Chuck Smith emphasizes the significance of calling Jesus 'Lord' as a necessary step for salvation, glorification of God, and recognizing His authority over our lives. He explains that to call Him Lord means complete submission and obedience, contrasting the inconsistency of claiming His lordship while not following His commands. Smith illustrates the importance of building our spiritual lives on the solid foundation of Jesus, as opposed to unstable philosophies or self-reliance, especially in the face of life's inevitable storms. He concludes that true strength comes from trusting in Christ, who allows challenges to refine us.

"WHY CALL ME LORD?" I. WHY SHOULD WE CALL HIM LORD? A. In order to be saved. 1. Romans 10:- 9, 10, "That if thou shalt confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..." 2. Second step of salvation, "Come unto Me.. take My yoke upon you..." B. In order to glorify God. 1. "God has given Him a name that is above all names that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess..." 2. "And God hath put all things in submission unto Him." C. Because He knows better how to run my life than I do. 1. He has yet to make His first mistake. a. It makes sense to submit to Him. D. Because He is, "Ye call Me Lord and ye do well for I am." II. WHAT THE TITLE SIGNIFIES. A. Note that it is a title not a name. B. Complete mastery over another. 1. Opposite word is "doulel" bond slave. 2. Thus, if I call someone by the title of Lord it means that I am their servant exclusively. a. I have no rights of my own. 1. Self-determination. 2. Of possession. III GLARING INCONSISTENCIES. A. To call Him Lord and not obey Him. 1. Demonstrated by Peter in Acts, "No so, Lord." B. To call Him Lord yet seek to govern my own life. IV. EXAMPLES. A. He who hears and obeys. 1. Digging deep and laying foundation on rock. 2. House will survive the storms. B. He who hears and obeys not. 1. Building house without foundation. 2. It will not stand in the storm. C. Everyone is seeking to build a spiritual house. 1. Some are building on a philosophy. 2. Others on self-esteem. 3. Others on good works. 4. Still others on right thinking. a. They declare that it is important that you believe in something, it really matters little what you believe. 5. Others take time to dig deep to lay foundation on rock. 1. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is the solid rock to build your house upon. D. Note the storms are going to come against your life. 1. None of us are immune from the storms of life. a. You are going to experience disappointments. b. You are going to experience failures c. You are going to experience sorrows. d. You are going to experience trajedy. e. You are going to experience death. f. Whether your house stands or falls is determined by the foundations upon which it is built. 2. How many times I stood simply because I knew that "all things work together for good." 3. It is hard to seea man's life crumble around him. a. The things he has trusted in fall. b. His Iffe utterly wasted. c. This is the sad fate each of you shall experience if you seek to build your life on anything but Jesus Christ. As my Lord, He allows all that comes into my life. The fires to temper. The winds to strengthen.