Jump Start # 553

Matthew 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.”

Our passage today comes from the parable of the wise and foolish man. Jesus often used that contrast in his parables. Later He would contrast the wise and foolish virgins. In Luke He tells of the foolish farmer. This passage concludes His incredible sermon on the mount. The contrast, conclusion, and comparison are strong. Jesus had been teaching about righteous ways—in our relationship with others, with God and with self. Righteous in our thinking. Righteous in our worship. Be righteous. The principles were put before the people. Now it was up to them. What was the audience going to do with what Jesus had said? That’s the point of his parable. Those that walked away without any change, were the foolish, who were building upon the sand. A storm was coming. With no substance, no faith, no foundation, they could crash in despair, and defeat. Those who heard, but made the change to be righteous, would stand. They would stand with God. They would stand during the trials of life.

The differences are obvious—sand vs. rock. Listening, vs. doing. Crashing vs. standing. Great differences. There is also a great parallel. They both had rain, floods and wind. Both had storms that slammed against them. Heeding what Jesus said, would not keep the storm from coming, it would enable a person from collapsing.

The area I live saw some violent storms Friday afternoon. Tornadoes have crushed towns, taken lives and devastated many communities all around us. Some within our church family lived in those communities. No one suffered injury or even serious damage, but nearly everyone knows someone who has. The stories of heroism and loss are numerous. This morning we awaken to many inches of snow…another form of storms. The shepherds of our church began our worship yesterday with some incredible words of comfort, assurance and prayers. Storms impact us and can have a lasting affect upon us.

Here are some thoughts we shared from our Bible Class period as we discussed storms:

• Storms can come rapidly and be very destructive
• What it takes months and years to build, can be destroyed in minutes
• We are helpless and cannot stop the storms
• Warnings are given in advance. Many ignore them and get in harms way
• Shelter and foundations must be built in the sunshine of life. If one waits until the storm to start, it’s too late
• God loves us, even in storms
• There are lessons learned in storms that I can never see nor learn in the sunshine
• Storms don’t skip over the righteous
• Praying for safety does help and God does listen
• Storms do not come one at a time
• After the storm, the sun comes out

This is true not just with violent tornadoes, but with the storms of the heart and soul. Health problems, family issues, turmoil at work, church problems are some of the storms we face. The late night in the emergency room, the phone call with bad news, the lonely trip to the funeral home are just a few of the storms that passes through most of our lives at one time or another. Some do well. Some don’t. Some seem to pick up, rebuild and carry on. Some seem t0 stop right there. Some understand, some don’t. Some use the storms to get closer to Christ and are comforted, others use the storm to question God, doubt and walk away.

The difference is Jesus. He is the rock. He is what gets us through. Doing what Jesus says, is what will help you, save you, and comfort you. Without Jesus, you are alone. Without Jesus there is no one greater than you to help you. Jesus makes the difference.

Do I listen and do what Jesus says? Do I do that when things are going well? Or, do I ignore Jesus until there is a problem? Has my relationship with Jesus led me to treat Him like a spare tire? I know it’s there. I don’t think about it, until I have a flat. Is that how I treat Jesus? If I can’t lean upon Him and follow Him in the sunshine, how will I during the storms?

One thing our passage shows us is that storms are coming. It’s like the kids game of hide and seek, “Ready or not, here I come.” Ready or not, the storms come. Like it or not, storms come.

Will following Jesus keep tornadoes from hitting my house? Not necessarily. It might. What it will do is give me understanding, help and someone to pull me through. It will help me realize that life and possessions are not the same. It will help me realize that storms and even death is not the worse thing that can happen to me. It will help me realize that escaping storms is not the best thing that can happen to me. It will show that everyday, in sunshine or in storms, a meaningful relationship with Jesus is about trust, forgiveness, obeying and walking with the Lord. Glorying God here and spending forever with Him in Heaven is what everything is all about. Missing those two things, misses everything.

Pray for those in our community who are hurting. Pray for those that hurt from other storms. There is the new widow…there is the family with the prodigal…there is the young couple who lost a baby…there is the man with cancer…the family with a handicapped child…the person who is divorced…the person who lost a job…the person who is afraid…the person who is worried. Hurting people are all around us. Hurting people describes us.

Build that foundation. Make it strong and deep. You do that by spending time in the Bible. You do that by spending time on your knees. You do that by doing what Jesus said. Storms are on the horizon…it’s time to be ready.

Roger