3rd Sunday of Easter – Sermon 159
Prayer to start
May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ
AMEN
Introduction
Buildings are important to us – we eat in them – sleep in them – work in them – worship in them – the’re a sign of our prosperity – our culture and our security –
They need to be built well – stand firm and last – it’s the same with our church
One of Paul’s favourite images for describing the church – is a picture of a building under construction – with the people of the church – its builders
As far as Paul is concerned – we are all “building for God” – and what ever – we do – for Him – is a sign of how much we love Him –
God’s house needs to be the best we can make it –
Our readings this evening focus on three things that are important – when building – the foundation – the building materials – and the commitment of the builders
We are going to look at each one – to see if it helps us understand what God wants us to do for His Church –
Point 1 – Firm Foundation
Ask any building contractor – and he’ll tell you that a building is only as good as its foundation
If the foundation is faulty – the building will topple – if the foundation is solid – the building will stand for a long time
In our NT lesson Paul tells us how he had the privilege of setting down the foundation of the Corinthian church – like “a skilled master builder”
He was there before the first convert – and nurtured it during the first one and a half years of its existance –
But Paul wasn’t the true foundation stone – that had already been prepared by God –
“There can be no other foundation than one already laid”: said Paul, “I mean Jesus Christ Himself.”
Paul knew it would only stand the test of time – if it was built on the blood of Jesus Christ –
Everything we do in the church must start from Jesus – if we try to do it any other way – it will fail – because we will be rejecting God’s blue print for salvation –
Laying foundations also requires excavations – digging up the old – and clearing it away –
In the same way Jesus helps us to clear away our old – ways – so we can rebuild – on a much firmer footing –
Jesus died on the cross – for our sins – so that we can be forgiven – and begin again – in our relationship with God – and receive His free gift of everlasting life –
In God’s church – the foundation stone is exclusively Jesus – nothing else can be used –He is the rock – on which everything else rests – a rock that is here for us and for eternity
Point 2 Building materials
So the foundation stone is in place – what about the walls?
A good foundation needs a good sturdy walls on it – no sensible builder would put a cardboard box on top of such – a unique foundation
Paul reminds us that we are the builders – and we choose the materials we use –
He makes an analogy with different materials – that would be used in his time –
Gold, silver, precious stones – wood, hay and straw –
those that perish – and those that don’t –
Those that are meant to last – and those that are temporary –and require constant replacement –
Wood, hay, straw were materials used in the poorer homes – shanty towns – they were plentiful – easy to find – cheap to obtain –
We all know what happened to the two pigs – who thought their houses of straw and sticks was good enough – that their time and effort was better spent on other things – when the big bad wolf came along – everything went flat –
Gold, silver, precious stones – on the other hand – were materials of extravagance – used in some of the great public buildings – and those that were special and important –
Such materials – were hard to get hold of – costly in terms of effort and commitment to get them out of the ground – to give them up to God – was a real sacrifice –
the two pigs laughed at the pig in the brick house – they thought they had done a good job – and he’d overdone it – but in the end it was the pig who had – built his house with bricks that had made the right choice-
What counts is endurance – permanence – quality not quantity – everything we build – for God – needs to be the best we can do –
Not only must our foundation speak of Jesus Christ – but also our walls and our furnishings –
God – wants us to use materials that have eternal value – love – kindness – patience – faithfulness – forgiveness – obedience – truth –
things that will help us – and others grow in faith and come to know – who God is and what He is like –
Our building needs to rely – more on God – than on us – and needs to be one that prays more than it plans
Putting God’s work first is not easy – its hard work – we have to be prepared to make sacrifices –
Genuine Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight – it involves – slow and steady growth – prayer – bible reading – we all have a responsibility to put long term construction into practice – After all – in the end –we know it will be the most important thing we do –
Point 3 Personal commitment
And so we come to the third – point – our willingness to keep on “building for God”
To help us in this we need to look at our OT lesson
The exiled Jews have returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple –
They had tried – some 16 years earlier – to rebuild it – but got discouraged –
Now with Haggai’s encouragement they were ready to have another go –
The temple was beginning to take shape – but it wasn’t long before some of the more senior members realized that – the new building would be no carbon copy of the former Temple –
They started to voice their dismay – and as more and more were told about the beauty and grandeur of the old Temple – and how it would never match up to the old – pretty soon – the work stopped –
But Haggai urged them to be strong and build – he reminded them who was in charge –
that it was God’s wish that the work should continue that He was in control – even if we feel we’re not –
There are many things that discourage us in our work for Christ –
Negative thoughts about our own abilities – I can never be as good as so and so – or – my contribution won’t make much difference
Comparisons with other churches – or what has been done in the past –
We’re not doing as well as the other church down the road – or – no point in going ahead with this – we tried it before – and it didn’t work ––
We need to remember who we are doing it for and why – that God has big plans for us and for His Church –
“I will surpass the splendour of the former – I shall grant prosperity and peace”
God – wants us to keep going – stay focused – and give our best – He is with us – and He will use everything we give – for His Glory –
Conclusion
“Church Building” is certainly uppermost in our minds at the moment – with the second phase of the re-ordering coming up –
But “building for God” is more than improving the bricks and mortar
When Jesus upset the tables of the money lenders in the Temple in Jerusalem – He told them He would “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up again”
The temple Jesus was speaking of was His body – the church – you and me –
As Paul reminds us – “surely you know that you are God’s temple, where the Spirit of God dwells”
We need to make sure that the temple inside us as well as the temple outside – is fit for His presence
Are we putting God first in our lives? – giving Him the very best – giving Him all we can give? –
How firm is God’s temple here in Lymm and in each one of us?
Closing prayer
In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit
AMEN