When Jesus was here on earth the lame, the deaf, the blind, and the deformed simply came to his feet as he sat on a hill overlooking Galilee and they were instantly healed. He said in John that when he ascended to heaven that we would do even greater works than these. Doesn’t this mean that if we have enough faith all of our diseases will be healed, all of our financial needs will be met, all of our problems will end?

Think about who has the power over your life. Who do you want to look like or be like? What celebrity do you worship? Evidently there were super stars in the first century- even religious celebrities. The Apostle Paul warns us against those high flyers, their influence, and the way we respond reveals what’s inside.

Remember the old children’s rhyme “ring around the rosy pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down?” A building can be elegant in its design, stunning in its appearance, and colossal in its dimensions, but the whole thing will fall down if it’s not built on a solid foundation of the right materials. What is the right foundation for a church? What kind of materials should it be built of? These are the kinds of questions the Apostle Paul answers in First Corinthians chapter three.

One minute a leader is worshiped as the king and the next minute they are cursed as a thief. Why have so many of our leaders in both our court houses and our church houses fallen off their pedestals and disgraced their offices? Could it be that it has something to do with our loud applause followed by such angry booing? Our subject today takes us into the heart of the pressure and the problem of church leadership in America today.

Have you ever been in a large city and watched a gigantic crane swing a wrecking ball against a building? The demolition of a structure can be incredible. When the target is an old condemned building, no problem. But when a wrecking ball swings against our homes or churches, it’s another story.

I look in the mirror and my father is staring back at me. Where did the years go? If you are under thirty you probably haven’t started creaking and squeaking when you walk, but perhaps even some of you in your early twenties have already noticed a lot of hair in your comb that should still be on top of your head. We try to powder it, massage it, work it out, but no matter how hard we try we cannot stop the relentless onslaught of time against our bodies. Is your time running out?

Mystery stories grab our attention and the ratings in movies and on TV. Authors make millions weaving their tales of the cunning sleuth with his or hers uncanny problem solving abilities. Who would you guess is the greatest mystery writer of all time? This author has written a riddle no one could solve unless he gave them the key.

When our kids score high on their SATs, we are proud parents. When our son or daughter scores the winning point that brings victory against the crosstown rivals, our chest swells. We all know the smell of evil self-centered pride, and every one of you parents know the sweetness of a true appreciation for the gifts God has given to your children, but this is not the purest pride. Who should you boast about before others? Who deserves your cheers, your admiration, your devotion? Who should be your pride and joy?

Have you ever taken a look around your church, those who come to worship and adore the Son of God? Compare this group with the beautiful people who come in their limousines to attend the Emmy Awards, or the powerful execs taking a break on the golf courses of Palm Springs or the slopes of Taos. Who would you guess is going to have the lasting influence on this planet? When you look at human resources the cause of Christ seems to be in shaky hands.

Has anyone ever said to you, “Well if God would write His message in a legible hand for me in the sky or if He would come down here and speak to me audibly, then I would believe in Him. Until He shows me His credentials I remain an agnostic.” How do you deal with someone like that? Why doesn’t God deliver His Word to us in a lightning bolt? In this conclusion to "The Fool On The Hill," we want to encourage you to honestly face questions like these.