Jesus speaks to the basic realities of our lives. It is very important which foundation we build our lives on. And, we have a choice as to what that foundation is. Jesus says, those who build their live’s on Him and His words are wise - they are building on a permanent foundation. But, Jesus tells us, any other foundation we might base our lives on is unsound.

In 1989, during the Loma Prieta earthquake, we all learned the meaning of liquefaction. Vivid in our minds are scenes from the Marina District of very expensive homes turned into collapsing piles of ruin. They and their contents now worthless. The Marina District is a really great area of San Francisco. The views are breathtaking. The neighborhood is nice. The property values were great - a sound investment. To live in the Marina was really very enviable. However, there was one small problem which showed up during Loma Prieta. The ground, the foundation, upon which all these wonderful houses had been built, was basically unstable as sand. When the earthquake struck, the foundation literally became like water and the houses, having nothing to stand on, came apart at the seams.

Some people think that God is a dictator. That God has predetermined the events of every minute of our lives. The reality is that God gives us choices in our lives. Jesus spoke to people who had the opportunity to make choices in their lives. What Jesus told them is also important for us today. We have choices to make. Jesus says, it is important that we chose the right foundation upon which to build our lives.

Each day of our lives is filled with many choices. Each of us made a choice to be here this morning. We could have spent more time at breakfast, watched sports, or just rolled over and gone back to sleep. Well, actually, if you have kids, the going back to sleep option may not work. Some choices are minor - what to wear, whether to have ketchup or mustard on our hamburger. Some choices are major and effect the entirety of our lives. It is these major, life changing, choices which Jesus is speaking to us about.

As we go through life the effects of our choices and the choices that other people have made become more evident. Maybe this is true of you also. I have watched as my friends, people I have grown up with, family members, and others I have known, have literally destroyed their own lives, and the lives of others - simply by making wrong choices - by building on the wrong foundations.

Three examples:

One friend I grew up with chose the homosexual lifestyle - a lifestyle which God’s word calls sin. A few years ago he died of AIDS complications. My friend could have made a different choice. God gives each of us this freedom. His choice, brought great pain to his parents and cost him his life. Miraculously, by God’s grace, just before his death, he made the choice to turn from his gay lifestyle, to turn back to Jesus Christ, and to seek God’s healing in His life. The choices he made before death brought healing in his relationship with his parents and most importantly - restoration and a return to his relationship with God.

One friend choose to walk out on his marriage and two small children. He had a tremendous number of excuses and reasons which were seemed valid to him. Our society today would call this a valid choice. Of course some today would commiserate and say how sorry they were that his marriage ended in divorce. Sure, there was some adultery. But, adultery and divorce are to be expected today. God’s word calls adultery and divorce sin. I keep thinking about his wife. Now a single mother trying to raise two small children. And these two boys growing up in a “home” now split between an part-time “dad”, a single mother, and their father’s new wife. The tragedy of this wrong choice will probably be felt for generations.

A third example we see happening around us. Parents who have chosen to pursue their careers, financial gain, and even the welfare of their children. They make great sacrifices so that they will be able to pass on to their children a better life than they have had. These parents seem to have made the right choices in life. Except one. The foundation of their lives is not God. God, and His word, Jesus Christ are only a part of their lives - for religious, moral, cultural, or family reasons. These parents bring their children to church so that their children can receive the same “religious and moral” training that they did. But, their children are not fooled. They see that God does not occupy first place in the lives of their parents. God is not the foundation. The children have not seen the need to build their lives on God’s foundation. Here is the tragedy - children begin to build their lives on destructive foundations - parents do not understand what has happened to their children and what to do about it - families are in turmoil, and in many cases it seems as though it is too late to do anything. Families are ruined and their children are lost. It is tragic when someone comes to the end of their life and realizes that they have built on the wrong foundation. Everything they have is worthless. Their lives become empty and bitter. I have have met too many seniors who are trying to hold on to something from the past or to leave some legacy for the future. But, all they know is emptiness.

How many of us have seen people literally destroyed by the storms of life. When the rain comes and the wind blows they realize too late that they have no sure foundation. There is nothing stable for them to hold onto.

There are so many choices in this world, foundations upon which to build our lives - philosophies, religions, possibilities. When God narrows the choice to one - Jesus Christ - it is because He loves us and knows the destructive outcome of all other foundations.

Today our society tells us that choosing to base our lives on Jesus Christ and His words is outdated, foolish, a poor choice in this life of so many philosophies, religions, and possibilities. Society tells us that we will all die and what lies beyond is uncertain. In fact, life is uncertain, perhaps hopeless. So grab on to all you can - be true to yourself - live your life to the fullest as a member of the human race.

And yet, consider society. Consider even our own little corner of the world. A large part of the Bay Area is visible from here. What does today’s empty philosophies and religions really offer. Consider how many people live absolutely broken and hopeless lives. Maybe this morning, some of what we are saying, some of the illustrations, are too close to where you live your life. Maybe today you are feeling unstable or empty. Please hear what Jesus is saying - you have a choice. God offers to each of us His choice - His rock solid eternal foundation. God offers us a choice - His Son, Jesus Christ.

I have personally experienced both choices. When I was 4 years old I prayed and received Jesus as my Savior. And as I look back on my life, I know that from that day God was with me. He was a part of my life. But, He was not the foundation of my life. I tried other foundations. I tried very hard to ruin my life. In high school and college I was a great Christian. I would party on Saturday night, coming home very late, completely drunk - and then be in church on Sunday - sometimes even leading worship. Sometime, ask me about all of the stupid things I’ve done. One night I was laying in bed - I am not sure how I got home - the bed was moving one way and the room was moving another way - and I took a really good look at my life. For the first time I felt really alone - completely empty inside. I could hear God saying to me, “If you want to live your life without me, this is what it is like.” And I realized that I was building on the wrong foundation - trusting myself when I should have been trusting God.

That night I chose to build my life on God’s foundation. This does not mean that I have always made the right choices. But, I do know this.... that whenever I have been confronted with a choice as to how to live my life - whether or not to take God at His word and trust Him - to live in obedience to Him - when I have chosen God’s way He has never failed me.

This morning, God offers you a choice. Which foundation will your life be built upon? God’s or some other? Have you received Jesus as your Savior? Is your life is being built-up upon His words and in obedience to God?

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.” (Matthew 7:24,25)

This morning, you have a choice. On what foundation will you build your life?