorry, to apologize, to send the text or whatever the case, you know what it is that you have to obey. We know where it is that God is chiseling at our hearts and it's up to us to align. That is where relationship with Jesus is. It's in our devotion to follow him, to lean to God, to look to him, to depend on him, to follow him. But also by building character before crisis. Character is what remains when the pressure comes. It's who you are on the inside. It's you walking in integrity, not lying to make yourself look good. Walking in integrity, this is what it is. This is who I am in humility, you're teachable, you're bendable when God shows you area or God use others to show you some areas instead of you giving excuses. You look to the truth of God's word and say, God, help me to walk in this truth. Yes, it hurts for me to hear it, but if it's truth in it, help me to walk in the truth.

Am I faithful? This is character building. Do I have self-control? Are my lusts out of my eyes like Samson and lose the very call of God upon his life? You know, the Bible said he died a beast of burden. He died as entertainment for his enemies. The man that once was the judge of Israel because he couldn't take it. He could beat the Philistines, but he couldn't beat the lust in his heart. And yes, it will show up as cracks, and it's not to condemn you. I know, I'm so sorry for those of you that just hearing me preach. I promise next time I'll give you a bubblegum message. I can't, I can't, I really can't. By choosing to trust in God's truths over your feelings, that's building on a rock. I must choose to stand on God's promises over my emotions. So instead of, I don't feel God, or things aren't working, I start standing on, God is faithful. I know I'm going through something right now, but God is faithful. God's word is true. God is with me. No matter the storm that I'm facing, no matter the giant that's before me, no matter the supervisor that's giving me all, my God is faithful. He's going to see me through this. He's going to give me the victory over this. He's going to, why? Because I'm more than a conqueror in him. By living a life of surrender, a solid foundation is maintained through continual surrender. The wise builders are quick to repent, receive correction, to adjust, to align with the scriptures. When I'm reading the text, and you just read Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, and there's a lot of stuff in there that convicts us, including me. I'm not living up to that. I'm not praying for my enemies, bless them, bless your enemies. I'm praying, but I don't know if I'm praying a prayer of blessing.

When the word of God, and when I'm not lining up, I look at my life, and I say, God, help me. Help me to walk in this truth. Help me to align with this truth, oh God. Because listen, if I'm going to follow you, I'm going to follow. I'm from that. I'm, you know, the New York, the Brooklyn. If I'm going to do something, I'm 10 toes down. So if I'm going to follow Jesus, then I'm following Jesus. No matter what it costs. Church, if none go with me, if I end up losing friends, if I end up losing, listen, man of God, if she ends up walking away because now you are serving the Lord, and she's like, well, when I met you, you weren't serving the Lord. Well, now I am. I sure am. And she wants to leave you because you're turning your heart to the Lord, because you want to be a praying man. You want to be a righteous man. You want to walk in holiness. She should be thanking her lucky stars for a man like that. Living a life of surrender, no matter the cost. And then remaining faithful through trials. Remaining faithful through trials. The rock foundations are strengthened through obedience during difficulty. Anyone can praise God when things are good. But is he still good when life isn't? Do you still trust him, church? When life isn't good for you in this season, are you still going to remain faithful to him in the midst of sickness and loss and disappointment and the delay in the prayer request that you've been praying and praying and you haven't seen the results. Listen, he's got to be greater than the prayer request.

He's got to mean more to you than the next thing that he gives you. If you're looking for God just to be a genie in your life, that's not a personal relationship, that's transaction. Y'all hear what I'm saying? I wish I had enough time. Because I think a lot of us, what we have with the Lord, we call it relationship, but it's transaction. If I do this, then you give me this. If you don't give me this, then I don't give you this. And God is like, do you know who I am? I'm bigger than your prayer requests. I can do exceedingly abundant. I'm not worried about your comfort. I'm worried about your character. I'm worried about the foundation that you're on. I want to make sure that when I return, that you're ready. You're ready for the return of the Lord. That you can hear him say, Good and faithful servant, enter into your master's rest. The rock may very well be your foundation today. But are there any cracks? Maybe you're on a rock. But since we've been in here talking, you've been shouting at me, praise the Lord. Are you saying, you know what? I got to trust the Lord. The issue here. I'm living in regret here. I have unforgiveness here. I'm not loving that person here. I have a hatred towards those who voted different from me here. I walk in fear and God told me he has not given me the spirit but I have somehow made an agreement with fear. Fear controls me. It controls me on the job. I don't speak up.

I don't share. I don't. I have an idea. I don't give. I'm fearful and it has me in a in a choke hold. That's a crack. God is saying you gotta address the cracks. Bitterness, spiritual neglect, lust, secret sin, compromise, pride. It's cracks. When God reveals cracks it's not to shame you. It's to strengthen you. It's to address the cracks so it doesn't lead to a collapse. That's the kindness of God. No condemnation. He wants to bring deliverance and healing and freedom so you can live. I know this gonna sound weird but you'll get it but you can live crack free. I love y'all. Some of us have spent years asking God to change our storms but maybe today is as God is asking us to examine the foundation that the storm is revealing because long after the storm has passed only one thing will matter. What was your life built on? What were you building it on? Can you bow your heads all across this room? Just bow your heads for me really quickly. The house that stood wasn't a house that avoided the storms. It was just able to endure it. Some of us we've just been not only having cracks but there are those of us that we're not even on the right foundation. We can't deal with the cracks because we're on sand. Jesus is not your foundation. Jesus is not your rock and today we can't leave a service like this and and walk out and whoop-dee-doo about the cracks and God said no Nadine. There are some in the room that I'm not their foundation. They've been building maybe the foundation is their jobs, their career, their relationship. They may be their foundation. Nothing wrong with this but it can't be your foundation. Their marriage is their foundation. Their children is their foundation. Their business is their foundation. They're building their lives on those things and those things aren't bad. It just cannot replace the rock. And so if you're in this room and you want to make a decision that Jesus will become your rock, your foundation, that you surrender your life to him that before I could deal with the cracks I got a first deal. Make sure I'm on the right foundation. Jesus is the right foundation. The life he offers is the right foundation. The plans he has for me is the right foundation. The purpose that he has for me that's the right font and if that's you in this room today while heads are bowed would you just slip up your hand real quick and down. I'm not going to ask you to come up. Amen. Look at thank you for your honesty. Yeah bring them hands up and down. Praise God.

Yes, yes, yes. Glory be to the name of our Lord. Father in Jesus name. Listen I'm going to pray. We're going to pray a prayer while you're seated. We're going to pray this prayer. It's the prayer of salvation. I want everyone to repeat after me. I see your hand. I want everyone to repeat after me and then after that we're going to pray for our foundation. Say Lord Jesus. Come on say it loud and proud. Say Lord Jesus. I come to you today and I ask you oh God that you will be my firm foundation. Today I'm making a decision that my life will no longer be on a sand the sands of this world but that my life will be on a rock the rock of Jesus Christ. So Jesus I give my life to to you. I surrender to you. I surrender my thoughts, my ways, my actions, and my soul. Have it all. Come into my life. Cleanse me of my sins and fill me with your spirit. May today be the day that my name is written in your book. For today, I am a child of God. In Jesus' name. Amen. Can we give God praise? Amen. Hey, heaven is celebrating and we are celebrating with you and we want to walk this day together. So if you prayed that prayer or you just want to know more about Jesus, follow the prompts that are on the screen right now. We are so proud of you and honestly, God's vision for you is to see you live that better story. Epic and eternal, we say like this, to see you holy, healthy, happy, and bring in heaven to earth. And if you're watching and you want to help others find Jesus like that, you can partner with us and together we can make that epic difference. Hey, giving details are coming up on the screen and we just say if God's blessed you, you can be a blessing to other people as well. And hey, if you're here in the South Florida area, we'd love to see you in person. Check out the description below for times and the location where you can come to a service. We would love to see you soon. This is History Makers Church where friends truly become family. See you soon. you