A Foundational Life

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Tal Paul's preaching after missing January due to being sick. Episode 12 starts out 2019 with a sermon on February 10th of 2019. This episode is titled A Foundational Life and was recorded just two days after my wife and I returned from a Caribbean cruise. The main scriptures are First Corinthians, chapter 13 and Luke 6, verses 46, 49. This sermon explores the need for a good foundation for our lives. And that firm foundation is the rock Jesus, who is the cornerstone and capstone of a great life. [00:00:49] Speaker B: Let's pray. Heavenly Father, you are mighty mightier than the storms that we have and you love us so, and we thank you for that. We thank you for who you are, that you are so good and so loving and full of grace and mercy. And so, Lord, we just come before youe in prayer and we want to praise youe first, Lord. Lord, we just praise youe and ask that yout send Holy Spirit to open our ears and open, open our hearts and that we would learn from you this morning that your Word would be alive and teach us and that we might grow in our relationship with you. This we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Well, my wife and I, we just got back from a cruise, a Caribbean cruise. We flew in Friday. And I say that not to make you jealous, but. I looked out of the plane as we were flying in and I thought, that's not white sand, is it? But we went to Jamaica and Grand Cayman and two stops in Belize and two stops in Mexico. We had a great time and we didn't miss the winter weather once. I'm sure you're surprised, but what I got out of it was more than just a tan. I realized that everything is vanity except your personal relationship with God. We saw extreme poverty and we saw extremely wealthy people living in exuberance. On our trip we saw gorgeous beaches and we saw filthy sewer water running through a city. We had good food and bad food and were among nice people and not so nice people. And there were gorgeous people and not so gorgeous people, but all of it, including the white sand beaches with that crystal blue water, it all means nothing. It is all worthless and futile without a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, a little story. We were in Jamaica and we were walking down the road and the vendors, they cost you and they are trying to sell you. And this guy grabbed us and he pulled us into this bazaar, all these shops where all these people were selling stuff. And we didn't make very far before we started looking at jewelry and magnets. We were looking for magnets. We like to bring home a magnet and put it on our fridge of where we've been. But this guy, his shop was in the very back, and so I don't think he got a lot of people that. That made it all the way back to his shop. So I went back there with him, and my wife was still looking at some jewelry. And he was a carver, and he had all of these masks and all these things that he had carved, and he was pretty good. And he was honest with me, and he said, I just need $1 today. He goes, Even if it's just $1, I need a dollar today. And we ended up buying a carved shark from him for like 12 or $13. I don't remember beautifully carved shark, but you could earn $1 in a week, or you could earn a million in a month. It doesn't matter. Because relationships are what matter, especially those that are everlasting. Everything is not everlasting. But those things that are everlasting, those are the most important, those godly things, which are gold and silver and precious stones. Everything else is just vanity and worthless in the end. So we all want this gold and silver and precious jewels, those things that are everlasting and true. But where do we get those? Where do we start? When you don't know where to start, Start from the beginning. And in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So let's start with the rock. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While we were on our tropical vacation, we got to visit many beaches with breezes and waves and sunshine. Oh, wait, sorry. Lots of sand. Lots and lots of sand. And one of the things I would do is I would walk the beaches and I would walk along the shore and look for shells, and I would see one in the wave and wash up and the next wave would take it out and it was gone. And if you stand on the seashore sand, you can just feel yourself sinking as the water erodes that sand underneath you. And it's always sifting and moving and shaking. And if you walk in that sand, it's hard. It's hard walking because there's no firmness under it. You just push off and there's more sand underneath. And. And you can't even take like a night picture of the moon on the water or a sunset, because as soon as you set up your tripod, it starts to sink. And we sailed out of New Orleans. One of the things my wife loves is the history of cemeteries. And so we. We went to New Orleans specifically to visit their cemeteries. And oh my, what cemeteries? They have, they're, they're amazing and they're these huge structures and they have these crypts or tombs or I don't know what their technical term is, but all of Louisiana or the New Orleans is on the Mississippi Delta and it's all silt and things are sinking. And a lot of these 12 foot tall tombs are sinking into the ground. And you can just see like the archway just above the ground, some are lopsided. And it's just because of the silt that that city is built on. Everything is sinking. There is no bedrock or firm foundation. And so whatever we do in this life, we need that strong and firm foundation, a rock to build our lives upon, the rock made without hands. We need the foundation of Jesus Christ upon which we should build everything, build our lives. We've all heard about the Leaning Tower of Pisa and no, we didn't go to Italy. And just illustrates my point. It's very iconic to say the least. And it's well known for its tilt as one side is sinking. It was not built on a firm foundation. And the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, its tilt began during construction in the 12th century. It was caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side of the tower. And as it was built and the weight increased, it kept tilting. And it kept tilting for decades until the 14th century. And it was gradually stabilized partially in the 20th and the 21st centuries. And if you've ever seen a picture of it, it's only like three point something degrees off. But because it's so tall and so big, that little three degrees off puts it not over its foundation anymore, but it's tilted over. And if we are off just a bit as we grow, our center will be far, farther and farther away from a foundation with God. Now, the Bible describes Jesus as the rock made without hands. Jesus was that rock, that spiritual rock that followed the Israelites as they wandered the desert. And Moses struck that rock and water flowed from it. And Moses was to speak to that rock as it followed them around and it would give them water. Moses was angry with the people and he struck it again. And that is why Moses was unable to go into the promised land. Because Jesus, which that rock represented, was only going to die once and be struck once. And Jesus represents that rock. The Psalms say this. You don't have to turn. There they are. Just one verse and I'm going to go through them quickly. Psalm 18:31 says, for who is God save the Lord, and who is a rock, save our God, and Psalm 94:22 but the Lord is my defense, and my God is the rock of my refuge. Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Psalm 42 he brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. And Psalm 18:2 says, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn or power of my salvation and my high tower. Jesus is also the cornerstone upon which we should build. And a cornerstone can mean that the rock or the stone in the corner that makes everything plumb and lines up the two directions and supports everything. And it can also mean the capstone. If you've ever seen an arch, there's a stone in the middle of the brick arch and that actually supports both sides so it doesn't crumble to the ground either way. Without that it just crumbles away. And without Jesus, our lives are a broken disaster. We can't do it alone. If you've ever tried to change just in your own power, it's just doesn't work that well. If you just try and change on your own, it's hard. And good intentions are just that. They're just good intentions. And being well meaning is nice, but acting nice is actually well meaning. You see, we need some force, some power to help us. And it's not by power, it's not by might, but by my spirit, says the Lord. It's also a group effort. We're not supposed to be alone. God didn't make us that way. We're not designed to be either apart from God or apart from each other. We should be in communion and fellowship with God and with others so that we grow and we can help others grow. Please turn with me to First Corinthians 3. First Corinthians chapter 3. And while you are turning, this is a passage. The apostle Paul is instructing the church at Corinth on how to build their lives. But the Corinthians are too focused on worldly things or the carnal the carnal things of life rather than the everlasting spiritual things. And therefore Paul is instructing them on how to properly build their lives the everlasting spiritual way. 1 Corinthians 3:1 and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal as to babes in Christ I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it. And even now you are still not able, for you are still carnal. For where there are envy and strife and divisions among you, are you not still carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, I am of Paul and another says, I am of Apollos or Stan or Bob or Mark, are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos but ministers through whom you believed as the Lord gave to each one. So there Paul is saying, it's not really who teaches you. You want to be of God. You don't want to be a Babite or a Paulite. You want to be a Christian God. Verse 6 I planted Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God is who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. Verse 9. For we are God's fellows, fellow workers, and you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. Verse 11 for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one's work will become clear, for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved. Yet as through fire, God is refining fire. And those things in our life that are just straw, we have built with straw, they just burn away, burn up. But that gold and that silver, when that is put through the fire, the impurity is in it. That is what burns away, and it becomes more and more pure, precious. Verse 16 don't you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written. He catches the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile. Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come. All are yours. And you are Christ and Christ is God's. Amen. It is a daily or really, it's a moment by moment walk. Every step has to be checked. We need to make sure that we are on firm and take deliberate and directional steps in Christ. That is how we remain, building on that sure foundation. See, when Jesus lived, and even times before that and after, the roads with the carts and all the people and the animals, they would become just muddy muck. And so when a king was coming to town, they didn't want that king or important person to have to walk through the muck to get to their town. They wanted to show the king their importance by making their way. And so they would take rock and dirt and they would build up that road and fill in those ruts from the cartwheels and the. And smooth it out and build it up and make it high. And that's where we get the name highway. They would build that up for the king. And we should prepare the way for our king. We should smooth that road. Repent and make your heart ready for maximum growth. John the Baptist would say, repent for the king. Kingdom of God is at hand that helps make that growing process as we're put through that refining fire and that oven. When God sticks us in that oven, it makes it easier when we prepare our heart beforehand and have to put us in so long, you don't have to look far and wide to realize that we have enemies who can come against, well, everyone and anyone, your friends or even your own flesh sometimes to be at conflict. But in Christ they cannot overcome. However, without a strong foundation and building upon God, they can tip us over. One of my favorite church children's stories is the Big Bad Wolf with the Three Little Pigs. You know, the not by the hair of my chinny, Ginny, Gin. And I'll huff and I'll puff. And when your foundation is on that sand of that beach and you're tilting a little to one side and you're growing ever farther away from God, one little huff and one little puff can knock you over. It doesn't take much. And when we build our lives and our relationships with straw or wood. They can also just huff and puff and be blown away. So we shouldn't use wood and hay and stubble. We should use that gold and that silver and the precious stones. Basically God's material. That's where that comes from. And God gives us those things freely. He gives us through opportunities and talents. He is just so wonderful in giving us all of that. He gives us everything we need. And so we should give everything right back to God. God is that master builder. And if we supply him with those materials, that gold and that silver, he is going to build something in us that is wonderful. So put your treasures back in heaven, deposit them back in God's bank and let God use them. We sung it this morning. I was once dead, but now I am alive. And that is that transformational power of God. And sometimes we just sing it and we just go on and we don't realize how powerful that was. I was dead and now I am alive. It is such an awesome power. And we should trust in that power. We should take action in our faith and be a doer and trust God with everything we have. Trust in his foundation and confirm on Jesus. Luke 6:46 49 Luke 6:46 49 why do you call me Lord, Lord, and then do not the things which I say? It is kind of an oxymoron when you call him Lord, but you say, not so, Lord, Whosoever comes to me and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house, and he dug deep and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, but could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock. We all know we need to build our lives on a rock, or our houses or our structures. And that is the important thing. Verse 49 but he that hears and does not is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the ground against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. I'm a large guy and growing up I was always self conscious of large beat. And I have size 14ft. And even as a little boy I was growing out of shoes faster than my mom could buy them. And my grandfather, both my grandfathers actually were over six foot. I think one was six three and one was six two and that's where I got my height from. But one of my grandfathers came to me and he said, you know, when they go to Build a mansion. They spend time and they make that foundation strong and secur. And when they go to build an outhouse, they just don't care. And that kind of helped me as I. That helped me as I grew and felt awkward about being tall and dangly and stuff. So I always remember that I think of a foundation and I just had to include that today. My grandfather's wisdom. So make your foundation Jesus, the rock, the cornerstone, our Savior, our King. Let God build your relationship. And we can do that by spending time in his word, spending time in prayer, spending time in worship, spending time in just praise. Spend time in honor and reverence of our God and spend time in fellowship with other believers or simply just spend your time thinking of God. Our God is a great and worthy of all of our praise and thoughts. And so just spend time with him and he'll build and grow your relationship as he sees fit, using those materials, gold and silver, to make it strong and precious and beautiful. Trust in God to build that relationship. And I pray that we all grow closer to God because that is what really matters. Vacations, well, they're nice, but they're not eternal, not like heaven. And so we just look for that day when we'll be with him forever. Let's pray. Lord, I thank you for such a beautiful world. And I know it's broken, but I still praise you for it. It is beautiful and wondrous and just even the snow falling is marvelous in my sight. And I thank you for getting to see those beautiful beaches and sit in the sun and relax for a little bit, Lord, just see the world and understand that you are what really matters, Lord. And so, Lord, as we move into this time of offering, we. We know and understand that you have given us everything, Lord. We just want to give some back to you. We pray that our offering would be used by you and you would grow it and build it and put it to use in your will, Lord, and to your purpose. Lord, we trust you with our lives. We trust you with our money. We. We trust you with our friends and our family and our lives. Lord, you are so awesome and gracious and loving and caring for us. And we just want to praise you again for that, Lord, as we put our trust in you and give you those materials. Will you just take care of us, Lord, and comfort us. Send that Holy Spirit and fill us afresh so that we know that you're right there with us. Lord, we pray all this and our Savior, your Son and his redeeming blood in his name. Amen. [00:28:15] Speaker A: Thank you for listening to this message. [00:28:19] Speaker B: We hope you enjoyed it. [00:28:21] Speaker A: Our prayer is that the message, in some way or another, helped in your walk with God and that your relationship with God was strengthened and grew more intimate. If you would like to contact us with questions or comments, you can email us at the following that's meredletters.com or M E at R E D L E T T e R S Com. Thank you.