Building Blocks of Faith

Message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH, Sunday, May 25, 2025.

For the “Live in Church” audio of this message, select here.

Allow me to go back into time and discuss your childhood days for a moment.  How many of you had a favorite go-to toy or game that you liked to play?  How many of you were so enthusiastic about receiving Christmas presents that you would get sick and throw up from the excitement?  Well, that was my son back in the day, who will soon be 38 years old this year.  I don’t remember what he liked or wanted for Christmas, but he was ecstatic about opening presents.  I enjoyed Christmas when I was a child, as well.  I’m certainly getting older because I don’t remember the majority of my toys, but I do remember Hot Wheels cars.  I remember playing with them and buying the orange tracks to race them.  I also remember creating a neighborhood on my living room floor with street signs and playing with Hot Wheels and LEGO^® blocks.  In many households, Hot Wheels and Legos are generational.  Hot Wheels are seen more as collectibles today, but LEGO is the rage today.  They are sold and marketed worldwide to children and adults alike.  There are specialized LEGO stores in shopping centers.  You can visit LEGOLAND^® parks with rides, shows and attractions, Discovery Centers and Waterparks all over the world¹, and yes…I saw the first LEGO Movie…“I’M BATMAN!”

When you played with LEGO blocks, you wanted to lay them out and stack them or build something. There was nothing that limited the imagination for building except for a lack of LEGO blocks.  There are building blocks available for the younger children to play with, and then you would graduate to larger LEGO blocks for toddlers (that were too large to swallow) and then the smaller ones as you get older.  All of them were learning tools for us, and we probably didn’t realize it back then, but we were actually testing out a biblical principle as we were putting those LEGO blocks together.  That principle is the subject of our message today.

We are discussing how faith must continue to grow as you grow in your relationship with Jesus.  The imagery involves building block after block of faith, which symbolizes how your faith grows more and more.  But first, let’s discuss a couple of prerequisites here.

What is the opposite of faith or is present in the absence of faith?  It is doubt.

James 1:5-8 ESV

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Now, let’s be clear on what James is saying about doubt.  He’s talking about a flawed relationship with Jesus.  We all have moments where things aren’t coming together in our walk of faith.  He describes the doubter in a very negative manner, and I don’t think he is being harsh at all.  He’s telling the truth.  Do you know what hinders faith?  Your emotions.  Failure to control your emotions undermines your faith and put you in a place of less stability.  God is not in the picture, and it’s true that you can’t expect anything from the Lord, especially when your prayers don’t have the right focus.  

This matter about faith and overcoming doubt is very important according to your own convictions, and it also has an impact on others, as well.  When it comes to faith, it’s not all about you.  It can have far-reaching effects with others in your company:

Romans 14:20-23 NLT

²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. ²²You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. ²³ But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Your life of faith sets an example before others.  We can look to none other than Jesus Christ to see this example, especially in His obedience to the words of His heavenly Father.

So now let’s talk about faith.  It has a tremendous impact upon your life and in your life with others.  

Faith is the foundation in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ.  It involves a trusted relationship with Jesus, and provides balance, stability and guidance throughout your life.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Note the words “reality” and “evidence”.  Believers can relate to these words because of the realization of the presence of Christ in their lives.  A non-believer will camp out in doubt or even reject the presence of God.

Our foundation of faith is in none other than Jesus Christ.  Before we lay down our first block, we must start with Jesus, our foundation.

Matthew 7:24-27 NLT

²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Jesus is the focal point—the rock and the cornerstone that is referred to in Scripture:

1 Peter 2:6-7 NLT

⁶ As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

    chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in him

    will never be disgraced.”

⁷ Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected

    has now become the cornerstone.”

Peter referred to Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 in this passage.  Anyone who believes in Jesus will receive His grace through faith, and that He, indeed, is where our faith begins.  Jesus used words like these referring to the Pharisees, who rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

Just because a person rejects Jesus and His words does not change WHO He is.  He is the risen Lord over all.

Zechariah 10:4 ESV

From him shall come the cornerstone,

    from him the tent peg,

from him the battle bow,

    from him every ruler—all of them together.

Everything begins and will end with Jesus.  The Alpha and the Omega.

John 1:1-5 ESV

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I could go on and on here, and now that we have established that the very reason for our existence rests with Jesus Himself, where do we go from here?  We go to the next block of faith:

Block 1 – Getting to Know Him

The most important of all relationships is how we relate to God.  We have to begin here as our relationship with God has a correlation with how we see ourselves, and it can have a profound effect on how we relate to others.

Before we look at how you relate to God (through Jesus Christ), we need to look at how God views His relationship with you.  The evidence in Scripture reveals that before man understood that he should love God, He loved man first.  God desires having loving relationships with his people.

1 John 4:9-10 NLT

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NLT

¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

Look at the effort that God has made throughout the history of mankind to be in a relationship with us.  He did it with Adam and Eve.  He did it with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He did it with Moses.  He did it with Israel.

Leviticus 26:11-13 NLT

¹¹ I will live among you, and I will not despise you. ¹² I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

He loves everyone.  No exceptions.

Galatians 3:28 ESV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

What is required of us to build upon our relationship with Jesus?  He wants us to believe and trust in His Word with obedience.

Luke 11:28 NIV

He (Jesus) replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

John 14:15, 23 ESV

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

1 John 5:3-5 NLT

³ Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. ⁵ And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Amen.

Block 2 – Spirit-Filled by the Helper

When you believe in Jesus, you are given the ability to withstand the enemy with the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is always available for every believer who wants to relationally learn more about Jesus.

John 14:26 AMP

But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

I wanted you to see all of the adjectives used to describe the Holy Spirit as this description covers several different Bible translations, and all of these are accurate names for the Helper.  The Spirit helps you in a number of ways:

A.  He is the pathway to truth.

John 16:13 NIV

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

B.  He gives you power and strength.

Acts 1:8 NIV

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 8:26-27 NIV

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

The Spirit helps the believer in Jesus to go much deeper and more intimately within the relationship.  He wants us to be vulnerable before Him and, if necessary, pour our hearts out before Him.

C.  He teaches you.

Isaiah 11:2 ESV

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and might,

    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Luke 12:12 NKJV

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Spirit provides the sanctifying presence, power, instruction and truth to every believer who earnestly seeks Jesus.

Block 3 – He is Always Present

A growing relationship with Jesus is a certainty as long as you and I rely upon His presence.

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

¹⁹ “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus would not have it any other way.  It is in His character to always be available.  He does it with His presence and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He loves us now and for eternity. 

Psalm 16:11 ESV

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

    never will I forsake you.”

⁶ So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

    What can mere mortals do to me? 

John 10:28-29 NIV

²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

And to sum up the growth and sanctifying power of His presence, note that He has a firm grip on our souls.  His love for us is amazing!  

Romans 8:35-39 NLT

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our faith in Jesus will progress as we follow these building blocks that build upon the foundational presence of Jesus Christ.  We will grow and prosper as we believe and trust in Him.

Copyright © 2025 Melvin Gaines.

1 LEGOLAND Parks and Resorts. (n.d.). Awesome awaits at Legoland® Parks and Hotels. https://www.legoland.com/