Laying a Foundation

Today we interrupted our normal afternoon routine to check some awesomeness that was going on in the front yard.  CEMENT TRUCKS!  Drew was in his glory!

The trucks were out laying a foundation for a house to be built.  The foundation is the most important part of building, if it is laid incorrectly the whole building will become unstable.  One website said "It may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but getting the foundation right is incredibly important. The biggest reason for this is that any mistakes you make in the foundation will only get worse as you go up."  So getting the correct foundation right is key to success.  I have been studying the foundations of my faith recently.  I want to be so sound, so that I am not shaken.  For me it is not something I can just learn and believe and not revisit it on a regular basis.  

We sing Emma a song every night, "The B  I   B   L   E, yest that's the book for me, I stand alone on the word of God, the B.I.B.L.E. BIBLE!  I was thinking about that tonight, to stand alone on the word of God, not people opinions or interpretations, the word of God alone.  In order to stand on it, and live by it I better be in it and know what I believe. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says  “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”  I love that part: with gentleness and respect, I think in the past I have thrown that peaceful attitude out the window in the name of "well it's the truth".  God wants us to be sensitive to His leading and timing, and to be respectful when sharing our beliefs, even if the opposition is not acting that way.  The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control) should be coming out of us as we share, that is what sets us apart.  

Just like that cement truck today, God has been pouring a foundation in my heart.  He has brought me back to the beginning, why I need Jesus, what He did for me and how that affects how I live now.  Just wanted to share a little of what He is teaching me and hope it will encourage your foundation to be even stronger.

When someone sins a price has to be paid, blood must be shed, this goes all the way back to garden of Eden (the creation of the world).  I am not sure why God works like this, but He is God, I am not, blood atones.  Romans 6:23 says "The wages of sin is death."  Something has to die.  It used to be animals, if you messed up you could go sacrifice at the temple and "make amends" (we are talking old testament times here), and once a year the high priest would sacrifice animals on the "day of atonement" to appease, and cover over the sins of the whole nation of Israel.  This is found in Leviticus 16.  But that system of forgiveness was only TEMPORARY, it wasn't good enough, the animal blood only covered sin.  So God saw the only way to reconcile his beloved mankind to himself permanently was by sending his own son to become the ultimate sacrifice.  How much must he love us?  To give up his most prized, and only child to bring us back to himself!!  So, when Jesus, filled with the blood of divinity, laid his life down, he became the ultimate sacrifice, and made those who believe in him as their replacement,  ETERNALLY right with God. 

Hebrews says it like this: “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.  For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.  The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.  I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.  And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”  Hebrews 10:10-18

I don't know about you but after I read that I want to shout "OH HALLELUJAH!!!"  We are forgiven! Forgiven from yesterdays mess ups, today's and tomorrows!  That is a lot of forgiveness.  He is so gracious!  Jesus’ blood, the blood of divinity, of God himself, had the ability to not cover our sins, but actually take them away.  God now remembers our sins NO MORE.  We are now right with God, apart from what we do(meaning you can't earn your standing with him), we are now right with God by what we believe. “But people are counted as righteous(right with God), not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” Romans 4:5  We have faith in Jesus as our substitute and that he was enough.  I used to wonder how all my sin could be taken away, until I heard someone put it this way: "God took our sins and put them on his son at the cross, His son laid down his life and was killed, and He became our sin offering.  Then on the 3rd day Jesus was raised from the dead without our sins, they were removed and taken away forever!" -Joseph Prince  

So the foundational truth I want to present to you today is why we needed a savior?  Basically because we messed up and couldn't get ourselves right with God.  Only Jesus could do that for us.  What did he do?  At the cross our sins were taken from our account and placed on Jesus and punished there.  

When you believe in Jesus as your savior you are totally forgiven forever!  AMAZING GRACE!!  You will spend your life walking with him, and seeing the amazing deliverance of the Lord in all areas of your life (if you let Him in), and you get to spend eternity in heaven!!   This seems so simple, but it is really deep and powerful.  “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18  Power of God people, that is what I am talking about!! I want to be founded and living in that!

 I will leave you with a quote:  Where there is forgiveness of sin there is life and blessedness.  We do not obtain forgiveness by good works, but through the forgiveness of sin comes good works.  First remove the sin from the conscience and it will also be dethroned in the heart. - Martin Luther

  

Here is the rests of the cement truck adventure.

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