01 - A Relationship with God
Building Below the Baseline • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsThe greatest privilege of life is knowing Christ. There are many benefits of the Christian life, and they are discovered through the course of a lifetime. In this study, we will look at the parts of the Christian life that no one else sees- the elements that comprise our foundation. It may be easy for a while to portray an image of spiritual success when there is no real substance underneath. We may even have those closest to us fooled into thinking that everything is fine. In fact, one may be fooling himself into thinking that everything is okay because the outward structure looks right. But long before the destruction of a life is seen on the outside, there are issues with the foundation developing below the surface. Every structurally-sound life has a common denominator-it is built on a solid foundation.
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Text: Philippians 3:10-14
Prayers
Illustration:
Illustration:
“And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.”
(Maybe use the Milleniou tower in San Fran)
Pisa, Italy, is the home of the well-know landmark, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Though this tower draws tourists from all over the world, it is actually an embarrassing display of the ramifications of a faulty foundation. construction of the Tower of Pisa began in 1173. It was build in soft soil and was given a foundation that was less than ten feet deep. Even before its completion 200 years later, its infamous tilt was noticeable to the naked eye. The inadequate foundation was too unstable to support such a large structure.
The truth is that as children of God we are never truly alone. Even if those who should be closest to us turn against us, God never will. As David, who was forsaken by many who he had trusted, wrote, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” The question is not whether God is there, but whether we are living with a serious, focused realization that He is there. That is the great lack that robs Christians of their joy and peace, for those are found when we know that He is with us.
From 1990 to 2001, the tower was closed to the public while a $25 million project was conducted to stabilize the structure and reduce its lean. But even after these 11 years of reconstruction, the lean was only able to be reduced by 16 inches.
It should be the great desire of our hearts to be in such a close relationship with God that we are constantly aware that He is present. Paul wrote, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” ().
Millions of people make their way to the Tower of Pisa and gaze with awe the phenomenon of such a structure. And even though we as Christians, as born-again believers, we sing hymns like “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”, and we declare, “On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand” some of us have mastered the are of giving the illusion of success all the while ignoring the foundation that is designed by God to support the structure of our lives. We need to realize and be aware that it is possible to have the appearance of growing in Christ but have a crumbling foundation. The same is true about the many souls we cross paths. People whose structures are just as much a contradiction to functionality as that of the tower of Pisa.
But every day, we cross paths with souls who structures are just as much a contradiction to functionality as that of the tower.
It does not matter how much effort we put in to constructing a successful life. If we only take car of the outside and put up a facade of everythings good in the neighbourhood and do not put an effort into the part of our lives that no one else sees - the foundation - our demise will eventually become obvious.
Declaration: It does not matter how much effort we put in to constructing a successful life. If we only take care of the outside and put up a facade of everything’s good in the neighbourhood and do not put an effort into the part of our lives that no one else sees - the foundation - our demise will eventually become obvious.
Proposition: This evening the question I see here tonight is, How is your life looking below the baseline?” Is there a solid foundation that goes many feet down into the ground or is your life a beautiful building above in danger of collapse because there’s practically nothing solid below.
Transitional Sentence: Lets take a look at three points that will make sure we have the right foundation and that its a foundation that runs deep.
The Foundation of Relationship (vs. 10)
Text: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Explanation: When the Apostle Paul penned these words, he was not speaking of a casual knowledge of God or of simply knowing Jesus as Savior. He was speaking of an intimate and deep knowledge of God.
Illustration: The Greek word used for know in this passage means “to understand, to grasp and ascertain; especially to be familiar or acquainted with a person or thing.” AS A MEDEIROS ALWAYS GET ASKED IF I KNOW AND ARE RELATED TO GLENN MEDEIROS(ADD ILLUSTRATION IN THE DIFFERENCE IN KNOWING) Show how i know of Glenn, but I dont know Glenn We are not family, we dont have that close of a relationship if any.
Application: It is to really know Jesus in an abiding relationship.
highlights three ways of knowing Jesus:
Know His Person
2.
Know His Power
Know His Presence
The Formation of Faith
The Promise of Resurrection
The Process of Transformation
The Fixation of Will
Paul Recognized His Position
Paul Rejected the Past
Paul Ran to Win the Prize
