Building A Godly Home(S)

EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE,THEY LABOR IN VAIN THAT

BUILD IT.EXCEPT THE LORD KEEP THE CITY,THE WATCHMAN

WAKETH BUT IN VAIN.

AS WE STUDY THIS PASSAGE WE WILL KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE ARE 3 BASIC APPLICATIONS.

1.EARTHLY HOMES

2.CHURCH HOME

3.HEAVENLY HOME

AS WE CONSIDER THESE APPLICATIONS I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE

6 POINTS.

1.A HOUSE MUST BE BUILT BY SOMEONE.

MANY PEOPLE CLAIM TO BE BUILDERS,FEW ARE CRAFTSMAN.

GOD MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT FOR OUR HOMES THERE IS

ONLY ONE TRUE CRAFTSMAN "THE LORD".TRY AS WE MIGHT

(AND WE DO)OUR LABOR IS IN VAIN UNLESS WE MAKE THE

LORD OUR GENERAL CONTRACTOR.HE PROVIDES THE PLANS.

HE PROVIDES THE MATERIAL AND HE SUPPLYS THE POWER.

JESUS SAID I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH AND THE GATES OF

HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT. MATTHEW 16:18

2.A HOUSE MUST BE BUILT ON SOMETHING.(FOUNDATION)

1 COR.3:10-11 ILLUSTRATION. THE AREA OF MISSOURI

I LIVE IN IS CALLED THE LEADBELT BECAUSE OF THE

LEAD MINING INDUSTRY UPON WHICH IT WAS BUILT.PEOPLE

FLOODED IN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO WORK,AS THEY

CAME INTO THE AREA THEY WOULD THROW UP HOMES VERY

QUICKLY AND (SHODDY) TO ACCOMADATE THE PEOPLE.THEY

USUALLY BUILT THEM ON PIERS OR WITH SAND ROCK

FOUNDATIONS.MANY OF THESE HOMES ARE STILL IN USE

IN THE AREA TO THIS DAY.THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN FACE

LIFTS OF NEW SIDING OR PAINT AND THEY LOOK PRETTY

GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE.BUT THEY DONT STAY THAT WAY VERY

LONG.AS THE UNSTABLE FONDATIONS CRACK AND SHIFT ROOFS

BEGIN TO SAG.WALLS BOW AND SIDING POPS OFF.SOME HAVE

EVEN SANK INTO SINK HOLES BECAUSE OF THE UNDERMINING.

A HOUSE THATS NOT BUILT ON THE RIGHT FOUNDATION MAY

LOOK GOOD FOR A SEASON,BUT SOONER OR LATER THE TRUTH

WILL BE KNOWN.

3.A HOUSE MUST BE BUILT WITH SOMETHING. 1COR.3:10 SAYS

TAKE HEED HOW YOU BUILD,DONT CUT CORNERS. 1COR.3:10-

-15 MANY PEOPLE BEGIN ON A GOOD FOUNDATION BUT THEN

THEY START TAKING SHORTCUTS AND USE SHODDY MATERIAL

TO BUILD WITH. JESUS SAID THAT HIS WORD,OBEYED AND

APPLIED ASSURES US OF A HOUSE THAT CANNOT BE MOVED

MATTHEW 7: 24-29

4.A HOUSE BUILT MUST BE UNITED. EPH 2:19-22 CAN YOU

IMAGINE BUILDING YOUR WALLS STANDING THEM IN PLACE,

ATTACHING THEM TO THE FLOOR BUT NOT JOINING THEM AT

THE CORNERS. JESUS PRAYED THAT WE WOULD OPERATE AS

ONE AND BE UNIFIED.JESUS ALSO TELLS US IN MATTHEW

12:25 THAT EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF IS

BROUGHT TO DESOLATIONAND EVERY CITY OR "HOUSE" DIV-

-IDED AGAINST ITSELF SHALL NOT STAND.

5.A HOUSE MUST BE GUARDED. EXCEPT THE LORD KEEP THE

CITY THE WATCHMAN WAKETH BUT IN VAIN. LUKE 11:21

WE HAVE TO BE WATCHMAN INOUR HOMES AND IN OUR CHURCH.

SATAN SEEKS TO INFILTRATE US ON ALL SIDES WE MUST BE

ON GUARD.

6.A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME UNLESS IT IS OCCUPIED.

LUKE 11 24-26

WHAT WAS THIS PERSONS MISTAKE,I MEAN HE HAD CLEANED

HIS HOUSE(QUIT A FEW BAD HABITS,CLEANED UP HIS SPEECH

STARTED GOING TO SUNDAY MORNING SERVICES)THE PROBLEM

WAS(AND I BELIEVE IT IS FOR MANY)THIS PERSON GOT A

LITTLE RELIGION BUT NEVER RECIEVED A NEW RELATION-

-SHIP.HE NEVER GOT A NEW OCCUPANT HE NEVER RECIEVED

JESUS INTO HIS HEART.ROMANS 8:9 YOU ARE NOT IN THE

FLESH BUT IN THE SPIRIT,IF SO BE THE SPIRIT OF GOD

DWELL IN YOU.NOW IF ANY MAN HAVE NOT THE SPIRIT OF

CHRIST HE IS NONE OF HIS.

THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THE LAST STATE OF THIS MAN WAS

WORSE THAN THE FIRST.TO BE A CHRISTIAN IS TO BE IN

CHRIST AND CHRIST IN YOU(CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF

GLORY COL.1:27 ) WITHOUT HIM WE ARE LOST NO MATTER

HOW MUCH HOUSE CLEANING WE DO, OUR HOUSE IS STILL

NOT A HOME OF THE SPIRIT UNTIL WE LET GO AND RECIEVE

JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR.

ILLUSTRATION, NOT TO LONG AGO WE HAD A BIG WINDSTORM

AND IT BLEW DOWN A HUGE OAK TREE ONTO MY SISTER IN

LAWS CAR. THE TREE LOOKED SO STRONG AND HEALTHY I

THOUGHT HOW IN THE WORLD COULD THAT SMALL STORM DROP

SUCH A MASSIVE TREE. WELL AS I WWENT TO CUT IT OFF

THE CAR FOR THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER I DISCOVERED THE

PROBLEM.THE TREE WAS ROTTEN IN THE HEART.

WE TO ARE BORN ROTTEN IN THE HEART.JESUS SAID WE MUST

BE BORN AGAIN.SPIRITUAL REBIRTH IS THE ONLY ANSWER

FOR OUR ROTTEN HEART.

ILUSTRATION. WHEN THEY BUILT THE NEW CORRECTIONAL

FACILITY IN BONNE TERRE MO, EVERYTHING SEEMED TO

BE GOING FINE.THAT IS UNTIL AN INSPECTOR DISCOVERED

ONE OF THE CONTRACTORS HAD USED FAULTY FILL UNDER

THE CEMENT FLOORS.ALL THE CEMENT HAD TO BE BROKEN UP,

THE FAULTY FILL REMOVED,REPLACED WITH GOOD FILL AND

THE FLOORS REPOURED.IT COST THE CONTRACTOR AND THE

TAXPAYERS OF MISSOURI THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.BUT AT

LEAST IT WAS CORRECTABLE (AT A COST)

IF YOUVE BEEN BUILDING ON THE WRONG FOUNDATION OR

PERHAPS WITH SHODDY MATERIALS YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO

CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES,JESUS HAS ALREADY PAID THE COST

AMEN.

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