God's Building

Alba 3-9-2025

GOD'S BUILDING

I Corinthians 3:9-15

Alba Christian Church began when a church building was constructed in one day. It was on Memorial Day, May 31, 1911, that more than 100 people came together, did their work, and were able to hold a dedication service in the new building at 5:30 that evening. It was an amazing project.

The church building we are in now was constructed about 35 years ago. These are the blueprints for our church building, and they provided direction for the folks who built this structure. It is good to keep in mind, though, that these are plans for a building, not a church. The wood, cement, pipes, wires, and carpet that have been put together at this location are really not Alba Christian Church. Those materials make up a building, but the church is made up of people, believers in Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 3:9 tells us that WE are God's building. God's Word is the code book that gives us good directions as to the best way to build our lives. Thankfully we have ready access to it. Because one day, the Chief Inspector will check out our building, and we will be glad if we have the right foundation and have built on it as directed. If you have ever been involved doing any construction, you know that there are many building codes that must be followed. At various phases of construction inspectors arrive to insure that everything is up to code.

Some buildings have had serious trouble because builders try to just meet code or fool the inspectors. Because of this, those buildings have had to have expensive repair work done after they were inspected and supposedly passed code. It is best to do it the right way from the beginning. Scripture pictures for us what God's building looks like.

1. God's Building Has a Firm Foundation

Jesus Christ is the firm foundation on which we stand. In a world filled with shifting sands, uncertainties, and trials, we are called to stand on the unshakeable, immovable foundation that is Jesus Christ. No human effort, philosophy, or institution can replace the foundation that God Himself has given in Jesus, and continues to be put in place by wise builders.

In I Corinthians 3:10-11 Paul says this: “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (the same words we read together earlier).

Isaiah 28:16 says, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.'” Here, the prophet Isaiah points us to Jesus as the cornerstone, the first and most important stone in a building's foundation. In ancient architecture, the cornerstone determined the stability and alignment of the entire structure. In Christ, we find both our security and direction. When we build our lives on Jesus, we are building on something eternal, tested, and true. In contrast, building on the foundations of worldly success, relationships, or personal achievements is like building on shifting sands.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "To trust in yourself is to build on quicksand, but to trust in Jesus is to build on a rock." He took that from what Jesus Himself said in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

In this well-known parable, Jesus contrasts the wise builder who builds on solid rock with the foolish builder who builds on sand. The storms represent life’s challenges and trials, which will inevitably come. The question is not whether the storms will come but whether our foundation will hold. The most important question is: On what are you building the hope of your life? The god of this world would have you build it on sand.

But David in Psalm 18:2 said,“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” The New Living Translation has that verse: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”