The Foundation: Where It All Begins
THE FOUNDATION- WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
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"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." (Psalm127:1)
From this verse, it's apparent that God is in the construction business! God is a builder. I Corinthians 3:9-11 also bears witness to this truth where Paul writes, "For we are labourers together with God: you are God's husbandry, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Paul declares that the church is God's husbandry and God's building. The word husbandry is an agricultural term. It refers to a field, vineyard, or garden under cultivation. In short, it's referring to land. We, the church, are the place where God develops and produces something. The church is also God's building. How fitting that a reference would be made concerning land and then a building when considering that a building is constructed upon a piece of land. God is building a building and that building is the church. Verse 16 also bears this out saying, "Know ye not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The church is the dwelling place of God! If God is going to dwell within the church, we best build it according to His plans and design. He knows how He wants it built and we best follow His instructions.
From verse 10 we see that God begins with a foundation. Paul said he co-labored with God to lay the foundation. Notice that God works with people to accomplish His purposes. Paul said we are "labourers together with God."
Is the foundation important? The foundation is important for three main reasons.
First, the foundation gives the house stability. The foundation is unwavering. It doesn't change with the seasons of life. You can rely upon it to be there no matter what comes your way. Everything about the house is an extension of the foundation and depends upon it. Have you ever wondered why ministries, marriages, families, and individual lives fail? Why is it that after years of building a ministry or raising a family everything suddenly collapses and is destroyed? In every instance, you can trace it back to the foundation. What was "poured" first into that person's life? Did they truly get first things first? Did they get caught up with what another person was doing who built their house upon the sand? Jesus gives an account of two men that built homes. One built his upon a rock and the other upon the sand. When a great storm came and beat against both homes, only the house on the rock was left standing. The house built upon the sand collapsed. What happened when the "flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house?" The ground began to soften and the house began to lean. At some point, the house began to lean so far that it finally collapsed! What happened to those inside? Everything they had built upon the sand fell upon them! Think about it, the very things they were building became their downfall. Can a ministry destroy a person? Can a vocational pursuit destroy a person? Can a preoccupation with something that pulls you away from your spouse destroy your marriage? The answer to all these questions is YES! That's "building in vain." That's building without a foundation.
The second thing a foundation provides is the parameters (boundaries) within which we must build. The foundation sets the metes and bounds of the building so we don't stray away from the foundation. We must not only start right, we must also stay right. Some start well but don't finish well. Why is that? Some new doctrine comes along. Man always wants something new. We look for something to replace the old. We are so intent to stay on the "cutting edge" that we stray away from those old foundational, doctrinal principles that were first poured into our lives. Such was the case of the Christians to which the book of Hebrews was sent. It's clear they were taught the first principles of the doctrine of Christ for Paul writes, "...you actually need someone to teach you OVER AGAIN the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food." (Hebrews 5:12) Unfortunately, they became distracted. Perhaps many were suffering persecution for their faith. Paul said they had left the first principles, the foundation upon which their lives were built. They were spiritually emaciated. They were starving spiritually. They had lost their spiritual vim and vigor. They were unable to build God's kingdom and fulfill His purpose for their lives.
Thirdly, a foundation determines the size and scope of the building. The foundation determines the degree to which one's life will impact the Kingdom of God. You can't build a ten-story building on a one-story foundation. God has never designed an insignificant plan for anyone's life. God is a God of greatness, grandeur, and majesty. He is a God of abundance. He makes no small plans. Rest assured, if God is building your life, He will take whatever time is necessary to lay a foundation that will support a major work. The challenge is, will we give God the time necessary to lay that kind of foundation? People get in a hurry. We look at our neighbor...our fellow minister...our fellow worker...and see ourselves in light of what they are doing. The man who built his house upon the sand probably had his house built well before the man who built his house upon the rock. Luke 6:48 records that the man "digged deep" to lay his foundation upon a rock. It took time to build upon a rock, but when the storm came, it proved time well spent! Some are getting by building upon the sand. They've encountered storms, but their house still stands. Why is that? They've yet to encounter a storm with an intensity great enough to wash it away. Be assured, at some point in your life, your "building project" will encounter a storm of such magnitude that it will test the foundation upon which you've built.
The big question is, do you know what the foundational, first principles of the doctrine of Christ are? Can you refer to a specific passage of scripture that details this information? Fortunately, we do have scripture that specifies what these doctrines are. Lord willing, in next week's article, we will share the first of the six foundational Truths upon which our faith should rest.
.
.
.
"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." (Psalm127:1)
From this verse, it's apparent that God is in the construction business! God is a builder. I Corinthians 3:9-11 also bears witness to this truth where Paul writes, "For we are labourers together with God: you are God's husbandry, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Paul declares that the church is God's husbandry and God's building. The word husbandry is an agricultural term. It refers to a field, vineyard, or garden under cultivation. In short, it's referring to land. We, the church, are the place where God develops and produces something. The church is also God's building. How fitting that a reference would be made concerning land and then a building when considering that a building is constructed upon a piece of land. God is building a building and that building is the church. Verse 16 also bears this out saying, "Know ye not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The church is the dwelling place of God! If God is going to dwell within the church, we best build it according to His plans and design. He knows how He wants it built and we best follow His instructions.
From verse 10 we see that God begins with a foundation. Paul said he co-labored with God to lay the foundation. Notice that God works with people to accomplish His purposes. Paul said we are "labourers together with God."
Is the foundation important? The foundation is important for three main reasons.
First, the foundation gives the house stability. The foundation is unwavering. It doesn't change with the seasons of life. You can rely upon it to be there no matter what comes your way. Everything about the house is an extension of the foundation and depends upon it. Have you ever wondered why ministries, marriages, families, and individual lives fail? Why is it that after years of building a ministry or raising a family everything suddenly collapses and is destroyed? In every instance, you can trace it back to the foundation. What was "poured" first into that person's life? Did they truly get first things first? Did they get caught up with what another person was doing who built their house upon the sand? Jesus gives an account of two men that built homes. One built his upon a rock and the other upon the sand. When a great storm came and beat against both homes, only the house on the rock was left standing. The house built upon the sand collapsed. What happened when the "flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house?" The ground began to soften and the house began to lean. At some point, the house began to lean so far that it finally collapsed! What happened to those inside? Everything they had built upon the sand fell upon them! Think about it, the very things they were building became their downfall. Can a ministry destroy a person? Can a vocational pursuit destroy a person? Can a preoccupation with something that pulls you away from your spouse destroy your marriage? The answer to all these questions is YES! That's "building in vain." That's building without a foundation.
The second thing a foundation provides is the parameters (boundaries) within which we must build. The foundation sets the metes and bounds of the building so we don't stray away from the foundation. We must not only start right, we must also stay right. Some start well but don't finish well. Why is that? Some new doctrine comes along. Man always wants something new. We look for something to replace the old. We are so intent to stay on the "cutting edge" that we stray away from those old foundational, doctrinal principles that were first poured into our lives. Such was the case of the Christians to which the book of Hebrews was sent. It's clear they were taught the first principles of the doctrine of Christ for Paul writes, "...you actually need someone to teach you OVER AGAIN the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food." (Hebrews 5:12) Unfortunately, they became distracted. Perhaps many were suffering persecution for their faith. Paul said they had left the first principles, the foundation upon which their lives were built. They were spiritually emaciated. They were starving spiritually. They had lost their spiritual vim and vigor. They were unable to build God's kingdom and fulfill His purpose for their lives.
Thirdly, a foundation determines the size and scope of the building. The foundation determines the degree to which one's life will impact the Kingdom of God. You can't build a ten-story building on a one-story foundation. God has never designed an insignificant plan for anyone's life. God is a God of greatness, grandeur, and majesty. He is a God of abundance. He makes no small plans. Rest assured, if God is building your life, He will take whatever time is necessary to lay a foundation that will support a major work. The challenge is, will we give God the time necessary to lay that kind of foundation? People get in a hurry. We look at our neighbor...our fellow minister...our fellow worker...and see ourselves in light of what they are doing. The man who built his house upon the sand probably had his house built well before the man who built his house upon the rock. Luke 6:48 records that the man "digged deep" to lay his foundation upon a rock. It took time to build upon a rock, but when the storm came, it proved time well spent! Some are getting by building upon the sand. They've encountered storms, but their house still stands. Why is that? They've yet to encounter a storm with an intensity great enough to wash it away. Be assured, at some point in your life, your "building project" will encounter a storm of such magnitude that it will test the foundation upon which you've built.
The big question is, do you know what the foundational, first principles of the doctrine of Christ are? Can you refer to a specific passage of scripture that details this information? Fortunately, we do have scripture that specifies what these doctrines are. Lord willing, in next week's article, we will share the first of the six foundational Truths upon which our faith should rest.
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