Back to the Basics

Back to the Basics

[Luk 6:48 NIV]

48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

This morning I would like to speak a message entitled “Back to the Basics.”

They say to get good at anything, you must master the basics.

If I want to get better soccer, then one needs to know the fundamentals or the basics and build on them.

Passing

Shooting

Dribbling

Controlling the ball.

A good soccer player will make it a point to continue to develop these skills.

If I want to get better at Math, then one needs to know the basics and build on them. What are the basics of Math?

Adding

Multiplying

Dividing

Subtraction

Whenever you solve a mathematical equation, it is going to involved one of these 4 basics.

The basics can be considered the foundation and what one builds upon to take their skills in that area to another level.

It all starts with the basics.

Now here is the challenging part about learning the basics.

The basics doesn’t get you to many claps.

The basics doesn’t get you to many shouts.

The basics doesn’t really get people to cheer.

The basics are not usually highlighted.

This can be a challenge because now instead of focusing on the basics, one can get distracted and tend to focus on what is going to get a response from the crowd, rather than building a solid foundation.

The basics are the foundation on which greatness is built.

The scripture that we read earlier in Luke 6:48 said the house stood the storm because its foundation was built on the rock.

It is the foundation that keeps the house standing.

Now here is the hard part about focusing on building a solid foundation.

Not too many people compliment your foundation. So, what can happen is one can shift their attention from building a solid foundation to what people see and compliment.

The foundation doesn’t usually get to much attention from the crowd.

Let me prove it.

When was the last time you went into someone’s house, and you complimented the foundation?

Wow that is a nice foundation.

No. We usually compliment the rooms, the kitchen, the living room and so on.

Am I right?

But when the storm hit the house in Luke 6:48 the bible doesn’t say it was the kitchen that kept the house standing, the bible doesn’t say it was the living room that kept the house standing, but it was the foundation.

Can we bring this concept to our walk with God.

How many know the bible says in this world you are going to have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

In our walk with God, you and I are going to face trials, but it will be practicing the basics that help you and I get through the storms.

What are the basics of Christianity and that should be a part of our foundation?

  1. Prayer
  2. The Word
  3. Coming to church

These are the basics of every Christian.

  1. You and I should have a prayer life.
  2. You and I should have word life.
  3. You and I should be faithful to church.

It is the basics and fundamentals that get you and I through the storm.

The fundamentals don’t usually get applauded, but it is what helps keep the house standing in the storm.

When the crowd has left the building, you and I should still have a prayer life.

When the clapping has stopped, you and I should still have word life.

When the event is over, you and I should still be faithful in our church attendance.

It is in practicing the basics that help you and I to keep pressing on for Jesus.

What can happen is we can start out practicing the basics, but somewhere along the road we can get sidetracked from the basics by focusing on what gets a response from the people.

Not only that, but we can start out practicing the basics, and the get distracted from the basics by focusing on where we want to go and who we want to be.

This reminds me of the movie Karate Kid.

He was being taught the basics on how to be great at Karate, but he didn’t want to focus on the basics because he wanted to learn the fancy stuff.

He didn’t value the basics because he already had in mind where he wanted to go. Not knowing it was mastering the basic that was going to get him there.

If I can encourage someone today.

Maybe you started out in your walk with God practicing the basics, but now you find yourself in a place where the basics aren’t attractive to you.

The basics and fundamentals have become secondary to where you want to go.

The prayer life you used to have is not what it used to be.

Your word life that you used to have is not what it used to be.

Your faithfulness in church attendance is not where it used to be.

I just stopped by to encourage you to get back to the Basics. It is the basics that will take you where you want to go.

It is the basics that will help you and I to get to where we want to go.

It is the basics that will keep you and I during the storm.

I know the basics don’t get many claps.

I know the basics don’t get many shouts.

I know the basics may not get the crowd excited, but it is in developing a foundation of the basics that greatness is established.

Your prayer life may not get shouts, but it will keep you on fire.

Your word life may not get the crowd excited, no matter how cool we make our post look on Instagram and WhatsApp.

(Come on now. You have seen those posts, right?)

We got our bible laid out real cool, we got our note pad with notes written on it, and we got our little lampstand with a sign that says burning the midnight oil)

You got two likes and a heart.

But that’s ok, keep getting that word in you, because when you and I get that word in us and we don’t feel like pressing on, that word will be like a fire shut up in our bones.

Tell your neighbor “Get back to the Basics.”

Remember that prayer life you used to have? Get it back.

Remember that word life you used to have? Get it back.

Remember when you were faithful to church services, no matter how busy you were? Get it back.

Wax on. Wax off.

Sand the floor.

Paint the fence.

Paint the house.

Get that prayer life back.

Get that word life back.

Get that church life back.

You are coming out of this storm at another level.

The challenge for anyone who wants to go to another level in their skills is to keep building on the basics when the claps are gone, the cheering has subsided, the crowd has left the building and the shouts are no longer around.

I close with this.

If one wants to learn how to play music, then they must learn the basics.

Once one learns the basics, they can then use their knowledge of the basics to take their skills to another level.

Like I said earlier, it is difficult to focus on developing the basics of anything.

Why? Because the basics don’t get much love.

We don't get famous by the basics.

We don't pay much attention to the basics.

The basics do not get too many hand claps and shouts.

Let me give you an example.

Where is our keyboard player?

Can you play the C scale for me, please?

Now that is not very exciting. You don’t get too many hand claps and shouts for the basics.

Not too many people will buy a CD of someone playing the basics.

Imagine: We will sell our latest CD in the lobby after service and the hit single is the C scale, and it sounds like this.

You and I don’t really applaud the basics, but it is building on the basics that gets us to new levels.

It is by applying the basics that hit songs are produced.

It is by practicing the basics that songs are recorded.

It is by practicing the basics that your skills go to another level.

Can you and some chords to those basics?

This morning you may be here, and you have put your basics on the shelf.

You are like the Karate kid. You are tired of waxing on, waxing off, painting the fence, sanding the floor and painting the house, but little did you know those basics are going to take you to another level.

Get back to that prayer life that you developed in your walk with God.

Get back to that word life, that you developed in your walk with God.

Get back to that church life that you developed in your walk with God.

It is by applying the basics that you and I can make it through the storm.

It is by applying the basics that you and I can get to new levels in our walk with God.

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