God Is A Builder
"The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine." (Is. 44:13)
"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." (Heb. 3:4)
"For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb. 11:10)
Jesus Is A Builder
"Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself." (Heb. 3:3)
"Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him." (Mark 6:3)
God Builds In Three Ways:
1. God Builds Revelationally: (to reveal is to uncover, to reveal, to open, to expose, to disclose)
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." (Deut. 29:29)
There are some secrets God has chosen not to reveal to us, possibly for the following reasons:
(1) our limited minds cannot fully understand the infinite aspects of God's nature and the universe (Ecc. 3:11);
(2) some things are unnecessary for us to know until we are more mature;
(3) God is infinite and all-knowing, and we do not have the capacity to know everything he does.
Deut. 29:29 shows that although God has not told us everything there is to know about obeying him, he has told us enough. As a result, disobedience comes from an act of the will, not a lack of knowledge. Many, however, suggest that there are some things of God they violate unknowingly. Through God's Word we know enough about him to be saved by faith and to serve him. We must not use the limitation of our knowledge as an excuse to reject his claim on our life.
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Mth. 11:27)
In the Old Testament, "know" means more than knowledge. It implies an intimate relationship. The communion between God the Father and God the Son is the core and the heart of their relationship. For anyone else to know God, God must reveal himself to that person, by the Son's choice. We are blessed that Jesus has clearly revealed to us God, his truth, and how we can know him.
Christ's mission was to reveal God the Father to people. His words brought difficult ideas down to earth. He explained God's love through parables, teachings, and, most of all, his life. By examining Jesus' actions, principles, and attitudes, we can understand God more clearly.
"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
Even in anger, God is merciful: he has always warned his people through prophets before punishing them. Warnings about sin and judgment apply to us today just as they did to Israel. Because we have been warned about our sin, we have no excuse when punishment comes. God had warned his people through his prophets, so they could not rationalize or complain when God punished them for refusing to repent. His warnings are a way of showing mercy to you.
"...which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets." (Eph. 3:5)
God's plan was hidden from previous generations, not because God wanted to keep something from his people, but because he would reveal it to everyone in his perfect timing. God planned to have Jews and Gentiles comprise one body, the church. It was known in the Old Testament that the Gentiles would receive salvation (Is. 49:6); but it was never revealed in the Old Testament that all Gentile and Jewish believers would become equal in the body of Christ. Yet this equality was accomplished when Jesus destroyed the "dividing wall" and created the "one new man".
2. God Builds Generationally:
"Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ." (Mth. 1:1-17)
"'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'" (Num. 14:18)
"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Ps. 33:11)
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." (Deut. 7:9)
God builds generationally, thinking not only of this generation, but thousands of generations to come. Like many of the patriarchs of our faith, you may never see the fruit of your life. It may come forth in generations to come. We are to build for the future. This implies we must see beyond our current limited vision and discern what God is building and join Him in His work. We must resist the desire to build only for our lives, but focus on those who will take the work given by our Father and who will then continue to build upon it.
"A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." (Prov. 13:22)
3. God Builds Relationally:
The beginning of the Bible's restoration emphasis is found at the beginning of all things, in the Book of Genesis. God created man in His own image, male and female. Man enjoyed the image of God, the intimacy of God, and unbroken fellowship with God.
But man chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In that moment, he decided to take his life into his own hand. With that tragic decision, man lost everything precious God had given. Immediately, God provided clothing made from an animal skin. This clearly revealed God's plan of redemption and restoration for fallen man. That first sacrifice, providing clothing, pointed toward the ultimate sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus Himself.
"He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables." (Mark 4:11)
Some people do not understand God's truth because they are not ready for it. God reveals truth to people who will act on it, who will make it visible in their lives. When you talk with people about God, be aware that they will not understand if they are not yet ready. Be patient, taking every opportunity to tell them more of the truth about God, and praying that the Holy Spirit will open their minds and hearts to receive the truth and act on it.
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Luke 10:22)
Seven Keys To Becoming An Apprentice Carpenter:
1. Get Real...Be Honest. Practice honesty and truthfulness in all your relationships. Deal with anger quickly, not allowing it to influence your treatment of others.
2. Choose To Submit. Maintain a selflessly submissive attitude in all your family relationships. Understand that this will provide evidence that Christ rules your home.
3. Serve The Lord, Not Man. Do not become a people-pleaser in ministry, business, or home. Serve the Lord in all you do. Recognize that it is He who has assigned you to your post of responsibility. You do not serve a church, employer, or mate...you serve God.
4. Fix You First. Correct your faults and solve your own problems before attempting to correct faults or problems in others. Examine yourself for things that bother you about others.
5. Build Godly Relationships. Refuse to practice any form of relational unrighteousness or sin: wrong sexual activity, angry exchanges, jealous or envious attitudes, greedy desire for things, gossip, or coarse humor.
6. Practice The Right Stuff. Practice diligently every form of relational righteousness: love, compassion, humble attitudes, self-giving behavior, freely flowing forgiveness, and patience with others.
7. Choose Peace. Let peace govern all your relationships.
Live Christ Deliberately!
Doug Morrell
Director, CORE Discipleship Group Ministries
Copyright 2003 by Doug Morrell, CORE Discipleship Group Ministries, http://www.coregroups.org. You may copy this article for free and distribute as long as you do not change the content, make sure this copyright statement is included, and you distribute for free. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. |
