Building Our Future 1

"Building Our Future"

1 Chronicles 29: 9 "Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to The Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly."

Today I'm going to challenge us to expand our church building to make room for the people God is bringing.

Before I launch into that, I want you to notice the effect that giving had on the people of Israel and on King David in the passages we just read.

It says that out of a willing and loyal heart they had offered financially to the building of the temple...

The by-product was great joy amongst the people and with King David himself!

In Verse 17 of the same chapter, David testifies again, "As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You."

It brought great joy to King David to give toward the work of The Lord, and his joy was doubled when he saw the people giving willingly as well!

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Now, I want you to know that I'm ministering today, not so much to FUND-RAISE as to "FAITH-RAISE."

I'm going to show you in God's Word that you and I can give boldly in faith toward something God has His hand on.

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Second, I'm going to challenge us to give toward a vision, not a building.

And Third, in closing I'm going to share with you a motivational story that really spoke to me personally.

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So FIRST, let's look at how we can...

Boldly give in faith toward what God has His hand on.

As Israel was about to begin the building of the temple, King David said to Solomon--and by extension to all of Israel--the following words:

"Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear not be dismayed, for The Lord God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of The Lord" (1 Chron. 28:20).

Notice the powerful, encouraging words from God:

"Be strong, be courageous, don't be afraid, for The Lord promises to not leave or forsake you--He will sustain you until you are finished!"

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This became the foundational, supportive Word of God that undergirded and carried them throughout the entire building project.

And this same Word is ours!

God says to Turning Point Church today, "Be strong, be courageous, don't be afraid, for The Lord promises to not leave or forsake you--He will sustain you until you are finished!"

Thus, we can boldly and confidently give to the work of The Lord...

FACT: Where He GUIDES, He PROVIDES.

If He brings you TO it, He'll bring you THROUGH it.

King David and the people took this Word from The Lord and ran with it!

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And the Bible also tells us...HOW they gave.

First, The Bible says they gave WILLINGLY...

"Then the leaders of the fathers houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's work, all offered WILLINGLY" (29:6).

No one had to twist their arm, or talk them into it.

They ALL responded with willing hearts and contagious exuberance.

Their hearts were invested in the God Who had invested so much in them.

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God's people gave FEARLESSLY, they gave WILLINGLY, and thirdly the Bible says they gave SACRIFICIALLY...

Listen to David's testimony:

"I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver" (29:3).

David is saying, "I have given above what I had originally planned to give; I even dipped into my own private savings and gave."

So his giving was SACRIFICIAL, as was all of Israel's as they followed his lead.

So we see that God's people gave fearlessly, they gave willingly, and they gave sacrificially.

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Now, the next thing I want to point out is...

II. They gave to a VISION, not to a BUILDING.

Listen to how David encouraged the people:

"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of The Lord" (1 Chron.22:19).

Notice the last 7 words--"built for the Name of The Lord."

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They weren't building the Temple for their own glory, nor were they building it just to build a beautiful building.

They built the Temple "for the name of The Lord."

It was for the Lord's glory, to build a testimony of Him throughout the land.

David had a VISION of the glory of The Lord filling the earth, and what they built would play a part in that VISION.

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And today, we are not beginning this building project for our own glory, but because we have a VISION of carrying the name of The Lord throughout the earth!!!

God has called Turning Point to a three part vision:

The acronym "I.O.U." makes it easy to remember.

IN-REACH, OUTREACH, AND UP-REACH.

First, IN-REACH is about DISCIPLESHIP. Our purpose is to build Christ in every person through Discipleship.

Paul's vision for the local church was POWERFUL.

He said that through the ministry of the local church we should all grow spiritually, "...until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete likeness of Christ" (Eph.4:13).

Then second, OUTREACH is about EVANGELISM. Our purpose is to reach every person with Christ through Evangelism. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone" (Mark 16:15).

And finally, UP-REACH is about WORSHIP. Our purpose is to lead every person into the Worship of Christ. Jesus said, "The Father seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).

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So, the purpose and vision of TPC is...

Building Christ in every person through DISCIPLESHIP.

Witnessing about Christ to every person through EVANGELISM, and

Leading every person into the presence of Christ through WORSHIP.

God has placed Turning Point right here, right now for such a time as this!

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In closing, let me share:

III. A motivational story that really spoke to me.

ILLUS: Jim and some of his pastor friends were on a skiing trip to Colorado. They had a great cabin right at the base of one of the mountains, though the portion of the mountain behind their cabin did not have any lifts leading up it, nor any ski runs.

One of the pastors looked up the mountain and said, “Hey guys, let’s take our skis and hike up this mountain. The snow is virgin powder. No one has skied on it before. It won’t be easy, but imagine the experience when we ski down!”

Several of them chimed in and said, “Okay! Let’s do it!”

But Jim and one of his friends said, “You guys are nuts! Who in their right mind carries skies and boots halfway up a mountain for just a few minutes of pleasure as you ski down? We’ll stay right here by the fire and enjoy our coffee—you go right ahead and ski!”

Well, the other pastors decided they’d take the challenge. Jim and his friend watched over the next thirty minutes as these guys hiked up the side of the mountain, skis, boots, and poles slung over their shoulders.

The whole way the two pastors by the fire congratulated themselves on their wisdom and spoke of the stupidity of the guys hiking up the mountain.

But then they watched as their friends put on their skis and began skiing where no one else had dared to ski before.

As they arrived back at the cabin they were shouting and laughing and glorying in their great adventure.

Jim said, “My friend and I could only stand there in silence as they talked of the experience with intense satisfaction.

And then one of the men looked at me and said, ’Jim, you missed the very best part of our entire vacation!’ ”

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Now, I know there are some here today who by nature are the types that want to sit by the fire.

This project scares you. It seems too hard. You can think of a hundred reasons why we should not pursue it.

But the rest of us feel this is where God is leading. So it’s okay if you don’t want to go along.

You can even talk about us while we’re climbing this mountain.

But my fear is that when we’ve reached the top and are skiing down the other side...

And we move up into our brand new classrooms and youth facility, and hundreds of peoples lives are being changed as a result—and the rest of us are celebrating—my fear is that you might have missed the best part!"

THINK: $20.14 above the tithe is less than a tank of gas, or a meal for two at a restaurant, or a trip for four through McDonald's.

If enough ppl say, "I'm climbing this mountain with you," we can do this in one year!

LET'S PRAY