Firm Foundation
July 23 | DNA Guide
Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.
Read Together: Matthew 7:24-27 CSB
The One Question:
Ask this question at your family meal or DNA.
What are the potential consequences of seeking approval from others as the main foundation of our decisions and actions?
Grow Together:
Use these questions to go deeper with your DNA or for personal study.
This parable tells the story of two houses built on two different foundations, one on solid rock and one on sand. When a storm came and rattled the houses to their core, the house built on rock stood, but the house built on sand fell. We are literally building the foundation of our identity throughout our lives, brick by brick, and many of those bricks end up being the words of others. The only voices besides Jesus that speak into our lives are those of people. A foundation built upon sand is a foundation built on the words, expectations, and opinions of anyone other than Jesus. He says that those who put His words into practice are building their foundation on a solid base.
Jesus says that whether you build your house on rock or sand, the storms of life will hit. It's guaranteed. If our identity is built on a foundation that fails, we will experience a great sense of rejection.
How to build a foundation that’s sturdy enough to hold real weight:
1) Address the faulty foundation. Let go of man's approval, recognize where you've let the wrong voices speak into the foundation of your life.
2) You can build a foundation on the Rock! If you want to build your foundation somewhere, build it on the words of Christ! If you want to come alive as a citizen of heaven, you need to embrace God’s words and approval as your foundation. Approval comes from God alone.
3) Build into what Jesus is already building. It’s not enough to hear the words, we must also do something with them. It’s not enough just to comprehend the love of God. We’ve got to hear what God says, and do something with it in response. No matter what happens on a human level, our approval comes from Christ and Christ alone.
Questions to Discuss
Jesus says that whether you build your house on rock or sand, the storms of life will hit. It's guaranteed. If our identity is built on a foundation that fails, we will experience a great sense of rejection.
How to build a foundation that’s sturdy enough to hold real weight:
1) Address the faulty foundation. Let go of man's approval, recognize where you've let the wrong voices speak into the foundation of your life.
2) You can build a foundation on the Rock! If you want to build your foundation somewhere, build it on the words of Christ! If you want to come alive as a citizen of heaven, you need to embrace God’s words and approval as your foundation. Approval comes from God alone.
3) Build into what Jesus is already building. It’s not enough to hear the words, we must also do something with them. It’s not enough just to comprehend the love of God. We’ve got to hear what God says, and do something with it in response. No matter what happens on a human level, our approval comes from Christ and Christ alone.
Questions to Discuss
- How can we practically cultivate a "rock-like" foundation in our lives by deepening our reliance on Jesus and His teachings? Share personal experiences or examples of individuals who have done this effectively.
- Discuss the role of peer pressure and the fear of rejection in pushing people towards the "sand-like" foundation.
- How does our relationship with Jesus enable us to withstand the storms of life?
- Explore the contrast between temporary gratification through human approval and the lasting fulfillment found in a genuine relationship with Jesus.
- Discuss the freedom and peace that come from relying on Jesus as our firm foundation.
Pray Together:
Take time to pray with and for each other.