Building a Firm Foundation

Intro:

This year Lord has spoken to me about maturing the house. Turn with me in your bibles to John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Every activity we participate in has some base form of fundamentals. In sports like basketball you must learn to dribble, shoot and stay in bounds. In baseball you have to learn to keep your eye on the ball, when fielding the ball make sure your glove goes all the way to the ground so you don't miss the ball between your legs. Football you learn form tackling, keeping your head up, proper footwork, and positions.

In Vocal training, you learn proper breath support, how to use you diaphragm, and how to annunciate words. Music you learn how to keep time, read music, etc.

Story: In 1966 and 1967, The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowl's ever played. The coach of the Green Bay Packers was the legendary and hall of fame Coach Vince Lombardi. During a season the Packers Lost to a team that should not have come close to beating them. They were far superior to the other team and yet they failed to achieve their goal. The next day in practice Coach Lombardi walks into the room of players holds a football as high as he could and shouts Gentlemen this is a Football! Could you imagine the feeling seasoned athletes had when he brings up such an elementary thought and insulted their intelligence. Surely these world champions new what a football was. What was his purpose? When we neglect the fundamentals and get caught up in the exterior hype of who we are or become preoccupied with what we have become or even our own success. Likewise as a believer if we move away from the fundamentals of the Christian walk we will crumble. Lombardi’s teams were successful because they were sound in fundamentals.

The goal of the Christian life is go and bear much fruit and that your fruit should remain. It is the word of God that contains the ingredients for a strong foundation. Reading and applying the word to our lives is fundamental to the growth and development of the Christian life.

In this message today I want to lay the ground work of understanding for How God works. We will discover some fundamentals of the kingdom of God and its application to our lives. {PRAY}

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Submit:

Turn to Genesis 1.

God reveals the foundation of everything He does. In Genesis 1:3-4 we see a pattern “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”

God always begins with His word. First He spoke, then He saw. All throughout the first chapter we see this repeatedly. God said, and God saw.

The Keys to our development and growth in the kingdom of God will always start with God’s word.

John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

The word light in this passage is the Greek word phos. What its saying is that in the word was life of man. That life was truth and knowledge, together with spiritual purity. It was the power of understanding, especially moral and spiritual truth.

By the power of God’s word He shaped and formed the heavens and the earth. Hebrews 1:3.

Even more Hebrews 1:3 says that through Jesus who is the word He is upholding all things by the word of His power. “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

The power of God is in His word. Proverbs 2:6 “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;” His word shaped the universe and with confidence I can tell you it will shape you.

If you were to come to my office to talk with me about struggles in your life. The first question I will always ask is how much time have you spent in the word? The Word changes everything!

A basic fundamental in the Christian life is the Word of God. This is why Jesus says In John 15:5 ““I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Simply put, without the Word you can do nothing.

As I mentioned with sports and music there are basics that must be learned. The basics set the framework for future growth. In football keeping your head up when you tackle helps prevent head or neck injuries. Keeping your eye on the ball in baseball helps you to not get in the face when someone throws you the ball. Learning to sing with proper breath support and diaphragm keeps you from straining your voice. Learning good tone quality in band helps you to not drive your parents nuts While you practice.

The personal reading of the word is our first fundamental. It is the starting point of our transformation.

Just like sports or music we will have to devote time to it, we will have to practice doing what it says, and to mature in it we will have to be consistent over time until it becomes 2nd nature to us. Professional athletes or musicians don‘t become great by doing things once. They commit themselves to their craft and do it over and over again slowly perfecting their gifts and talents. Even when they reach the pinnacle of their profession they continue to put in the work to be great.

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Apply:

How much more should we have this mindset concerning the word of God?

We are instructed in Colossians 3:16 to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Too often we allow ourselves to have just enough word to be saved but not enough to be transformed. John 3:16-17, Luke 9:23.

We know John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

But fall short of Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

We are to crave the word. 1 Peter 2:2 “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,”

What I have learned from experience is that the The world is constantly shifting, but the Word is not. The world has persistent uncertainty about what is to come. It is constantly unsettled producing anxious thoughts and depression.

The Word of God is stable and consistent. Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 24:35.

Isaiah 40:8 says “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.””

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

This truth creates a confidence in the life of a believer that no matter what comes in the world I will have the ability through the word to navigate it. The believer doesn‘t have to live with anxiety, depression or fear. We know who holds tomorrow. We know that He has the power to sustain our lives in every season.

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Closing:

Today we have to make a choice to dwell in the word. No one can do it for us. Jesus said John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Understand that this verse is not a blank check to just get what we want from Jesus, but a revelation that as we abide in the word it will transform our hearts and thinking. The result is that the kingdom hearts will be fulfilled.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows us that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Through the word God is going to give us:

The right framework of belief.

He will reprimand us when needed.

Bring Correction when we get off course.

Instruct us in righteousness.

Why? So that we may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Over the next few weeks we are going to look dig into the power of the Word and its affect in our lives. I believe it will transform us if we let it!

Let’s Pray!

Salvation

That God would give us the spirit of wisdom and understanding. Opening our eyes so that we may see and perceive.