Intoduction

Foundation, foundation, foundation this is the key to a lifetime of walking in the power of God, and then into eternity with  Jesus.

If you build upon the proper foundation you will make it, and if you don't you won't. (It's that simple, really)

The pattern set before you is the proper foundation which is based upon the life of Christ, and His commands before He went back to heaven.   So we know that we must build this foundation.

Illustration

I once knew a man who wanted to build a custom hot rod. So he went out and bought an old 57 Chevy Bel Air. He put new brakes on it, new electrical, new gauges, new paint, new tires & rims, new leather upholstery, new chrome, and to top it off he put a 572ci 720R fuel injected blown super-charger  in it (800 hp yeahhh)with a power glide turbo 400 custom built tranny to 1500hp. Flat out this car was awesome!

So he came by one night to show it off to me, and give me a ride in it. So off we went cruising the local scene, this thing was bad. Everybody looked at it and was awe struck with its looks and roaring sound. Then I told him lets see what this thing is really all about, HAMMER IT!!! So he did, and when he floored the gas the car began to shake violently, and then pull to the right, which forced us off the road into a dirt ditch. Once stopped we got out and took a look @ the car and noticed that the frame underneath was broken into, and the right steering arm was ripped apart and grease was all over the shinny chrome engine. The car was worthless, we could'nt even drive it home. It looked and sounded great until it came time to really use it. The problem was that he forgot to rebuild the frame, he did not get rid of the rust or weld the old cracks, or powder coat the metal.

OH GOD HELP US TO BUILD A FOUNDATION THAT YOU CAN USE

Text

"To know what is right and not do it, is sin"

"He that puts his hand to the plow, and then turns back is not worthy of me".

Luke 19:12-27 (NKJV)

Instruction

Here Jesus is clearly speaking about His kingdom that will be established here on earth. He speaks of the ones that He has called, and tells them to "Do business till I come". Then He commands the angels to go and get the called ones, and to bring them before Him  to give an account of what they had done with the anointing that He had given to them. He goes further and explains that the ones who were obedient to His calling on thier lives to do His will, He blessed by giving them authority over cities. This blessing of authority is directly related to how much the servant invested of his own life into the kingdom of God.

Then He speaks about what He will do to the ones that do not obey the calling of God on thier lives. Yes these are the ones that here from heaven and have the anointing of God on thier lives. They know the great mysteries of eternity, and the power of the Holy Ghost. They know what it is like to be in the presence of God and to have His Spirit come down upon them, and fill them up overflowing to a place where impossibility becomes possible, and finite becomes infinity. However, they did not respond to the calling of Him, no rather they got lost and caught up in this world, and took what He had given to them and placed it in there pocket where no one else could see it. What does He say to these? He says that out of your own mouth I will judge you, you are a wicked servant. He did not say a wicked enemy or stranger, He sayed a wicked servant. One who is in the house of God. One who is part of the family of God. Then He speaks to His angels and tells them to take everything the wicked servant has and give it to the faithful servant.

Then the final statement: He know calls the once servant(whom He loved & trusted), then a wicked servant, and now an enemy of mine,because they did not want me to reign over them, and He tells the angels of God to "slay them before me". Are they are going to make it to heaven?

• Do you allow Christ to reign over you?
• Are you obedient to the pattern that God has set before you?
• Can you be discipled by the faithful servants that have ten minas?
• Or do you say, "I dont want anybody having authority over me"?
• Does this sound like you?
• Are you going to make it to heaven? You must repent!
  

Point I How To Build An Eternal Foundation

Okay so how do we do it? How do we build an eternal foundation?

1. First and foremost we must turn from our sins and cry out to a holy God in true repentance. We must seek conversion by the blood of Jesus. This will change our desires.
2. Then we must accept the infilling of His Holy Spirit which shall provide us with the drive to achieve this new life. The fire, the passion, the zeal.
3. Yes then the fun begins, we must live a life of prayer, reading His word, witnessing, church, fellowship, giving of finances(tithe, world evangelism, offerings), giving of time, and giving of your heart for others. These things are the fundamental beginnings of true Christianity passed down into a new life. If you have these things in place in your life, then you are well on your way to fulfilling the purposes of God in your life.

Point II Many Never Finish The Foundation

Unfortunetly many people get stuck @ the foundational part of Christianity and never grow past this point.

1. They turn back to thier own way of life, it's called sinning. They turn back to what is familiar, it's called sinning. Habits, lifestyles, comforts, cravings, patterns, etc.. It's called sin!

2. So if you fall back into sin after having known the light then you will hide from the light, because you know better. God help us church, to turn from sin once, and then live in the light, the glory which Christ has prepared for us, temporal, and eternal.

3.    Many times in life we look at situations and challenges of life and have our own way of solving them. We are well intended and give it our best effort, the problem is that it's not for us to decide upon by ourselves. 

Illustration

Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in 71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didnt call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a genius mind when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.

Roger later said, I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.

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Illustration

1.  Im speaking to myself first, because I am a backslider of 20 years.

2.    I thought I knew a better way,  back in 1987 when alot of things started to go wrong in the Chandler church. Pastor Campbell had gone to Malaysia, and we had a different pastor. I decided to start looking at other churches. I was going to find a church that did'nt have so many issues, and problems. I was well intended at the time, and I took my wife and son away from the Chandler church. Away from the kings proclaimation of how I was to conduct my life, and where I was to grow up in the things of Christ.

3.     

Let me tell you what, My way did not work out!

I had everything that the world has to offer! 

Yes everything! 

Well what did my own way produce? exspound

What it eventually produced was a loaded gun in my mouth! (I bit down on the chamber, I remember how my whole body was violently shaking,(no foundation [remember the car illust] and I was covered in sweat, crying out bitterly,  and I left teeth marks in the metal, then I pulled the trigger and click nothing happened.)

I have been diagnosed with bi-polar disease!

You say you can do whatever you want it's not that important. It really dosent matter what you do right now. HA, the devil is laughing at you, just like he laughed at me, and tryed to kill me. Thank God for His grace!

(Show them the book on discipleship, and read your notes, and show the photo).

Point III A Foundation Giving By God

We have been given a pattern of how we are to conduct ourselves by Christ.

• He has set down the example of life by living it Himself.
• He has spoken and lived out what is the priority of order, and how it is to be performed.
• He has left nothing undone.
•  He has given all things needed to accomplish the tasks of the will of God for our lives.

C.F.M. WAS BIRTHED IN PRAYER & PROPHECY 

If men would pray as they ought to pray, the marvels of the past would be more than reproduced. The Gospel would advance with a facility and power it has never known. Doors would be thrown open to the Gospel, and the Word of God would have a conquering force rarely if ever known before.

If Christians prayed as Christians ought, with strong commanding faith, with earnestness and sincerity, men, God-called men, God-empowered men everywhere, would be all burning to go and spread the Gospel world-wide. The Word of the Lord would run and be glorified as never known heretofore. The God-influenced men, the God-inspired men, the God-commissioned men, would go and kindle the flame of sacred fire for Christ, salvation and heaven, everywhere in all nations, and soon all men would hear the glad tidings of salvation and have an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.  This was written in 1923

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This is truly prophecy spoken of our fellowship 50 yrs. before it was birthed through Pastor Wayman Mitchell. He allowed the grace and the presence and the power of God to flow unto other men under his leadership. Furthermore he encouraged it, he preached it, and he challenged other men under him to become greater than him. To this day when he is asked how he has done it for all these years he simply replies, "Well I Am Saved", and "It's Not About Me". He never let the pride of this world fill him up with lies and deceit, for it is Jesus Christ who is great, and He is the chief cornerstone of our faith. Jesus Christ will sit on the Jerusalem throne and rule and reign with an iron fist for a thousand years. Who do you suppose will be his agents, and governmental body here on earth for a thousand years? Clearly it will be the ones who have done the will of God!This is called "Foundational Christianity".

Conclusion

This is what you are a part of. It's not just going to church so you can be a better person, and maybe along the way help someone else. NO, GOD FORBID NO! You are a holy people called out from a wicked generation at the end of days. Set aside for His purpose and plan. To proclaim the gospel of Christ in the last generation of mankind. This is prophecy and prayer fulfilled, you are not here by accident, you were born for this time and for this purpose. You are called upon and needed by the Almighty God who is operating on the second hand of His time clock. We are no longer on the hour or minute hand of God's time clock, No rather we are living in the last seconds of time on His clock, and He could return at any time. Build your foundation, and have revival in these last days. Repentance, repentance, repentance oh America is the cry that goes out across heaven. Will you stand with me and build your foundation?

Alter Call

Salvation:

Backslider:

Intention: He wants us to focus on building our foundation.

Implementaion: Pray daily, read your bible, be in church, and tell people about Jesus.

Listen to me, this really works. I remember when I first came back, and heard Pastor Campbell preach. To hear his voice for the first time in 20 years, it was awesome, I knew that somehow everything was going to be okay.

You see God never forgets about us and He never leaves us. During that 20 years I had the same dream 3 times. It was of pastor Campbell explain.

You see I had started a foundation and God was faithful to come and get me, so I could finish it.

Build your foundation and you will be amazed @ what He will do with your life.

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