Builder's Privilege | Genesis 1:26-27 | Min. Sherri Knotts

Hallelujah, where would we be if not for his grace, his love, his mercy, his forgiveness, his compassion, his acceptance, his unconditional love, his favor, his peace, his healing.

Where would we be?

Pastor Al, you wrong for that one.

You wrong for that one, but God be praised.

One but God be praised Because every now and again we need reminders that we did not make it to this point by our good looks, by our money, by our associations, by the things we do for others.

It is by his grace and his mercy and his love.

Where would we be?

Hallelujah?

Good morning brothers and sisters, those of you joining us in the house, those of you that are online.

I want to thank Pastor Walt for extending the pulpit to me to declare a word from the Lord this morning, from our unmatched, undefeated, wonderfully awesome and infinite God, and thank each of you for your part in worship on this morning.

If you will stand, our focal scripture this morning will come from the Old Testament book of Genesis.

I know you probably never heard of that before.

It's a new book for some people, but Genesis is where it all began.

Genesis, the first chapter, 26th verse, part A, in the King James Version reads for us as follows and God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Now for your consideration in private study time Genesis 1 and 27.

Your consideration in private study time Genesis 1 and 27.

So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God created he Him male and female, created he them.

One more, psalm 103 and 14 says for he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.

Rest yourself, rest yourself and rest yourself.

Rest yourself.

All right, got a little bit of feedback.

Lest I forget and get caught up in the message, here are some points for your consideration.

Point number one God knows what he has done and what he is doing.

Point number two don't get stuck in the process.

And then three, we brothers and sisters, come in as the building is being finished, whereas God established us before we were formed.

And in case you are wondering, we can tag this sermon Builder's Privilege, builder's Privilege.

Recently, I purchased a home in one of these communities where you can make a quick purchase.

The house is new.

There are still homes being built in the community, but if you are in a hurry, you can buy a house that's already been built, and I was in a hurry to free myself from the neighborhood I was living in, with the HOA telling the citizens we had to move our grills off of our decks.

The loud music I could hear from the vehicles that could be heard from the traffic light.

Cars had been vandalized and one had been stolen in broad daylight and on camera in a gated community.

The trash compact that continued to overflow Y'all.

I was in a hurry to move Now.

Moving into this new home certainly has its advantages, but as someone coming in at the tail end of construction, there are a few things I won't have and information that I'm not privy to in first person.

For instance, I didn't pick the lot before construction began, nor did I see the bare lot.

I didn't see the concrete foundation poured.

I was late to the party so I couldn't choose any colors or patterns.

I don't have a timeline of pictures of the different phases that go into building and finishing a new structure.

I don't have any proof of the actual materials that went into building this new structure.

I just so happened to be fed up at the opportune time and made an offer on the nearly finished product.

But I got to move into a brand new home.

Praise God, my parents built both of their homes from the dirt up.

I was too young to remember the first home being built, and I was so young that I don't remember moving into the home at the tender age of two.

I do, however, remember moving into the second home that they still proudly call home.

It's not so much the move I proudly recall, but rather the process of the build.

Come on, we looked at those pine trees from the road and I remember thinking how does this go from trees to a house?

More specifically, the house I saw on the blueprints.

Looking at the blueprints and going over what the lines meant where certain rooms would be.

We would have a true two-car garage y'all.

My sister and I would have our own bathroom and we were able to choose which bedroom we wanted.

All of this we could do from before the house was built.

So we would go out to the new house just about every other day and my dad and his tape measure and he's here, he can nod and confirm, and a few times he had his tape measure and his flashlight and he would check things over, and so when I asked my dad one time why he was doing that, he told me because I told him I wanted an extra foot here, or that I wanted the closet there, and I want to make sure that they did what I asked them to do.

Now let me paint the picture as to why that process so remarkable for me.

My dad is not a builder and he's not a general contractor, but at one time he did work for a manufactured homes company, so he had some working knowledge of how things were supposed to look and what his options were, but he was not a builder.

He doesn't have those credentials.

However, just like the builder, my dad knew what was supposed to go into his new house, and it was his responsibility to make sure that what was supposed to go into his new home went into his new home.

The finished product is what was at stake.

He knew what kind of bricks he wanted, even though my mother wanted a different color.

He knew where the windows would be, where the doors should be, where the wiring would be, where the plumbing should be, and he knew the time schedule.

These things should be done within, and so, almost seven months later, we moved into in the middle of the week it was a Wednesday, I know we'll forget.

We moved, I left for school from the old house and I came home and we spent our first night in the new house from the old house and I came home and we spent our first night in the new house.

A few things about builders for us to discuss, shall we Builders?

They work from a plan.

Builders have a crew.

Builders bear the emits responsibility of taking the bare nothing to the grand something.

Builders know everything there is to know about the structure they are working on and it is those details that frame this structure.

The set of plans.

Those are the blueprints, in other words the details, the specifics, the schematics.

The plans are studied and scrutinized until they are ready for construction.

Until they are ready for construction, the builder or the general contractor is responsible for seeing these plans through to completion.

The blueprint, excuse me, detail the size of the structure where the doors will be, electrical outlets here, bedrooms in this location, the kitchen and the laundry room there, and so forth, and there are also certain codes the building must meet.

Now, certain houses are built with certain conditions in consideration.

You have areas where hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes are more apt to happen, so certain materials automatically go into building those houses because of what those structures will inevitably face.

And then you have certain people I'm sorry, certain structures who will face all kinds of weather.

So they are made I mean they're built to be also ready for whatever comes.

Amen.

Builders have a crew, foremen brick, masons, laborers, plumbers and so forth.

The crew each have a responsibility of putting certain things into this structure that is being built and each thing must all come together for the finished product.

Builders are not everyone's favorite all the time, because sometimes they are misunderstood, underestimated and sometimes people lose faith in builders because timelines aren't met as consumers.

For most of us this is not our first language or the language we speak fluently, so we get frustrated with the builder when things don't make sense and when we don't seem to be getting what we pray for.

I mean what we are being told a thing will be or what we are believing a thing will be.

You see, the builder.

The builder has all the information there is to be had, from outsourcing to placement, to dimensions, to the flooring, and because the builder is in charge the builder y'all heard that the builder is in charge of seeing to it that this structure comes together correctly.

He is often looked at in a less than glamorous light because he doesn't have to tell us why this is that and that is this and so on.

Besides, the intricate details from which we are framed are so grand.

The intricate details from which we are framed are so grand.

It would cause us more stress trying to figure everything out than if we had just left well enough alone.

Now, remember, one point was that God knows what he has done and what he is doing.

See, we chose that builder.

And choosing the builder entails trusting the builder at face value.

Now we live in 2024, and some people may say trust but verify.

And choosing the builder entails trusting the builder at face value.

Now we live in 2024.

And some people may say trust but verify.

Okay, that's fair.

I'll address this in a few minutes.

Just stay with me.

The builder has all the say when it comes to the said structure.

God is our builder and, as a builder creates and sees the structure to completion, god built it.

Excuse me, he built and created us from before conception to completion.

He knew us before conception.

Isn't that something, now?

Somebody that knew me before I was even conceived?

I don't think I want to mess with them.

I don think I don't think in my right mind on a on the right day, having had my devotion in my study time.

I don't think that I want to reckon with that person, god.

I don't think that I want to doubt God, but when he created us in his, which means that we will take on his nature, talk like him, love like him, come into the knowledge of him and grow spiritually to look so much like him that when this life is over, we get to live in heaven with him.

You see, he took into consideration how we would need to be built to withstand every test and trial we would weather and overcome when the word tells us that we are victorious.

Right, we fight from victory.

God has all the information he will ever need pertaining to us, because we are his creation, we are his design.

It is his privilege what goes into us and what will not sign.

It is his privilege what goes into us and what will not.

He does not have to consult any other being, because we were made by his infrastructure and God paid attention to detail when he took his unpressed time and his undistracted eyes just to create us.

He created us individually, felicia, so we can't get stuck in the process of becoming what God has created us to be, because it makes for a great testimony.

It's good dinner talk Now.

Some of us resemble our parents or siblings, but our makeup, that's all ours.

Our fingerprints, they're unique to us.

Don't commit a crime.

I've had a colorful employment history.

I'm in the federal and the state system, so I don't touch nothing.

God creates.

He breathes his level of patience into this one and the lesser amount in that one, so that we can grow closer to him through the trials of building patience while dealing with others.

God, the master builder, created some of us vertically challenged, like myself, and some taller.

It is no mistake that we come in all shades of color.

There's an old saying that God don't make no junk, and it's not Bible verbatim, but I believe it to be true because scripture tells us that he made us in his image and he ain't junk.

Each one of us is purposely made just the way he intended for us to be.

So what am I saying, and why is this applicable?

Because in this climate, brothers and sisters, more and more people live in emotionally depressed states where the self-image is skewed.

People who look like us don't know their value.

People who don't look like us don't know their value.

So-called celebrities and people of influence get enhancements, only to have documentaries filmed later about the remorse, the pain and the suffering they endured until they made the decision to have certain things removed.

We have accepted everyone else's report.

This would be an excellent moment to choose to believe the report of the Lord about how he created us.

Be encouraged that, though you may not be able to hit those notes as some of the praise ministry does, though your fingers don't tickle the ivories as our musicians, though you haven't written a New York Times bestseller yet, it doesn't mean you were created without purpose and for nothing, because the whole person of you shows up.

The whole person of you is here, and because you are here, god has a purpose and a plan.

My sister's here, hey girl, all right.

Purpose and a plan.

My sister's here, hey girl, all right.

You see, it is the builder's privilege as to what he puts into his chosen vessels.

It is the builder's privilege as to why he puts what into his chosen vessels.

It is the builder's privilege as to when he puts into the, what he put into the, when he puts into his chosen vessels.

It is the builder's privilege to see to it that the what, why and when he put in his chosen vessels come to fruition at the appointed time and bring him glory.

It is the builder's privilege to erect his chosen vessels.

It is the builder's privilege to see to it that everything he put in his chosen vessels comes together and looks like the finished product he intended for it to be.

It is the builder's privilege to determine the timeline, not ours.

It is the builder's privilege to choose, secure and carve out the location for his chosen vessels.

It is all the builder's privilege to see to it that we are protected from the snares and traps that may be set.

In order that we look, operate excuse me, I can't talk this morning In order that we look, operate and arrive on the builder's time, there are some things we must do and some directions we must follow, and some trials we must successfully complete.

Did you hear what I?

The last part, some trials we must successfully complete.

Successfully now.

But we serve a god.

He'll let you take it over.

You fail a test, he'll let you take it over.

Huh, until you get it right.

Because he wants you to look like him, because he know what he put in you.

Now I don't know what your test, your trials, your instructions.

So don't look at me.

I don't know what he put in you Now.

I don't know what your tests, your trials, your instructions.

So don't look at me.

I don't know what they are.

But I do know that if you ask God, he'll tell you, he'll show you.

There are some human builders who can't be trusted.

We see it and we hear it on the news a lot Unsafe practices, using unfit materials, cutting corners here and there to save a penny.

But God doesn't cut corners.

He doesn't have to.

He got everything he don't have to.

He makes sure that we get exactly what we are supposed to have from before conception.

He stamps his approval on each of us and he stands by his creation.

God, the builder, can be trusted with every detail, for every detail is important to him.

Now, I told you to stay with me.

Do you remember that?

Because we were talking about trust but verify.

Okay.

So here we go.

God's track record can be traced from, followed from Genesis to Revelation, from being creator, cloud by day, fire by night, a burning bush.

I am that.

I am the high priest, judge and jury, faithful scribe, our shepherd, rebuilder of the broken walls, our forgiver, a cleansing fountain, the wheel in the middle of the wheel, protector and sustainer in the wilderness, violent destroyer, vindicator wisdom, the Godhead, our soon coming king, and everything else the Bible claims him to be.

Who he is, can be verified by your date of gestation to the stage of life you are in right now.

It can be identified by every mountain you've come over, by every valley you've made it out of.

It can be shouted over by every victory you've won thus far, for every mountain you've come over, by every valley you've made it out of.

It can be shouted over by every victory you've won thus far.

For every tear you've cried, his comfort has been felt For every Lord.

Why, moment, if you take the time to think things over in a still moment, don't you have something to shout about?

What concerns us?

Concern God first.

That's how you knew.

Shout about what concerns us.

Concern God first.

That's how you knew Project managers.

They are contacted when there are issues or concerns with a building under construction.

Though Jesus and the Father are one, jesus came to earth to manage God's project, us.

It is God's privilege to send whomever he chooses, whether it be Jesus, a burning bush, a talking donkey, a wino or even an atheist, if he chooses.

So now, brothers and sisters, what are we going to do?

Do we do like some people and move when too many hurricanes come our way, when it gets too hot for our liking?

Because if moving was the solution, then we would all never get settled, never lay down any roots, never trust the builder's blueprints, never overcome, because the testimonies of others contain details that cause us to pause in our steps.

Now, wait a minute.

You went through.

What you had to do, wasn't that?

I heard you when you said you overcame.

But wait a minute, hold on.

All this stuff happened.

Brothers and sisters, we can't get stuck in the process of life's events, because life is progressive and there will be another life event for us to rely on what God put in us before the foundation of our creation was laid.

Those testimonies, though victorious, they detail the what's when's, pains and sufferings of someone Jesus has allowed to come forth as pure gold.

Jesus told us that we would face trials and tribulations, and yet we are to be of good cheer.

We that follow Christ will have moments where we feel that God has not heard us.

He doesn't care how painful some experiences are, and it just so happened that the painful experiences, you know, they get on the road sometimes and they just keep on coming, no matter how much we pray, no matter how much we fast, how much money we give at the church, how many bible studies we attended, how, how many times we said amen and raised our hands, sometimes those painful moments continue to roll on.

But it's an old saying also that says no pain, no gain.

I think coach brown is here and he'll tell you.

You know, you got to tear those muscles up sometimes to build them up.

It's not that you are the wrong person because the wrong person they don't get to tell your story and enjoy the ride, those experiences.

They don't change who God is and what he can do on your behalf.

You were not born into the wrong family.

My daughter used to say all the time I think I was the wrong.

Family brought me home and so I told her one time I said, well, let's call the hospital and say no, no, no, no, no, we don't have to call.

I said I was just going to prove it to you.

But just because you think you're different, just think I get to have a more colorful experience.

You don't need more height.

They still make step ladders and I own two of them.

You don't need a different eye color.

Your eye color brings out your skin tone.

Your skin is the color it was intended to be.

The way you care for others is the way God would have you to be concerned for others.

These experiences again, ladies and gentlemen, they don't change who God is.

He sees you, don't you know?

He let the Hebrew boys go into the fiery furnace.

He let Daniel go into the lion's den.

He let his son go to the cross.

It did not change who he is.

The sound of your voice is the way it used is supposed to be.

Okay, I'm talking about myself.

I used to not like to hear my voice because you know it's distinct right.

I had a work contract for a facility one time and my time had come to an end at that facility and I accepted an assignment at another facility and some time had passed and it was a ways away.

They weren't next door to each other.

I was walking in the hallway talking to someone and all of a sudden this lady came rushing around the corner and when we saw each other we burst into joyful salutations and she said I heard your voice and I thought to myself that can't be her.

So I have grown more comfortable with my country twang voice over the years.

It's unique to me and it's the voice God gave me in his infinite wisdom.

Your prayers, they are being heard.

Heaven is working on your case and you certainly were not born and you were not wrong when you decided to follow Jesus.

This is part of our Christian walk.

Though we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.

Every round gets higher and higher.

That's not just the song.

More is required.

When we give God our yes, when we say God, I will do it, I will go, I will tell them, I will testify, I will pray, I will do X, y and Z.

There's more that is required.

That's great that you said yes, but understand that there's some things that go along on the other side of your yes.

India, ari.

She wrote a song years ago called Video, and some of the words are my feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes.

I'm loving what I see.

She was encouraging self-acceptance, accepting what God, our builder, doles out to us in a continuous work in progress, as the builder of our lives is God.

He created us in his image and he gets the privilege of doing that because he is the builder.

His wisdom is infinite.

He created us so intricately that he knows the number of hairs on our head.

I am not that patient to count every hair on my head, but it makes me feel so special to know that God is so careful about his creation that, without missing a beat, he could tell us how many hairs on our head.

We have A God that looks at us and is proud of his creation, just as we are.

He accepts us as we are.

The Bible tells us to come as we are.

You know we got there twisted a lot.

I don't know where it happened, but some people think you know that means you can.

It's talking about come as you are.

Whether you're dressed this way or that way, the Bible is concerned with your soul.

That's what he means when he says come as you are.

If you're broken, if you've never accepted him, if you have been a Saul and your name is not going to be Paul, god still says come as you are.

I'll clean you up, I'll fix that, I'll do this and I'll do that.

I'll restore you, I'll make you better than you ever were.

I'll make you know that things that you never thought possible are possible.

That's the God we serve, that's the builder that we serve.

So, in honor of honoring the builder's privilege, let us now sit in the seat of acceptance, taking care of the vessels he created, thanking him for the privilege of being in the body he chose for us, thanking him for the opportunity he creates for us to let our light so shine, even though it requires us to pray more, to fast and to be in tune to the Holy Spirit, and always remember that God is not in the business of making junk.

It is not his nature, because he ain't junk.

I had to say it again he ain't junk.

We are his.

To the people who are streaming and we who are in the sanctuary who may be having thoughts of why was I created?

Why do I seem to not be able to make it past?

Go all the time.

Be encouraged, my sisters and brothers, because I am the poster child for being stuck, no matter the setting, no matter what happened.

I too have wondered why am I here?

Why can't I have a more delicate and unpaired tone of voice?

Here I am again with that.

What I mean by unpaired is, you see how some people they.

You can't tell where they're from by their voice, but if you hear me talk they're like oh, she's from the South, I'm automatically looked at as someone from the South, from the deep South, some people say but some people, you know they are looked at as you know, monotone, like the newscasters, but they have to work at that.

That's not their natural voice.

Okay, but this is the voice that God gave me.

And who am I to decide that it's not right?

This is the height God gave me.

I'll never be taller.

I may shrink some, but I'll never be taller.

But who am I to tell him that he made a mistake on my height?

I'm not going to pay all that money to get my bones lengthened and then have another condition Come on now.

He knows us and he has plans for us.

If we only keep coming to the God who will keep keeping us, we serve an awesome builder who is able to do all things, and all things more than well.

Let us remember, brothers and sisters, that we come in as the building is being finished, whereas God established us before we were formed.

He knows how the story will flow and how it will finish.

He ain't through with any of us yet.

Stay in the fight and growth of faith.

God bless you, amen.