Foundations
Brad Bowen, Special to The Gazette
Friday, September 18, 2009
Last year, my wife and I had purchased a home. It was in bad shape and in need of a total remodel. Along with some very close friends we started in and pretty much gutted the home to get a fresh start.
The first thing we found was the floors were swayed and bounced in every room. As we crawled under the house we found most of the supports were loose and some had fallen. Upon further inspection, the foundation was unlevel although very solid. This home was built in the 1920s, and, because of costs, we could do nothing about the leveling of the house. So we jacked up the rooms, which straightened them and took out the bounce.
We worked over that house one wall at a time taking care of every detail that was needed to make it more solid. We filled cracks here and patched holes there, put on new base boards, trim, a coat of primer and a coat of paint.
We worked over the plumbing and installed a new bathroom and kitchen. When we were done, the home turned out wonderful; the floors sloped a little here and there, but they were solid.
But, none of this would have been possible without a good solid foundation. All the work done would have been for naught.
As I look back on that project, it seems to me God our creator has done the same thing to me through my life, for I was broken down in bad shape and was in need of repair. My feet were on sinking sand, and I was lost, but God — yes, God — put a man in my life that presented the Gospel to me, I confessed my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
I was instantly lifted up and placed on a firm foundation — Jesus Christ the rock of salvation.
And the remodeling began, as my relationship grew stronger through reading and meditating on the Word of God, Jesus started one wall at a time fixing the cracks and filling the holes, that were created by the sins in my life. The reconstruction of my life can only be done through the word of God.
In 1 Peter 2:2 it says, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
But the foundation on which I stand was built by Jesus Christ’s dying on the cross. His death on that cross paid for my sins.
As it says in Philippians 2:8-9: “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.”
If you are reading this and you are in need of repair, if your foundation is unlevel and your footings have fallen there is only one place to go. It’s Jesus Christ. There is no other place, for He is the only one who died and rose again and paid for your sins: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The question is, are you in need of just a coat of paint or a total reconstruction?
The world can pull us away from the Lord and we can lose our first love for Him, this is an easy repair, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
If you are hurting and in need of a total reconstruction there is only one way to find peace — through a relationship with Jesus Christ, however it takes a willingness on your part to repent of your sins.
Mark 1:14-15 states, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
As always, the Gospel is found in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ”
• “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Brad Bowen, pastor at Calvary Chapel Fellowship.