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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
June 21, 2020
A Man’s Tool Box for Successful Living
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
Happy Father’s Day. Like Mother’s Day, we will have to forgo what we normally do because of the government mandated restrictions that have spilt us into three groups – one outside in their cars, a small group inside the church building, and some at home streaming the service. Nevertheless, we wish you a Happy Father’s Day and hope those of you who are dad’s will be able to rejoice in your children whether young or old, and that all of you whose father’s are still alive will be able to honor him in some way today even as commanded in the Scriptures. I know that while that is a joy for some of us because we have godly dads, for others of you that is a duty done out of respect and obedience for God. For those of you in the later category, at minimum, your dad was the means by which God blessed you with life, and at minimum, you can be God’s blessing to him by praying for his salvation and emulating the Lord Jesus Christ to Him.
This morning I want to address Father’s Day in a similar way to what I did this past Mother’s Day. (See: A Woman’s Toolbox for a Successful Life) The Sermon title is A Man’s Tool Box for Successful Living.” It will be a series of object lessons to present some characteristic that men (all people) should have or actions they should take in building a godly life. There are many analogies in the Scriptures of equating life with a building, so I will be using items needed for construction as the objects for my analogies. No analogy is perfect, but hopefully these will be useful in enhancing your understanding and application of the points I will be trying to make.
The Blueprints
Before any construction project can take place, there has to be some idea about what you want to build since that will determine the preparation work that will have to be done, the materials that will have to be gathered, and how those materials will be put together. Building a tree house is different than building a pond with a dock. Building a house is different than building a barn. Building an office complex is different than building a warehouse. While all buildings will have some similarities such as having a foundation, framing and a roof, they will vary greatly in size and form depending on the particular purpose they will fulfill.
The same is true when it comes to the blueprints for human life. Men will naturally think that the blueprints they draw up for their own lives in the pursuit of whatever they believe to be important are wonderful, but Solomon warns us multiple times in Proverbs that the way of a man seems right in his own eyes, but it is foolishness and its end is the way of death (Proverbs 12:15, 14:12, 16:25). The man may even try to justify his plans proclaiming them to be good and clean, but the Lord weighs the motives and knows the truth of the evil that lurks in the heart of man for even man’s attempts to do righteous deeds are filthy before our holy Creator (Proverbs 16:2, Isaiah 64:6).
The importance of God being the one that designs and builds your house is stated succinctly in Psalm 127:1, 1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.” When man tries to build his life without following God’s plans, he will eventually find that Solomon’s summary conclusion in Ecclesiastes is true, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” If that does not happen until the end of life, it will be too late. It is much better if his advice at the conclusion of the book is followed as early in life as possible. Ecclesiastes 12:13–14, 13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” Following that advice will move you toward living a successful life instead of one that ends up being just vanity.
God’s blueprint for everyone is the Bible. He has a design for all mankind. Psalm 15 is a good description of God’s basic blueprint for every person as it describes the character of the man that is welcome into God’s presence. “A Psalm of David. 1 O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” Those are basic character traits of godliness: integrity, righteous, truthful, kind, good, loyal, trustworthy, faithful, reverent, discerning, tenacious, honorable, just. For Christians, God also adds to these qualities the particular spiritual gifts, ministries and empowerment to make you unique in your ability to serve Him in particular ways and particular places. Or to put it another way, God has a general blueprint for all people with particular designs for each individual according to His will.
God also has a plan for the wicked for Romans 9:22-23 explains that there are both vessels of God’s wrath and vessels of God’s mercy.
Jeremiah 22:13–14 warns, 13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, 14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’” Or to put it another way, those who want to build their lives according to their own blueprint will in the end find themselves to be a complete failure regardless of what human accolades they may achieve. Jesus put it succinctly in Matthew 16:26, “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
What blueprints are you using as the plans for building your life?
Preparation for Construction
It is normal that before a building can be constructed, there has to be preparation work done that requires destruction of what is currently present on the site. You may have to cut down trees and break up and remove rock before you can do anything else. My maul, which is a combination of an axe and sledge hammer, represents that work.
It is important to note that the destructive aspects in this preparation work is selective and not haphazard. You want to remove only the trees that are sickly and those that will interfere with the construction. You only want to remove the rock necessary for the construction project to continue and not the rock upon which the foundation for the building will be constructed. A bare piece of soft ground may make it easy to put up a building, but the foundation will be shaky and a bare property lacks the beauty of trees and shrubs that would adorn it.
The militant protestors and rioters of the last few weeks have been seeking to destroy, often indiscriminately, because they want to erase any vestiges of the past, of which they are actually ignorant. It is being called “cancel culture.” Their desire is to create a new society that will fulfill their utopian dreams. While a desire to improve things is always good, the proposed ideas actually need to be good and sound if there will be improvement. Since they are ignorant of history, basic economics and human nature, they are oblivious to the fact that their ideas of socialism have already been tried and have utterly failed in all respects and have been the cause of much greater human misery wherever they have been tried as compared with the capitalistic philosophy upon which our society currently functions. They arrogantly believe themselves to be superior to all generations that have gone before them which in large part is because they reject God and authority that extends from Him. They are like those that claim they want to build a beautiful house in the woods that is environmentally sensitive, but they are setting the forest on fire and using dynamite and bulldozers to reshape the land while claiming their destructive work to be progress.
There is a destructive work God does in the life of an individual, but it is selective in only destroying the sin and sinful philosophies. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5, 3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” It is a spiritual battle in which God uses us to proclaim truth and get the enemy to change their minds and switch sides. Or in this analogy, we can say that God takes over the property and has us remove only those things on it that will interfere with Him constructing a new building according to His own design.
The Foundation
With the land prepared for construction, the next step is laying the foundation. A bag of concrete is too heavy and a wheelbarrow is too large to fit on this platform, so this cinder block and rebar will represent the materials needed for a solid foundation. Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 7:24–27 that a solid foundation is critical for the structural integrity of the building. He said, 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
The foundation, as Jesus describes in this passage, is the action taken based on what that person believes. The Bible is the blueprint, and belief and obedience to it is the foundation. The wise believe God and build upon the truth resulting in lives that successfully fulfill God’s purpose for life. The foundation is becoming a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ who by the power of the Holy Spirit will then direct your life. Contrary to popular ideas that religious men are weak, the most manly of men are those that walk closest to God. Strength of character is much more important to being manly than physical strength. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth (Num. 12:3), yet he faced down Pharaoh, the most powerful political leader of that time. David was only a teen when he killed the giant Goliath. Countless missionaries have followed in the footsteps of the prophets of old to proclaim the truth of God to people who were hostile to it. Countless Christians endure persecution even at the present time because truth and integrity are valued more than ease of life. Martyrs have stood firm even when facing death because love of Christ was more important to them than life.
The life of a believer can be very difficult, but it will always be successful because its purpose transcends life on this earth. Consider what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:1–9. 1 “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”
An eternal hope that transcends present life is a sure foundation that does not shift in the various trials that are part of life. Repenting of sin to cast your faith on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ for redemption and the forgiveness of sins gives that very hope. Confidence in Christ’s promise of eternal life enables you to stand firm in the present life for it gives proper perspective and value to what you will face in this life.
The foolish reject God’s word to believe lies and build lives that will collapse and end in God’s judgment and condemnation. The building is shaky because the foundation shifts with the ever changing musings of men.
1 Peter 2:4–8 adds to this thought, 4 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “behold, i lay in zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in him will not be disappointed.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,” 8 and, “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.” The same cornerstone of our foundation that ensures the blessings of the future of every Christian will be the stone offense that ensures the doom of those that disobey the gospel in their unbelief.
The Framing
These 2 X 4s represent the framing of the structure that will be built. Paul explains in Ephesians 2:19–22, 19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Paul explains further the structure of the church in Ephesians 4:11-16 which I explained a few weeks ago in the sermon on Body Life. (See: Body Life: Living in Christ’s Church). That passage is a good description of how the framing of the structure is put together to build the church. 11 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Each piece of wood used in framing a building is part of the structure, and each part adds both form and strength to the structure. Each piece of wood is measured and then cut to match the blueprints. Each piece is then held in place with something such as nails, dowels or screws as the next piece is added and secured into place giving the whole structure added strength.
Each person in the church is part of the structure and each part adds both form and strength to the structure. God fits each part into the structure where He wants it to be in order to give shape to what He is building. This encompasses the spiritual gifts, ministries and empowerment God gives to each individual so that all of them working together form the complete structure. A wall is made of studs which sit between plates and headers, and it will sit on a floor of some kind, either a pad or joists. It will be covered by sheathing on the outside and have some sort of interior covering such as wall board or paneling. The walls will hold up the rafters and beams upon which the roof will be built. Windows and doors will need sills, lintels and jamb studs. In other words, there are many parts in a building just as there are many parts that make up a church, and every part is needed. A header can only function when it is joined to studs and plates. Without walls, rafters and beams have nothing to hold them up. Without a roof, the whole structure is subject to weather damage.
Rejoice in whatever spiritual gift, ministry and empowerment God grants to you and then serve Him to the best of your ability. There is no cause for either jealousy or pride since every part is needed for the whole to exist, and each part strengthens the whole. The point is simple. Successful men recognize their need for one another and cooperate to work in harmony with each other. The man that seeks to be independent is like a solitary board. No matter how big, thick, long or decorated, it has little value or purpose until it is attached to something else. Even a sign must be placed, hung or mounted to do any good. Be involved with one another that God may use you according to His will for His purpose in building up His church.
The Saw
A saw is used extensively in both framing and the finishing work of a building. Every piece that makes up the structure of the building must be measured and cut to match the blueprints if it is all to fit together properly and fulfill its purpose. The saw is used to trim out bad sections and cut off whatever may be extraneous in fitting the pieces together.
I mentioned Hebrews 12:1 last week, but it bears mentioning again this week. (See: Liberty, Legalism & Licenciousness). “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Every believer has both areas of sin that need to be cut out and encumbrances that need to be set aside if we are to successfully run the race God has set before us. The bad sections of a piece of wood need to be cut out before it can be used in a building otherwise that section will weaken the structure. We are to be cooperating every day with God at work in us to remove the sin which entangles us. We are to be diligent to put off the old sinful ways and habits in us and put on the new man of righteous character and deeds (Colossians 3). The sinful areas of our life need to be cut out.
A length of wood needs to be cut to the right size before it will properly fit where it needs to go in the structure. We are also need to have whatever is extraneous cut off so that we might properly fit where God wants to place us. Encumbrances are not bad things, they are just things that slow you down in a race. Encumbrances are extra length in boards that keep them from fitting where they are supposed to go. For example, hobbies can be great past times and can even be used to glorify God if used wisely, but what if the hobby is making it difficult for you to do something you know you should be doing? What if the hobby is taking so much of your time that you are skipping the group Bible study you should be attending or perhaps even making it difficult to maintain diligence in your personal Bible study and devotions? The hobby may be good in itself, but if it hinders you from keeping the priorities you know you should have, then it is an encumbrance and may need to be trimmed or even cut off.
Nails – Doctrine that holds us together in unity
The boards used in framing need to be held in place. Nails are a common way to secure them and a hammer is used to drive the nails into the boards. The nails used to hold the people in the church together is doctrine. We share the same fundamental beliefs about what God has revealed in His word. We agree on the same body of theological teachings – doctrine. Doctrine is often attacked as being divisive, and while that is true in once sense, in another sense, it is doctrine that unifies.
It is true that the Bible is full of very divisive doctrine since it calls for a division between the righteous and the unrighteous, those committed to the gospel and those who pervert it, and between those who are true Christians and those who have false professions. Division is the final step of church discipline in Matthew 18 as the unrepentant brother is removed from fellowship and treated as a Gentile and tax-gatherer. Paul is very strong in 1 Corinthians 5 that the sinning brother needed to be removed from their midst and they were not associate with any so-called brother who behaved in such wicked ways or even eat with them. In Romans 16 Paul calls on them to “turn away” from those that are “contrary to the teaching which you learned.” John’s three epistles all warn about false teachers and not to receive them. Doctrine divides because it makes a distinction between what is true and what is false. Seeking unity among those with contrary doctrine is a false unity for it must purposefully ignore truth in order to achieve conformity.
Ephesians 4:1-7 expresses clearly that true unity is based on having the same doctrine. Christians are to be humble, gentle, patient and show tolerance for one another in love all while also being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. How can that be done? By having the same doctrine. There is one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Later in the same chapter (Ephesians 4:11-16), it is the unity of faith, holding to the same doctrine, that allows the body to build itself up and protect itself from the deceitful winds of doctrine that toss about the immature.
At the present time, it is the lack of Biblical doctrine that is fueling the racism displayed in our nation in protests and riots. Their hypocrisy is blatantly manifest in crying out against injustice while perpetrating worst injustices upon others. Those involved in this and all those “woke” folk need to repent. There is only one solution to this mess, and it is the one we proclaim here. Forgiveness of sins through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus who makes from all nations one people so that we are brothers and sisters in one family regardless of our individual ethnic or cultural heritage.
Do you want to be successful in life according to God’s definition? Then rise up and embrace Biblical doctrine. Pursue truth at all costs and do not back down from it. That is what godly men and women of integrity do.
The Hammer – The trials of life – James 1:2-4
If the nails are doctrine, then what is the hammer? Obviously doctrine is learned through knowledge of the word of God which is then to be applied to life by godly wisdom. But what drives the truth of doctrine deep into our souls so that it protrudes from us in how we live and can therefore grasp other people as well. Let me suggest to you it is the troubles and trials of life for while knowledge can be gained through academic exercise, it is the experience of life that drives and forges that knowledge into wisdom as it is applied to the very real situations of life.
James 1:2-4 states it succinctly, 2 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James ties maturity directly to the testing of our faith. Paul does the same thing in Romans 5:3-5, 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” In verse 8 Paul points out that this love is unshakable because God’s love was demonstrated toward us, “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The Builder – We do our part, but God is the builder
My last point in this analogy this morning concerns the builder of the structure. A well built structure will follow the blueprints designed by the engineer. The site will be properly prepared and a solid foundation laid down. The structure will be framed out with good wood trimmed to fit exactly where needed and then bound in place adding strength and form to the whole. The completed structure may receive acclaim as something beautiful by those who see it, but the structure is nothing and would not exist except for the builder.
This point is made in Hebrews 3:1–4, 1 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”
There is a lot of work that goes into building a house with many different tools used in the process. You need a design, preparation of the site, a foundation, and framing with each piece within it cut to fit into its proper place and secured together.
As 2 Peter 1 explains, we have to be diligent in doing our part in the pursuit of godliness, but the reality is that it is God who is at work in you to make you into the person He wants you to be. The Lord has revealed His plan in the Bible. The Holy Spirit prepares you for His work in you by convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). The Father draws you and makes you alive in Christ that you may be saved by His grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus. He equips you to serve Him with spiritual gifts, ministries and empowerment. Part of God’s continuing work to conform you to the image of His son takes place in the fellowship of the church in which each believer interacts as one body so that the whole church is built up and matures. We are unified by our common doctrine, our belief in the Lord and what He has revealed in His word, so that we are steadfast in truth and able to withstand the lies of false teachers. God even uses the troubles and trials of life to mature us so that our trust in Him grows as we recognize the real purpose of our existence.
A truly successful life is one that glorifies our Creator, and He supplies all that is needed to live that kind of life. He is even the one that empowers you to do your part of the work. So the question of whether you will live a successful life or not comes down to a matter of whether you will yield to Him and use the materials and tools He has supplied to build it or not. My prayer is that you will.
Sermon Notes – June 21, 2020
A Man’s Tool Box for Successful Living – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
Whether out of joy or duty, we are to ___________ our fathers
This sermon will be a series of object lessons to present characteristics & actions of godly, successful men
The Blueprints – God’s Word
Any construction project begins with an idea of what is needed and a ________ for what is to be built
Men will also follow a blueprint for their _____- either one of human origin or the one that comes from God
Human wisdom will result in _________while God’s plan results in purpose & meaning – Eccl. 12:8, 13-14
The ______is God’s blueprint for all mankind with Psalm 15 being a succinct description of godly character
God also has a plan for those who remain wicked, but it is a ____- Rom. 9:22-23; Jer. 22:13-14; Matt. 16:26
Preparation for Construction – Conviction of Sin
Building site preparation includes removing trees, brush and rock that will _____________with construction
Indiscriminate destruction is __________ progress
God uses truth to selectively _________the sin and sinful philosophies in a person’s life – 2 Cor. 10:3-5
The Foundation – Belief & Obedience to God
A ___________ foundation is critical for the construction of a building – and for life (Matthew 7:24-27
The foundation for a godly, successful life is belief in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ – ___________
The life of a believer can be difficult, but it is always successful because it __________the present – 2 Cor. 5
Jesus is the ________upon which our hope (& life) is built but which crushes the disobedient – 1 Pet. 2:4-8
The Framing – Eph. 2:19-22; 4:11-16.
Each individual Christian makes up a _________of the structure of the whole church – Eph. 2:19-22
Each individual Christian works in _______with the others so that the whole body is built up – Eph. 4:11-16
God places and shapes each Christian to _____ exactly where He wants in the structure of His church
Rejoice in the spiritual gift, ministry & power God grants you & serve Him to the best of your _________
The Saw – Removal of sin and encumbrances – Hebrews 12:1
A saw is used to _________bad sections & cut off whatever may be extraneous in fitting the pieces together
Hebrews 12:1 – sin is removed and _______________ are set aside in the pursuit of holiness
Nails – Doctrine that holds us together in unity
Nails hold boards together and __________unifies diverse people
_____________divides believers from unbelievers, heretics and sinning believers
Ephesians 4:1-7 – doctrine ___________believers and protects from false teaching
The lack of __________doctrine allows “Christians” to be “woke” & join in the racist BLM protests & riots
Godly men and women of integrity pursue and embrace ___________doctrine
The Hammer – The trials of life – James 1:2-4
You learn doctrine by knowledge of the ________of God & apply it in wisdom. Trials drive it into your soul
James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5 – God uses __________to mature us
The Builder – We do our part, but God is the builder – Hebrews 3:1–4
A well built structure is beautiful, but it is the ______________and builders that brought it into existence
2 Peter 1 explains your diligence needed in the pursuit of godliness, but it is _________at work in you
A truly successful life glorifies God – and He _________all that is needed and empowers you to do the work
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up. 2) Count how many times the word “build” is used. Talk with your parents about what is necessary to build a successful life.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Why are blueprints necessary for the construction of a building? What is God’s blueprint for human life? What is the end result for those that will not follow God’s blueprints? What is God’s plan for the righteous? For the wicked? What must be done to prepare a site for construction? What do those who are pursuing “cancel culture” want to achieve? Why is that evil? What does God want to destroy in your life so that He can build a proper structure in you? Why is a foundation critical to a building? What happens if the foundation is weak? What is the foundation for a successful life according to God’s definition? What is the importance of a cornerstone in laying a foundation? How is Jesus that cornerstone for a successful life? What is the purpose of framing in a building? What part does each individual Christian play in the structure of God’s church? What is the importance of each individual part? How well are you fulfilling your part in the church? If something needs to change, what is it and when will you do it? What is the purpose of a saw in construction? How does God trim out the sin in us and cut off the encumbrances that hinder us from living a godly and successful life? What is the purpose of nails? What does God use to hold Christians together – what is the source of unity in the church? What is the relationship between professing Christians being “woke” and their understanding of Biblical doctrine? What is the purpose of a hammer? What does God use in our lives to drive into our souls the knowledge of God and trust in Him? What is your part in building your life into one that is godly and successful? What is God’s part? Will God do His part? What needs to change so that you will better do your part? When will you make those changes?
Sermon Notes – June 21, 2020
A Man’s Tool Box for Successful Living – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
The Blueprints – God’s Word
Human wisdom vs. God’s plan
God’s blueprint
Preparation for Construction – Conviction of Sin
Site Preparation
Indiscriminate destruction
God use of truth to destroy sin and sinful philosophies
The Foundation – Belief & Obedience to God
Necessity of a solid foundation – Matthew 7:24-27
The foundation for a godly, successful life
The transcendent life of a believer
Jesus Christ is the rock
The Framing – Eph. 2:19-22; 4:11-16.
The parts that make up the whole
The parts in a church
God’s placement of each part
The Saw – Removal of sin and encumbrances – Hebrews 12:1
Its purpose
God’s saw
Nails – Doctrine that holds us together in unity
Proper division caused by doctrine
Ephesians 4:1-7 – unified by doctrine
The lack of Biblical doctrine
The Hammer – The trials of life – James 1:2-4
Learning doctrine and God’s use of trials
The Builder – We do our part, but God is the builder – Hebrews 3:1–4
Your part
God’s part
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up. 2) Count how many times the word “build” is used. Talk with your parents about what is necessary to build a successful life.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Why are blueprints necessary for the construction of a building? What is God’s blueprint for human life? What is the end result for those that will not follow God’s blueprints? What is God’s plan for the righteous? For the wicked? What must be done to prepare a site for construction? What do those who are pursuing “cancel culture” want to achieve? Why is that evil? What does God want to destroy in your life so that He can build a proper structure in you? Why is a foundation critical to a building? What happens if the foundation is weak? What is the foundation for a successful life according to God’s definition? What is the importance of a cornerstone in laying a foundation? How is Jesus that cornerstone for a successful life? What is the purpose of framing in a building? What part does each individual Christian play in the structure of God’s church? What is the importance of each individual part? How well are you fulfilling your part in the church? If something needs to change, what is it and when will you do it? What is the purpose of a saw in construction? How does God trim out the sin in us and cut off the encumbrances that hinder us from living a godly and successful life? What is the purpose of nails? What does God use to hold Christians together – what is the source of unity in the church? What is the relationship between professing Christians being “woke” and their understanding of Biblical doctrine? What is the purpose of a hammer? What does God use in our lives to drive into our souls the knowledge of God and trust in Him? What is your part in building your life into one that is godly and successful? What is God’s part? Will God do His part? What needs to change so that you will better do your part? When will you make those changes?
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