Opening Prayer
Gracious and loving Father, we give You praise and thanks for this wonderful day of blessings and victory. We have come to this place today with a heart that sets on praising Your holy name and a heart that trusts in your unfailing love. From our innermost being we shout our praise to you because you are the Almighty God, the Lord whose power no one can measure and whose love no one can fathom. In humility of the spirit we bow down to You, and we stand in awe before your holy presence.
Father, we trust that you have ordained the things that are going to happen this day. We trust that your hands have even led us to be in this place right now. We trust that today’s activity does not happen by accident because we are here to fulfill a special purpose that has already been in the mind of God before our minds have ever conceived it. Therefore we want to recognize your partnership O Lord in this enterprise. And we declare that You are and will always be the ultimate director of any transaction that will exist in this place starting this very hour. Be glorified and be exalted Father in all undertakings that shall be performed here.
As we dedicate this particular place O Lord, we lift our prayers and petitions to Your throne in heaven that You shall grant the desires of our hearts today according to the measure of your grace. We desire that you fulfill the purpose why we dedicate this place –that this place will become a place where “milk and honey” shall flow, where your blessings flow to overflowing.
Father, thank you for granting the desires of our hearts this afternoon. Bless every person present here today to witness your faithfulness. Bless the ceremony in a way that everyone will come to see your grace. We declare this place now to be a habitation of your glory. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen
Message
Good afternoon to everyone. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate APPSCor and its management for their amazing success for two years operation. Your progress is undeniably unprecedented. And I believe that the whole RD Company is proud of you, and it’s our prayer that you will have more achievements as the years go by.
But don’t forget to recognize God who ordained and caused all these things to happen. Things occur in light of His divine foreknowledge, to show the wonders of His merciful and gracious bestowal upon those who acknowledge Him in their lives and endeavors. It is God who blesses the works of our hands, our determination, concerted efforts, sacrifices, and faith. As the Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from our Father who has no shadow of turning.”
_________________ is still a very young establishment, a two year old company. Kung sa tao pa, two years old baby pa. And what can you expect from a toddler? Noise, disorder, dependence? But what we see in _______________ is the opposite. And we are amazed at how the Sovereign Lord establish, sustain, and bless _______________ for two years’ time. For just two years of operation, it has to build a big building here, wow. It’s beyond the management to expect. Therefore the establishment that will stand in this place will be a monument of God’s faithfulness, it will give a testimony to God’s graciousness to _____________ .
Now as we proceed to the dedication of this site, first let’s read and expound a passage from the Bible to hear a word from God this morning. It’s found in Psalm 127: 1, and it says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
The psalmist does not tell us here that God literally builds a house. Instead, through the divine inspiration of God, the psalmist penned the divine secret of true success. He told us that man to be truly successful must be totally dependent on God. Here is what he means with this verse:
First, he tells us that work done independently of God would be futile. “The labor of those who build it is vain.” Without the work of the divine hands, the work of human hands will be fruitless. One reason would be our human finiteness. Though man had done great inventions, yet human limitations and weaknesses were always there to remind him of his finiteness. No one, in the greatness of his knowledge and abilities, can assure himself that mishaps and failures would never come his way. Whether we have realized it or not, we have human propensity to commit mistakes. Any time we can make wrong decisions. Anytime we fall short with our expectations and aims. Our knowledge and experience will only help us to make plans and projections at the present, beyond that, we have no control over what will happen in the days ahead of us. That’s why the Bible warns us saying, “In his heart man plans his ways, but it is the will of God that will prevail.” It is God who directs our paths.
On the other hand, a person can be successful with his goal in life but never a success before God. Human success is meaningless without the blessing of God? This verse indicates that without the divine blessing of God, success is but a sort of vanity, a sort of nothingness. This might sounds unreasonable and illogical, but this is the biblical truth. Merely achieving our goal, reaching our target, attaining our aim, attaining our projections does not constitute success to God. Rather, anything you do and achieve, significant or not, big or small, that fulfills the purpose of God for your life, that glorifies Him, that is what constitute true success. That’s why we should seek to live our lives according to God’s purpose. We should our lives in a way that God is worshipped and glorified because that is the reason why He created us. And you know, living a God-pleasing life not only guarantees us of God’s blessing and true success, it assures us of eternity with Him.
Secondly, the psalmist emphasized the sovereignty and sufficiency of God. He was saying that God is more than able, that God is more than enough to make our life truly productive, meaningful, and lasting.
Look at this: the psalmist said, “Unless the Lord builds….” He’s been saying here that “God is a builder, a Master Builder and a Master Designer.” He’s now pointing us to the Creator God. Actually, he had a good contention here in urging us to entrust our life to God. If God created the whole universe with His power, built the foundation of the world by the power of His Word, His Spirit brooded over the earth and the earth was filled with life and beauty, imagine what He could do to your life as well when it is entrusted into His mighty hands.
Next, the psalmist said: “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” In another passage this psalmist said that the “Lord who guards over His people, Israel, will not slumber.” It’s an idiomatic expression that means, God will not fail to keep His people safe and He is faithful to have their needs provided because He is the sufficient God. We have the truth here that if we have God in our heart and we live according to His purpose then we have perfect assurance of His abiding presence, constant protection, and faithful provision. “Is there anything too hard for God?” asked one of the Old Testament prophets. Of course the answer is nothing because the God we serve is more than enough, and more than able. Praise the Lord.
In closing I would say, as we break the ground here today, let’s have a heart that truly trusts in the Sovereign and Sufficient God.
Prayer of Dedication
May I request everyone to please rise for our prayer of dedication:
Oh God, Our Eternal Heavenly Father, in the precious Name of Jesus, we come before you with Praise and Honor to your most Holy Name. We thank you that this day we have breathed to praise your Holy Name. You bless each of us this day with gifts of love and life, of laughter and joy, of wisdom and inspiration. Together this day, we celebrate all your many blessings upon us. Thank you for the blessings of good health, family, friends, and material things. We also thank you for your grace this day, and for the reason of our gathering here this afternoon. We ask that you would now pour out your grace upon us, that your perfect peace might reign in every heart.
Lord,
Where we are ignorant, enlighten us
Where we are prideful, humble us.
Where we are weak and weary, strengthen us.
Where we are wounded or broken, heal us.
Now, O Lord, we come to Your glorious throne of grace and dedicate this place in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. We pray Father that your mercy, glory and overflowing blessings will manifest in this place. We pray that the establishment to be established in your name here shall be covered with Your divine protection. In the name of Jesus Christ, we drive away all the evil forces of Satan from this place and declare that God’s glory and love to shine here. We declare O Lord your blessings upon us all, upon this place and the establishment to stand here, in the precious name of Your beloved Son, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
