2018-02-11 Psalm 127: 1 Building Plans

BUILDING PLANS (Psa 127:1) February 11, 2018 Read Psa 127:1a – In 1993, Reggie White was the best defensive player in the NFL, but also a free agent. A devout believer, he said he’d only go where it was God’s plan. So he arrived home one day to find a message on his answer machine: “Reggie, this is God. I want you to go to Green Bay.” Of course, it wasn’t really God. It was GB coach Mike Holmgren trying to get an edge. And I guess he did bc Reggie did end up on GB and MVP of SB 31. Wish it was always that easy to see God’s plan, don’t you? Here we are building a new building, but knowing it’s all in vain unless it’s by God’s plan. Who else’s plan might it be? Satan’s, of course. We have an enemy – and he’s got plans for this building as well as God. I want to take a brief look at both in the hope that forewarned is forearmed. Whose plans? God’s, or Satan’s? I. Satan’s Plan for the New Building A. Desire to Divide – Strangely, there is nothing like the victory of a new building to cause dissension. It’s easy to get the big thing done only to get wrapped around the axle against each other in small things. It began in Eden when sin resulted in Adam blaming Eve and Eve blaming the serpent. Just like that, man was alienated from God, his wife, nature and himself. Like ripping a piece of paper, the division was devastating. Satan’s plan for Eden’s perfection was alienation and division, so it will be for our new building. It can’t please everyone. Decision have been made for the sake of costs and other concerns that will cause all of us to wonder, how come they did it that way? Why that color? Why didn’t they include this or that? Why wasn’t I consulted? Can we have our opinion? Yes, with kindness and grace. But, listen. We are in great danger of division caused by criticism, complaints, disagreements, second-guessing, differences of opinion, taste and defense of rights. We must tenaciously reject all such temptation to talk behind people’s backs, criticize their motives, and create hard feelings – even if we are right! Even if we are right. That is Satan’s plan for this building, not God’s. Of course, we want to correct deficiencies. But everything must be done with appreciation for what God has given us and for those who worked hardest to bring it about. Monday morning quarterbacking never helps anyone. Gal 5:15) But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed 1 by one another.” “What goes around, comes around.” You bite another behind their back, it’ll boomerang on you. Tempting as it is, let’s not go there, Beloved. Satan’s plan is that we divide over minor issues. God’s plan is that we love each and appreciate each other with all our flaws. B. Urge to Underutilize – Satan’s plan. You have a beautiful new building. Great. But don’t mess it up by using it. Keep it sparkling. Now, I’ll speak to that in a moment, but first let’s realize God gave us this building to use, not to horde. It’s a lighthouse, not a clubhouse; it’s so Christ will be known to others, not just us. Satan’s plan is don’t overuse it. God’s plan is use it all you can. You don’t buy a new car; sit it in the garage and go stare at it occasionally, right? You drive it – using it for its intended purpose. One of the things I love about our current building is you can come by almost any day of the week now and things are happening here to further the gospel. We have a great school system in Eaton, and I love, pray for and support 100% the teachers and administrators, some in our own church, who are tending the academic and spiritual lives of our students. But I also love that our church houses a school where students can get an excellent academic education with an underlying Christian worldview. It allows our facility to be fruitfully utilized virtually every day. I hope our new building will find similar utilization of multiple ways to get the gospel out. Jesus said in Luke 14:12) “When you give a banquet (the gospel), do not invite your friends [and family] . . . But invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14) and you will be blessed.” This building is for us, yes. But it’s also for reaching our community and world or we’ve wasted God’s time and money. C. Affinity to Abuse – We do have a responsibility to care for what He has given. Accidents happen, and normal wear and tear, but Satan’s plan is to destroy this property through abuse, lack of maintenance and untended destructive behavior. We must guard against that. We’re all stewards of this gift. Paul says in I Cor 4:2: “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Part of our stewardship is to reflect God’s beauty by protecting what He’s given us. You use that new car, right? But you also take care of it. You wash it, polish it, change the oil and keep the tires inflated. You want it to look good and last as long as possible – same goal for this building – look good, last long! 2 You wouldn’t put in new carpet and give your kids free rein, right? So, let’s keep food and drink in designated areas; let’s avoid bumping walls when moving things. Let’s fix what needs fixing. Let’s help our kids learn to care for church property just like we would home property. Let’s be good stewards, and let’s help it look good and last long. D. Compulsion to Compromise – Paul warned Ephesian leaders in Acts 20:29: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves (false teachers) will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” Paul didn’t mean outsiders. He was warning that from among the leaders would come those who would compromise the message and comprise morally to be politically correct. Within 20 years, it had happened. It happened in Ephesus; it can happen here. The price of faithfulness is eternal vigilance. Satan will attack the deity of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, and other key doctrines. He will tempt us to compromise our standards to fit those of the world around us, so we must work and pray to insure that the message from this building will always be the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. E. Failure to Finish – It’s taken a lot of sacrifice to get where we are today. The temptation, as we break ground, is going to be to let down. But we’re not quite done, yet, Beloved. This will cost around $6.3-4M if costs hold relatively stable through the building period. To date we’ve given a little over $5M. That’s a great accomplishment. Unbelievable, really. But we must not let down now. Satan’s plan is that we fail to finish. God? Finish strong! The Duke of Wellington, the English general who defeated Napoleon, saw his success this way: “British soldiers are not braver than French soldiers, they are only brave five minutes longer.” That’s our great challenge now. Be faithful five minutes longer. After hours on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” Salvation paid in full. That’s our motivation to get this job done. II. God’s Plans for the New Building A. Worship Center – To worship God is to declare His worth and then live like we believe it. And it starts when we gather for weekly corporate worship, declaring as one His majesty, making our building a worship center. Jn 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That’s our goal every week – worship from our heart (spirit) and worship based on His truth (Word). NT believers did that weekly (I Cor 16:2) 3 in synagogues, houses, catacombs and later their own buildings – as God has blessed us to do. So let’s do it! Psa 95:6, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” Let’s together bow before Him, declare His worth God’s and then go forth to live like it. This building is first and foremost a worship center. That’s God’s plan. B. Training Center – Training for what? To know Him. To grow in Him and to go with Him. It’s not about us; it’s about the God of the Word, and the minute this building becomes about anything else, we have failed. To Know Him – Jn 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” So our first job is to help people come to know Him. Without that there is no eternal life. And how does that happen? Rom 10:14: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are them to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? . . . 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” How do people come to know God? Thru preaching the gospel that Jesus died for our sins, rose for His glory and saves all who believe in Him. I Cor 1:21b: “It pleased God thru the folly of what we preach (κηρυσσω – proclaim, exhort, herald – not dialogue, debate, or exchange ideas, but preach) to save those who believe.” We come to hear God’s Words, Beloved, not vice versa. Jesus says in Lu 8:8c: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” There’s a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth. Nothing trumps the preaching of the Word. I pray that preaching and prayer will always be foremost here. Jesus knew preaching. In Mark 1:38 he left a healing service: “Let us go to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” Jesus knew the priority of preaching to bring people to saving faith. Otis Chandler, owner of the LA Times was trying to get John Mac to write a column: “John, you have a great platform here. Why don’t you give us the benefit of your opinion of what’s going on in the world?” MacArthur replied, “Otis, do you really want one more opinion? I have one purpose and one purpose only; to make the voice of God audible.” That’s how people come to know God. To Grow in Him – Once we know Him, it is our privilege to grow in Him. How? Eph 4: 11) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure 4 of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Teachers equip! We’re all ministers expected to grow to be like Christ. How? Thru the teaching of the Word. We’re not here to primarily to entertain, socialize, psychologize, counsel, or even meet felt needs. We’re here to grow thru the teaching of the Word ministered by the Spirit of God. After Nehemiah helped the Israelites rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they called on Ezra the priest to “Bring the book! (Neh 8:1) And bring it he did. Neh 8:8: “[He] read from the book . . . and [he] gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” In other words he read the text, explained the text and applied the text. And people changed. Paul says in I Tim 4:13, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” Read the text, explain the text and apply the text. This is how you know God and grow up in Him. There’s no plan B. So someday when I’m gone, you must find someone devoted to this: Read the text, explain the text, apply the text. That’s how we grow. I Pet 2:2: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk (the Word), that by it you may grow up into salvation.” God’s plan? Train Godly people. C. Mission Center – As we grow, we go. Go with Him – be involved in His work. And so it is God’s plan that this building be a mission center – sending us out to share Christ with our neighbors, our community, our country and our world. Heb 10:24: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” God isn’t giving us this building primarily to socialize. It’s intended as a launching pad for Spirit-filled people. We come together – but the point of being together is to encourage one another to love others and be His representatives. The building is home base taking Christ worldwide. If we never get outside the building, we’ll be as dead as the Dead Sea which has water flowing in, but has no outlet and no life – thus Dead Sea. If the gospel only flows into us but never out we’ll be equally dead. Jesus said, Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” God’s plan is this building be ground zero for reaching our world for Christ, from Eaton to Pakistan. Spurgeon said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” Who are we? God’s plan is to send from here missionaries, not imposters – people whose lives are filled with grace, who pray for others, invite others, forgive others, care for others, become Christ to others. We must be a mission center reaching out to everyone, not a country club absorbed only with ourselves. 5 D. Legacy Center – When we first started thinking of building, many rightfully thought it too ambitious. Others didn’t want to leave memories that are here. Our dear friend, Duane Wilson, was one. I said to him one day, “You know, Duane, one hundred years ago, someone sacrificed to make this building a reality for you and all of us. Shouldn’t we do the same for the next generation?” Not long after, even though we had not yet officially opened a fund yet, Duane came with a sizable check and said, “Put this in the Building Fund that doesn’t exist.” And so we did. He wanted to leave a legacy, and he did. So must we. God help us train the next generation of pastors, missionaries, farmers, teachers, businessmen, coaches, mothers and dads who are thoroughly Xn in faith and practice. Let’s leave a legacy. Conc – So, who’s plan? Satan’s or God’s. Will we pray diligently and use faithfully? Or will we sit on our laurels? If we faithfully use it as a worship, training, mission and legacy center, think of the people who will in heaven one day as a result! Let’s pray and work that God’s plans prevail. We have the greatest message in the world – the good news that Jesus “died for our sins . . . that he was buried, that he rose again on he third day” and that “whoever believes in him has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (I Cor 15:3-4; Jn 5:24). This building is intended by God to be a means of spreading that message as far as possible. During the reign of Bloody Mary in England, Bishop Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were condemned to be burned at the stake. As the fire was lighted Latimer turned to his co-martyr and said, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out.” Our sacrifices have been far less, but I pray that this building will light a candle in Eaton that will never be put out. As we pray for that, and stay faithful to God’s call, so it will be. Let’s pray. 6