 We are all, we are all building something in life, amen, and with intent or without intention, every hour goes by, every day goes by, every week, every month goes by, we're building our life. And it's important that we take care of how we build our life. It's important that we are intentional about how we build our life, so that our life, it stands the test of times. And not only we build our life in this, on this earth, but we also are building in eternity, whether you realize it or not. According to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 11 to 15, Apostle Paul tells us that everything that we build there or for there will be tested by fire. Everything we build here in life was going to come through two tests. It's going to be tested by fire and it's going to be tested by water. Okay, turn to your neighbor and say fire. No, just turn to your neighbor and say fire. Turn to your other neighbor and say water. All right, so everything in life will be tested by these two elements. Let me put it this way. Everything we do here on earth for God and for people in the name of God is what we build, what we send into eternity. What we build, what we do here for God, for His purposes, what we do for people in the name of God, that is something that is stored up eternally, something that is built eternally. And what we build and what materials we build with will determine the quality of our internal life. Now you say like, whoa, what are you saying? Aren't we all saved? Yes, we're all saved. I mean, not all saved. Okay, I mean those that have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I already see Pastor Ricker like, what do you mean by that? I mean those that have, and I hope all of you here, and if not, by the end of the service, you'll get an opportunity to be saved. And those that are watching on life, those that have accepted Jesus into their life, they have received eternal salvation. But in eternity, not all of us will be equal. Okay, it's not socialism. God doesn't believe in socialism. Bible doesn't teach socialism. There's no equality in heaven. There is going to be ranks. There is going to be different functions, different positions. There will be rewards and there will be different things that are attached to the rewards. Now just the fact that you're making it to heaven is already very, very good. Okay, you're going to live in a perfect place. You're going to live in a paradise full of peace, full of joy, serenity. I mean, this is just better than down there. Okay, so it's great. But we're not going to be in heaven just floating around with wings and harps and sinning in hallelujah 24 seven. Okay, there's going to be eternal life. And that eternal life depends on what materials were sent up there being on this life for eternity. Listen, this life is a preparation for next. It's like a baby in the womb, they have life in there in that little world. But that world is temporary and the world outside of the womb is much bigger and greater in the same sense. This life, everything we do in this life for God gets transferred into our heavenly account. So first Corinthians chapter three verse 11 15. Let's let's read this for no one can lay foundation under the one that's already laid, which is Jesus Christ, if anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test it, the quality of each person's work. If what he has built survives, the bill, the builder will receive reward. If it's burned up, listen to this, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved. So it's not talking, this is not talking about works. It's not talking about salvation by works. It's talking about the rewards that we will be receiving and the judgment of seed of Christ when we face him. He will suffer loss, but yet will be saved, even though only as the one escaping through flames, pretty much just getting to heaven with empty hands. But hey, kudos at least he got to heaven. Everything that we do here and we send in there will be tested by fire. Baba says that the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ are like the flame in fire. When he will look at you, he will look at everything you've done, he will see through it and everything that was done without quality, it says here, will be burnt up. So there's two things that I see that determines the quality of the materials that we're building. There's probably more, but the two things that I'm going to present it to you and it's good enough for me if you ask. First thing is motives. What we do and why we do it. Would you continue to do what you do for God if you did not receive a recognition or reward? Why are you doing what you're doing? In church, why are you serving? Outside of the church, how you treat people, what you do with people, how you utilize the gifts and talents that God has given you and what motives are behind it? Are you using to build yourself up, your kingdom, your influence, your platform or are you truly serving God despite of your position? Everybody wants to call themselves a servant of God or collects to call themselves servants until they get treated as a servant. The moment you tell them, hey, go ahead and do this and this. Where's my please? Please. And thank you. Okay. Servants are not asked to please and thank you. Okay. I'm not saying we shouldn't be polite. I'm not saying we shouldn't be courteous and cultivate culture of honor, but I am saying we should check out attitudes and our motives, what we do for God and why are we doing or for the lack of things doing the serving God and serving his people, serving the body of Christ. We say, oh, I just don't have a motivation to serve. Motivation comes out of right motives, motivation. If you don't have right motives, you will not have a motivation to serve God with clean and pure heart. So number one is motivation. Second one that I see here, actually write this down. Pure motives are precious materials. Pure motives are precious materials. The second one that I see is efforts. What kind of effort are you giving to God? Are you giving God your best? Are you giving God have hearted? Are you giving God leftovers? Or are you giving God anything at all? The effort, the quality of your efforts matters. Serve God with joy and gladness in our spirit. Or do we constantly murmur and complain and we're one of those people that our leaders would love to avoid if we would love to not greet if it was possible, because, you know, the moment you greet them, there's me complaining and whining and saying how things are bad and wrong. Okay, and how everybody's a hypocrite and how church is full of hypocrites. Well, welcome to the church. Join just one more. What are we? How are we serving God? Do we give God our best, or do we give Him leftovers? When we work on our business, we go above and beyond and we work hard. We make sure things are good. But when it comes to the house of God, we bring Him leftovers. When it comes to our business, we bring creativity, we bring effort, we bring quality. But when it comes to the house of God, we are lazy, we are dysfunctional, we are not on time. We just give God leftovers. We give Him no effort. The Bible says everything we do for God will be tested. In Malachi chapter 1 verse 7 and 8 says this, let's read it at sea. I'm going to read from CEV translation. It says this, you embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, how have we embarrassed you? You have done it by saying, what's so great about the Lord's altar? When we hold sacred things, when we hold the altar of God, when we hold the world of God, when we hold the ministry, when we hold the house of God in contempt, it's just a house. No, it's the house that God walls in. Oh, it's just the church. No, it's the body of Christ. It's His bride. Oh, it's just, I don't need church. No, you do need church. And when we treat it with contempt, we show carelessness. Verse 8 says this, but it's wrong to, but isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, lame and sick? Just try to give those animals to your governor. They certainly wouldn't be pleased. They certainly wouldn't please Him or take, or make Him want to help you. What kind of effort do we bring and give to God? What kind of quality material do we send there to eternity? David, I love David, is one of my favorite characters. And David, he understood these things. And that's why, one of the reasons why I think David was a man after God's own heart, because he said that I will not give God anything that costs me nothing. I will not give God anything that costs me nothing. We must always bring our best. You can afford to do 80% of your effort in your business, 50% of your effort in your business. I'm not saying you shouldn't put in your effort, but I'm saying you could get away with it. But when it comes to God, your effort has to be 100%. You have to go 110%. You have to go an extra mile. You have to make sure the things that you do, the things that you offer, the things that you bring to God are your best, your best attitude, your best attendance, your best offerings, your best service, your best attitude, everything about you that is presented to God must be best. Remember, this life is short, and this life is preparation for eternity. What are you building in eternity? And second question is, how are you building it there? Will it survive a test of fire? Say it with me, tested by fire. Say it again, tested by fire. That's in eternity. Let's talk about here on earth in this life. We're also building. We're building our marriages. We're building our families. We're building our careers. We're building our businesses. We're building our ministries. We're building in this life. And in this life, everything we build will be tested by water. Okay? Say it with me, tested by water. Okay. And this is where it's going to bring me to the main scripture that I want to read today and encourage us for 2023. The foundations for 2023. Let's go to Luke chapter 6 verse 46 through 49. And let's read it together. So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord, when you don't do what I say, I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teachings, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays a foundation on a solid rock. When flood waters rise and break against it, the house stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and does not obey, it's like a person who builds a house right on the ground without foundations. When the floods sweep down against the house, it will collapse into heaps of ruins. I was building a custom home at one time for this one customer and we had plans already. We had permits and we got the excavation going and they started digging for foundation. And then I get a call from a contractor from a guy that's doing excavation digging out the foundation. He calls me said, listen, so it looks like the back of the house does not have a virgin soil. It's been brought up and it has not settled well yet. And on the back right corner of the house, we have to go deeper to get to the virgin soil so that the foundation does not sink and house does not collapse. I said, okay, well, usually we go about two feet deep and then lay the foot in and then your stem wall comes around and then this is where you're framing and the subfloor goes in. I'm going to give you a little lesson on construction. Okay, let's do this. So he calls and says, we've got to go deeper. And I'm like, well, first question is how much is it going to cost and how deep we're going? He's like, okay, let's let's do this. So then afternoon, I decided to stop by and see how the foundations were digged up. So we're getting ready for schedule guys to do the foundations, pouring the foundations. I come on the right side, the back right side of the house is like seven foot deep, like I'm standing in the hall and the ground is above me. I was like, I was like, bro, were you digging to go to China or what? What's going on here? And he is like, well, this was, this was as far as we had to go to get to the, to the virgin soil, so that you have a solid foundation. So keep this in mind as I'm talking to you about this. First, when I listen, when I, when, anytime I would read this scripture, and this is the way it was taught in Sunday school for me, is that these were the two men, one that has Jesus in his life and one that is non-believer does not have Jesus in his life. One, his life is, you know, successful and, and, and, and established and one is life is in ruins. And, but when I read this scripture, I actually understand that this scripture is not talking about a believer and non-believer. This scripture is actually talking about two believers. Okay. Two believers that come and listen to his words and listen to his teachings, but there is a distinct difference between the two of them. One follows it, obeys it, and one doesn't. It's two believers, two people who listen to the same podcast, read the same book, read the Bible, but the difference is one obeys it, and one doesn't. So what is the foundation then? First of all, Jesus is our rock. Jesus, the word of God is that rock, but our foundation is our application of God's word. Just because you know the word, that doesn't mean you have the foundation. We don't see here that the other guy did not have a rock to build on. Bible says he just chose not to dig deep and get to the rock and lay the foundation, meaning begin to apply the word of God into their life. Not everybody who comes to church, not everybody who reads the Bible, listens to podcasts, reads the books has a well-built life, but those that obey and apply the word of God has a well-built marriage family, finances, and a life ministry as all together. Everybody has soap or shampoo or body wash in their house, but not everybody takes a shower and washes their hands often enough. Okay, and the soap is as good and as effective as you apply it, not as you have it in your household. Some people come around and you're like, bro, come on, man. You got water, you got soap, just use it. Okay, I wonder how much sometimes that's what Jesus, when we come around him and our life is in hips and ruins and our life stinks and God says, look, I give you everything you need for life and righteousness, everything to build a good life. Just use it, apply it. So if the quality of our eternal life depends on the quality of the material that we send into eternity, the quality of our life here on earth depends whether you have a foundation or you don't. Listen to me again, not whether you know the word and you can quote the scripture, whether you listen to podcasts and read a bunch of books, but whether you apply it in your life or not. There are people that get saved and start reading the word of God and they're like, wow, this is, this gives me instruction for life and they know a little bit, but they take it, apply it, you look at their life and God begins to build their life. You see their life is being built, you see their marriages is growing, you see their finances are growing, you see their life is growing, God is beginning to use in the ministry and then you see somebody who grew up in a Christian home, knows the Bible from A to Z, but takes this word in contempt, they read it just to get a check mark and so their consciousness doesn't condemn them, but if you dig deep into their life, if you look into their life, they apply it very little and therefore when you look at their life, there's no fruit to their life. Listen, this in this life, your foundations, your house, everything you built will be tested by water, take my word for it. 2023 that we're going into is going to be a difficult year, so difficult year all around financially, politically, food shortages and so forth, so on all around the world. We will even feel it in the United States, but those that have solid foundations, those that not only know the word of God by apply it, they will live in the land of Goshem, where Egypt will suffer darkness all around, there's going to be light in Goshem, where there's going to be shortage all around, those that have the Lord as their foundation, I mean they apply the word, they will be prosperous. Another thing that I observe from this scripture is that the building of the house is happening in the good times and good weather. Now it's like, yeah, you don't build in a storm, I know it's common sense, isn't it? But for some reason that common sense from construction does not translate into a practical day, into a practice in our everyday life. What I mean, we don't take care of our marriage until we started having some issues in our marriage, then we run for counseling, it's all good, I'm all for it. But when times are good, we're vacationing everywhere, having good times, but you won't see them in a marriage seminar or listening to marriage podcasts and books, reading books and actually taking and applying it because you build your marriage not when things are bad, but when things are good. When things are bad, you are in surviving mode, you use different tactics, you do different things, you go to marriage counseling, you go to deliverance, you go to inner healing, you use other various tools, but that's a moment of survival, not a moment of building, you're actually not building during that time, you're just surviving. Two businesses look the same during the good times, every company is making money when economy is good, but not every company is taking care of their financial fundamentals, having proper ratio of savings and investments and using their money to invest and diversify there and minimize risk. So when the bad times and the downturn economy happens, they have a cushion, they can survive while the other company was enjoying good cash flow and enjoying good profits, but they did not take care of their foundations, they did not take care, they were not disciplined in their investment and keeping up their books. And then when economy goes down, when things start suffering, the difference comes, but during the good times, there's no difference. All of us have children growing up and when they're little, they're sweet and they're awesome, and many of our parents, when things are good, when they're little and young, they're sweet, they don't take time to build foundations. And then when they grow up to be teenagers and there's problems, then we're trying to build them, we're trying to encourage them, we're trying to come on, I taught you better, but did you? And we're trying to, now it's a survival mode, it's not a building moment, now you're not a parent anymore, you're more of like a coach, seasons shifted. And so what I want to encourage you is that take your time to build in good times, not in when it's stormy. When children are little, this is your number one disciple, somebody is teaching your kids, but is it you? School has them for 68 hours, friends are around them, they're all learning, are they learning the right things? And so there's two entities, there's two people that can really teach them the right ways, is the church and you, and you're the primary one because the church only has them for an hour a week. The rest of the time you have to teach them integrity, you have to teach them hard work, you have to teach them life essential skills, how many children grow up and they don't know even basic things, girls don't know how to cook, guys don't know how to change tire in the car. I mean I'm talking about like basics and fundamentals of life and we're not even talking about character, just to live life. It's your and my job to teach them when they're little, when times are good, not when you start having problems with them, you're trying to teach them about purity and sex and they're already having sex and they're already sleeping around, it's too late, you should have started when there was appropriate age in early life, which is probably at this point now in our society around eight, nine, ten, sadly as it is, but it is and you are a parent, you should be the first teacher that they hear about from you as uncomfortable as it might be, you should be the one laying foundation for them in that area. So when storm comes, when there are teenagers, they can withstand peer pressure, they can withstand these flood waters in their life, amen, say test it by water, you know, test building in a in a bad weather is not impossible, but it's hard and costly. I remember when I was getting into construction, I was helping my uncle, not helping working, no more like my uncle was helping me to get some cash, I was working with Leo on one, I think, I think actually Paul, you were there too, I don't know, but we were working out somewhere a little further away from the city and so we were sheeting the roof, it was a two story house with a fairly steep roof, that's probably about, we were about 30 feet up and it was pretty, it was gusty and was windy and so I'm carrying this four by eight plywood and Paul knows what happened next and then wind swoops me up, I'm like 145, 150 and I'm like holding onto this plywood for my dear life and it just like drifts me off the roof, I felt like I warned brothers when they were trying to build a plane to fly, thank God I you know landed semi-safe you know with the plywood on top of my head, but I was okay, my point is that during a storm it's harder to build, build in good times, build in good times, when things are good and have savings, have investments, have various streams of income that which the word of God talks about, work on your marriage, even when things are good, apply it, don't just read the book and like oh yeah that's awesome, that's good, you know hashtag happy marriage on Instagram and then at home is terrible and headbiting marriage, but like actually apply it, soap is as useful as you apply it, I'm gonna finish up with this is that change the way you read God's word starting today, read to find instruction for life, how to build your life, every area your marriage, finances, your relationship, your attitude, your character, how you serve God, I mean every single area there, this is a manual for life, this is not for you to read and to get a checkmark oh I read the word of God today so I'm a good Christian and I go to heaven, you go into heaven regardless whether you read one verse in this Bible, the only thing that qualifies you for heaven is grace, but how this life will look like for you will depend is whether you use this word to build your life here, don't read the word of God so that you get cool new revelation, does that revelation apply to your life, you know a pastor, one of the things about about a pastor is that anytime we preach a message sometime it'll be a cool new revelation, he'd come and he'd say how does that apply to your everyday life, that's a good question, how does it, you know and that's how sometimes we read the Bible, oh that's such a cool revelation, how does that apply to me what can I do in my marriage from this scripture that it's gonna take, it's become half a percent better today, what can I do in my business with my finances, what can I do in my relationship, what can I do in my ministry, what can I do in my career that I lay a solid foundation from the scripture, make a goal for 2023 to be obedient to God's word, it's simple, you're reading the gospels, Jesus prayed so therefore I'm praying, that's it, Jesus worshipped so I worship but you know it's not just, it's not my thing, it doesn't matter whether it's your thing or not, you worship, Jesus helped the poor, well I give to church, let's church take care of it, no Jesus helped the poor, I do it because I'm laying a foundation in my life, Bible says whoever gives to the poor lands unto God, it's the principle of God, Jesus loved people, are you loving and kind and compassionate, I'm talking about guys I'm talking about very basic things Jesus on the Sabbath went to temple and some of us make excuses why we don't go to church on Sabbath we see throughout the scripture, on Sabbath he was in temple, on Sabbath he was in temple and some of us we outgrew Jesus, we're more spiritual than Jesus, I don't need church, I'm spiritual, I got hard, I believe God in my heart, or really so you're better than Jesus and if Jesus went to temple every Saturday you don't have to go to church every single week now is that what you're saying, guys let's not over spiritualize things, the word of God is a manual is an instruction for our life, Jesus preached the gospel are you sharing your faith, Jesus made disciples are you in a home group, are you being discipled so that you can make disciples, it's a simple things guys, how are we dealing with our finances, how are our approaches in finances, take your proverbs and read one book of proverbs a day that will give you practical instruction how to deal in the area of your finances and other areas but especially in that area it's simple things like Bible says wife honor your husband that's it, no need to spiritualize it, no need to to dig for deeper revelation just honor your husband, husband love your wife, Bible says that he loved his wife, that husband should love their wives like Jesus loved his bride, like his love the church unconditionally despite of their shortcomings and mood swings i'll just leave it there okay parents raise your children in the way of the Lord are we are we actually raising our children or we're letting a life raise them it's being built by without the foundation we gotta be intentional about our build if we want our life to stand if we want our life to stand and i'm finishing with this Philippians chapter 2 verse 8 to 11 and being found in appearance as men he humbled himself and became obedient to death and even death on the cross therefore God exalted him to the highest place you want your life to be exalted be obedient to God's word apply God's word foundation in your life is not the knowledge of the word of God it's the application of his word amen ask God for grace to be a doer of the word Bible says that our faith without works is dead be a doer of his word that's my challenge to myself that's my challenge to you be a doer of God's word amen hey thanks for watching this video if you enjoyed this content and this was a blessing to you would you help us and hit thumbs up so that it could help more people to discover this video it 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