When the Foundations Are Crumbling
Thursday, November 11th, 2010The audio portion of this broadcast is no longer available on-line.
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Send to friendHave you ever felt the earth shake beneath you? Often when I'm flying I think, "I'll be glad when this thing lands and I can put my feet on something firm and sure–Mother Earth." However, I happened to be in the Los Angeles area during a strong earthquake, and I was graphically reminded that Mother Earth is not always firm and sure! The one thing that seems to be solid–the ground beneath our feet–in reality is not very secure at all, is it?
As I was sitting in my hotel room in California that January morning, feeling the bed shake and watching things in the room swinging and moving, I began to think about the fact that nothing in this world is reliable. While much can be done to improve construction methods and try to build foundations for homes and roads and bridges that are earthquake-proof, no one can guarantee that anything built by man can withstand any earthquake.
Furthermore, events have shown all of us that our economy is vulnerable and shaky, and the continuing wide swings in the stock market are evidence of that. No matter how much money you may have invested and saved, you have to be aware that overnight everything you call "assets" could become worthless.
The foundations of the Judeo/Christian work ethic and our basic code of morality, which have been the building blocks of our society, are quickly disappearing. We're facing the reality that many people in our society have no foundational core belief system, no moral compass to guide them in their lives.
I can remember when employees felt very secure in their positions. But with the buy-outs and take-overs of today's corporate environment, there is little job security. We can't depend on our employer for security like we used to.
There's no question that all around us our foundations are shaking, from the ground under our feet through every aspect of our lives.
In Psalm 11:3 David asked the question: When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? Do you feel as though your foundations are being destroyed? Perhaps relationships you had counted on have fallen apart. Maybe your family foundations are beginning to shake. What can we do when our foundations are shaking?
The earthquakes which happen all around the world remind us that the earth beneath our feet is not reliable, our economy is like a roller-coaster, ethics and morality which were basic to our national heritage are quickly disappearing, and personal relationships seem to be under heavy attack.
David expressed the same consternation we feel today when he wrote, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" What can we do? Well, as I started to search God's Word for some answers, I found a very comforting passage in Hebrews 11:8-10:
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tent, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Abraham, the great man of faith, lived in a tent; his lot in life on this earth was very shaky–temporary and changing. But he knew his destination was God's city, with unshakable foundations. You see, when God builds the foundation, you can be very certain that it is secure. In Hebrews 12 we read that everything which can be shaken will be destroyed, so that what cannot be shaken may remain. And Hebrews also clearly tells us that created things are the things that can be shaken.
It should not surprise us to discover that all these created things are shakable. That piece of land you own, the house in which you live, the job you go to each day, your money in the bank, your investments in the stock market, that relationship which means so much to you–all of those created things are shakable.
But the good news we read in Hebrews 12:28 is that we who are born from above, who truly are disciples of Jesus Christ, are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We've already begun to receive that kingdom, and it will be ours completely when we join our Lord in that New City which will be unshakable.
What are you trusting in? Make certain that you're not putting your eggs in a basket that is vulnerable and shakable. Be sure you are placing all your hopes in God's eternal foundations, for everything else around you is undependable and will someday be destroyed.
We’ve heard a lot about how people living in areas where earthquakes occur cope with the constant threat of a major earthquake. Psychologists and counselors tell us that those people in many cases have underlying fears and anxiety, just knowing that the ground they walk on every day is not reliable and is likely to shake again under their feet. I can understand that uneasiness, can't you?
In fact, we can see how anyone living in this world of crumbling foundations could start to feel paranoid. I think David was feeling that panic inside when he asked, "When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
But David doesn't stop there. He shares with us his doubts and anxieties in great candor, but he always goes on to share the answer. And in the next verse he says, "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne." That's unshakable, and when all our earthly foundations are crumbling, we have to hold on tight to the certainty that God is still sovereign, He is still in control, and He is trustworthy.
Hebrews 12 gives us further good advice, as we see everything around us shaking and uncertain. Verse 28 says, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'
We are not left without hope. We are looking forward to an unshakable city, and that place being prepared for us by Jesus is absolutely certain and secure. You can put the whole weight of your trust on that promise, and know you will not be disappointed. Therefore, be thankful and worship God with reverence and awe, knowing that he has built a city for you that is absolutely safe and secure.
When you feel the earth shaking beneath you, either figuratively or actually, remember that God is still sovereign. He hasn't lost control of this world.
In fact, He often uses earthquakes to achieve His purposes. Remember that on the day Jesus died on Calvary a great earthquake shook the whole city, and that earthquake split the curtain of the temple from top to bottom. That curtain in the temple had hidden God from the people. No one was allowed to enter into that holiest place, except the high priest once a year to offer sacrifices for sin.
But when Jesus died for us, God sent an earthquake to split that curtain, and now we are able to go directly into God's presence. He used an earthquake a few days later to open the tomb where Jesus was buried. And our risen Lord came out of that tomb, as the earthquake shook the foundations. Because He's alive, we know that death has been conquered and no longer can have victory over us. Praise God for that earthquake.
And then in Acts 16, God sent an earthquake to shake the foundations of the prison where Paul and Silas were held, after being beaten and flogged. They were in the innermost cell, carefully watched, with their feet fastened in stocks, but that cell and those chains couldn't withstand God's earthquake. It broke the chains and opened all the doors of the prison, and as a result, Paul and Silas were free and they led the jailer to Christ.
Sometimes God uses earthquakes to perform miracles for us. Maybe you need an earthquake miracle today, something to break your chains and open the doors of your prison cell. God is able to do that for you.
Rejoice today, even though the foundations of our earth and our world seem to be crumbling around us; rejoice that you are headed for a city with a sure foundation. Praise God that He controls the earthquakes, and He is sovereign. So, even when the earth shakes beneath your feet, you can rest certain that you are in the arms of the Almighty God, who is unshakable, who never changes, who cannot be moved. Believe me, you are in good hands, the everlasting hands of God.
Psalm 16:8 is a good verse to remember: I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
God has been reminding me lately that repetition is the way we learn. Do you, like me, have to learn and re-learn and re-learn the lessons God wants to teach you? I'm amazed at the patience of our Lord, as I see how slow I am to truly learn and obey all that I know.
God will work on one area of my life, and I'll think we've made some progress. Then I look back a few weeks or months later, and realize that I need to learn again what God has already taught me. How easily I forget; how easily I go back into old habits and wrong ways of thinking.
What I'm learning from all this is that I must be prepared to re-learn many times the things I've already learned. I must go back and repeat, because repetition is absolutely essential for me. I think of the verse to the old hymn which says, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the Lord I love." Truly "prone to wander" is a good description of me. How about you?
Let me encourage you, if you find yourself in this same dilemma. Learn to re-learn. Go back and listen again to what God has already taught you. Do a lot of review. If there were books that spoke to your heart, read them again. If you've heard tapes or CDs of messages that made an impact on you, get them out and listen again and again. Repeat and repeat what you already know.
In the Bible God was constantly urging His people to remember, to recite, to re-learn what they had been dramatically taught already, because He knew that we are all prone to wander.
Plan to be a re-learner, so that your not so prone to wander from the good and basic lessons God has already taught you.
