Family Values

Title: Unless the Lord Builds the House

Theme: To show the importance of the Lord being in and of the house.

Text: Psalms 127:1-5

Introduction

If you would turn in your Bibles to Psalms 127. We are beginning a short series on the Modern Family. Raising great family/children in a crazy world. I say that not to point toward the world. Each generation says the same thing about the world they live in. It is different than the previous, there are more challenges and it is harder to live for God. It say this because I believe the Bible speaks to some areas that never change. They are unchanging principles of the word of God.

Here we are introduced to the author of the Psalms who is King Solomon. Solomon is easily considered the richest man to have ever lived. His net worth was around 2.1 trillion dollars. https://www.practicalbusinessideas.com/king-solomon-wealth-net-worth/ . This is not hard to see with all the taxations, trades and kings/queens who would visit.

We are told it is a Psalm of Accent. This means it was more than likely sung in the ceremony of the temple, going to the temple or up to the main worship area.

So in my mind I imagined Solomon passing all the magnificent buildings he built, falls and temples and writing this psalm. No matter how much money you have or put into a place he pens these words.

Psalms 127:1-5 Unless the LORD builds the house,

You could have the most magnificent of houses but unless the Lord builds it . . .

How to allow the Lord to be the foundation of the family? Look at Colossians 3:17 - 25

Personal Example

Col 3:17-25 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Following the Family System

Colossians 3:(18) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (19) Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. (20) Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. (21) Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Paul picks out what could be the hardest struggle for each family member.

Wives to submit. It is more to yield to advice and guidance (as fitting in the Lord)

Husbands to love wives, no bitterness. Bitterness comes in when there is control of a person.

Children are to walk in obedience, as pleasing the Lord. This keeps them from doing things that do no please the Lord.

Father’s are again challenged not to provoke.

“The family who prays together stays together”

Provoke

Not giving Godly instruction

Talking one way but living the other way

Not showing Godly love

(3) Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Children are a blessing from the Lord. Sometimes they seem to be hindrances, but look at the legacy God has given us to fulfill.

Proverbs 22:6 says train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

So as long as you do what you are required to do everything will be alright.

Children learn by example. Instead of you saying do as I say. You should be examples for your children, or any children to follow. Children should be and are designed to be a blessing.

(4) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.

Children as arrows – we are their directors. We decide where they will go by our influence.

Always teaching

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

(5) Happy is the man who has his quiver (the place where the arrows are held) full of them;

Vain Buildings

Solomon wrote a whole book on Vanity. We call it Lamentations.

They labor in vain who build it;

Vain – fruitfulness, to no account, proud of petting things,

Strong’s Definitions

- Original: ??? ????o

- Transliteration: Shav'

- Phonetic: shawv

- Definition:

1. emptiness, vanity, falsehood

a. emptiness, nothingness, vanity

b. emptiness of speech, lying

c. worthlessness (of conduct)

“The Psalmist is saying that whatever it is you are trying to build in your life, whether it is your work, or your security, or whether you are trying to build a family, it is in vain, it is worthless unless it is built with the Lord God at the heart of the process. Your work, of whatever kind it may be, maybe so productive that it builds the equivalent of a city, but unless the Lord God is there at the heart of that process, then it has no security.”