Under Construction

When I worked at the cereal plant in Joplin, we had a few funny things happen while working on things. One day we were installing a packing machine and it needed some modifications done to it, so that it would work with the size of packaging that we need it to pack.

One of our fabricators had crawled under the machine with a reciprocating saw. It’s a motorized handsaw. They are great…when used properly. Anyway, there was a metal bracket that needed cut and we could not reach it from the top. So, this dude crawls under and starts cutting. As he was cutting the brace, the saw blade got pinched in the brace and instead of the blade moving back and forth, the saw was moving back and forth and we heard this BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM! OOOWWWWW!

When George crawled out from under the machine, you could see where the saw had hit him in the forehead about 5 or 6 times before he could let his finger off the trigger. Blood running down his face. And out of pure concern, someone said, “Man, that was stupid!” And everybody laughed…except George.

I could tell you story after story of failures in building things, different ways people failed in their attempt to do fabrication or construction. We have a great example of that in the bible found in Matthew 7.

I want to encourage you to read the bible and by reading, I mean it can be through listening, which helps me or you can actually read it. Just be in the Word. There are just so many great stories in the Bible. I love how Jesus tells stories about everyday life and connects with the people that He is talking to. But some of them still didn’t get it. Kind of like us today. We have all these stories, all kinds of bible studies, all kinds of godly instructions and we still do not seem to get it from time to time.

If you do not have a bible, please let me know. I will get you one. If you need help with a bible app on your phone or tablet, please let me know. I want you to have all the necessary materials to build a relationship with the Lord. One that is pleasing to Him and that follows His instructions that are found in the bible.

So, let’s start at the beginning, point #1….

1. Never build on a bad foundation.

Matthew 7:26-27, Galatians 1:6-8

Most everyone knows that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was not designed to be leaning right? An architectural miscalculation that almost ended in disaster. The tower began construction in 1173 and it began to lean within 5 years of just the 3rd floor being completed in 1178. This was not what they had planned and with their first attempt to fix the situation, they drilled holes in the base and pumped grout and mortar into the holes. Causing the tower to lean even more. As they finished the tower, they made each story shorter on the uphill side.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is not the only famous architectural failure due to poor foundation. Did you know that the Washington Monument was supposed to be built to a height of 600 feet, but the foundation was not strong enough to support it. The Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt and expanded the foundation and had to reduce the height to 555 feet.

The Washington Monument would had been a horrible disaster if they would have continued to build on the bad foundation. It would not have taken too many years for it to fall.

The bible tells us over and over about building on a good foundation. Jesus is that foundation. The word of God is that foundation. Satan doesn’t have to get you to disbelieve all of the bible. He just wants you to question some of what God says.

In the Garden of Eden, Satan used the serpent form to get Eve to question the word of God. Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So, whether you have no foundation like the house on the sand or a poor foundation like the Tower of Pisa, the result will be the same. The foundation of your spiritual walk must be solid and complete, but there is more to it, point 2 tells us.

2. A partially or poorly built house on a great foundation is still bad.

Luke 4:9-11, Luke 14:28-30

In 2001, we started building our house. Danny Ward was my “go to” guy, when I had questions or when I was in way over my head, which was from the very beginning. I mean how in the world to you even get started? We have a walkout basement and I would have no idea how to get all of that dug out and be square on my property. So, bring in Danny. He got it all started.

After the basement was dug out, it was time to lay out where the concrete was to be poured, now I can’t even see the fence to even come close to making it straight, Danny…you’re up. Where does the plumbing go and be right in what is about to be permanent? Once that was all set, now I have something to go on. (Unlike the joke about the man that stole all the toilets from the police station when everyone was gone and now the cops have nothing to go on.)

I have a place to get started. Framing up the basement, before putting on the floor joists, then putting on the subfloor. With the subfloor on, we can lay out the main floor walls and the walls can be built. Get the trusses on with decking and shingles, but what if we decided to not put the subfloor on. What if we decided to not put floor joists in. What if we decided to not put shingles on or doors and windows. What kind of house would we have?

One that would not stand for very long. I can have a great foundation and built a horrible house and it will not stand for long.

You can build your life on the foundation that Jesus is the one and only Son of God and that He died for your sins. But if you take the blueprint of how to live your life (the bible) and you just live it however you want the finished product will not stand against the storms of life. It will not stand against the attacks of Satan. You can’t just put on part of the armor of God. The bible says to put on the full armor of God.

What if you protect your head but not your heart? What if you protect your heart but not your head? What if you start the race but never finish it. Paul talks about running a race to win and you can’t win if you don’t make it to the finish line before you give up. You will never be a great basketball player if you can’t dribble, or shot, or rebound. You will never be a great baseball/softball player if you can’t hit, or throw, or catch.

There is so much more to building a good Christian life than just stopping at the foundation. Which brings us to point #3.

3. Build a good house on the great foundation.

Matthew 7:24-25, Psalm 127:1

I told you how we built our house in 2002. I told you that Danny was my go-to guy. I think that we built a really good house. It is amazing to me that we could accomplish such a feat. But here’s the real deal. Even though I did most of the labor, the framing, the wiring, hanging the sheetrock, my house would not be good if it not for the guidance of a great contractor. Someone that I could ask the silly questions, ask for help. Someone that would come in and say, “That’s wrong, it will have to be redone.”

The more I followed Danny’s instructions correctly, the better the house was going to be built. The more that I did it on my own the more likely it was going to be wrong.

I have a few pictures to show you. None of us would want to live in houses like this for very long, but the house that we build (our lives) for God, sometimes look just like those and we think it is pleasing to God.

The bible tells us in so many ways, in so many places that we can’t do it on our own. That we can not lean on our own understanding. Seek His will and He will make your paths straight.

If you want to build a good house on the great foundation, then the first thing you need is the great foundation. The simple version of the great foundation is. Jesus is the One and only Son of God. Jesus was mocked, beaten, hung on a cross, stabbed and died, just so you and me could have the opportunity to be forgiven of the things that we have done that God said not to do.

The foundation that Jesus Way the Truth and the Life and no one can go to God except through Him. Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” The storms will come, but the only house that will stand, will be the one built on the Lord!