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Unity Church of Castro Valley

Sunday Message for June 18, 2006

Father’s Day – Blueprint for Life

Happy Fathers Day! Please join us for our wonderful Fathers Day BBQ right after the service – we have a wonderful lunch planned for you all. Today we are talking about blueprints for life in honor of Fathers Day. We probably have some “Tim-the-Toolman-Taylor” dads, stepdads and granddads here today. I would like to extend a special welcome to each of you! We’re glad you came to celebrate with us on this special holiday.

Dads, granddads, sons – most men have, at one time or another, tried their hand at building something. Some have been successful, some not. Those of us who build on a large scale usually understand blueprints; if we can’t read them in detail, we can at least visualize what they say in general. To a few of us, though, it would be easer to read Egyptian hieroglyphics! Even those of us who find the intricacies of blueprints mystifying, however, do understand the importance of starting any construction project with perfectly accurate architectural calculations. We have to have a plan before we build anything.

In the Bible you will see exact measurements for the ark that Noah built, for the Ark of the Covenant, and for Solomon’s temple. The blueprints include the types of woods to use, the types of stones, and even the color of materials. Oh, and by the way, the common computation as to the length of the cubit makes it 20.24 inches for the ordinary cubit, and 21.888 inches for the sacred one – just in case you wish to build an ark.

No one would want to live in a home or work in a skyscraper built without plans or designed by someone with little or no architectural training. That’s just common sense. It’s also faith sense. When we think about building our lives and, especially, building our faith lives, we would be foolish to entrust so important a project to anyone but an expert. Fathers and grandfathers even though it’s your special day, let’s let everyone in on this message, as we consider blueprints for life!

Jesus said in (Matthew 7:24-29) "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!”

So we want to build our faith lives on righteousness, justice, love and faithfulness. We want to have a competent architect and we want to have a really good blueprint. We want to know right up front what we are getting ourselves into and how much it will cost in time, money, blood, sweat, and tears.

GETTING TO THE HEART

Sad to say, many people choose the wrong architects and rely on a faulty set of plans as they construct their lives. Or they just don’t understand blueprints. Consider what the ark would have looked like if Noah didn’t know what a cubit was. So consider these three building companies:

Even though we don’t believe in a devil, lets call the first one The Devil’s Own Life-Building Company. Always the lowest bidder, this construction company cuts costs by omitting the foundation. We convince ourselves that we don’t need to go to church – we’ve heard all that stuff before. And you may have heard it all before, and you may be able to repeat it, but have you applied it in your life? Do you have the foundation built, so that it shows up in your finances, your love life, and your health?

This company builds instead on falsehoods, broken promises, and counterfeit hopes. Without a spiritual foundation you may think that affirmations are magical or that God is going to save you from yourself without any work on your part. You say the affirmation and then wonder why it doesn’t work. Without a constant and consistent spiritual practice you don’t have the solid faith foundation that you need. The double-talk motto of this company reads, We Guarantee No Guarantees.

Then we have The Do-It-Yourself Life-Building Company which lives by the motto: I’m Not God, but I Play Him in Real Life. You can spot lives designed by this company by their bulging egos; sagging, apathetic foundations; and shingles nailed down with self-centeredness. They are sure that they have the one answer to life. They think that you are surely deluding yourself if you don’t do it their way. Enlightenment lies in using their crystals, or vitamins, or meditation technique.

They always use Me-First cement, made of sand mixed with gelatin. Every aspect of the blueprints used by this company centers on the do-it-yourself builder. In fact, the whole universe seems to revolve around this person!

Noted for unique interiors, the company’s standard kitchen décor boasts a selfish – not shellfish – theme. The central salad bar always features several varieties of let-us. Let-us select our own way to heaven. Let-us chose the truth we want to believe. Let-us make sure our faith contains tasty ingredients, even if they totally lack any spiritual nutrients. Let-us choose only those actions that make us feel good and look good in the eyes of others.

I’m sure you have seen these companies come and go. Everyone jumps on their bandwagon briefly, only to discover that it is not what it was sold to be. Lives built following these blueprints cannot withstand even the puniest of life’s storms. Sooner or later, they always collapse, falling with a great crash. They would benefit from what Joshua said in (Joshua 22:19) “But now, if your land is unclean, cross over into the Lord's land where the Lord's tabernacle now stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us; only do not rebel against the Lord, or make rebels of us by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.”

Then we have the Christ Is My Cornerstone Abundant and Eternal Life-Builder. This company’s motto reads: (1 Corinthians 3:11) “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” The Architect, Builder, and lifelong Maintainer are one and the same, going by the name Trinity. Before the creation of the world, God himself drew up these blueprints for life. The builder and architect of all things is God.

Lives built on this foundation stand immovable; the architectural design is heavenly; and the workmanship, divine. The foundation comes with an eternal, out-of-this-world guarantee. It will withstand any and every storm. When the storms of fear and pain hit, when a rain of tears pours down, and when the waters of temptation rise, this foundation stands absolutely secure, built on Jesus Christ, the cornerstone.

Forgiveness cements this foundation. Not even the most painstaking building inspector in the world will find fault with it. Sill plates, tie bolts, pilasters, piers, rebar, and pads form the foundation of most earthly homes. But love, forgiveness, peace, comfort, faithfulness, joy, and grace form the eternal foundation on which we live by faith in Jesus Christ.

The contractor, Jesus Christ himself, completed the work 2,000 years ago with lots of blood, sweat, and tears. And oh, how he’s dying for individuals and families to move in so he can live with them forever!

Would you like to have the blueprint? Go to the New Testament and read everything that Jesus said. Build your life on that teaching alone and you will be able to weather any storm. The storms will come and you will stand firm on your foundation.

TAKING IT HOME

What a blessing to know that the perfect Architect, Builder, and lifelong Maintainer of our faith has chosen you to live in his creation, even as he himself lives within you! Whenever you use the blueprint gift you will receive today, stop for a moment and remember your firm foundation is built by Christ Is My Cornerstone Abundant and Eternal Life-Builder.

Then go the extra step. Don’t just stop and remember – give thanks and praise to God, who chose to give you a life that will never fall, built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ’s teaching. Enjoy the blessings of a true, abundant, and eternal life!

I would like to close with David’s prayer from (2 Samuel 7:27-29) “For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, "I will build you a house'; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever."

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7:24-29; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 2 Samuel 7:27-29; Joshua 22:19

Last updated June 18, 2006