Sermon Title: "Why Are We Building the Wall?”

The message asks why Forward for Christ Baptist Church is building and expanding. While the church needs more physical space, the greater purpose is spiritual. The church exists to glorify Christ, preach His Word, reach people with the Gospel, see sinners saved, help believers grow, and provide a place where people can meet with the Shepherd.

The growing congregation, families, children, crowded seating, and people already watching from overflow areas show a practical need for more room. But the sermon emphasizes that the building itself is not the ultimate goal. The purpose is to create more opportunity for people to hear God's Word, meet with Christ, be saved, and grow spiritually.

The message describes the church as a place where people can meet with the Shepherd, a place of surrender, a place of sanctification, and a place that exists for His name's sake. These four ideas explain what the church and its expanded sanctuary should continue to represent.

Church should be a place where people intentionally come to meet with God, hear His Word, worship Him, and respond to His voice. The message stresses that people should not come simply to be seen, fulfill a religious duty, or please others, but to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The pastor explains that the house of God should not simply imitate the world or replace biblical truth with whatever pleases people. The church should remain distinct, faithful to God's Word, and centered upon worship, Scripture, and Christ rather than allowing worldly priorities to determine its direction.

The message describes the church as a place of Scripture because God's Word reveals who we are, exposes our sinful condition, gives direction for our lives, and allows us to hear the Shepherd's voice. Psalm 119:105 is used to remind believers that God's Word is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The sermon connects this with the importance of knowing God's Word. Believers hear the Shepherd through His Word and are then responsible to follow where He leads.

A place of surrender is a place where believers lay aside pride and become willing to obey God. Psalm 23 says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” The message teaches that the Shepherd knows what is best, but Christians must be willing to stop resisting Him and allow Him to lead.

“Lord, let it be me” expresses a surrendered heart that is willing to serve wherever God provides an opportunity. As the church grows and new ministries develop, believers are challenged not to wait for someone else to serve, but to humbly ask God to use them.

Sanctification is the continuing process by which believers are changed to become more like Christ. Christians will not reach perfection in this life, but God's Word corrects, cleanses, teaches, and transforms them as they continue walking with the Shepherd.

“He restoreth my soul” describes the Shepherd's work of correcting and restoring His people. The sermon teaches that Christians should not simply seek enough spiritual encouragement to get through another week. They should allow God to address what is broken, correct what is wrong, and genuinely change their lives.

God's Word exposes areas that need correction and then provides the truth necessary for change. The sermon references Ephesians 5:26 and the “washing of water by the word,” emphasizing that Scripture is one of the primary ways God cleanses and sanctifies His people.

The sermon compares spiritual restoration to repairing a damaged car. Simply putting more gas in a car with serious problems may keep it moving temporarily, but it does not repair what is broken. In the same way, Christians should not seek only a temporary spiritual boost. They should allow God to correct, cleanse, change, and restore them.

“For His name's sake” means that everything the church does should be for Christ's honor and glory. The building project is not about bragging about the size of a sanctuary or human accomplishment. The goal is for Christ to remain at the center and for people to hear His Word, be saved, and have their lives changed.

The message teaches that people do not need to clean up their lives before coming to Christ. They must recognize their sinful condition, humble themselves, trust Jesus Christ as Savior, and then allow the Shepherd to begin changing and sanctifying their lives through His Word.

The practical challenge is to remember why the church exists. Believers are encouraged to meet with the Shepherd, remain faithful to Scripture, surrender their pride and service to God, allow His Word to restore and change them, and make certain that everything they do is ultimately for His name's sake.