May 29, 2005

Pentecost 2

In the 1990's the Leaning Tower of Pisa was finally reopened to the public, after being closed for several years. During that time, engineers completed a $25 million renovation project to stabilize the tower. They removed 110 tons of dirt, and reduced its famous lean by about sixteen inches. Why was this necessary? Because the tower has been tilting further and further for hundreds of years, until the top of the 185-foot tower was 17 feet further south than the bottom, and Italian authorities were concerned that if nothing was done, it would soon collapse.

What was the problem? Bad design? Poor workmanship? An inferior grade of marble? No. The problem was what was underneath. The tower was built on the shifting sands of a former estuary. The soil was not stable enough to support a monument of this size. The tower had no firm foundation! Did you know that the Tower is simply the bell tower of the local church? A fitting reminder for that church that building on sand will incur great cost!

We need the same reminder. Jesus thought so too. He wanted us to have homes that would withstand any storm. He wants us safe, since we are the object of his love. So in his Word, He takes us through an important course: “Home-Building 101.” He told us to begin by founding our homes, our lives, upon “these words of mine.” Read Matthew 7:24-27.

The first thing we need to know for Home-building is to start on the rock-solid foundation of God’s Word. There is a huge difference between a home that has that foundation and one that doesn’t. Outside, both houses may look identical. But the difference comes when the storms come! The “houses” Jesus speaks about are our lives. Most of the time, they appear equally serviceable. Most of the time, it doesn’t seem to matter what’s under the super-structure. But in the ultimate storm of judgment, one will survive. The other will be utterly ruined.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed thousands of homes in South Florida. Yet in an area where the wreckage looked like a war zone, one house remained standing, still firmly anchored to its foundation. When a reporter asked the homeowner why his house had not been blown away, he replied, "I built this house myself. I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2" x 6" roof trusses, I used 2" x 6" roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane-- and it did."

Jesus talked about the importance of building our lives on a solid foundation. If we build according to His code, we will not be swept away when crises hit with hurricane-like force. The tempests of temptation and the storms of suffering will not be able to sweep us off a solid foundation of faith and obedience. Adversity may come, yet because we have built according to the code of the unshakable Rock, Jesus Christ, He will make sure we stand! Are we building our lives according to Jesus' code?

Once you start with the right foundation, it also matters how you build what’s on top. In building physical houses, that means using the right kind of roof trusses and materials. In building our spiritual homes, it means that we use materials of God’s Word. Our Lord gives us more important instructions for Home-Building 101 in the book of Deuteronomy. Again, He tells us that He wants us to use these words of his to build and decorate our homes.

Verse 18 says: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” God’s Word, his code, is to be part of everything we use to build our spiritual homes and lives! It is to be a continual, daily part of everything we feel, believe, know, do, and see! (Foreheads = “between the eyes.”)

Sir Alexander Fleming, upon introducing his newly discovered drug, penicillin, warned against taking too little of it. An underdose, he said, would permit germs to remain in the system and allow one to build up an immunity to the drug. These immune germs could be passed on to others so that the thoughtless person playing with penicillin treatments may be responsible for the death of others, if not himself as well!

The same things happens spiritually when people play with religion - taking in just enough of it to become immune to the real thing. Many people attend just enough religious services to temporarily quiet their conscience; to keep them from longing for a genuine and thorough encounter with God. They have just enough religion to make them immune to the real thing! Our relationship with God isn’t a once-a-week thing! It is something that must daily live in our hearts, souls, minds, hands, and vision! It is relevant to every aspect of our lives.

The next verse tells us maybe the most important part of Home-Building 101. “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Teach everyone in your home about God. How? Well, send the children to Sunday School, right? We go to the dentist to check our teeth, we drop off our dry-cleaning at the dry-cleaners, our daughters at ballet class, so we might as well drop off our children at the church for a little spiritual growth. Right?

That’s not what the text says, does it? Who teaches children? Parents! The Home is the primary place for worshiping God and teaching his Words! Parents, this is your #1 responsibility! It is a responsibility God has only given to you! Not to the church. Not to anyone else! People, whether you have children or not, your homes are the most important place for the spiritual growth of everyone who lives in that home!

And it’s an everyday job! You may have heard it said that it isn’t the quantity of time you spend with your children. It’s the quality of time. Right? Well… God is showing us that quantity of time is important. That each day brings many opportunities for teaching the people in our homes about God! Whether we are relaxing together, working together, walking together or talking together. It should be the first thing we do when we get up, and the last thing we do before we go to sleep. Talking about and teaching about the God who loves us!

Once the home’s built, it’s time for the finishing touches. Decorate it with God’s Words! V.20: “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” The Jewish people took that literally, and we often do too, don’t we? We put crosses or Bible verses on our walls that remind us of God. That’s wonderful as long as they help us recall who we are! But the point is this: his words should be the last thing that we think about as we leave our homes to head out into the world, and the first thing we see and think about when we return home at the end of the day!

Everyone who lives in our homes should be so familiar with God’s Word, because we talk about it and live by it so regularly, that it just becomes a natural part of their everyday lives. Their relationship with God will be strong! The problem with doing just a minimum of the “religious observances,” like going to church once a week, but never mentioning God at home, is that eventually there will be a disconnect with why we are going to church in the first place!

Let me illustrate with a story: There once was a devout man who reserved each day’s last hour for Scripture study and prayer in bed. He loved the quiet and warmth of his bedroom, and so did his cat. In fact, the cat loved her snuggle time with the man so much that she interfered with his reading. He didn’t want to banish his cat from the bedroom, so he leashed her to the bedpost so she could curl up at the end of his bed.

The man’s daughter noticed this little ritual; so when she grew up, married, and started a home of her own, she leashed her cat to the bedpost for bedtime prayer and study. When she had children, the demands of motherhood often pushed aside her prayer time, but out of habit she continued to tie up her cat! Her son remembered his mom’s end-of-the-evening ritual when he grew up and decided to carry on the family’s tradition. But a demanding career and the pace of his life overruled his desire for study and prayer. But he still continued to tie up his cat for a short time each night, carrying out a bizarre custom disconnected from its original purpose!

The point is – if we go to church every week, but most of those in our family have no idea why, because of the way we live the rest of the time, one day they are going to wake up and wonder why they are even going to church. And they will stop. That’s why the church alone cannot be ultimately responsible for the people who live in your home. That is a responsibility that God has given to parents – because He knew that parents are the ones with the most at stake in the spiritual development of their children.

We spend so much time, effort, and money preparing our children for life out in the world. A temporary one. The investment we make into their spiritual health by living out our role as their teachers every day will be an insurance policy for eternity! When you and your spouse die, and you are standing before God, He’s not going to ask your pastor or staff minister how they nurtured the faith of your children. He is going to ask you. Because your children are your responsibility. He will also ask your church: “How did you help them?” And so, as a church, help you we must!

So you want to build a home that will withstand any storm? Start with a firm foundation. God’s promise. The promise that even though we have failed a thousand times being good children and taking care of the homes He has given us, He forgives us through Jesus Christ. Start with that foundation! Then build on it with his Word! In every part of your home. Every beam, every rafter, every 2x4, every parent, every child, every guest. Make sure every window in your home lets God’s vision fill the house with his wonderful light. All day long, whatever you are doing. Make sure your home is one where the promise of forgiveness is always shared with those who fail at this. Including yourself.

Because verse 21 says that the reason you build a God-founded, God-filled home is: “so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” The best thing about a God-built home is that it lasts forever! When the last day comes, you don’t have to say goodbye to your spouse or children. You and those in your home get to enter that new world together! Amen.

 

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