Pastor Elwin Ahu
August 6, 2006 - W0632

The Bible was written for our admonition, encouragement and inspiration. It is full of inspirational stories of men (and women) – like David who was bold and faced a giant and Daniel who went into a lion’s den – which teach God-given principles. These stories challenge us to grow deep and strong in our relationship with the Lord and they teach us that it requires effort and change.

Physiologically, we go through changes all the time. For example, each of us loses about 100 strands of hair a day (and some of us lose a lot more)! And, we are constantly losing skin cells each day such that we virtually have new skin every thirty-five days. The point being…we were designed to change, physically often without even trying or noticing.

However, spiritually, change doesn’t really happen on its own. Just because someone was saved doesn’t mean there was a growth in his spiritual walk. After receiving Christ, a choice needs to be made to pursue Christ, to grow deep and strong, and to be rooted in the Word of God. This is a growth that takes place in a person’s character.

God is more concerned about the change beneath the surface (where no one can see), than above the surface. Spiritual growth takes place in our root system; only when our roots grow below the surface do we become fruitful above ground.

“And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” (2Kin.19:30)

For example, bonsai plants are beautiful ornamental plants that are past on from generation to generation. They can live up to a hundred years. Although bonsai plants are able to grow like any other plants, they’re planted in small pots where their roots are confined to keep them small. Similarly, Christians can develop this way. Although walking in the Lord for ten or twenty years, growth is limited because there hasn’t been any development of our root system, our heart. If we don’t consciously strengthen our relationship with the Lord, we become bonsai Christians – but God doesn’t want that!  On the contrary, he wants banzai Christians who “go for it” and continue to grow and move forward through life. This only happens if we extend our roots down and change the condition of our root system. The key to growing and going forward is our relationship with Christ through the Word of God.

Although there are many books out on the market today about success, God has provided us with a single book which tells us everything we need to know to have an abundant life.  This book, the Bible, contains stories of people’s victories, challenges, failures and sins. It also includes stories about redemption and rejoicing. Its stories are the best of the best to inspire us. The Bible is priceless so read it everyday and let it inspire you.   

Why is the Word of God so important to our growth? There are three reasons. The first is it…

1.     ESTABLISHES A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE GROWTH.

Unless our foundation in Christ is strong, we will not grow.  Ask any contractor and he will tell you that most important phase of construction is the building of the foundation. Twenty-five to thirty percent of all construction is spent building the foundation that will not be seen after the building structure is completed. Yet, it is of utmost important because if the foundation is weak, you won’t be able to build anything on it.

Oftentimes we think that having an abundant life is about adding more possessions to what we have when realistically, it’s the opposite; it’s more about removing things that weaken our foundation because when our foundation is weak, God cannot build on it.

God loves us so much that He gives us the blueprints for life. It’s all in the Bible, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us…for every good thing God wants us to do” (2Tim. 3:16-17 NLT).

God wants to prepare our lives because He has so much more prepared for us. For example, when I was still in practice, I represented a grading contractor whose job it was remove all the grub (e.g., trees and shrubs) from this lot and to compact the ground with structure fill material according to the architect’s specifications. To make a long story short, because the contractor was busy, he took a few shortcuts and instead of hauling away the grub, he buried it under the compacted ground. The compacted ground passed the inspection and the developer built a beautiful subdivision of homes.

After awhile, the grub began to decay and left air pockets under the soil. Given the weight of the structures, the ground started to give way. Eventually, the houses began to crack and slide which endangered the lives of everyone who lived there. After all was said and done, the contractor spent about four times as much to fix what he would’ve spent if he had just done it right in the first place.

Likewise, it is necessary to build a strong foundation in our lives yet many don’t take the time to read their Bibles or do daily devotionals. We neglect to take care of our root system and rather than excavating character flaws of anger, impatience, pride and arrogance, we bury them. Needless to say, we’re only fooling ourselves thinking if no body sees it, we’ll be fine.

On the contrary, when the pressures of life hit, we often find that our world collapses and we wonder what happened. The reason is simply because the foundation wasn’t strong enough.

On the other hand, to ensure an abundant life, we need start with a foundation according to God’s principles. And at every step along the construction way, we need to make the changes necessary to follow the master’s blueprints/specifications. The first key to receiving the abundance the Lord wants to give us is for us to establish a good foundation for future growth. During this time, the Lord will bring to our attention pockets of bitterness, lack of self-control or immorality. These may be buried within us and starting to decay. Then the Lord may test our foundation by pressing or pushing on it to see if is strong enough for Him to build on it. After pressing and pushing on our foundation, what we may find out is that our foundation has shrunk and now God has very little to build upon.

Instead, build a strong foundation by rooting it in the Word of God. The Bible will guide you, and give you knowledge and wisdom. It points out to us things we shouldn’t be doing and what we should be doing instead, “…throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness-righteous, holy and true” (Eph. 4:22-24 NLT). The Word of God will teach and correct you, and strengthen your foundation – which will transform you day by day.

While establishing a foundation for the future is the first reason why God’s Word is so important, the second reason God’s Word is so essential to building our root system is it…

2.     SETS THE STANDARD AGAINST WHICH DAILY DECISIONS SHOULD BE MEASURED.

There needs to be a standard in our lives which is unmovable and uncompromising that we measure everything in life against. Otherwise, if we don’t have an absolute standard, we’ll live a double-standard life. The world’s standards and God’s differ. The world’s mentality is, “Everyone else is doing it so why can’t I?” whereas, God’s standards as presented in the scripture are absolute and unchanging.

Here’s an example of what happens when we don’t accept absolutes.  You are approaching an intersection where the light has turned yellow. You know you should slow down and stop because the light is turning red, yet you speed up to cross the intersection. After that, you quickly glance around to be sure there was no policeman who saw you. This is a double standard, because you knew the traffic rule yet your actions didn’t confirm them. Another example is about feelings and emotions. We know that God wants us to forgive, yet we don’t “feel” like forgiving. Or, you know you’re supposed to read the Bible but today you don’t “feel” like it.  These examples may seem harmless but after awhile, if we keep this up, we’ll get confused about which standard to follow.

We live in a world where there is no sense of absolute truth hence we should be more interested in what God is saying than what others are saying. Today, it’s as if we’re re-living Judges 21, a period where the people went back and forth between being good and evil. However, the end of Judges tells us everyone did what was right in their own mind…and that was chaos! 

Self-help books and TV talk shows are million dollar businesses nowadays while everyone is seeking advice, yet Solomon (who had everything and lost everything) in the end of Ecclesiastes tells us, “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments…”

A GPS (global positioning system) in your vehicle best describes what the Bible does for you. It will tell you when to turn right or left to get you to your destination. Therefore, the Bible is “God’s positioning system”. It will tell us where to go and position us for the abundant life.

When you are able to match your daily decisions up against God’s unwavering set of standards, and follow them, you are on your way to an abundant life.  On the other hand, if we don’t know God’s standards or markers in life, we end up living life by feeling our way through or following what other people are doing – never getting to where we want to go, never experiencing life the way we should, and never growing spiritually.

“Be strong and…[obey] all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.” (Josh. 1:7-8 NLT)

So allow the Bible to set the standard against which your daily decisions are measured. Finally, the Word of God…

3.      PROVIDES CONFIDENCE IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY.

This confidence comes from a relationship built in Christ. How are you going to trust the Lord if you don’t know Him and how are you going to know Him if you don’t know His Word? To know the Lord is to learn about Him and His Word. There are advantages to knowing God. “Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Ps. 119:165).

This passage in Proverbs contrasts those who don’t know God’s law against those who do: “For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way…They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them. But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid of harm.” (Prov. 1:29-33 NLT)

There is a confidence and peace that comes with knowing God and His Word. The choice you make on whether to follow His principles or not will determine whether you’ll eat the bitter fruit or consequences of your own way, or live in peace and safety.

God designed us to be growing and changing beings.  Physiologically, we continuously change, even with no effort however, spiritually, growth takes choice and work.  Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that he provided the Bible, a compilation of writings and stories that will inspire us and guide toward an abundant life. Specifically, the Bible:

Establishes a foundation for future growth.

Sets the standard against which Daily Decisions should be measured.

Provides confidence in the face of uncertainty

If we follow His blueprint and establish a strong foundation in Him, there is no measure of the abundance He can pour out on our lives.  Amen!

STUDY QUESTIONS

1.      Name two truths that you acknowledge in your life.  Are they of the world or of God?

2.      Share about a double-standard that you have accepted (e.g., the traffic light example) and why you haven’t done anything about it.  Do you think it is time to change?  If so, how will you do that?

3.      Share an example of when you’ve used God’s standard as a measurement against which you’ve made a decision.  How do you think that affected the outcome of your decision?

4.      Tell of a time when your personal relationship with God gave you the confidence and courage to face uncertainty.  Consider sharing this with others as a testimony.

5.      How does your life measure up the abundant life that God wants to give you?  Name one thing that is weakening your foundation that you can/should get rid of.

Summarized by:  Doreen Robaino

Sermon Notes Team: Debbie Chang, Robin Hart, Leighton Loo, Doreen Rabaino,

                                    Jay Tsukayama, Rhonda Pang