A Building that Endures

Dr. Robin H. Cowin,...................................... November 4, 2018

1 Corinthians 3:10-17............................ Grove FBC 125 Anniversary

I.               All of our work will be tested by fire.

A.    Wood is the building material of Prosperity. King Solomon built his house out of cedar, called the Cedars of Lebanon. It looks and smells beautiful but it covered a lifestyle of indulgence that led him away from the Lord. We try to cover our sin but only Jesus can remove it.

B.    Hay is the building material of Poverty. Hay fed the livestock and put a roof over the head of the common man. Hay is often used to start a fire, whether deliberate or accidental. I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah 40:8

C.    Straw is the building material of Punishment. When the children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt they were forced to make bricks for the buildings of their masters. They were punished by being forced to gather straw to make bricks.

II.             Some of our work will be treasured through fire. Jesus said that we should, “lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.” Mt 6:19-21.What do we take with us into Heaven? Your first thought may be nothing! But, there are some things we take with us. If gold, silver, and precious stones represent things we take with us into Heaven then what is Paul teaching us here?

A.    Gold is the building material of Honor. Gold is the measure for the highest value materially. Honor is also the measure for the highest value spiritually. The ark of the Covenant, doors to the Holy of Holies, furniture and utensils used in worship were all made of gold or covered with gold.

We take people, relationships, people we love, people we have led to a relationship with Jesus.

B.    Silver is the building material of Holiness. Everything that held anything together in the tabernacle, or connected the tabernacle with the earth, was made of silver. Silver was the symbol of purity, holiness, and separation from the world. The holiest relationship we have here on earth is our marriage. Marriage is the picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.

C.    Precious stones are the building materials of Heaven. The New Jerusalem is made of precious stones. Also, the Ephod of the priests was made of twelve precious stones, each one engraved with the name of a tribe of Israel. Every Christian is a precious stone in the body of Christ. The stones are representative of the glory of God, (Rev. 21:21). We are a precious stone when Jesus is seen clearly in us. Our relationship with God through Jesus is something we can have here that we will take with us into heaven. If we do not have it here we will not see heaven.

III.           Our foundation will be tempered in the fire. Christ is the bedrock foundation upon which we build.

Commitment is the Concrete of our foundation.

A.    Commit yourself to Jesus in prayer. Before the foundation of a house is poured there are several steps that have to be taken. A connection to the bedrock beneath the house must first be made. The ground is prepared by digging out the foundation, to bedrock, and setting the forms into which the foundation will be poured. This can be compared with our need to establish a relationship with God before we can ask Him to bless anything in our lives. The work of the Holy Spirit could be compared to the steel rods, Re-bar, that is used to give the concrete strength. You are like the sand that will be used in the foundation, incomplete without the cement that is from Jesus.

B.    Commit your family to Jesus. Your spouse is like the cement that is mixed with the sand to make the concrete of the foundation.

C.    Commit to God’s people, the Bride of Christ. Salvation is like the marriage ceremony, which is like the water that is mixed with the cement and sand on the day the foundation is poured.

Philippians 1:6

Reflecting on 2015

I shared recently the main points of an article that I read recently by Steve Graves, a Christian author and motivation speaker, (stephenrgraves.com/articles/read/a-reflection-on-2015). He likes to take time at the end of the year to do some reflection on the healthy habits that he started or saw grow in the previous year.

I did some reflection after I read his article and some of my thoughts were similar to his. Here are just a few of my thoughts from reflecting on 2015:

There is no substitute for time spent in a relationship with God or with other people. This is the same thing I have been saying for years. He pointed to Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 that says it is unwise to live life alone. In Genesis 2:18 god began His creation of humanity by saying, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We need to spend time in the Bible and in prayer. We also need to spend time with the people we love. We need community.

We need to trust God to do what only He can do in our lives. We should celebrate the mystery. This is the way God builds our faith. We do not know how seeds grow into plants. We are puzzled why some things we try work and others do not work no matter how hard we try. Steve suggests that we practice, “a relaxed view of God’s sovereignty.” We need to let God do His thing and not worry so much about the things only He can do. God will take care of us.

What we believe affects how we live our lives. We talk about faith but do we really trust God to take care of us? We say a lot about hope but do we know that God has a plan for our lives? We know that love is essential but do we nurture and treasure love in our own life experience? We need to both express and share our faith, hope, and love.

What did you learn in 2015? When you give it some thought I think you will agree that it is a very good question. The end of a year and the beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect on the things that are important, as we get ready for the year ahead.

Bro. Robin

The Ice Maker

Our refrigerator came with an ice maker but I had never taken the time to hook it up to a water line. This summer I got industrious, ran to the store for the parts, hooked up the ice maker, and waited for the blessing of ice.

As I waited I remembered something I learned a long time ago. I worked for a time at a heat and air conditioning company that also sold appliances including refrigerators. I was listening to the owner explain the ice maker to a customer one day when I heard him say, “After you get it home it takes about two weeks for the ice maker to start working properly. After that you will have all the ice you need.”

I questioned him at the time about the “two weeks.” I knew how they worked and mechanically there was no reason why it would not work from the time you install it. He explained to me that two weeks was the average time it takes for the customer to stop opening the freezer door and checking on the progress of the ice maker. It was a lesson on patience that had nothing to do with the ice maker itself.

Jesus said, “Do not worry…for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

There is no substitute for time. There is no substitute for time spent in a relationship. There is not substitute for time spent in a relationship with a person or with God. Discipleship takes time. Marriage takes time. Friendship takes time.

Bro. Robin

The Finished Product

I enjoy wood working projects. I have made shelves, entertainment centers, hope chests, and step stools among other things. My favorite part of the project is that point when it is all put together but before I apply the stain. There is something about looking at the raw wood that I cut, shaped and put together that gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I know I still have to finish the project and I will have a different feeling about it when it is completely finished and ready to be used.

I always enter the finishing phase with a feeling of hesitation. When I apply the stain I know from experience that the first application of color will reveal every imperfection in the wood. As the stain is applied I will see if my hands were invisibly dirty and left fingerprints that now become dark smudges. I can now also see if I was careless with my sanding and left scratches going the wrong way or did not sand enough so that a fine bristle of wood stands up like five o'clock shadow.

All of those imperfections are fixable. I have to sand it again with care to correct the imperfections and apply more stain. When the stain is right and I am pleased with the look I am ready to apply a hard clear finish to protect the stain and make the project ready for use.

Paul said, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 NAS) The day we gave our lives to Jesus we changed. We crossed over from being an unfinished project of our own to being His project to finish. Before He touched us our hands were dirty and we were rubbed the wrong way. He applied the first coat and revealed all our imperfections. He applied, and is still applying, the sandpaper to remove the flaws and smooth the roughness. He makes us useful for His purpose.

I'm glad He is still working on me. I look forward to being finished in Christ.

Bro. Robin

God Bless You

Walking on a sidewalk in the winter a stranger passed me with all the obvious signs of a cold. When he sneezed I said, “God bless you.” Then I added, “Have you prayed for that?” He replied, “I don’t need to pray for it, I already have it.”

At first I thought he was being smart but then I realized that his cold had made him irritable. I also thought later how we often say things without thinking what they truly mean.

“God bless you!” It seems like we are too often either saying it or hearing it this winter. Whether it is for a sneeze or a cough we say it without thinking. We say it as a blessing like a prayer for quick healing. We might even think we are saying it as a shield to keep from getting whatever is going around at the moment.

There are viruses and the flu making the rounds this winter. Some families are getting it all at once. Others pass the virus from person to person until the unhappy parents feel like they are having an unending season of sickness. No one likes to be sick or wants to constantly take care of someone who is. But, because we love each other we show up with care, prayer, and say “God bless you,” a lot.

To bless someone is to pray for their happiness. Only God can truly bless because only God has the power to insure that what He says will happen. When we say, “Bless the Lord,” as we see in the Bible, we are offering ourselves for God to use as a blessing for His service. A blessing is a request for God to do something good for the person you are blessing. We can be specific, “God bless you with…” and finish the prayer with the happy desire you have for them. Most of the time we give the general blessing, “God Bless you,” trusting God for health, in the case of a sneeze, or happiness as God chooses to bless us.

All of God’s blessings are good. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father…” (James 1:17 NKJV)

God bless you. Have you blessed anyone today?

Bro. Robin

Double Dipping

Every year at Christmas time we get the family together for a day of candy making. The kitchen becomes a symphony of laughter, dishes, and wonderful smells as we all work together. We make brittles, truffles, fudges,and hand dip a variety of cookies, pretzels, and crackers.

One of our favorites is peanut butter and cracker sandwiches dipped in chocolate. It was the end of the day and the men and boys had retreated to the shop to work on a Christmas surprise for the children. Brandon, 2, and Avery, 3, wanted to help.  Nanna gave them shakers of sprinkles and set them on stools to decorate the freshly dipped chocolate delights.

Avery was immediately a pro and tried to show Brandon how it was done. Brandon, paying no attention to his sister, did his best. He sprinkled the candy glitter but accidentally touched the fresh chocolate. No problem. He simply licked the chocolate off his shaker and went on to the next one. But this time his action was more deliberate as he dipped his shaker in the wet chocolate and then licked it off the lid. All the while Avery was saying, “No Brandon, you’re not getting enough sprinkles on it.” It was obvious by the look on his face that Brandon was doing just fine.

Double dipping is cute when a two-year-old does it. As adults we know double dipping is not appropriate. We know better than to lick the spoon and put it back in the bowl!

Jesus welcomes double dippers. He said, “Ask, and it will begiven to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”(Luke 11:7 NKJV) 

The language of this verse tells us that we should continuously ask, seek, and knock and He will continue to respond to us. You can keep coming back to Jesus and He will always be there for you. His answers are always relevant, His forgiveness is always complete, and His knowledge is always perfect.

Bro. Robin

Be Holy

My daughter was busy making a pot of chicken chili for us to enjoy. As the pot got warm she reached for a wooden spoon to stir with.

“Not that spoon!” Joyce said as she reached for the spoon. “That’s the bread spoon.”

“Oh,” she said, “I forgot.” And she handed her mother the spoon.

It was an honest mistake. In the crock with all the spoons and spatulas there is one special spoon. It is a long-handled spoon that was hand carved by an uncle of Joyce’s. It is used for only one purpose - the making of bread. We make sure that no other smells or flavors touch that spoon so that it will not affect the flavor of the bread.

We all know this and respect the special purpose of the bread spoon. The reason is simple. We love the taste of Joyce’s homemade bread.

When I think about the bread spoon I am reminded of the meaning of holiness. The meaning of holiness is to be set apart for God’s purpose. Likewise, Joyce’s wooden spoon is set apart for one purpose and if the spoon is used for any other purpose it can become tainted. If we give ourselves to an unholy purpose we too will become tainted.  

¹⁵ But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. (1 Peter1:15-16 HCSB)

When we keep ourselves holy we will have joy in our lives because we are living according to God’s holy purpose.

Bro. Robin

Respect All Life

I pastored a church that had a parsonage directly behind the church offices. It was convenient for me because a sidewalk connected our back door with the back door of my office. It was convenient for the church because we shared a back yard and that meant I would keep it mowed, along with the yard in front of the office.

One day I was walking the yard in preparation to mow and I noticed a small hole in the ground about the size of a man’s fist. When I investigated the hole I saw that there were four baby rabbits in it.  I knew they were too small to survive on their own.

I called the local veterinarian and she explained how the mother leaves them and checks on them at morning and night.  She said they would probably be fine. The hard part came after I mowed around them. The children found them and I had to keep them from playing with the baby rabbits.

The veterinarian was pleased with our concern for the rabbits. Their family soon became involved in our church. She told me later that anyone who cared for the welfare of wild rabbits would also be concerned about the welfare of her family.

This week we observed another anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It is a sad reminder that our generation has lost their respect for life. I think about the mass shootings and terrorist acts that have taken place in the last couple of decades. The blame that goes around includes guns, medications, and radical religious ideas. No one blames a culture of death that trivializes the termination of the least among us. It is time for us to stop and remember that life has value and is worth living.

Respect for life is about respect for all life. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the sky…your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”(Matt. 6:26 HCSV) Jesus valued life. Respect for life means that we value and honor life.

Bro. Robin