PURPOSE

If in your summer travels you happen to pass through Huntington, West Virginia, you’ll see an interesting sight. They’ve leveled an entire city block. The crater there is enormous! And now they’ve laid this very deep foundation. And as you look at it, all you can think is- that’s going to be some building! It’s destined to be outstanding. It’s destined to be impressive. You can tell- by the foundation.

That’s what we’re talking about this morning- foundations. And one foundation in particular- the one we are going to build this ‘spiritual house’ upon. What kind of foundation should we choose?

One of the first ‘foundation builders’ of the New Testament was a wildman by the name of John the Baptist. And we’re going to start by looking at the foundational, bricks of truth –if you will- that he laid.

John 3: 36. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

John wasn’t talking about being good or bad –or- respectable or religious… he was talking about- alive or dead. Do this, and you’ll live. Do that and your already dead. He was very clear.

And did you notice the interesting twist of terms? It is belief in the Son of God that brings life. So, it would seem to follow, that death comes from ‘not believing.’ But John doesn’t say that. Death comes from ‘not obeying.’ In Biblical terms, the opposite of belief is disobedience. And that subtlety makes all the difference in our spiritual walk.

John 3:36 Ho pisteu'oon eis to'n Huio'n e'chei zooee'naioo'nion. Ho de' apeithoo'n too' Huioo' ouk o'psetai zooee'n,all hee orgee' tou' Theou' me'nei ep auto'n."

Believe; pisteu- this is not simply accepting a fact. This word means to be so convinced that you rely on it. It means convinced to the point of making personal commitment.

Obey; peitho- this doesn’t mean obeying out of submission. It means obeying because you are convinced to the point of action.

-Convinced to rely, convinced to act. That’s how closely ‘belief’ and ‘obedience’ are connected. The Greek lexicon puts it this way:

Faith is of the heart, invisible to men; obedience is of the conduct and may be observed.

22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

What does it mean, ‘better than the fat of rams.’ To sacrifice in Samuel’s time was a religious requirement. And the fat of rams was the very best sacrifice. So ‘the fat of rams’ was the highest possible work to God. And yet, here’s God’s prophet saying there is something far more important than that- inner obedience.

Well, we aren’t called to animal sacrifice anymore, but the spiritual principle still holds. We can do the highest work for God… We can make the greatest personal sacrifice- and it means nothing outside of the first priority- obedience. Doing the smallest thing in God’s Will, is far better than doing the greatest act, outside of it.

7 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Or to look at it from the flip side; that means it is impossible to have God in your life without obedience. No matter what you do!

What is the foundation of a relationship with Christ?

What kind of wrong ideas do people have about belief and obedience?

How would you describe belief and obedience in a way that nurtures a vibrant relationship to Christ?

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. …

10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

This passage echoes John the Baptist, doesn’t it? But to really follow what is being said here, we need to understand three key words:

1 John 2:10 Ho agapon ton adelfon autou en to foti meneikai skandalon en auto ouk estin,

LOVE - agapao We’re not talking warm and fuzzy feelings here. The command isn’t even to love others like a brother, or sister. The Greek writers had to invent a word for it- because this ‘love’ that had never been known or expressed before. It is a quality so high, that it is impossible without God. And what’s more, there can be no real fellowship without it. Without ‘agape’- we are just playing games, or fooling ourselves. God describes it this way:

5. it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

When we say, “I love that person but…” We’re not in agape love. When we have great intentions toward someone until they rub us the wrong way- we are not in agape. And if we’re not in agape, we are not in obedience. And if we’re not in obedience, we’re on some, really dangerous ground. We are on ground where Jesus never walks.

4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

Let’s ponder this ‘walk of Jesus’ for a moment- although He was innocent beyond reproach; He accepted the grossest humiliation of guilt- and without offense. ‘Forgive them’, He said. Although deserving more honor than this world could ever bestow- He accepted spit in His face instead, without offense, ‘forgive them’, He said.

A couple of Sundays back; we spent an inspiring evening with the teens. For nearly two hours we watched video clips and wrestled with some very deep questions. There were all kinds of great insights. I wish I had time to share them all. But here’s at least one that relates to our topic today.

We watched a piece on a young woman who was a missionary in Lebanon. She was working in a clinic for Muslim women. And she had made great strides in reaching them. She was a promising, beautiful young woman, involved in a great work… and it ended violently as she died in a pool of her own blood. Opening up the clinic early one morning, she was gunned down by terrorists. It seems such a waste! Such a cost! It lead us to the question; ‘Is there really anything worth giving your life for?’ –An answer was offered:

Yes, giving your temporal life for the eternal life of someone else. That’s quite a thought! -Quite an investment of yourself.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

So it makes me wonder- does God ever groan inside? When church people take offense at something; small or great- and they decide to quit their office or ministry, or even membership- do you think God groans inside? When we take up a spirit of rebellion, when we start talking in terms of ‘us and them’ …even when we’re supposed to be the same body in Christ- do you think God groans inside? Do you think God groans at the easy offense and the quick damage we do in our careless and hardened moments?

1. IF I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

The lives in here are far too precious to be in danger of gaining nothing. There are people in here who have worked far too faithfully, far too long, and hard to become nothing. It is too far removed from God’s vision for us. No real church exists without agape love.

What is God’s idea of love?

What are some of our biggest challenges in loving like God?

Can you give an example of someone loving as God loves?

How does love fit into the foundation we’re talking about?

How do we love when we’ve been offended?