SPEAKER_00: One of the most frightening lines of all of Scripture appears in today's gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: He does not say, Not everyone who rejects me.
SPEAKER_00: He does not say, not everyone who ignores me.
SPEAKER_00: No, he says, not everyone who says, Lord, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, there will be people who know the language of faith, people who appear religious, people who can talk about God, who can even point to impressive spiritual accomplishments.
SPEAKER_00: Yet something essential is missing.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says the one who enters the kingdom is not merely the one who speaks about God, but the one who does the will of the Father.
SPEAKER_00: That distinction is important, and it helps us understand today's first reading.
SPEAKER_00: What we're witnessing is the collapse of Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: The temple is plundered, the sacred vessels have been carried away, the king is taken into exile, the nation is humiliated.
SPEAKER_00: And once again Scripture tells us why.
SPEAKER_00: Well because the people had drifted away from God.
SPEAKER_00: Outwardly the temple stood still.
SPEAKER_00: The sacrifices were still being offered.
SPEAKER_00: The religious structures were still in place, but their hearts had wandered.
SPEAKER_00: The foundation had already been weakened long before Babylon arrived.
SPEAKER_00: And that's precisely the image Jesus uses in the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Two houses, one built on rock, one built on sand.
SPEAKER_00: At first they probably looked very similar.
SPEAKER_00: If you walked right by them before the storm, you probably wouldn't notice anything different.
SPEAKER_00: Both houses had walls, both had roofs, they appeared to be stable.
SPEAKER_00: The difference was hidden beneath the surface.
SPEAKER_00: The difference was the foundation, and the storm revealed what nobody could see.
SPEAKER_00: That is true spirituality as well.
SPEAKER_00: Many people build their lives that look very successful from the outside.
SPEAKER_00: A good career, financial security, nice things, a respected reputation, a comfortable lifestyle, even religious involvement.
SPEAKER_00: But the question Jesus asks is deeper.
SPEAKER_00: What is your life built upon?
SPEAKER_00: Because sooner or later every life encounters storms, a health crisis, a financial setback, a betrayal, a loss of a loved one, a personal failure, a season of suffering.
SPEAKER_00: The storm is not the exception.
SPEAKER_00: The storm is guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00: They will come.
SPEAKER_00: Notice that Jesus says both houses experience the same rain, the same floods, and the same winds.
SPEAKER_00: Faith does not exempt us from the storms.
SPEAKER_00: The difference is whether our foundation can withstand them.
SPEAKER_00: Here's some of the uncomfortable truths.
SPEAKER_00: Most people discover what their lives are built upon only when the storms arrive.
SPEAKER_00: Some discover that their foundation was money.
SPEAKER_00: Others discover that it was success or popularity.
SPEAKER_00: Others discover it was control.
SPEAKER_00: And when they lose all of those things, when it's shaken to the core, everything begins to collapse.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says the wise person builds on rock.
SPEAKER_00: What is that rock?
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's not simply hearing his word, it's hearing and acting on them.
SPEAKER_00: The wise person doesn't merely admire the gospel, he lives it.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't merely know what Jesus teaches, he obeys it.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't merely call Jesus Lord, he allows Jesus to be Lord in his life.
SPEAKER_00: That is a very important distinction.
SPEAKER_00: Many people want Jesus as Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Far fewer want him as Lord.
SPEAKER_00: A Savior rescues me, a Lord directs me.
SPEAKER_00: A Savior comforts me, a Lord commands me.
SPEAKER_00: A Savior forgives me, a Lord has authority over me.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is both.
SPEAKER_00: And the foundation of the Christian life is not merely believing that Jesus exists, the foundation is surrendering our lives to Him.
SPEAKER_00: That's why the crowds are astonished at the end of today's gospel.
SPEAKER_00: They recognize that Jesus teaches with authority, not as one opinion among many, not as a helpful life coach or a spiritual consultant.
SPEAKER_00: No, as the Son of God, the one who has the right to tell us how to live.
SPEAKER_00: Today, perhaps the Lord invites us to a very simple question.
SPEAKER_00: What am I building in my life upon?
SPEAKER_00: Because the storms will come.
SPEAKER_00: They come for everyone.
SPEAKER_00: The only thing that matters when the winds begin to blow is whether the foundation is strong enough to hold.
SPEAKER_00: The good news is that every day gives us another opportunity to strengthen that foundation.
SPEAKER_00: Every act of prayer, every act of obedience, every confession, every sacrifice, every act of charity, every decision to follow Christ rather than ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Brick by brick, stone by stone, the house is built upon rock.
SPEAKER_00: And when the storms finally do come, the house may shake, the winds will buffet it, but it will not fall, because it's been founded on Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And there's no longer, there's no stronger foundation than being built upon Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.