Preparing to Build - Part 5
Seeing The Vision…Seeing The Cross
We continue our series today…PREPARING TO BUILD, SEEING THE VISION, LIVING THE DREAM. We started this series on July 8 for the purpose of getting ready to see God move in our lives and our church.
We chose the builder, we talked about the foundation. Last week, we talked about CONSULTING THE BLUEPRINTS before buying the nails. All of those sermons focused on the first phase of our series…PREPARING TO BUILD.
Today, we move into PHASE II of our series. SEEING THE VISION. You see, now we are ready to start seeing some results. Now, we’re ready for this building to go up. Now we’re ready to move forward with God in our lives and in our church.
Seeing the Vision has everything to do with understanding where we are going…and doing what is necessary to get there. That is what we begin talking about today.
Last week, we focused on the importance of Consulting the Blueprints. That the most important part of starting to build is to look at the plans and see what it is we must do to build things right.
We talked about our Biblical Blueprint for our lives and church. About what we need to do and how we do it.
We read these two verses over the past two weeks as well. These verses are so very important in our lives.
Col. 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
These two verses focus on our SALVATION, our SUBMISSION, and our SANCTIFICATION. We handed out that card two weeks ago that helps us remember what is important, what those basic truths are that we must understand in our Christian walk.
Today, we move on to talk about the building process. We’ve been PREPARING BUT TODAY WE START DOING!
And, everyone knows, that an important part of a building are the LOAD BEARING WALLS. You see, the load bearing walls are that part of the structure that holds up the house, that holds up the upper floors, that bear the weight of what’s above.
And, those load bearing walls must be built correctly and exactly to plan in order for the house to stand. Those load bearing walls are what the rest of the house depends on to help it stand.
As we build our lives and our church, we too have load bearing walls. These are the walls that will secure the rest of the structure. That will hold up the rest of the structure. That will carry the weight of everything above. These are the walls upon which we build.
Today, I want to share with you what those load bearing walls are and why they’re important. These are the foundational truths upon which we build.
Our theme verse for this series is 1Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
I shared with you a few weeks ago the importance of this verse. How we are to be anchored in Him. Locked in place, so that nothing can move us from the Will of God.
But I can tell you with no doubt, that you and I will never be steadfast and immovable, anchored in Him, unless we hold firm to the load bearing truths that I will share with you today.
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
There it is in verse 24, it says he “BORE” our sins. In other words, he took the weight of our lives, the weight of our sin, all of the ugly things in our lives. He bore them for us.
Is. 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Is. 53:4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! (NLT)
He paid the price that day for our sins. He, that day, became our load-bearing wall. He took the weight of our sorrow, the weight of our grief, the weight of our sin, the weight of our unrighteousness. And, he BORE it for us.
And today, he continues to bear that weight for us. He continues to carry the load. But, we must base our lives on those load-bearing walls that Christ gave to us.
1. Load-Bearing Wall – Jesus is God
The deity of Christ. In other words, that Jesus is 100% God. In most religions, they regard Jesus as a great teacher, a great prophet, a great leader, but not God. I’m here to tell you today, that Jesus is God. He is a great teacher, a great prophet and a great leader, but all of those things pale in comparison to what He really is…GOD!
And, He has always been God. When He came to this earth, He didn’t cast aside his deity, He didn’t lay it down. When He was on earth, He was 100% God and 100% man. You ask, how is that possible? Easy, He’s God.
John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
In fact, John wrote the phrase “My Lord and my God” in such a way in the Greek language to make the point that Jesus is BOTH of these – Lord AND God. Point being, there was no question in Thomas’ heart that he was talking with the living and breathing Almighty God – Jesus Christ!
The most popular miracle in all the Gospels. In fact, it is the only miracle that can be found in all four Gospels (Matthew/Mark/Luke/John) – is the Feeding of the 5000. Unfortunately, what started off as a miraculous event, ended with most of his listeners walking away from Jesus Christ.
How can this be? How can Jesus do a miracle and have people walk away in disbelief? Well, if you read the accounts, you find that people were in love with the miracle itself – the magic show…for the free food! But Jesus said that you must believe in me and who I am…not just for what I can do for you.
And after Jesus fed the 5000, one of the saddest verses in the bible is recorded - John 6:66 (ironically, it is 666) – where it says: From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
When the Lord used the word ‘disciples,’ he was referring to those who, by their own mouths, claim to be “quote-unquote disciples’”…but really weren’t. You see, if you are a true child of God, you may have some tough days, some days of doubt and discouragement. But our heart should always default back to trust in the Lord and knowing his goodness, grace, and mercy.
So, Jesus turned to those who claimed they had “forsaken all to follow Jesus” (Luke 5:11) and asked them:
John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
To which in reply Peter exclaimed confidently:
John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This is the very same thing that God is calling for each of us to decide in our own hearts. Is Jesus Christ a load-bearing truth in our lives? Do we really rely on Him to provide the only true words of eternal life?
In fact, beginning in September, I am going to share a 6 week series called “iTruths: Life Lessons for the iPod Generation” that will equip you to respond to folks who, for example, suggest that Jesus Christ is not God, or morality is subjected – and one of our key verses for that series will be John 6:68 “…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…”
And the awesome thing is, this same God loves us so much!
I John 3:1a Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
There is wonderful assurance in the simple words, “Jesus loves you.”
2. Load-Bearing Wall – Jesus Paid It All
The Atoning Death of Jesus Christ. “Atoning” means “to cover.” By “covering,” he also “cleansed” us from our sins.
Eph. 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
E.V. Hill, while addressing Moody Bible Institute in the 1980’s said it this way:
“Some of you may have economic peace, you may have political peace, you may have social peace, you may have all kinds of peace. But there some of you under the sound of my voice today that do not have the certainty that you have peace with God.”
You see, he was addressing a need that much of the world doesn’t even realize it needs – peace with God.
My friend, you may have walked into this church today for various reasons – visiting family and/or friends, returning to go to school, maybe even attempting to receive some sense of spiritual peace somehow-someway.
Well, I’m here to tell you that until you acknowledge your sin, that it is offensive to God and until you ask him to cover and cleanse – to atone – for your sins, you will never be at perfect peace. The good news is that you can leave this place today knowing that you have peace with God.
3. Load Bearing Wall – Jesus Rose From The Dead
This is the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That He was put in that borrowed tomb and walked out of the tomb three days later under His own power.
1Cor. 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
The Bible is filled with verses that speak to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as being essential to Christianity. The bible can say it no clearer than in: Romans 10:9, If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There is no other religion where its God has raised from the dead. Mohammed-still dead! Buddha-dead! They’re all dead. But Christ is alive. You ask me how I know He lives…He lives within my heart!
Friend, as we witness in our community in order to lead 5000 souls to Christ, we must talk about Christ being raised from the dead. You cannot leave out the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an essential doctrine – a load-bearing truth – that cannot be compromised.
4. Load Bearing Wall – Jesus Guarantees Our Future
This is the eternal security of the believer. That no one, not even you, can take away your eternal security. That once you are in the hands of God, you can never be moved!
Eph. 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Eph. 1:13 And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. (NLT)
We must hold firmly to the load-bearing truth of our Eternal Security. We must believe it.
If there was a time in your life to where you sincerely:
Acknowledged that you were a sinner
Repented of your sinfulness
Asked God to forgive you and clean your sinful heart
Acknowledged that He was indeed the only one who had the power and authority to atone for your sins
Believed that He was God
Believed that He died on the cross to provide a payment for your sins
Believed that He rose again from the grave
Then You were saved…You are saved…and you always will be saved!! Nothing can change that NOR, if truly saved, would you ever have the desire for it to change!
You may say, ‘Well, pastor, sometimes I don’t feel saved” or “sometimes I don’t have the desire to serve God passionately.” Well, let me tell you that tonight, Dr. Ben Gutierrez will be addressing this very issue – of how a believer in Jesus Christ can come back home when he/she is living a wayward life. The title of his sermon will be, “You can come home” taken from Luke 15. But this morning let me say that if you are not experiencing all the joys of your eternal salvation there is probably sin in your life. Because sin will steal joy and cause doubt.
In Psalm 51, David was repenting of the sin of murdering Bathsheba’s husband – a horrific sin – and David was clear that he had NOT lost his status as believer in the Holy God, but that he tarnished the joy of that relationship. Psalm 51: 7-8a: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
And in verse 12: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
God is a good God. He keeps his promises. And nothing can separate you from the Love of Christ – nothing!
5. Load Bearing Wall – Jesus Is Coming Back
This same Jesus, the one of Whom we speak of today, is coming again to gather up His church.
Hebrews 9:28, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
1 Cor. 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Cor. 15:55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
AND NOTICE that after all of these promises given to us in Scripture, we find that it concludes with I Corinthians 15:58 - Our THEME VERSE!!! 1Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
In order to build our lives and our church upon the load bearing walls of Jesus Christ, we must always hold fast to these truths.
1. Jesus Is God
2. Jesus Paid It All
3. Jesus Rose From The Dead
4. Jesus Guarantees Our Future
5. Jesus Is Coming Back
So, as we build lives for Christ, as we build our church for Christ, we must understand these truths. And we must believe them. You see if we allow ourselves to doubt these truths, then everything else can fall. Our lives can fall, our church can fall, our vision can fall and our future can fall.
We must take everything that will keep us from this belief in Christ and get rid of it. We must nail it to the load bearing truth of the cross.
OUR SINS-NAIL THEM TO THE CROSS.
OUR DOUBTS-NAIL THEM TO THE CROSS.
OUR FEARS-NAIL THEM TO THE CROSS.
OUR INSECURITIES-NAIL THEM TO THE CROSS.
Because this cross, can bear the weight. This cross can hold us up no matter how heavy the burden. Jesus Christ paid it all, He bore it all. And we have VICTORY because of this load bearing CROSS!
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
