Main Text — Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
and the rain descended, 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 the sand:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.
Central Supporting Texts
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.”
- Hebrews 6:19-20
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:11
Introduction
Church, we are living in a generation that is losing its anchors.
People are emotionally unstable.
Mentally unstable.
Spiritually unstable.
Families are shaking.
Marriages are shaking.
Minds are shaking.
Churches are shaking.
Nations are shaking.
And when everything around you is moving, you must know what is holding you.
Storms do not always create the instability within us.
But storms test our foundation.
Storms expose what we have been trusting.
Storms reveal whether our roots are deep or shallow.
Storms reveal whether we have built upon the Rock or merely decorated the sand.
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 that two houses were built.
But then the rain descended.
The floods came.
The winds blew.
And the storm struck both houses.
One remained standing.
The other collapsed.
The difference was not the storm.
The difference was the foundation.
The storm revealed what could not be seen before the storm arrived.
And today the Holy Spirit has sent me to speak to every weary soul, every wounded soul, every drifting soul, every discouraged soul, and every soul that has been trying to survive without a secure foundation:
You need an anchor.
Touch somebody next to you and tell them:
“Get anchored.”
Paul said:
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
These are not merely religious words.
These are not decorative words that we place on walls, plaques, greeting cards, or church banners.
These are enduring realities of the Kingdom of God.
Faith.
Hope.
Love.
They are not temporary emotions.
They are not religious slogans.
They are not motivational concepts.
They are divine graces produced in us through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
And when faith, hope, and love are rooted in Christ, storms may shake you, but they will not uproot you.
Being anchored does not mean that you are emotionally untouched by the storm.
It means that the storm cannot separate you from the One who is holding you.
You may be shaken.
But you will not be abandoned.
You may bend beneath the wind.
But by the grace of God, you will not be uprooted.
Main Theme
Faith anchors us in God’s truth.
Hope anchors us in God’s promises.
Love anchors us in God’s nature.
Together, they establish the believer in Christ.
But we must make one thing absolutely clear:
Faith, hope, and love are not three additional foundations beside Jesus Christ.
Christ alone is the foundation.
Faith, hope, and love are the enduring graces through which the life and character of Christ stabilize and form the believer.
Everything begins with Him.
Everything depends upon Him.
Everything must return to Him.
I. CHRIST IS THE FOUNDATION
1 Corinthians 3:11
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Everything begins with Christ.
Not religion.
Not tradition.
Not emotion.
Not human systems.
Not personalities.
Not denominations.
Not titles.
Not positions.
Christ.
Jesus did not say that the wise man was the one who merely heard His words.
He said:
“Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Hearing without obedience does not build a foundation.
Knowledge without surrender does not build a foundation.
Religious activity without relationship does not build a foundation.
The wise man heard the words of Jesus and built his life upon them.
The difference was not the storm.
The difference was the foundation.
Some people collapse emotionally when pressure comes.
Some collapse spiritually when suffering comes.
Some walk away from God when disappointment comes.
Some discover during the storm that they were trusting a church, a preacher, a feeling, or a season of blessing more than they were trusting Christ.
Why?
Because shallow roots cannot endure deep storms.
Before we examine faith, hope, and love individually, we must also remember the church to which Paul originally wrote.
The Corinthian church was highly gifted.
But they were also divided, competitive, proud, and immature.
They were impressed by gifts while failing to love one another.
And Paul told them that if he spoke with the tongues of men and angels but had no love, he had become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
If he possessed prophecy, understood mysteries, had knowledge, and even remarkable faith, but did not have love, he was nothing.
If he gave away everything he owned but did not have love, it profited him nothing.
Paul was teaching them that spiritual gifts may impress people, but love reveals spiritual maturity.
Gifts have their appointed purpose.
But love never fails.
That is why Paul finally declared:
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
II. THE FIRST ANCHOR - FAITH
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The Greek word translated as faith is:
πίστις - pístis
Faith is not fantasy.
Faith is not emotional denial.
Faith is not pretending that storms do not exist.
Faith is not closing your eyes to reality and calling that spirituality.
Faith looks directly at reality and still declares that God is greater.
Faith is confidence in God above visible circumstances.
Romans 10:17
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Faith is born from hearing God.
Not from hearing fear.
Not from hearing culture.
Not from hearing public opinion.
Not from hearing the crowd.
Not from hearing every changing emotion within us.
Faith comes from hearing the Word of God.
Fear asks:
“What if everything goes wrong?”
Faith asks:
“What has God said?”
Fear magnifies the storm.
Faith magnifies the One who rules over the storm.
Faith does not deny the storm.
Faith refuses to give the storm the final word.
FALSE FAITH
But there is also something called false faith.
In 1 Samuel chapter 4, Israel went into battle against the Philistines.
After suffering defeat, the elders asked why the Lord had allowed them to be defeated.
But instead of humbling themselves, examining their disobedience, and returning to God, they brought the ark of the covenant into the battle.
They treated the ark as if it were a spiritual object that could guarantee victory.
They shouted when the ark entered the camp.
They became emotionally excited.
The sound of their celebration shook the ground.
But their hearts had not returned to God.
They trusted the symbol without surrendering to the God represented by the symbol.
They had religion without relationship.
Celebration without consecration.
Appearance without obedience.
Noise without transformation.
That was false faith.
But true faith does not trust symbols, performances, or appearances.
True faith trusts God Himself.
True faith says:
“If God spoke it, He will fulfill it.”
True faith also says:
“If God corrects me, I will surrender.”
Faith is not controlling God.
Faith is trusting God.
Faith does not force God to agree with us.
Faith brings us into agreement with Him.
EXAMPLE - ABRAHAM
Romans 4:20-21
“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”
Abraham looked at impossible circumstances.
An aging body.
A barren womb.
A promise that appeared delayed.
Years had passed.
The visible evidence appeared to contradict the divine promise.
But Abraham continued believing God.
He did not believe because his circumstances were favorable.
He believed because the One who had spoken was faithful.
Church, faith does not deny reality.
Faith declares that God is greater than the reality we can presently see.
Faith sees beyond the visible world.
2 Corinthians 5:7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Faith says:
“I may not see it yet, but I know that God is faithful.”
Faith responds to God before circumstances provide their permission.
Touch your neighbor and say:
“Get anchored.”
III. THE SECOND ANCHOR - HOPE
Hebrews 6:19-20
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.”
And notice where the writer of Hebrews says our anchor is secured.
Our anchor is not fastened to something inside this unstable world.
Our hope enters behind the veil.
Our anchor reaches into the presence of God, where Jesus has already entered for us.
The storm is happening here.
But the anchor is secured there.
The winds may move the vessel.
The waves may strike the vessel.
The darkness may make it difficult to see the shoreline.
But the anchor is fastened in the presence of God.
And Jesus is already there.
He is called our forerunner because He has entered before us and on our behalf.
Our hope is not secured by the condition of the world.
Our hope is secured by the finished work and continuing ministry of Jesus Christ.
The storm cannot move the throne.
The storm cannot remove Christ from the right hand of the Father.
The storm cannot reverse the resurrection.
The storm cannot cancel the promises of God.
That is why our hope is both sure and steadfast.
1 Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Christian hope is not merely believing that tomorrow will be easier.
It is not merely believing that every earthly circumstance will end exactly as we desire.
Our hope is alive because Jesus Christ is alive.
Our hope is rooted in the resurrection.
Christ conquered sin.
Christ conquered death.
Christ conquered the grave.
Because He lives, our future is secure in Him.
Even when circumstances do not change immediately, the resurrection has already changed the ultimate outcome of the story.
Hope tells the believer:
“This is not the end of the story.”
You may be standing in a chapter that you do not understand.
You may be living through a season you never expected.
You may be carrying questions that have not yet received answers.
But hope whispers:
“God is not finished.”
FALSE HOPE
But church, there is also something called false hope.
False hope is placing ultimate confidence in something that cannot carry the full weight of your soul.
False hope may feel comforting temporarily.
It may look impressive.
It may appear strong.
But when the pressure becomes great enough, false hope eventually collapses.
During the days of the prophet Isaiah, the people of God were being threatened by powerful enemies.
Instead of turning wholeheartedly to the Lord, they looked toward Egypt.
Egypt had horses.
Egypt had chariots.
Egypt had military power.
Egypt appeared to offer the security they needed.
But God said through Isaiah:
Isaiah 31:1
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!”
Their problem was not simply that they recognized Egypt’s military strength.
Their problem was that they placed their ultimate confidence in human power while refusing to seek the Lord.
They were trusting what they could see more than the God they could not see.
That was false hope.
Psalm 20:7
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”
But biblical hope is different.
Biblical hope is not fantasy.
Biblical hope is not illusion.
Biblical hope is not emotional escapism.
Our hope is anchored in Christ.
The world says:
“I hope something changes.”
But the believer says:
“My soul is anchored in the faithfulness of God.”
EXAMPLE - JOB
Job lost his children.
He lost his possessions.
He lost his health.
He lost his social standing.
He lost the stability of the life he had known.
Job declared:
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
- Job 13:15
That is not denial.
That is hope anchored beyond understanding.
Job’s strength was not that he remained emotionally composed.
His strength was that even in his confusion, he continued bringing his case before God instead of permanently turning away from Him.
Hope says:
“God is still working even when I cannot see what He is doing.”
But God sent this word to anchor your soul again.
Your tears do not mean that you have no faith.
Your questions do not mean that God has abandoned you.
Your exhaustion does not mean that your story is over.
The anchor is still holding.
Jesus is still behind the veil.
The throne has not moved.
And the resurrection still stands.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FAITH AND HOPE
Hope sees the promise ahead.
Faith trusts God in the present.
Hope looks toward what God has promised.
Faith responds to the One who made the promise.
Hope says:
“God will.”
Faith says:
“God is.”
Pause there.
Do not rush beyond those words.
God will.
God is.
Hope reaches toward what God will fulfill.
Faith rests in who God is right now.
Faith says:
“God is.”
Before the answer appears, God is.
Before the door opens, God is.
Before the pain leaves, God is.
Before the circumstances change, God is.
When you understand who God is, you can trust what God will do.
IV. THE THIRD ANCHOR - LOVE
1 John 4:8
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
The Greek word translated as love is:
ἀγάπη - agápē
Love is the greatest because love reveals God’s nature.
Faith connects us with God’s truth and power.
Hope connects us with God’s promises and future.
Love brings us into the heart and character of God.
God does not merely possess love as one attribute among many.
Scripture declares:
“God is love.”
Everything God does flows from the perfection of His holy nature.
His love is not weak.
His love is not dishonest.
His love is not permissiveness.
His love is holy.
His love corrects.
His love protects.
His love tells the truth.
His love sacrifices.
His love restores.
FALSE LOVE
There is also false love.
False love manipulates.
False love controls.
False love uses.
False love demands.
False love consumes.
False love says:
“If you love me, you will give me whatever I want.”
True love says:
“Because I love you, I will seek what is truly good for you.”
False love avoids truth to preserve temporary comfort.
True love speaks the truth with humility and grace.
False love makes another person an object for personal satisfaction.
True love recognizes that every person bears value before God.
False love asks:
“What can I receive?”
Agápē asks:
“What can I give?”
John 15:13
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
Agápē sacrifices.
Agápē serves.
Agápē gives.
Agápē remains faithful when convenience disappears.
And nowhere is this love revealed more clearly than at the Cross.
The Cross is not merely proof that God loves.
The Cross is the definition of love.
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God did not wait for us to become worthy.
God did not wait for us to repair ourselves.
God did not wait for humanity to take the first step toward redemption.
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Love moved toward the undeserving.
Love carried the Cross.
Love wore the crown of thorns.
Love received the nails.
Love entered death.
And love rose again.
EXAMPLE - STEPHEN
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen stood before men who resisted his testimony.
They became enraged.
They cast him out of the city.
They began to stone him.
But while stones were striking his body, Stephen prayed:
“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”
- Acts 7:60
That is not ordinary human emotion.
That is not natural sentiment.
That is Christ living inside a surrendered man.
Stephen did not call evil good.
He did not deny that they were murdering him.
But he refused to allow their hatred to reproduce itself inside his heart.
That is agápē.
The power of love is not merely that it comforts the wounded.
The power of love is that it prevents the wounded from becoming like those who wounded them.
V. THE POWER OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE TOGETHER
Separately, faith, hope, and love are powerful.
Together, they establish and mature the believer.
Faith without love becomes cold religion.
It may defend truth while destroying people.
It may speak correctly while living cruelly.
It may become proud of what it believes while failing to resemble the Christ in whom it claims to believe.
Hope without faith becomes vague optimism.
It talks about tomorrow but refuses to obey God today.
It waits for change without responding to the Word.
Love without truth becomes mere sentimentality.
It avoids correction.
It tolerates destruction.
It calls compromise compassion.
But biblical love rejoices in the truth.
Together:
Faith steadies the mind.
Hope anchors the soul.
Love governs the heart.
Hope gives vision.
Faith gives present trust and obedient response.
Love makes the character of Christ visible.
Hope sees what God has promised.
Faith trusts the One who promised.
Love reveals the nature of the Promiser through us.
Paul said:
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Why is love the greatest?
Love is the greatest because God is love.
Love is the greatest because the entire law is fulfilled in loving God and loving our neighbor.
Love is the greatest because spiritual gifts without love become empty noise.
Love is the greatest because faith works through love.
Love is the greatest because love never fails.
Faith trusts God.
Hope expects God’s fulfillment.
But love reflects God Himself.
Love is not the weakest of these graces.
Love is the grace that governs the use of every other gift.
Love determines how faith speaks.
Love determines how truth is delivered.
Love determines how power is used.
Love determines whether ministry builds people or merely builds platforms.
Love determines whether spiritual knowledge becomes service or pride.
The greatest evidence that we have encountered God is not merely that we can speak about power.
It is that His love is transforming how we treat people.
VI. THE CONNECTION TO ABIDING IN CHRIST
A few weeks ago, we spoke about abiding in Christ.
Jesus said:
John 15:4
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
Today I came to tell you that faith, hope, and love are not virtues we manufacture through human determination.
They grow as we abide in Christ.
The branch does not struggle to produce fruit apart from the vine.
The branch bears fruit because the life of the vine flows through it.
Faith grows as we remain in His Word.
Hope grows as we remain conscious of His promises and resurrection.
Love grows as His life flows through us toward others.
The believer who abides in Christ may experience shaking, but will not be uprooted.
Because the strength is not coming from the branch.
The strength is coming from the Vine.
Conclusion
Church, storms come to every life.
The question is not:
"Will storms come?"
The question is:
"What is your soul anchored in?"
Some are anchored in money.
Some are anchored in emotions.
Some are anchored in relationships.
Some are anchored in careers.
Some are anchored in systems.
Some are anchored in political power.
Some are anchored in religious appearances.
Some are anchored in the approval of other people.
But everything outside Christ will eventually reveal its limitations.
Hebrews 12:26-28
“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”
Hebrews explains that this final shaking removes everything temporary so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Then it gives the believer this assurance:
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
God is not telling us this so that we will live terrified of every storm.
He is revealing the difference between what is temporary and what is eternal.
Everything built by human pride can be shaken.
Everything dependent upon changing circumstances can be shaken.
Everything rooted only in this present world can be shaken.
But the Kingdom of God cannot be shaken.
The throne of God cannot be shaken.
The Word of God cannot be shaken.
The finished work of Christ cannot be shaken.
The resurrection cannot be shaken.
The promises of God cannot be shaken.
And the believer whose life is rooted in Christ is receiving that unshakable Kingdom.
Today the Holy Spirit is calling us back to the eternal foundation.
Back to true faith.
Back to living hope.
Back to divine love.
Back to Christ Himself.
Because when your life is anchored in Christ, storms may strike you, but they will not determine your final destination.
Trials may shake you, but they do not possess the authority to remove you from the hand of God.
Your feelings may rise and fall.
Your circumstances may change without warning.
People may disappoint you.
Doors may close.
Seasons may end.
But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Faith will steady you in the truth of God.
Hope will secure your soul in the promises of God.
Love will keep your heart aligned with the nature of God.
And all three will continually direct you back to Christ.
Faith says:
“God is.”
Hope says:
“God will.”
Love says:
“Because He first loved me, I will love.”
And now abide:
Faith.
Hope.
Love.
These three.
But the greatest of these...
Is love.
Altar Call
You cannot anchor yourself with emotion.
Emotions change.
You cannot anchor yourself in human approval.
People change.
You cannot anchor yourself in possessions.
Possessions can disappear.
You cannot anchor yourself in your own strength.
Human strength eventually becomes tired.
You need something eternal to hold you.
More than that, you need Someone eternal to hold you.
And today God is calling people back to the foundation.
We are not coming to an idea.
We are not coming to positive thinking.
We are not coming merely to three inspirational words.
We are coming to Jesus Christ.
He is the Rock.
He is the Foundation.
He is the One who entered behind the veil for us.
He is the One who died and rose again.
He is the One who holds the anchor of our soul.
Today Jesus is saying:
“Come back to the Rock.”
If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, this call is for you.
You do not need religion without relationship.
You need forgiveness.
You need redemption.
You need a new life.
You need Jesus.
And if you are already a believer, but your faith has weakened, your hope has become wounded, or your heart has become hardened, this call is also for you.
If you are tired of instability...
If your soul has been drifting...
If you need your faith restored...
If you need your hope renewed...
If you need the love of God to heal your heart...
If you need grace to forgive someone who wounded you...
If you need to return to your first love...
Come to this altar.
Come back to the Foundation.
Come back to the Rock.
Let God anchor you again.
Let faith rise again.
Let hope breathe again.
Let love flow again.
The storm may still be around you.
But the anchor can be restored within you.
The circumstances may not change before you leave this building.
But you can leave knowing that your soul is secured in Christ.
Touch your neighbor one more time and tell them:
“Get anchored.”
And as you come, declare it in your spirit:
My faith is anchored in God’s truth.
My hope is anchored in God’s promises.
My heart is anchored in God’s love.
And my life is founded upon Jesus Christ.
The winds may blow.
The rains may descend.
The floods may rise.
But this house will stand.
Not because I am strong.
Not because I have never been wounded.
Not because I understand everything.
This house will stand because it is built upon the Rock.
And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three.
But the greatest of these is love.
Amen.