1. What are you building? Are all men building their identities? Agree, disagree, comment.

2. Do times of trouble have any value to followers of Christ? (See Heb. 12:4-11; Job 2:10, 5:17-19; Rom. 8:28; Gen. 45:4-9, 50:20) Share how God used a season of trouble in your life.

3. What are the kinds of "spiritual sand" that men trust to form the foundations for their souls? (See Jer. 9:23; Job 8:13-15, 33:28-30; Prov. 11:28, 28:26; Isa. 28:16; Ps. 20:7, 44:6-7; Ezek. 16:15) Is this sinful? Agree, disagree, explain.

If it is sinful, what does repentance look like?

4. Do you agree that Christ . . . his teachings and what he did for his people . . . is the "rock" referred to in Mt. 7:24-27 and Lk. 6:46-49? (See Ps. 62; Isa. 25:3-4, 28:16, 33:6; 1 Cor. 3:10-16, 10:1-4).

5. Is a follower of Christ "saved" by what Jesus taught, by what Jesus did or both? Explain.

6. It has been said the unexamined life is not worth living; do you believe it's important for a man to examine or inspect the foundations of his spiritual life? (2 Cor. 13:5)

7. What would your friends and family say is your "precious"? What does scripture say is precious to God? (1 Pet. 1:18-20, 2:4-8)

8. Does faith act like a "spiritual house mover"? Explain how faith can transfer a house from a foundation of sand to a foundation of rock.

Listener's Outline

The Big Idea: __________________________________________________________