Except the Lord Build the House
Notes
Transcript
Except the Lord Build the House
Except the Lord Build the House
1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Who is change and involved will determine what gets done
How it gets done
The order of what gets done
Why it gets done
The quality of what gets done
Ladies and gentlemen who is in charge of you house and your life.
Where is God in your plans....
There is a saying, “Little is much if God is in it,” but the reverse is also true, “Much is nothing if God is not in it.”
And that’s what this Psalm says: unless our activity is ordered and directed by the Lord, it is a waste of time and energy.
We can set out on projects of our own, even in Christian service; we can build vast organizational empires; we can amass statistics to show phenomenal results; but if the projects are not vines planted by the Lord, they are worse than worthless. “Man proposes but God disposes.”
Are you working and toiling w/o God?
Are you building some kind of home without God’s Standards?
A builder has a blueprint—a unique layout of his creation. The builder is dedicated to his building project and the process from the pouring of the foundation to the finishing touches.
God is the builder of everything. We are His house. God has a unique layout for each of us, for each of our hearts. Our houses each have different gifts, purposes, and desires. We the church are His house—a community inviting others in, feasting at the table together, experiencing life together, living in His glory. We, the houses, go through triumph and grief. We are constantly being refined by our helper, our builder. Through it all, the builder returns again and again and never abandons his creation.
God is our builder and if we hold firmly to the foundation that He so graciously gives us, then we are His house.
Houston Texas - in the 1970’s - no inspection
No steel in the concrete
After a while - foundations cracked
HOUSES TORN DOWN...
The houses were not built according to the blur print
The House Shall
The House Shall
1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Of all the things that might show up on an inspection report, foundation issues are the worst. If you decide to buy a house with a bad foundation, you’re signing up to suffer a host of serious problems throughout your home, or you’re signing up to pay tens of thousands of dollars to have the foundation fixed. Most buyers simply walk away from a bad foundation, and for good reason.
If Christians are ever going to maintain and steward a home in a meaningful way, we must build our house on Christ. Regardless of whether we own or rent, whether we have lived here for 25 years or a few days, we have the opportunity to rebuild the foundation under our spiritual feet.
The House shall :
1. Built on on Christ
1. Built on on Christ
exegete here ...
exegete here ...
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
A House that is built on Christ can stand the storms
If you’ve been living on sand, start pouring God’s word into the foundation underneath you and your family.
As strong and secure as most modern homes may seem, many of them are quietly crumbling from the inside out because we’ve neglected the words of and about Jesus in Scripture.
We subtly (or overtly) build homes on comfort, privacy, entertainment, and safety, without making room for God himself to speak. Then when the rains of various trials fall, or the floods of crises come, or the winds of life beat against us, the once strong house suddenly falls apart.
Build your home, instead, on the Rock. Allow his voice to be the regular stabilizing, guiding, shaping, correcting, and comforting foundation under your lives.
The House shall :
The House shall :
2. Not Be Ruled BY Possessions
2. Not Be Ruled BY Possessions
we must guard against materialism
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Even hours into living in our new home, the temptation emerges to idolize the familiarity, comfort, and security a home brings. We are walking into our second home with eyes wide open to the reality that God may take away this home a year from now, or he may call us away from this home at any time for the sake of his kingdom.
Just as he has graciously and lovingly given, he may graciously and lovingly take away (Job 1:21). We bless his name today, and we resolve to bless him if and when a harder day comes.
Jesus says some of us will lose houses because we decided to follow him,
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
The House shall :
3.Make Room For Others
3.Make Room For Others
2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
We must be open to helping and serving others :
When God gives us a home, he wants to care for our immediate family, but he also has other people in mind.
The New Testament makes clear that God wants every Christian home — whether we are single, married, or parents — to be a home for people outside our home. Sometimes literally and physically, often more spiritually and emotionally.
Paul charges every home owner (or renter), “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13).
Hebrews adds, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2). Show hospitality. Meaning, wherever you call home, bring people home with you — and use your home to serve the needs of others.
9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
And do the harder, even impossible work of showing hospitality without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9) — without complaining about cleaning the home, or making extra food, or changing our plans, or being inconvenienced. Grumble-free hospitality and generosity will produce “the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15–16) — the distinct and beautiful smell we all want filling our homes.
The House Shall
The House Shall
4. Be Temporary
4. Be Temporary
34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
While we may live here for a season — five years, 25 years, maybe even 50 years — this is a temporary living situation.
Our earthly home is not our true home, because we have a better home, and an abiding one, in heaven (Hebrews 10:34).
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). If we love, follow, and serve Christ, wherever we live in this world, we know we belong somewhere else.
That does not mean we cannot treasure these four walls. God has chosen these walls, for these days, specifically for us — for the sake of his glory through us and our joy in him. It does mean that we live inside these walls and care for these walls with hearts set on our final and everlasting home. As you enjoy this dwelling place for this allotted time, prepare your heart and family to live forever at home with the Lord.