Building for Eternity

Luke 13:18-30

Imagine what the first person to build a house went through. He has observed that rocks can be piled on top of each other, but he must find rocks that have flat sides or they just roll off. He also learns that he has to find rocks that he can lift. A little experimentation teaches him that not only do rocks with flat sides work better, but that how he stacks them makes a lot of difference in how high and strong the wall can be.

Once the walls are built, he has to figure out how to build the roof. It is unlikely that he will be able to lift a flat rock large enough to cover the entire structure, so he either needs to build under an overhanging rock or cave or build the roof from something else. Every part depends on other parts. This is true of any construction.

Unfortunately, many people have a vision of what they want to accomplish with no consideration of what will be required to accomplish it. As a result, they come up with impractical and impossible plans and goals, because they have ignored very basic principles.

Congress rushed the welfare and Social Security programs into play to convince the American people they were trying to prevent ever having another great depression. Thirty years later President Johnson started the war on poverty, to try to fix problems that the welfare program hadn’t resolved. Periodically, Social Security has had to be revamped and propped up because it wasn’t properly designed, and no one has been willing to dismantle it and rebuild. Medicare was started in an effort to resolve serious health care issues, and just recently, Congress passed the Healthcare Reform in an effort to fix what Medicare was supposed to fix. Again, the effort was to fix the entire system without considering how the various parts relate to each other. As one of the leaders said , We need to get something passed right away. We can fix it later. If we don’t have time to do it right the first time, when will we ever have time to fix it right? As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” God didn’t intend to build Christianity in a day either.

“Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Luke 13:18-21)

The church started with one man. He chose twelve apostles, and trained them, working with them until they were able to do what was needed. Though he’d preached to a lot of people, there were only about one hundred twenty present when the Holy Spirit began to move on the day of Pentecost. As the church grew, there were teachers and workers available to handle them, so the church grew strong and stable. When three thousand were saved on the day of Pentecost, there were enough trained people to handle teaching them. As a result, the church had a far greater impact than most modern churches are having.

“And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.” (Luke 13:22-26)

Israel was a religious nation. Nearly everyone claimed to believed in God, although there was some variation in how they worshipped. It was a common point of conflict which ones would or wouldn’t be saved. When Jesus came, huge crowds often flocked to hear him. Yet Jesus said many would not be allowed in. Once the door is shut, it will not be opened to let others in. despite their claims to have taken part with him, and listened to him.

Today, who is going to heaven is often debated as well. We have thousands of churches, and millions of people who attend them. Many have attended revivals by men such as Billy Graham or listened to radio or television evangelists. Unfortunately, that will not be enough, even if the preachers and evangelists were true men of God. Matthew 7:22 tells us that many will have been very active in their churches, witnessing and performing miracles. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Despite all their work and involvement, Matthew 7:23 states, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” They haven’t met the requirements with all their activity, as Jesus points out.

“But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” (Luke 13:27-30)

The effort to build the church quickly, without establishing a strong doctrinal base has resulted in many not being saved. Because there is a lack of spiritually mature teachers, people come into the church without receiving salvation. They then progress to positions of leadership, still without experiencing Christ’s changes in their heart. Today, we see the results in every group. If we don’t have time to build properly, how can we expect it to last for eternity?