More Principles To Build On Series

Series: Under Construction (2)

Christianview Church

August 13, 1995

More Principles to Build On

Review:

I Corinthians 3:9-10

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

Definition:

A principle is fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force, upon which others are based. A principle is a rule of right conduct.

Principles are the laws of nature by which things operate.

God has established truths upon which everything in this world operates. The more of them you are aware of, the better you are going to do in life.

1. The principle of giving.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

You don’t have to limit your giving to the offering plate at church, have some fun with it.

Proverbs 11:25

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

You don’t have to have money to refresh others. Have someone over for coffee, open your home and love people. Do you have things someone else could use? Find out and offer to share.

Do you see someone down on their luck? Rather than avoiding them, try being a blessing!

One time when I was about 19 a group of friends and I were downtown late one evening after a church function. As we were walking back to our cars from the restaurant a homeless man cried out to us, “Please, can you help me?” he said.

We were young, and it was dark, and we had girls with us, and all of that is no excuse for what we did. We just walked on and ignored his plea for help.

Later in the car one of the girls was convicted enough to say out loud what I am sure we were all thinking.

“What if that was the Lord?” she said, “He didn’t ask for money, he asked for help.” She went on, “What if we get to heaven and find out that was the Lord and we didn’t help him? What are we going to say to Him?”

Now you have to understand that I was much younger then and I was ever trying to appear to be cool around the ladies and I handled almost every awkward situation by making a joke. That said, I told her; “I’m going to say, Lord, what did you expect me to do, you were falling down drunk.”

Everyone laughed and we drove home.

When I got into my bed I lay there looking at the ceiling. I couldn’t sleep. I kept hearing that cry for help, and finally I got on my knees and begged for forgiveness for my shameful behavior and even more shameful comments in the car.

That night I made a commitment to never refuse help to anyone who asks me in that kind of situation again, and I never have.

Proverbs 19:17

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 21:13

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

You do not want to find yourself crying out and going unanswered!

Proverbs 28:22

A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

I know some of you will be thinking, well I’m not going to do that; they will just use the money for booze. If I was sure they would buy food with it I’d give and God knows my heart.

If they do misuse your generous gift, it’s okay, God won’t hold you responsible for their folly.

Proverbs 31:6-7

Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

2. The principle of the spoken word.

Proverbs 18:20-21

From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The power of life and death is in the tongue? How does that work? What does that mean?

It means your words have power!

Your words affect the condition of your life, if you don’t think so read the verses above again.

This should not be surprising to us; God establishes the power of words from the beginning of Genesis when he creates everything with words. Eighteen times “God said” Let there be… and there was.