Christ Church Sermon, Jenga: Foundation Matters, July 19 2026

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Thank you for listening.

Good morning.

>> Today's scripture is Matthew 7:es 24 and

25.

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 wind

blew and beat against that house. Yet it

did not fall because it had its

foundation on the rock. Hear what the

spirit is saying to the church. Thanks

be to God. Thanks, Nate. Well, good

morning everyone.

>> Morning.

>> So, as we continue our game on sermon

series, I want to know how many of you

have ever played the game Jenga. How

many of you ever played Jenga this size?

>> All our youth, right? I got this out of

the youth center. Well, for those of you

that haven't played Jenga, the way the

game works is you need to take a piece

out of somewhere in the

tower and put it on the top. That's the

point of the game. You lose

if the tower gets knocked over and you

just keep rotating around removing

pieces as you go. And everybody's all

excited and trying to do it and having a

lot of fun. Inevitably, somebody always

bumps the table. Thankfully, it didn't

fall. But then you got people that start

taking things out of the bottom, right?

Because they think it's fun

and it all comes crashing down, right?

Well, here's the thing about Jenga. It's

not the last block that generally causes

it to come crashing down. What causes it

to come crashing down is the foundation

has been weakened the whole way through

the game. And then when that block is

removed, it all falls down. Isn't that

true of life as well? I mean, most

people don't wake up one morning and

suddenly have a marriage fall apart or

lose their faith overnight or become

overwhelmed uh with life in a single

moment. Usually there's been these

little compromises, little neglected

habits, little shifts in our priorities

that just build up over time and then a

storm arrives. Whether it's a diagnosis

or a financial crisis or a betrayal or

an unexpected loss and what was already

weakened collapses. Jesus understood

this. That's why at the end of the

sermon on the mount, he didn't finish

with a list of rules that we should

follow. He finished with a story. It's a

story about two houses, two builders,

one storm, and two very different

outcomes. Now, one of the most important

things to know about this story is what

Jesus doesn't say. Jesus doesn't say if

the rain falls, if the floods come, if

the winds blow. He says, "The rain fell,

the floods came, and the winds blew and

beat against the house." There's no

uncertainty in those words. Jesus

assumes that storms are a normal part of

life. Now, here is something that is

worth noting. Both houses experienced

the exact same storm. You see, the house

that was built on the rock wasn't spared

the storm. The house wasn't that was

built on the sand didn't receive a worse

storm. The rain fell on both. The floods

rose on both. The winds beat against

both. So, the difference was not the

storm. The difference was the

foundation.

And that's important for us to remember

because sometimes unknowingly we buy

into this uh false assumption of faith.

If I pray enough, if I read my Bible

every day, if I come to church

faithfully, if I serve others, if I try

to live a good life, then life should be

easier. But Jesus never makes that

promise. In fact, throughout scripture,

we see the exact opposite. Noah obeyed

God. He still endured a flood. Joseph

remained faithful. He spent years in

prison. David was chosen by God. He

spent years running for his faith. Paul

planted churches all over. And he wrote

most of his letters from in prison

chained to a guard. And even Jesus, the

son, sinless son of God, experienced

rejection and betrayal and suffering and

ultimately the cross. So faith does not

remove us from life's storms. Faith

gives us something solid to stand on

when those storms come. Jesus never

promised that life would be easy. He

promised his presence. He promised he

would never leave us or forsake us. He

promised that we would have peace that

the world cannot give. He promised

strength for every day. He promised that

nothing, not trouble, not hardship, not

persecution, not famine, not even death

could separate us from the love of God.

Storms come to everyone. Some storms are

physical, a difficult diagnosis, cancer,

chronic illness. Some storms are

emotional, anxiety that keeps you awake

at night, depression that makes it hard

for you to get out of bed, loneliness in

a room full of people, or grief that

keep seems to keep coming to you in

waves even after everyone else has moved

on. Some storms are relational.

marriages that are struggling, a

friendship that falls apart, conflict

within your family,

a child making choices that breaks your

heart. Some storms are financial, loss

of job, unexpected medical bills,

inflation that you don't know how you're

going to handle. And then some storms we

just never see coming. You know, the

sudden uh loss of someone we love, a

phone call that changes everything, a

season of life that we would have never

chosen for ourselves. I mean, most of

us, if we're being honest, could tell a

story about a storm and how it reshaped

our lives. Now, maybe you're in a storm

right now. Maybe you're coming out of a

storm. Maybe by God's grace, you're in a

season of calm. But Jesus lovingly

reminds us that calm seasons don't last

forever. And that's not because God is

against us. That's because we live in a

broken world that's longing for for

redemption. So the question is not

whether or not the storms will come. The

question isn't whether or not we'll face

pressure or whether life will become

difficult. The question is what are we

standing on when the storm arrives?

Because storms don't create the

foundation. They reveal it. Pressure has

a way of exposing what we've been

trusting in all along. When when

everything's going well, man, every

foundation looks really good. But when

the winds begin to blow, we discover

what our lives are really built on. And

that's exactly where Jesus takes us next

in this story. He makes this surprising

comparison because when we first hear

the story, I don't know if you're like

me, but I assume there was something

different between the two builders. You

know, something that was obvious. You

know, one one of the builders had to be

smarter than the other one. One had to

have more experience than the other one.

one had to go to a better school or must

have had a a better materials or more

resources. But that's not what Jesus

says. The difference between the two

builders is not intelligence. It's not

education. It's not talent. It's not

personality. It's not church attendance.

It's not even hearing his teaching. In

fact, both builders listened to the same

message. Both heard the words of Jesus.

Both knew what he said. Both had access

to the same truth. The difference

between the two builders is incredibly

simple but also incredibly challenging.

One acted and the other one didn't.

Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these

words of mine and puts them into

practice is like a wise man who built

his house on the rock."

Notice Jesus never defines wisdom

by what somebody knows. He defines

wisdom by what somebody does. In other

words, knowledge alone is not enough. It

is possible for us to know a great deal

about Jesus, without ever becoming more

like Jesus. It's possible to quote

scripture without allowing scripture to

shape our life. It is possible to attend

worship every week, participate in a

Bible study, serve on a committee, and

still leave God's words sitting safely

on the pages of our Bible instead of

allowing them to transform our heart. I

mean, we live in a culture that is

overflowing with information. Never

before have people had so much access to

biblical teaching. We have podcasts we

can listen to while we drive to work. We

can watch worship online.

I I watch worship online when I'm in the

back while worship is going on. Pastor

Kelly is taking two of her kids to camp

and she's watching online. Everybody say

hi, Pastor Kelly.

>> Technology lets us have access to

everything. Thousands of sermons you can

watch on YouTube. Christian books at the

touch of a button. All kinds of

information. AI can answer almost any

question you want to ask it about the

Bible. Now, I would recommend that you

check those facts,

but you can ask it anything. We have

more access to God's word than we ever

have had in history.

Why is our world not becoming more

Christlike?

I think it's because information doesn't

transform us. Transformation comes from

obedience.

Jesus is not looking simply for people

who accumulate more biblical knowledge.

He's looking for disciples who actually

live it out. James puts it this way. Be

doers of the word, not merely hearers

who deceive themselves. You see, James

reminds us that without doing, we create

this illusion of spiritual maturity. We

could convince ourselves that we're

growing simply by learning. But growth

is not measured by how much scripture

we've highlighted. It's measured by how

much scripture has reshaped our lives. I

mean, think about this. Think about

somebody who loves cooking. They they

watch the Food Network all the time.

They read cookbooks. They watch videos

on Tik Tok and and Pinterest and all

that kind of stuff. You know what they

never do? They never go into the kitchen

and cook.

They know how to cook. They know what's

supposed to go together, but they've

never actually tried cooking.

I'm going to tell you, they don't have

any clue what it takes to cook. The same

is true spiritually. Knowing scripture

is wonderful. Studying the Bible is

essential. Learning theology matters.

But none of those things accomplish

God's purpose if they never move from

our head to our heart to our hands. The

goal of disciplehip isn't simply knowing

more. The goal of disciplehip is

becoming more like Jesus.

I mean, we know Jesus teaches

forgiveness, right? But are we forgiving

the person that wounded us years ago? Or

every time we hear that person's name,

does do we relive what happened? We know

Jesus teaches about generosity, but are

we trusting him enough to be generous

with our time and our abilities and our

finances? Or do we keep telling

ourselves that we will do it someday

when life is a little more secure? We

know Jesus teaches us to love our

neighbors, but are we intentionally

building up relationships with people

that God has placed around us? We know

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies,

but how do we respond to people we

disagree with politically or disappoint

us personally or frustrate us daily?

We know Jesus teaches us not to worry.

But when anxiety comes, do we res do we

surrender our fears to Jesus in prayer?

Or do we carry burdens we were never

asked to carry? And we know Jesus

teaches humility. But are we quick to

apologize? Are we quick to listen? Are

we quick to serve? Are we quick to admit

we are wrong? You see, Jesus isn't

asking whether or not we know his

teachings. He's asking whether or not we

are building our lives on his teachings.

Every act of obedience is another stone

placed in the foundation. Every time we

forgive instead of holding a grudge,

another stone is added. Every time we

choose integrity over convenience,

another stone. Every time we trust God

instead of fear, another stone. Every

time we pray instead of panic, serve

instead of seek recognition, give

instead of grasp, love instead of judge,

another stone is added. Now those

choices may seem very small in the

moment. No one notices when one stone is

added to the foundation. There are no

headlines. There's no applause. There's

no celebration. But over time, those

daily decisions create a life that can

withstand tremendous pressure. Because

the wise builder isn't the one who knows

the most. It's not the one that can

quote scripture the best. It's not the

one that can win a Bible trivia contest.

The wise builder is the one who hears

the words of Jesus and puts them into

practice. And then when the storm

finally comes, that obedience becomes

the foundation that holds everything

else together.

Now, as I was preparing this message, I

couldn't help but think about where we

are as a church family. For almost a

year now, we have been walking through

our Wade in the Water Capitol campaign.

From the very beginning, we've said that

this campaign is not primarily about

buildings. It is about building a

stronger foundation for ministry. Just

like Jesus says in this passage,

foundation matters. You don't wait till

the storm is right overhead to start

pouring concrete. You build the

foundation before you need it. And that

is exactly what we're doing together as

a church through Wade in the water.

Every commitment, every gift, every

prayer is going to help us pay off our

debt. It's going to help us free up more

of God's resources for ministry.

It's about creating a contingency fund

so that when expected and unexpected

repairs come, for example, when we lost

the sound system before Easter, we were

able to purchase a new one without

hurting the ministry that was happening

at the church. It's about preparing for

the next generation with the same

faithfulness that the previous

generations showed us, continuing the

legacy that they started. So today I

want to share something really exciting

with you. You heard it in the

announcement video. We're kicking off

Rising Water Weekend. Remember Miracle

Weekend if you were here before. Rising

Water Weekend will be our yearly

checkback about where we are in the

process. Now, as you leave worship today

and you head over to the community

square for coffee and cookies, I want

you to take a look at the brand new

water feature in the community square.

That is not there to simply decorate the

space. It tells a story throughout the

campaign. This water feature is going to

help us visibly celebrate the progress

we're making together as a church. So,

as money comes in, the water will

continue to rise and the waterfall will

get higher and higher and higher.

So, you'll get to see where we are in

the process. You're going to see it with

your own two eyes that God is moving

among us. Now, from the very beginning,

we called this campaign wait in the

water because God asks us to wait in the

water before God delivers what God's

going to deliver, before we see the

miracle. But the story doesn't stop

there. If you start following the water,

we're told the water gets deeper and

deeper and deeper till they couldn't

even touch. You see, water is a tangible

thing of a journey. So every time you

walk past that water feature, whether

it's on or not, every time you give a

gift, every time you pray, every time

you give a sacrifice, every time you you

feel an act of faith, remember that it's

part of us building into the future.

That water feature is more than a

progress indicator. It is a testimony.

It is a testimony that God is still

providing. God is still responding. God

is God is still among us. And every time

we take one faithful step together, we

can accomplish more than any of us could

ever accomplish alone. Now, I also want

to say thank you to everybody that's

already participated in Weight in the

Water and is participating in Weight in

the Water. Some of you have already paid

off your pledge. Unbelievable. And thank

you for that because every act of

generosity is another stone in the

foundation of the ministry that God has

called us to do. I know there's a lot of

people that haven't even known about

weight in the water. You came to Christ

Church after we kicked it off and you

might have not ever heard about it. Or

maybe you're in a position where you

weren't able to give or you're trying to

figure out what's going on in life.

That's all fine, too. But it's not too

late to give. Remember, the campaign is

not about equal gifts. It's about equal

faithfulness. So, whatever God is

calling you to give, just give it

joyfully because it's not simply about

maintaining a building. We're investing

in lives that haven't yet been changed.

We're making room for children who will

meet Jesus for the first time. Students

who will discover their purpose.

Families who will find hope. Neighbors

who will experience transformation

and experience Christ for the first time

in their life. When Jesus talked about

building on the rock, he wasn't just

speaking to individuals. He's forming a

community, a foundation that will

endure. And I believe that that is

exactly what God is doing here at Christ

Church. We're not just building for

today. We're strengthening the

foundation so that long after we're

gone, future generations will come

through these doors and encounter the

love of Jesus and discover someone

before them cared enough to build on the

rock.

Every Jingga game eventually reaches the

same moment.

Everyone looks at the tower. Everyone

wonders who's going to pull the next

block. And there's tension because

everyone knows the next move might

reveal whether the foundation is strong

enough or not. Life has moments like

that, too. Sometimes the storms are

already here. Sometimes the storm is

approaching. Sometimes everything feels

calm. But we all know life can change in

an instant. Jesus does not tell us this

story to make us afraid. He tells us the

story so we can be prepared for whatever

comes. So no matter what your past looks

like, you can begin building on the

solid rock today. If you've been relying

on your own strength, Jesus invites you

to trust in him. If you've neglected

your spiritual foundation, today is as

good a day as any for you to start

rebuilding it. And if we're already in

the middle of a storm, remember the

presence of a storm does not mean the

absence of God. Because the one who

taught about the wise builder is the

same one who calmed the wind and the

storms. He is with us. But we got to

remember life is not about avoiding

storms. It's about building a foundation

that can withstand the storm. So keep

praying, keep worshiping, keep serving,

keep trusting, keep obeying, and keep

building your life on Jesus Christ.

Because when the rain falls, when the

floods rise, when the wind blows, a life

built on Christ will stand. And by God's

grace, so will his church. Let's pray.

Lord, we are so grateful that you give

us everything we need to build on a

solid foundation.

Help us to not just know what we need to

do, but help us do what we need to do.

You are not looking for people to have

knowledge

alone. You are looking for people to

have knowledge and apply that knowledge

to grow and to have a solid foundation.

So give us what we need to do that and

help us keep our focus and attention on

you so that when the storms of life

come, we have something solid to stand

on. We ask all this in your son's name.

>> [music]

>> And everyone said, "Amen.