Beyond the Foundation

Beyond the Foundation

1 Cor 3:9-17 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 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. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Heb 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

Ezek 13:14-16 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

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When you talk about building, when you talk about construction, even if you have never built something with your own hands, you should be aware of the importance of the right foundation. Before a building is framed, and before the rooms are formed and the roof placed over the structure, there must be a foundation laid. The strength of that foundation determines the worth of the structure. The building is only as valuable as it's foundation is secure. If you build a beautiful building and decorate it with the finest trim and the costliest art, yet the foundation is crumbling, then after a period of time, the building will cease to be beautiful. The more time goes by, the more important the foundation becomes.

It is the same with our walk with God. For you to stand the test of time, you must have the right foundation. God has plans for our bodies to be the temple of the Holy Ghost. Our lives then must have the surest foundation in order to stand. There WILL be storms in life. For you to make it spiritually to heaven and eternal life, you MUST choose to build upon the right foundation.

Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

There is a great difference between hearing the Words of God and understanding them and actually obeying them. Obedience must involve our will. We can listen to something and even understand it, but if we do not act with our will to obey it, we really have not "HEARD IT." Jesus was talking to some people who called Him "Lord," and believed in who He was, had heard His Word and were not necessarily disagreeing with it, but were not DOING WHAT HE WAS SAYING! And Jesus asked them "why do you call me Lord?!" A Lord was someone who was in control of every aspect of another's life. Jesus is the Lord of Lords, but not to us personally if there is an area of our life that we will not allow Him to touch!

Jesus went on to explain that what they were doing when they did not "DO what He had commanded them to do," was that they were building their relationship with God upon the earth. It was being built upon an unsure foundation. And when the foundation crumbled the house would come down in a terrific crash! But the person who hears the Words of Jesus and then acts with their will to DO them, is like a man building upon the rock of Jesus Christ! When the storms come, the foundation will last and the structure as well!

As Christians we must be careful of calling Jesus "Lord," if our actions do prove that He really is so! When we hear the words of Jesus, we must obey them or He is not Lord! If the principles of His Word are not enough for us to change our lifestyle, then we are choosing to build on a wrong foundation. Jesus did not say that the strong foundation came from those who "felt like obeying the commandments of Jesus." He did not say that the strong foundation came from emotions or comfort, but rather by hearing and DOING them! We must have the attitude that if the Word of God teaches it, then I need to DO it! Jesus is only our Lord when we allow the Word of God to lead and guide our lifestyles. If the Word of God addresses a situation, then it does not matter what society thinks, and it does not matter what I think, I need to DO IT! If Jesus said it, that settles it, whether or not I believe it or not!

There are many Christians who have built a magnificent structure for all to see! When you look at their life and look at their ministry, you can see nothing but the finest walls and the finest roof and the finest paint. But the building masks their foundation. When the carpet has been laid, and the siding and trim added, it's hard to tell by looking whether or not the foundation is sure. Don't be wowed by the beautiful temples of religion that some people have managed to build until you check the foundation! Are they obeying ALL of the Words of Jesus? Are they obeying every mandate of scripture? Are they teaching the complete saving truth of the Word of God or is their message one that tends to skip over some parts and focus on just certain verses!?! It IS possible to build a beautiful edifice upon a false foundation, but eventually that building will come crashing down. You cannot afford to leave one ingredient out of the foundation of the building!

Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

The people who are to be the temples of God must be built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone! I do not have time to cover this in great detail, but I want you to notice the elements of the sure foundation upon which we must build:

1. Jesus Christ must be chief! He must be the basis of everything that we do. If a religion does not teach that Jesus Christ is the God of Glory, the Mighty God, THE everlasting Father, the ONLY forgiver of sins, then that religion is not based upon the right foundation! They can build a beautiful church and philosophy but eventually the foundation will crumble!

2. We must build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets! The scriptures were written as inspired by the Holy Spirit. When you read the Book of Acts, you are reading a book that came from the Holy Spirit moving upon Luke to write. Luke was the human who put pen to paper, but the Holy Spirit was the author. When you read say the book of James, you are reading the literal Word of God as was given to James. The other books of the Bible written by the apostles and prophets are just as much the Words of Jesus as the red letters in the Gospel. If you really wanted to be technical, your entire Bible should be in red letters for it is all the Words of Jesus Christ!

The Words spoken by both Jesus Christ AND His Apostles are vital to be obeyed! When Jesus said that "He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved" that makes Water Baptism essential for someone building on the right foundation (Mark 16:16). When Jesus told His disciples to not go any further until they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that makes the Holy Ghost essential for building upon the right foundation. When Jesus commanded us to forgive one another, that made it an essential part of our foundation! When Peter, who was an apostle commanded us to Repent, that makes repentance an important part of our foundation! When Peter said to be baptized (Greek baptizo = completely immersed in water) in the name of Jesus Christ, that makes it essential to be completely immersed in water with the only mode being IN THE NAME OF JESUS! When Jesus said you must be born of the water and of the Spirit, then that makes water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit both necessary for you to have a solid foundation! Our foundation MUST be built upon Jesus Christ and the apostles and the prophets!

No matter how pretty a house or religion or philosophy that man can build. No matter how powerful a house or religion or philosophy that man can build. If it is not built on the right foundation, then it will fall!

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In our text in Ezekiel chapter 13, Ezekiel was faced with a situation that we face today. Israel had many false prophets which looked like the real thing, but were actually not founding their teachings in the foundation of the Word of God. God had anointed the true man of God, Ezekiel to prophesy that destruction was going to come because of the people's sinful lifestyles and because of their flippant attitude toward sin. But the false prophets were prophesying that all was going to be well and that peace was going to come and that God's love didn't mind their sinful ways! In verse 10 God revealed why these prophets would be destroyed by His wrath:

Ezek 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:

Did you catch that? God said that the false prophets were like one building a wall and others daubing it with untempered morter!

What this meant, was that by telling the people that God didn't really require them to change their sinful ways, they were building up a wall with a bad foundations. "Untempered morter" was what was used when a wall began to show cracks and blemishes. They would take this untempered morter and cover the cracks and defects in order to make the wall appear to be sturdy and secure. In reality, the mortar didn't help the stability of the wall any, but just made it appear to be secure!

The prophets were teaching whatever the people wanted to hear about how that God didn't really care about their sin and thus wasn't going to destroy Jerusalem and was going to bring peace. They were building what appeared to be a beautiful wall of peace but because it was not on the right foundation of God's Word, cracks would appear. When this happened, other false prophets would come along with some teaching that appeared to fix the problem by making the wall look secure, when in reality they were just covering the cracks and hiding the real problem: the wall wasn't built upon the right foundation!

But God said that when He came that He would break down the wall and reveal the foundation!

If the foundation is not correct, then God is not concerned with what the wall looks like! Eventually, God will destroy the wall and reveal the foundation!

There are many people today who are religious, and are debating whether or not water baptism is really necessary. They teach that the Holy Ghost was an experience for others or the original apostles despite Peter's admonishment that it was for "as many as the Lord our God shall call." When their wall of religion and philosophy begins to show it's cracks, then another "theologian" will sweep in with another theory of what might be and daub the crack to make it look a little better.

The problem is the their foundation is not based upon Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone and the apostles and prophets! Fix the foundation, and the wall won't have cracks! We must build a sure foundation!

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Ezekiel's prophecy underscores a key point that I want to bring to your attention. There is a day coming where every man's foundation will be discovered. There is a day coming where the facade of the tempered mortar of man's opinion will be torn away. A day when every man's teaching of what is truth will be tried and revealed as truth or lies. There is a day when every ounce of confusion in the world over what is right or wrong and every question will be answered. In scripture it is called the Day of the Lord!

There are literally thousands of scriptures that deal with the day of the Lord! I would like to only point out a couple. Jesus Christ will one day come to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and establish HIS kingdom of righteousness. In that day there will be no doubt of whether or not water baptism was essential or not. There will be not doubt whether or not Jesus Christ is the mighty God or not! All will see for themselves!

1Thes 5:2-3 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

2 Pet 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Rev 6:12-17 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The Day of the Lord will be a glorious day for those who have built upon a strong foundation, but a horrible day for those who have not obeyed His words. Of all the scriptures that I could go on and on reading about the Day of the Lord, the following one is probably the most disconcerting:

II Th 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

The Lord will come "in flaming fire taking veneance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Those who do not know God and who have not OBEYED THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, will be punished with EVERLASTING destruction from the presence of the Lord! The right foundation then is to OBEY the Gospel! What is the Gospel? Paul tells us in I Corinthians

1 Cor 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the death, burial, and resurrection! So how do we OBEY the Gospel. What is the action that we can take to OBEY? Luckily, another Apostle gave us the clue:

Acts 2:37-40 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

When you truly Repent, there is a death happening! Your sins and fleshly will is dying out to God's Will. When you are baptized in Jesus' name, Colossians 2:12 states that we are "buried with Him in baptism." When you receive the Holy Ghost, there is a resurrection of your spirit man and you become a new creature in Christ! How do I obey the Gospel? By Repenting, being baptized in Jesus' name, and receiving the Holy Spirit!

Is it important? Yes, because when the Day of the Lord comes, He will take vengeance and punish forever those who have not obeyed the Gospel! The Foundation will be revealed! There is a day coming where all will see the need to obey this precious Apostolic message, but unfortunately, many will realize it too late! Don't let that be you! Obey the Gospel today! Build your house on the right foundation! Before the Day of the Lord gets here!

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Heb 5:11-6:3 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

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In our other text, Paul alluded to this Day of the Lord when writing to the church in Corinth. I want you to realize that the church there had been built upon the right foundation. These people were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They were filled with His Spirit. They believed that Jesus Christ was the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father.

But Paul wasn't just concerned about their foundation. He knew their foundation was right, but he didn't stop there, and instead went on to talk about the building that was being built upon the foundation:

But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Let's look carefully at the words of the Apostle today:

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

He's talking about the day of the Lord! When the Lord comes with fire, not only is He going to reveal the foundations and take vengeance and everlasting destruction upon those who have not obeyed the Gospel, but He is also going to bring fire upon those who have obeyed the Gospel! The fire will come upon the house that the "righteous" have built and will "try every man's work of what sort it is!"

You see, when you obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ and lay the proper foundation, then you begin to build your spiritual temple upon that foundation. Every decision that you make after you lay the foundation is laying another brick upon your spiritual house. And God is VERY interested in what kind of house that you are building upon that foundation! With truth comes the responsibility to build a temple of the Holy Ghost!

You can build with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. The same fire that was unleashed upon the wicked will fall upon your house as well. You see when fire comes upon hay, wood, and straw stubble, it consumes it and destroys it. When fire comes on gold and silver, it refines it and purifies it! When it comes upon precious stones, it shines them!

The fire of the Holy Ghost is already at work in this world. We have not got to the Day of the Lord yet, but God wants to change some things now in your life. The hay, the wood, the stubble, are things that the Holy Ghost convicts you of. You can come to a service and the flames of the Holy Ghost are licking at those things in your life. You can feel it. Too many of us quench the flames! Too many of us will not allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us and purify us of the hay and worldly things and actions! There is a danger in ignoring the Holy Spirit when you feel the fire upon a part of your life! Just because you quench the flames does not turn the wood into gold! God will consume it eventually, but in His mercy and grace is trying to do so now! He is doing the great exchange! He is giving beauty for ashes, He wants to cleanse us of our imperfections and replace them with things off beauty. With things that will last and will make it through the trials of life and the fire of trouble, and eventually make it through the fire of the Day of the Lord!

That's why when the fire comes, whether it be Holy Ghost conviction, or the fiery trial, you need to allow it to purify your temple! Some people say "well, I've obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, why do I need to change anything else in my life?" Why would God care? Because God wants His temple to be holy and pure!

God wants to use you to reach out and be a witness so that someone else will want to build upon the right foundation! People who have the attitude that "I don't need to change anything, I'm saved" show their selfishness because their attitude shows that they do not have a burden for other people. When allow God's Word to work in an area of your life, then you are building with gold, and silver, and through time and allowing God to change you, you are refined until it shines with great beauty. But if you have an area that you will not allow God to deal with, then you are placing hay beside of marble, gold beside stubble. When people see that, they say "what an odd building." Most of it is beautiful but look at that hay roof!? If you looked at a beautiful building that was constructed out of the finest marble and gold and silver and precious stones and the entryway was roofed with wood and straw stubble, then what would stick out to you the most? The wood and straw! So it is when people see the beauty of God in many areas of our life, but see that one area in which we have quenched the fire of the Holy Ghost!

If you wait until the fire of the Day of the Lord, there will NOT be an exchange. The fire will consume up the hay, the stubble, and the wood. It will not last. And you will be at a loss.

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

You may possibly by the skin of your teeth make it into eternal salvation by building upon the right foundation and yet not totally yielding some other areas in your life. But there will not be an exchange. It will be a loss for eternity. Your reward will be hampered by your decisions that the things of this world were just too strong to give up. There's going to be some people who have obeyed the gospel but haven't really matured like they should in many areas, that will luckily have the victory on the day that the trumpet sounds and make it, but by barely making it, they are regret the areas in which that they would not allow God to work when they receive their eternal reward.