Episode #21 - Jesus & Grandfather Mountain

During our weekend getaway to North Carolina, we visited Grandfather Mountain. We started up to go across the swinging bridge when suddenly a storm came through. They closed the bridge which was tossed about in the storm outside, but we were safe in the lodge built on the firm foundation of the mountain. Well...what is your faith like? A faith that hears, but does not obey, is a faith without foundation. When the storms of life come suddenly, you will surely fall. But a faith that obeys is built upon the firm foundation of Christ the Rock, and we find safety and security in him. 

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Transcript

Welcome to the Set Your Mind Above podcast, where every day, ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths! I am your host BJ Sipe, and I’m so glad you’ve tuned in today! I am excited to share my life & my faith with you, and I sure hope you’ll do the same with me along the way.

My wife, the kids and I all just returned from a quick weekend dash up to the mountains of North Carolina. My wife’s parents, Shane & Gwen, live not too far outside of Boone in a private gated community on the top of a mountain. They moved to their dream home there about 6 months ago, and we regularly tease them by thanking them for buying us a vacation home. Just inside their community on the mountain is everything you could want! From their home with three levels & a stunning view, to the clubhouse on a lake complete with a gym, library, and swimming pool, or even the waterfalls and campsites, the entire place is just a dream. Our favorite thing to do when we visit, of course, is spend time making memories with the kids & their Gigi & Papa. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for most of our trip. In fact, thunderstorms prevailed upon us from the time we pulled in Thursday evening all the way through Saturday evening. Finally, Sunday came and it looked like it was going to clear up just enough for us to be able to get out and do something fun with the kids after worship in the morning. We decided that we would make the short drive less than an hour to go and visit Grandfather Mountain. It’s called such because of the shape of the profile of the mountain, which looks like an older man’s face. You could spend days there and not hike or see everything you would like to, it’s that grand. But one of the things we really wanted to do was the swinging bridge at the top of the mountain that is suspended from one side to the other. While the bridge is not extraordinarily long, it is not for the faint of heart as it sits at 1 mile in elevation, that’s 5280 feet up in the air. We made our way up to the top of the mountain, walked into the lodge where the entry doors to the bridge are located, but then were saddened to see that two huge steel panels had been rolled over the doors. The bridge was closed. We asked an attendant why the bridge was closed, and he directed us to look outside the window. A massive storm had just rolled in again, which they saw on their radar and closed the bridge promptly. Suddenly the rain started to pour down and the wind started to whip the trees. It’s no wonder they closed the bridge, anyone standing on it or on the jagged cliffs nearby would have easily been thrown over and killed because of the force of the rain & winds that high on the mountain. The vacant bridge wobbled and swayed dangerously, almost taunting my fear to walk across it even in perfect weather. We were safe, however, because we watched completely sheltered from the storm from inside the lodge built on the solid foundation of the mountain. It did not sway or shake like the bridge did, we were perfectly safe inside and waited out the storm. Luckily for us, it only lasted about 30 minutes and after the storm passed, they opened up the bridge again. My legs might have been shaking from my fear of heights, but I am happy to report that I walked across it and yes it was worth it. You just can’t beat those views…which, depending on the weather, might actually just be to die for. 

As we waited inside the lodge and found some free space to let our kids run around, my mind immediately went to the words of Jesus in his sermon on the mount. The following teaching of the Christ is recorded for us in Matthew 7:24-27, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Does your faith have a firm foundation? It is so easy for us to profess to be Christians or disciples of Jesus, and yet have it only be an empty claim. Christ truly is the chief cornerstone, but our lives can only truly be built on him if we not only know his words, but also obey them. A faith that hears, but does not obey, is a dead faith. Such a one cannot find shelter or security in Jesus. The storms of life will come upon us suddenly, they might be temptation, sickness, death, financial crisis, or persecution. If your faith is not genuine, but only lip service when these storms come, rest assured that you will not be able to stand. You will be like the house that collapsed because it was built on the sand with no foundation, or like a man thrown off a swaying bridge a mile up – your fall will be great. A faith that is able to stand is a faith that is built upon the rock, which has its firm foundation in Jesus. It is a faith that obeys, a faith that is ready and willing to face any storm that life throws our way. We will not waiver or collapse, but rather find security and peace in our Lord Jesus through the storm. So, I want to make an earnest plea with you today. Maybe you are someone who does not really take their faith seriously. Maybe you go to church, or you occasionally listen to Christian music, so you believe that you are a true disciple. Following Jesus is so much more than walking through the doors of a building and sitting through a worship service. In fact, just prior to this teaching, Jesus would say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Don’t wait until everything collapses to take your faith seriously. Don’t wait until you stand face to face with Jesus to contemplate the genuineness of your faith. Don’t just know what Jesus said, do what he said. Only then, through obedient faith, can we truly have a firm & safe foundation in Jesus. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Friday’s, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and weekly video sessions that are uploaded on Saturdays. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!