Anchored: Living by God’s Design - Part 1: Scripture — Our Firm Foundation

Based on a talk from October 2025

Main Passage: Matthew 7:15–29

Supporting: Hebrews 4:12–13, 2 Timothy 3:16–17

What Are You Building On?

Have you ever watched a house being built? For weeks — sometimes months — it looks like nothing is happening. Just a hole in the ground, steel rods, and concrete disappearing into the earth. Then, after all that effort, they fill the hole back in, leaving just a sliver of concrete visible.

What’s going on? They’re laying the foundations.

Foundations are the least glamorous part of a building — hidden, slow, and seemingly unproductive. But when the storm comes, they’re the difference between collapse and survival.

We are living in stormy times. The foundations of our culture — identity, relationships, morality, purpose — are being questioned, redefined, or even discarded. We hear calls to “return to Christian values,” but even then, we must ask: What are these values built on? Are they truly Christian, or just cultural nostalgia dressed in religious language?

In this moment of instability, we begin a new series: Anchored: Living by God’s Design. Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore what Scripture says about identity, singleness, marriage, money, and generosity. But before we go there, we must ask: What is the foundation all of these things are built on?

The Foundation That Holds

Let’s turn to Matthew 7:15–29. This passage comes from the heart of the Sermon on the Mount — widely regarded as the most profound teaching in human history. It’s not just a collection of wise sayings. It’s Jesus’ authoritative vision for life in God’s kingdom — a radical reorientation of what it means to live well, wisely, and faithfully.

Picture the scene: Jesus seated on a hillside near Lake Galilee, the crowd gathered around, listening intently. He speaks not as a teacher, but as one with divine authority. And here, in the middle of His sermon, He turns to the issue of foundations.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves…” (v.15)

Jesus warns us: not every voice that sounds spiritual is trustworthy. In a world full of competing claims — political, social, even religious — how do we discern what’s truly from God?

“By their fruit you will recognize them…” (v.16)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (v.21)

The test is not appearance or popularity, but obedience. Do their words bring life, hope, peace — the fruit of lives surrendered to Christ? Or do they bring fear, division, confusion? Do they glorify themselves, or point us to God?

Jesus then gives us the image of two builders — one wise, one foolish. One builds on His words; the other builds on anything but.

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (v.24)

So what are we building on? Good intentions? Popular ideas? Or something eternal — something that doesn’t shift with trends or crumble under pressure?

Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone as Our Rock

What is this rock? It’s not tradition, opinion, reason, or even spiritual experience. It’s the Word of God.

I’ve often heard the church described as a stool with three legs: Scripture, tradition, and reason. The idea is that all three are needed for stability. But that’s simply not true.

Tradition can enrich our worship. Reason helps us apply our faith wisely. But neither is foundational. Our faith is built on one thing alone: the Bible — the Word of God, the words of Jesus.

This is the principle of Sola Scriptura — Scripture alone. Everything we believe, everything we do as church, must be anchored in the Bible. Not reason. Not tradition. Not good ideas. Just Scripture — not merely heard, but obeyed.

Jesus says:

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…”

This is not passive listening. It’s active alignment. We don’t bend Scripture to fit our lives; we bend our lives to fit Scripture.

Why Trust the Bible?

Let’s look at two key passages that show us what Scripture is and why it matters.

Hebrews 4:12–13

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…”

Scripture is not static. It’s living. It cuts through our defences, exposes our hearts, and calls us to account. It doesn’t shift with culture or flatter our preferences. It speaks truth — even when it’s uncomfortable.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight…”

The Word lays us bare — not to shame us, but to heal us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, it brings every part of our lives into the light, where grace can do its work.

2 Timothy 3:16–17

“All Scripture is God-breathed…”

Scripture is not man’s ideas about God — it’s God’s revelation to man. Though written by many authors over centuries, it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Someone once compared it to St Paul’s Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren didn’t lay a single brick, but he designed it and guided every part of its construction. In the same way, God authored Scripture through human hands.

“…useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness…”

It’s not just inspirational. It’s practical. It equips us — not just for belief, but for action.

“…so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Scripture is our blueprint. It’s clear, unchanging, life-giving. Through it, the Holy Spirit leads and guides us. It’s the dependable foundation on which we build.

Experience Is Valuable — But Scripture Is Supreme

I love prophecy. I’ve had dreams, visions, moments of deep encounter with God. I’ve even seen angels. These experiences are precious — but they are subjective. They must always be tested against something objective, something unchanging.

And that something is Scripture.

As a church, I long for us to be open to the Spirit’s leading — but never at the expense of the Word. The Spirit and the Word work together. The Spirit illuminates the Word; the Word anchors the Spirit’s work.

Living Anchored Lives

So how do we live this out?

We read Scripture. We meditate on it. We feed on it. We let it shape our actions, attitudes, and decisions. And when it challenges us — we don’t adjust the Bible to fit our lives. We adjust our lives to fit the Bible.

And we do this together — with the help of the Holy Spirit and one another.

That’s what this series is about. Whether you’re discovering Scripture for the first time or rediscovering it for the thousandth time, let’s commit to building our lives on the rock — the living Word of God.

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