Westside Church of Christ

We stood in horror as the western portion of our state was devastated by a hurricane, of all things. The mountains flooded by an oceanic event? That is about as unexpected as anything we could imagine. Yet, we watched the destruction that came from forces more powerful than any human defense. The recovery is still far from complete, and the suffering is far from over.

Now, California has been overwhelmed by the worst fires in their history. They are accustomed to fires, but nothing like this. Oceanside mansions burned to the ground with the Pacific in sight. The flames did not discriminate. Rich, poor and everyone in between has been affected. Television brought the images into our homes and saddened our hearts. They showed the multimillion dollar homes, business buildings and middle-class neighborhoods that were wiped out. Thousands of people have been displaced. It is truly unimaginable.

The world is one huge classroom with two vivid lessons within a few months of each other. Have we learned anything? Has the nation? God has been pushed aside in favor of a secular morality. His ways are considered outdated and too restrictive. Ours is a culture governed by individuality. Each defines his own truth, and nothing is absolute. We see the evidence all around, and the unavoidable storms of life flatten us.

One victim of the California fires observed that hers was a community where neither churches nor synagogues were very important. Now those people had nothing but their faith. What if they had none and depended on no one greater than themselves? When their resources failed, what’s next? Where can they turn? Reality can be a brutal teacher.

Will our faith sustain us in times like these? What if our house was washed away or burned up? It is a terrible tragedy that can come to any of us at any time. Every material possession has a limited lifespan, and it is unwise not to make plans beyond this temporary world. Even if everything stands until our death, it will stay behind whenever we depart. And we will depart. Then what?

There are none so poor as those who have only money. Jesus assured His disciples that this world will rob us of things (Matthew 6:19-21). They will be lost to something. Nature, like floods and fires will destroy them. It might just be an insect. Someone could steal them. Time might corrode them and take away their value, but it is a certainty that we will not take them into eternity. Setting our hearts on them is a guaranteed disappointment.

Monetary riches are an illusion. They make us feel secure when we aren’t. They can disappear in a moment. California fires proved that. Hurricanes do, too. Eternal riches are just that, eternal. Time will never diminish them in any way (1 Peter 1:3-6), and that is something to believe in.

Call to Praise: Acts 20:17-21

His word on it: Acts 20:24

Sermon: “Mission Accomplished”