The 3 Great Pillars

The 3 Great Pillars

I Corinthians 13:13
“Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love.”

We have become occupied with our spiritual buildings

Failed to examine our foundations

Satan has been slowly eating away at our foundations – eroding the underpinnings of our spiritual structure.

Haggai 1:4
“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says; Look what is happening to you!  You have planted much but harvest little, You eat but are not satisfied.  You drink but are still thirsty.  You put on clothes but cannot keep warm.  Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!”

The time has come to strengthen the faults and defects in our foundations and build on the solid rock – Jesus Christ!

Matthew 16:18
“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘Rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

If our spiritual structures are to survive this storm,  we must fortify the three great pillars – Faith, Hope, and Love, which are the “Foundation” for all things in Christ.

The Pillar of Faith

How strong is your faith?

Matthew 17:20
“You don’t have enough faith, Jesus told them, I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible.”

There is no alternative for a simple, deep rooted faith that is anchored to Almighty God!

I Thessalonians 1:3
“As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Don’t place your faith in a substitute!

Where does faith begin?

Romans 10:14
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them.

Faith begins when you hear the message of Christ

Jeremiah 33:3
Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

The Pillar of Hope

Hope is not the result of self-produced wishing or dreaming.  It is anchored in God himself.

Psalm 62:5
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him
Psalm 42:11

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my savior and my God!

He is not here!

Matthew 28:2
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.

Matthew 28:6,7
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.  Come see where his body was lying.  And now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee.  You will see him there.  Remember what I have told you.

Romans 5:5
And this hope will not lead to disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

The Pillar of Love

The world seems to talk endlessly about love, but we see very little demonstrated

Why are our children violent?

Luke 6:27-29
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.

We must STOP separating ourselves into segments of society.

Empty Words

Here is one of the most startling revelations in Scripture

We know that the great revival at the end time will ride on the wings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 13:1
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

The key to showing God’s love is found in these words of Jesus:

Matthew 25:40
And the king will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!

Remember:

If you have faith and hope without love, you have no lasting relationship

If you have love and hope without faith, you have criticism, skepticism and defeat

If you have faith and love without hope, you have despair

But, when the pillars of your life are built on faith, hope and love, the rains may descend and the floods can rise, but the foundation on which our lives are built will forever stand!