Messages from Malachi

SERMON NOTES

Sunday, December 7, 2004

What Can God Do with 57 Cents?
Passage: 1 Kings 9:1-3

Capital Campaign Celebration

Rev. Jimmy Painter

Cresthill Baptist Church

Today, to the glory of God we celebrate the culmination of our church’s Capital Campaign to build our new Worship Center. Members and Ministry Partners, today I say, we say and I believe God is saying, “Well done, thou good and faithful servants. Enter into the joy of your Master.” (?) Today we look back to these past three years, thanking and praising God for what He has done, through good times, not so good times, down right tough times, and to His glory, where He has brought us to today. We also look at where we are, and where we are headed, and the sacrifices that will be required of all of us to build this building.

And YES, we will have to raise more money to build, but just as God did this, He most certainly can and will do that! And so today as we look to the bright and blessed days ahead, we look back. On Friday, October 26th, our church gathered together for what I believe was the most phenomenal night in our history. Numerous individuals have asked me to share that message again with our people. The following is a brief excerpt taken from that message. I pray that God will use it to bless you and to His glory.

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it "was too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday school," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, ‘This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.” For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the Pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story doesn't end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000 -- a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends. When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, Acres of Diamonds.

Fifty seven cents may not seem like much when it's in your hands or mine but 57 cents in the hand of God is a lot. The Bible tells us that God can do a lot with a little when HE is in it. Tonight we gather together to celebrate who God IS, to remember where we've been, to look closely at where we are, and to that glorious future HE has for our church. Look at a text from God's Word that I believe IS God's Word for us. That text is 1st Kings, Chapter 9, beginning with verses 1-3.

¹When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, ²the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³The LORD said to him: “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”

Temple Baptist Church, built with a dying little girl's 57 cents really does have a lot in common with King Solomon’s glorious temple of old. Each was built to be a house of prayer. Each was built to be a house of proclamation. Each was built to be a house of praise, and each was built upon a rock-solid commitment to God. So it must also be for this WORSHIP CENTER THAT GOD WILL BUILD TO HIS GLORY.

1. A HOUSE OF PRAISE. God is worthy of our praise. God is worthy of our worship. God is good to His promises, and God has not failed in one single, solitary promise He has made to us. God said that if we went to the byways and the hedges, and in Jesus' name compelled them to come to Christ's Feast of Heavenly Blessings, they would come, and THEY HAVE COME. They have come to the point that we now know where to put them, and, still they come. And praise God that He births new spiritual babies at Cresthill; brings broken people and makes them whole at Cresthill; brings hell-bent humanity to our doors, and changes the path of their trajectory from death to life, hell to heaven, sin to the Savior. And tonight we rejoice that because God is faithful, we WILL have this new Worship Center in Jesus' name. Our house must be a house of praise.

2. A HOUSE OF PRAYER. And that is what we must pray for as well; that God would give us this new Worship Center that we here tonight and generations to come will have a house to come into, seek the face of God, turn our hearts toward home so that both we and they and their children's children "may walk in all His ways." Our new Worship Center must be, and will be, first and foremost, a house of prayer.

3. A HOUSE OF PROCLAMATION. Prayer seeks to fulfill God's missionary purpose. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication is a prayer that the temple named in his honor would be that place where "all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is GOD and that there is no other." Cresthill, our new Worship Center will be that place among the people of our region where they will hear proclaimed day after day the life-changing, rearranging, transformational message that no matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've done, there is a love in heaven with your name on it! That Jesus is the answer, and that if you will ask Him to save you, you WILL BE SAVED! From the platform and the pulpit of our new Worship Center, to the four comers of the globe, Christ will be proclaimed as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Master, Savior and GOD! But what must we do to see this promise of not only a new Worship Center, but that bright and blessed future God has for us.

That brings us to what else our new Worship Center must be. It must be, MUST be...

4. A HOUSE BUILT UPON ROCK-SOLID COMMITMENT. Cresthill, we must be a people of rock -solid commitment to Christ -- our rock-solid Savior. And as we stay the course, faithful and true, God will bless us as He said He would do. And so Cresthill, tonight I invite you to join me in the army of the Lord, headed for a date with Divine Destiny, clothed in the full armor of God, to Bring Them In, Build Them Up, and Send Them Out until Jesus comes to take us all home.

My fellow soldiers, our motto for ministry must be... "I Am A SOLDIER." I am a soldier, a prayer warrior of the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity , and tested by fire. I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity. I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this Army; but I will not get out, sellout, be talked out. I am faithful, capable, and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His Kingdom!

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a captain and then bring me back to rule this world with Him. I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, in the army, and I'm marching, claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, marching Heaven-bound. Here I stand! Will you stand with me?