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Inner Strength

Sermon by Rev. Doug Pratt — September 7, 2008
 

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Introduction
This past May, as the attention of the Communist totalitarian government of China was focused primarily on completing their massive building projects in Beijing in time for this summer’s Olympic Games (and, secondarily, on keeping their iron boot of repression planted firmly on the necks of the Tibetans), a catastrophic earthquake struck a remote province in the southwestern part of their country. As a few western reporters were able to get to the scene, word began to filter out to the free world of the scope of the disaster. Tens of thousands were killed; hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes; and a near-total breakdown occurred in transportation, commerce, health care and public utilities.

Among the most heartbreaking stories of the Chinese earthquake was the tragic collapse of dozens of government-built school buildings, trapping or crushing many innocent children inside. As the rubble of the schools lay on the streets, the quality of the construction became apparent to everyone passing by. Large poured-concrete structures were split open to reveal a fatal lack of any steel reinforcing bars within the walls and floors—a violation not only of Chinese building codes, but also of common sense. Though everyone, of course, denied responsibility, it was obvious that some corrupt government officials and/or corrupt contractors had skimped on materials and quality in order to pocket the extra profits.

One reporter for a European newspaper described what he saw, in a city whose name I can’t pronounce (or spell) and lifted it up as a symbol of the disaster. A collapsed elementary school, the tomb for over 100 children, sat in a pile of rubble—and right next to it stood the local Communist Party headquarters, completely unscratched. I wonder why two buildings could fare so differently … could it be that the politicians wanted to be sure the building they would occupy would be safe, but didn’t care about the unsuspecting children next door?

The quality of the materials and construction of a building may not be revealed until a disaster. Only then do we see which projects were done well, and which were done poorly. Let’s keep that picture in our minds (the destroyed school next to the undamaged Party headquarters) as we open the Bible to read about a similar situation. Jesus is going to tell us about two buildings that go through the same disaster but have very different fates.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:24-27)

The Principle of Inner Strength
The core truth of this message is simple: The qualities that make something strong—whether it be a physical structure like a building, or a human structure like a community, a church or a family—are not always visible until a time of great stress.

This was true of those two buildings in China. A visitor last April would have seen the school building and the government building standing side-by-side, and both would have looked solid and reliable. It was the earthquake that showed what they were each made of inside. One had inner strength and the other did not.

Two Beach Houses
This is also true in the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 7. I think we all can relate to this story of two beach houses. Whenever I walk along Bonita Beach I see at least one or two houses being constructed or remodeled. So let’s imagine this story from scripture happening in our own community. And, for the sake of our story, let’s pretend we have no local government and no building codes and inspections.

Two brothers, partners in a successful business in Chicago, have had enough of the brutal northern winters. They purchase adjoining lots on beautiful Bonita Beach, right on Hickory Boulevard, with stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico. Here they will build their dream homes, where they will enjoy their vacations and retirement. They both tear down the existing homes sitting on their respective lots and prepare to build to their personal specifications.

One of the brothers—we’ll call him “Fast Fred”—is impatient to get the house finished. In his haste, he has the concrete floor poured right on top of the sandy soil on his lot. Then he arranges to have the house constructed as quickly and cheaply as possible, using discount materials he buys in Illinois and ships south. His home is finished in a couple months, and he and his family eagerly move in to start enjoying their new beachcomber lifestyle.

Meanwhile, his brother—“Slow Stan”—takes his time. He orders his contractor to sink reinforced concrete footers deep into the soil. He has extra-thick walls built, custom-orders hurricane-proof windows, inserts rebar in all the concrete, and attaches double strapping and tie-downs to his thick corrugated steel roof. The house takes nearly a year longer to build than his brother’s, and twice the cost. When it’s finished, it is a veritable bunker.

Finally, Slow Stan moves in next to Fast Fred. The very next week a tropical storm (we’ll call it “Hurricane Steven”) comes to visit, roaring in from the Gulf. The storm surge sucks the sand out from under Fast Fred’s house; the winds shatter his windows and lift off his roof. Meanwhile, Stan sits secure and undisturbed in his house next door.

That’s the story in Matthew 7, slightly modified to our location. Its lesson is obvious: How you build will one day make all the difference. The presence [or lack] of inner strength will eventually be determined. And this truth not only applies to building construction but also to everything we do.

I want to change the analogy slightly from the way Jesus told the story—describing houses built on shifting sand versus a solid foundation—to one that fits our own modern construction techniques. The contractors of the First Century didn’t have concrete or steel, so Jesus had to use the common techniques of His day in His teaching. But today we understand the importance of those steel reinforcing bars that give strength, rigidity and security to concrete construction. It was the lack of them that doomed those Chinese school buildings. Though invisible to an outside observer, the presence or absence of steel reinforcement is what matters most when the pressure comes.

The Inner Strength of a Community
So let’s apply the Principle of Inner Strength to the important areas of our lives. The first is our Community. What is it that really determines the quality of life in a place? It’s easy to fix our eyes on the externals. People are first drawn to Southwest Florida by the natural beauty, the weather, and the amenities and creature-comforts that are offered so abundantly. Even in a nationwide real estate slump, people are choosing to come here to enjoy our obvious blessings.

But those of us who have lived here for awhile have discovered that the external things noticed by visitors and newcomers are not the things that matter the most to us. What makes a community a true home is the mutual support, the way we take care of one another. A community’s inner strength comes from its human infrastructure of churches, civic organizations and charities, governmental leaders, and volunteers. A community is not ultimately its beaches and golf courses, its parks and shopping malls. A community, at its core, is its people, and the way they are living together.

Especially on this day we think about our First Responders—our paramedics, law enforcement officers, firefighters and rescue squads—who are so important to us. When the need arises, they are like the reinforcing bars of our community, there to strengthen us and hold us together and support us in times of need. We often take them for granted and even forget about them, until the moment of our need. This day is the one we set aside each year to remember together—and to offer our appreciation and thanks to them, as well as our thanks to the Lord for having such dedicated men and women as the “reinforcing bars” of our communities.

The Inner Strength of the Church
The Principle of Inner Strength also applies to a Christian community called the Church. We are a voluntary subset within our broader area. We have come together because we share a faith in the same God and a desire to include one another in our lives as Christian friends. Although everyone who geographically lives in the city of Bonita Springs or Naples or Fort Myers is automatically a citizen of that entity, being part of the Church of Jesus Christ is optional, a matter of personal choice.

People may be attracted to a church for a lot of reasons: the facilities, the “location, location, location,” the choir, the preacher or the children’s activities. But the real “reinforcing bars” that keep a congregation of God’s people solidly connected to one another are the love and mutual support and concern we provide to each other. That’s the very first part of our Mission Statement: we are “committed to being a welcoming and nurturing family.” Jesus put it very bluntly: “The world will know you are my disciples if you love one another as I have loved you.” Love and support, caring for each other in our joys and challenges, is what keeps us connected.

A few months ago I heard second-hand a comment about our congregation that made my heart glow. One of our church members was in a local hospital, and they and their family were exploring the options for home health care and possible hospice care. The hospital social worker was inquiring about the help and support that might be available. When the family told her they were members of our church, she immediately responded, “Oh, that church has a wonderful reputation as really caring for and supporting its people.” This woman on the hospital staff doesn’t live near us and has apparently never been here, but she has heard from many people that we take seriously our ministry to one another. We have a great team of volunteers, a great staff, and within our circles of friendships we all have the opportunity at times to offer Christian love and support. That’s the inner strength that makes all the difference.

If you are going through some challenge in your life, or one arises in the future, please let your church know. Nowhere in the Bible do I find that we are told there is any virtue in facing a problem alone. God has called us to be here for one another. Sometimes the circumstances in life allow us to be on the giving end. But other times we need to receive. And there’s no shame in that. It’s how God intended for us to be in relationship together.

The Inner Strength of Our Personal Lives
There’s one more application to today’s lesson that I want to mention before closing—and this is the primary focus of the story Jesus told. If the inner strength of a community is its human infrastructure, and the inner strength of a church is its Christ-like love for one another, then the inner strength of each of our personal lives is only found in a relationship with God. That’s the difference between the two people described in Matthew 7: one “heard the Word” of God but did nothing with it, while the other took that Word into his heart and lived it in an ongoing personal walk with the Lord.

Look closely at the second man, the man who built his house without inner strength, who is labeled by Jesus a “fool.” He was not, by outward appearances, a bad person. In fact, it appears he was a regular churchgoer—for how else would he “hear the Word of God” but by going to church? His blunder was that he never took it with him. He left his religion in his church pew. He never allowed Jesus Christ to accompany him out of church, going with him everywhere through the course of the week. That is the only difference between these two men, between the one who proved to be wise and the other foolish.

It is a personal relationship with the Lord that we all need as the reinforcing bar in our soul. That’s what will give us the strength to face whatever life may bring our way. We can put our faith in our money, our professional skills, our intelligence or our good looks—and one day all of those will be gone, crumbling like concrete in an earthquake, shifting like sand in a storm surge. Or we can place our faith in the Lord: the rigid tempered steel that will never give way.

I’ve made my choice. I want Jesus Christ to be my reinforcing bar. I want Him inside of me, especially when the storms and quakes come. I hope you’ll make that same choice. Christ is here right now. It’s up to you to choose whether you leave Him behind when you walk out or take Him with you!