Jesus, Master Builder of the Church: Who Really Saves You?

12 min read

Jesus, Master Builder of the Church: Who Really Saves You? | Gilles BONNEVEAU | Efficient Church

Introduction

Every house needs three things: a blueprint, an owner, and someone who knows how to build. In this third part of his series on the Church of Jesus Christ, Gilles BONNEVEAU reminds us that God the Father is the owner of his Church, but the master builder (the one with the legitimacy, authority, and mission to build), is Jesus Christ himself. Why him? How does he build? And where is your place on this building site? This sermon takes you back to the source: the fall of Adam, the price God paid, and the path of salvation in several steps that Jesus offers you today.

Outline of the message

1. Why a master builder: the legitimacy of Jesus Christ

  • Recap of the series: part 1, the house solidly built (the typology and structure of the Church); part 2, the owner (God the Father, owner of the project). Part 3 today: the one to whom the Father delegated the building work, Jesus Christ.
  • First we need to understand why a master builder was needed at all. In the garden of Eden, God had created man in his image for a relationship of perfect harmony. Adam and Eve's disobedience broke everything: rejection, spiritual separation, a transfer under the domination of fallen powers.
  • Outside the garden, everything dark that we know appeared: fear, anguish, murder (Cain kills Abel), sickness, violence, wars, addictions, death. That is the fallen world, separated from God.
  • God does not accept losing his creature for eternity. His plan as Father: to restore the broken relationship. But that comes at a price, comparable to the redemption of a slave in human history, someone had to pay the one who held the person.
  • John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son." The price is the blood of Christ, his life. "Apart from shedding of blood, there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).
  • God agrees to defile himself (he who is holy), to come down, put on our body, and take our sin upon himself. Physical suffering on the cross, but also spiritual suffering: humiliated, insulted, mocked, he who is God.
  • Hebrews 1:1-3: God has spoken to us by his Son, appointed heir of all things, the radiance of his glory, the exact imprint of his nature. The letter to the Hebrews presents him as superior to the prophets, to the angels, to Moses and Joshua, to the Mosaic law, and to the high priest of the old covenant. His unique sacrifice remains superior to every sacrifice of the Old Testament.
  • John 1:1-4: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 17:3: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ." Not Muhammad, not Buddha, not the philosophers, not the New Age, Jesus.
  • He sits at the right hand of God (Luke 22:66-70), he comes from above (John 3:31), he bears the name of God. Colossians 1-2 presents him as head over every authority, in the heavens and on the earth.
  • The testimony of the Father himself: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11). "Father, glorify your name. I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again" (John 12:28). Psalm 2:7, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 1:21, Revelation 5:9-10 · hundreds of prophecies all fulfilled in Jesus.
  • The image of the plenipotentiary ambassador: a man accredited by a head of state, whose every act commits his country. Christ, sent by the Father, has received this full legitimacy. You can follow him with your eyes closed.

2. His mission: the path of salvation in several steps

  • The master builder's mission begins with proclaiming the gospel: the good news of the kingdom, a teaching of transformation. To enter this kingdom, you must be born again. It is not an option.
  • Step 1 · the new birth. Jesus presents it to Nicodemus, a teacher of the law who came by night (John 3). "Unless one is born again, he can't see the Kingdom of God." It is a living hope (1 Peter 1:3), produced by the word of truth (James 1:18).
  • It is not a simple moral adjustment. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). It transforms the mindset: you begin to see the world as God sees it. It brings you into contact with the heavenly realm. It gives rise in the heart to the cry: "Abba, Father."
  • The test is simple: have I met Jesus in such a way that my life has been transformed by it? Before, I was a thief; I no longer steal. Before, I was a liar; I no longer lie. Before, I was violent; I have become gentle. There is a before and an after, not perfection, but a real and verifiable change.
  • Salvation can be experienced here, now. The woman at Jesus's feet in Simon the Pharisee's house: "Your faith has saved you" (Luke 7:50). Zacchaeus in his sycamore tree: "Today, salvation has come to this house" (Luke 19:9). The jailer at Philippi: "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). The rich young man, the crowd at Pentecost, the same question keeps coming back.
  • The answer is in John 3:16 and John 1:12: to those who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. It is by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10), not by works. Frankly confessing your sins (1 John 1:9), calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13), and salvation is there.
  • Gilles shares his testimony: having fallen into a deep well in Ivory Coast, not knowing how to swim, he cried out "Lord Jesus, save me." A force pushed him toward the edge. "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." God never forces anyone: it is a free, voluntary decision, like that of the prodigal son (Luke 15:18): "I will get up and go to my Father." This whole process is called repentance, or conversion.
  • Step 2 · the baptisms. Water baptism follows conversion right away. Immersion in the name of Christ, dead and risen, a sign that you have become a Christian through a spiritual death and resurrection with him (Acts 2:41, Acts 8:12, Acts 18:8, Romans 6:4). On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people are baptized. Baptism is not for children, it is for conscious, responsible people who choose Christ.
  • The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every Christian of every age. It is a promise, a birthright as a child of God (Acts 2:38-39), a command (Ephesians 5:18). Without it, spiritual life never reaches the level described in the New Testament. Draw near to the throne of grace and keep praying persistently to receive it. God is not stingy: he wants to clothe you with it.
  • Step 3 · the Church, fellowship, love. The Church is the house of God, the school of love. The Lord said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Love is the greatest gift, the one that follows us to heaven, riches stay here, only love comes with us.
  • Practically: love one another, bear with one another, welcome one another. Never pass your brother without a smile. We can have different affinities, but in God's house, we are members of the body of Christ. We see each other more often than our own parents. "We are called to live together or perish together."
  • Step 4 · sanctification. The beginnings (new birth, baptisms) are only the beginning of the doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1-2). Spiritual life must be renewed every day through the Word and prayer. Ephesians 3:16: to be strengthened in the inner being.
  • "Without sanctification, no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Why? Because God is holy. The Word already sanctifies us (John 15:3, John 17:17). Whoever loves to read and meditate on the Word sees his heart transformed, his thoughts shaped. Sanctification is the ongoing pursuit of the presence of God.
  • It is not our work but God's work (1 Thessalonians 5:23), we leave his hands free, while still working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). This produces a way of speaking, acting, and serving that pleases the Father. Spiritual warfare and the return of Christ will follow in the next sermon.

Key takeaways

  • Jesus Christ is the legitimate master builder of the Church: sent by the Father, he carries all authority in heaven and on earth. You can follow him without hesitation.
  • The price paid for your salvation is the blood of Christ. God himself humbled himself, suffered, and died to win you back, because he did not want to lose you.
  • The path of salvation has clear steps: new birth, water baptism, baptism of the Holy Spirit, church life lived in love, sanctification. It is not an à la carte menu, it is a complete journey.
  • The new birth shows. There is a before and an after. Not perfection, but a real, verifiable transformation in your character and behavior.
  • Sanctification, without which no one will see God, is God's work in you, but it calls for your daily cooperation through the Word and prayer.

Personal application

  • Do I recognize Jesus as my master builder, or am I still trying to build my spiritual life according to my own blueprints?
  • Have I truly experienced the new birth? What is my concrete "before" and "after"? If I can't name them, what step can I take today?
  • Have I been baptized in water? Have I asked for the baptism of the Holy Spirit with persistent prayer? What is holding me back?
  • In my church life, do I really love my brothers and sisters, or do I walk past them without a smile, without a word? Who can I go encourage this week?
  • Is my spiritual life renewed every day through the Word and prayer, or am I on pause? What first concrete step will I take tomorrow morning?

Scriptures cited

Further reading

Frequently asked questions

Why call Jesus the master builder of the Church?

Because God the Father is the owner of the project, and he entrusted the building of his Church to his Son Jesus Christ. The master builder is the one who knows how to build, who carries out the plan. Jesus received this legitimacy fully and completely: he is superior to the prophets, to the angels, to Moses, to the high priest of the old covenant (Hebrews 1-4). Like a plenipotentiary ambassador, everything he does commits the Father.

What are the steps on the path of salvation?

Gilles BONNEVEAU names four main ones: the new birth (John 3, the encounter with Nicodemus), the baptisms (water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit), church life lived in love and fellowship, and then sanctification, which continues throughout life. Spiritual warfare and the return of Christ will complete this path in the next sermon of the series.

How can I know if I have truly been born again?

The new birth produces a verifiable transformation. There is a before and an after. Before, you lied; now you no longer lie. Before, you were violent; now you have become gentle. It is not a promise of perfection, but a real change of mindset, values, and behavior, because the Spirit and the Word have birthed new life in you. If you see no change at all, now is the time to take the step: confess your sins, call on the name of Jesus, say "yes" to him without reservation.

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Jesus, Master Builder of the Church: Who Really Saves You? | Efficient Church