True Grit | Week 3 | Full Service

The big idea

God never gives a calling without also supplying the gifting, so saved people stop consuming and start picking up bricks to build His kingdom instead of their own.

Following Jesus was never sold as easy — He raised the bar and called us to take up a cross. In Nehemiah 3, ordinary people with unpronounceable names picked up bricks and built, showing that saved people serve, that doing what others won't lets you experience what others want, that God's builders can't be controlled by people's opinions, and that this short life is building a long eternity.

Point 1 of 4

Pastor Rocky reads through the list of builders in Nehemiah 3, poking fun at the unpronounceable names, to show these were ordinary people who chose to pick up a brick rather than just admire the project. He argues that once you give your life to Jesus you no longer build your own kingdom but His, and applies this to serving family, city, and church, using the story of a volunteer named Manuela welcoming his kids at check-in as an example.

Point 2 of 4

Pointing to builders like the goldsmith Elzuah and perfume-maker Hanani who worked full-time jobs and still built the wall, Pastor Rocky says everyone wanted the wall finished but not everyone was willing to build it. He connects this to the wedding at Cana, where only the servants who filled the water jars got to witness the actual moment of the miracle, and to the 137 people saved the previous weekend because volunteers served behind the scenes.

Point 3 of 4

From Nehemiah 3:5, where the leaders of Tekoa refused to work with the construction supervisors, Pastor Rocky teaches that anyone building for God will face both praise and criticism and cannot let either dictate their obedience. He shares being told by a woman that his preaching has gotten a lot better, and jokes that the comment lived in his head for a week, to illustrate needing thick skin but a soft heart.

Point 4 of 4

Using James's description of life as a mist that appears and vanishes, Pastor Rocky reminds the church that we are souls who temporarily have bodies, not bodies that happen to have souls. He retells Jesus' parable of the servants entrusted with bags of gold, contrasting the ones who invested and were told well done with the one who buried his bag in the ground and was called foolish.

Take it into your week

Pastor Rocky's charge is to stop consuming and start picking up bricks to build God's kingdom instead of your own.