YOUR HOUSE IS The LORD's HOUSE-I—Psalm 127:1-5
Attention:
Building (God’s) House
If you want to ‘build’ something correctly, you need a plan.
Some of you may have built houses before...But have you ever built a house without a plan or a blueprint?
What would happen if you decided to wing it? You decided that plans are for sissies or that you watched enough HGTV to build a house from your head.
A house is just a building...A life, however, is something so much more important, yet many live life without following any real plan or blueprint other than what they conjure up in their head...They make it up as they go. Try to imagine what their house looks like? Some of you do not have to imagine...Your’s is a living train wreck!
From ‘Building Without Blueprints’ by Jeffery Anselmi:
By the Holy Spirit, the author of Ps. 127 compels the reader, & singer of these truths, to ensure the heritage of the Lord’s house.
Every successful ‘house’ is built & maintained by the Lord.
When is your house the Lord’s House?
7 affirmations/evidences that your house is the Lord’s house.
1—Your house is the Lord’s house when...
Your LABOR Is The Lord’s(:1a-b)
Explanation:(:1a-b)
:1—“A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.”—
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;...”
“A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.”—
This is a song possibly written by “Solomon.” It could also have been written by David for “Solomon”(John Gill/Matthew Henry).
“It is entitled(as we read it) “for Solomon,”—dedicated to him by his father. He having a house to build, a city to keep, & seed to raise up to his father, David directs him to look up to God, & to depend upon his providence, without which all his wisdom, care, & industry, would not serve.”.....“to show the vanity of worldly care & how necessary it is that we keep in favor with God. On him we must depend,”.....“We must depend upon God's blessing & not our own contrivance,”—Matthew Henry
*This is a “song” & is intended for use in spiritual service associated with the temple. It has a specific purpose within those services in that it is designated as “A song of ascents.”...
It is “A Song of Ascents”, a “song” intent upon bringing one closer step-by-step—by increments—to God.
It probably pictures one’s ascending the steps to the temple, closer & closer to the holy of holies. It is intent upon bringing the reader & singer to ‘holy ground’...Into the presence of God... To usher us into worship... To usher us into service!
You may ask, ‘What has this got to do with Father’s Day?’...Everything!... because Father’s are created to honor & worship God thru putting their trust in Christ.
They are heads of their family, & as such, are responsible for the direction of that family—godly or fleshly—Serving the flesh or serving the revelatory God.
“Song”—ryv sheeyr OR fem.--hryv sheey-raw'—Noun Masc.—1) Song—1a) Lyric song, 1b) Religious song, 1c) Song of Levitical choirs. Noun Fem.—2) Song—2a) Song, ode A song specifically of lyric, religious or levitical choir quality & use. Strong—from 07891; A song; abstractly--Singing.
From—ryv sheeyr; OR (the original form)--rwv shoowr(1Sa 18:6); a primitive root [identical with rwv shoowr; a primitive root; properly--To turn, i.e. Travel about(as a harlot or a merchant) through the idea of strolling minstrelsy]; To sing.
“Ascents/Degrees”—hlem ma`alah—Noun Fem.—1) What comes up, thoughts; 2) Step, stair—2a) Step, stair, 2b) Steps(of sundial), 2c) Stories(of heaven), 2d) Ascent, 2e) Song of ascent—2e1) To the three great pilgrim feasts(Psalm titles). Strong—Elevation, i.e. The act, literally--A journey to a higher place, figuratively--A thought arising, or concretely--The condition(literally, a step or grade-mark, figuratively--A superiority of station); specifically--A climactic progression(in certain Psalms).
“Solomon”—hmlv Shel-o-moh’—Noun Proper Masc.—Solomon =“peace”—1) Son of David by Bathsheba & 3rd king of Israel; author of Proverbs & Song of Songs. Strong—Peaceful; Shelomah, David's successor.
From—Mwlv shaw-lowm' OR Mlv shaw-lom—safe, i.e. figuratively--Well, happy, friendly; also abstractly--Welfare, i.e. Health, prosperity, peace.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;...”
The term “house” here can encompass at least two things. 1)A “house” can be a physical building of wood, concrete or stone. 2)A “house” can also be a household consisting of people & their activities dreams, hopes & desires who house themselves or are ‘held’ within the walls of the inanimate house. Those considered of a “house” are usually bound by immediate blood & marriage lines of descent.
*Anything ‘Built’ takes Effort, Planning, Time, & Commitment!...Destruction takes only a moment.
1)A Building—We can make/“build” physical objects(“the house”) thru sheer desire coupled with intelligence, resources & using the skill of our hands. However, it is vain/futile to build anything in that manner. Something is missing from the equation, from the design & implementation when “the LORD” is not allowed to do the ‘building’ Himself.
1Chron. 28:11-20—“Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, & the place of the mercy seat; & the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, & of the treasuries for the dedicated things; also for the division of the priests & the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, & for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD. He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service; the weight for the lampstands of gold, & their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand & its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand & its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand. And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, & silver for the tables of silver; also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, & the golden bowls--he gave gold by weight for every bowl; & for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl; & refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, & for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread their wings & overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD. “All this,” said David, “the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.” And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong & of good courage, & do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.”
2)A Household—We can “build” a household based on human reasonings & cultural norms & social acceptance, yet leave all in that ‘household’ devoid of the direction & love of the LORD. The focus of such a god-less family will be inwardly, fleshly & selfishly focused.
On the other hand, those of a godly household will be focused on their relationship(s) to, with, & thru their Lord.
Why? Because we are unable to do anything worthwhile apart from the allowance, the will, & providence of God.
Jn. 15:1-8—“I am the true vine, & My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; & every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
What is the missing element in your “labors”? Your “labor”/efforts/sweat/commitment must be conducted wholeheartedly under the LORD’s direction! He must be behind every movement of your fingers. Your heart—sold out to God—must direct our flesh.
Haggai 1:2-11—“Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.”’” Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, & this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! You have sown much, & bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains & bring wood & build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it & be glorified,” says the LORD. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; & when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, & the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land & the mountains, on the grain & the new wine & the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men & livestock, & on all the labor of your hands.”
Col. 3:23— “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, & that without partiality.”
Examples of “vain” labor:
1)‘Religious’ service rather than loving service—Mat. 7:21-24-27; Jn. 16:2-3—Vain
2)United States’ Confidence in countries founded upon non-Christian belief—Vain
3)Wrong job/career—Vain
4)Pushing children in direction they are not meant to go(by God)(Ps. 22:6)—Vain
Prov. 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
The “way” a child “should go” is determined by God. It is our charge to recognize God’s direction in that child & assist them towards fulfilling that God-ordained direction.
Example: ’The Jackson Five’s’ Dad—regularly beat them if they did not perform to his liking.
5)A renter remodeling a rented structure—owner’s job to do that.
*God is sovereignly in control of our lives to a degree which we cannot always comprehend. Our “labors” are necessary but they are futile if not coupled with trust in Christ & guidance by the Holy Spirit.
God gives us rest from our labors daily/nightly if we do not rely upon ourselves but rely upon Him.
“Inordinate excessive care about the things of this world is a vain & fruitless thing. We weary ourselves for vanity if we have it...”—Matthew Henry
We all want our contribution to count. How we measure that ‘contribution’ is vital.
“Unless/Except”2X(:1c)—Ma 'eem—Conditional Particle—1) If—1a) conditional clauses—1a1) Of possible situations, 1a2) Of impossible situations, —1b1) No, not, 1c) If...if, whether...or, whether...or...or, 1d) When, whenever, 1e) Since, 1g) But rather. Strong—a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative--Lo!; interrogative--Whether?; or conditional--If, although; also--Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative--Not.
“LORD”—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—Noun Proper Deity—Jehovah = “the existing One”—1) The proper name of the one true God—. Strong—from hyh[To exist, be, become, come to pass]; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
“Build”2X—hnb banah'—Qal Imperfect & Qal Participle Active—1) To build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To build, rebuild, 1a2) To build a house(ie., establish a family). Strong—a primitive root; To build(literally & figuratively).
“House”—tyb bah’-yith—Noun Masc.—1) House—1a) House, dwelling habitation, 1b) Shelter or abode of animals, 1c) Human bodies (figuratively), 1d) Of Sheol, 1e) Of abode of light & darkness, 1f) Of land of Ephraim; 2) Place; 3) Receptacle; 4) Home, house as containing a family; 5) Household, family—5a) Those belonging to the same household, 5b) Family of descendants, descendants as organized body; 6) Household affairs; 7) Inwards(metaphorically); 8) (TWOT)--Temple. Adverb—9) On the inside. Preposition—10) Within. Strong—A house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.).
“Labor”—lme aw-mal'—1) To labor, toil—1a) (Qal)--To labor. Strong—a primitive root; To toil, i.e. Work severely & with irksomeness. Used 11X.
“Vain”2X(See :1d, 2)—awv shawv OR wv shav—Noun Masc.—1) Emptiness, vanity, falsehood—1a) Emptiness, nothingness, vanity, 1b) Emptiness of speech, lying, 1c) Worthlessness(of conduct). Strong—from the same as awv show’ in the sense of desolating; Evil(as destructive), literally--Ruin, or morally(especially)--Guile; figuratively--Idolatry(as false, subjective), uselessness(as deceptive, objective; also adverbially--In vain).
Argumentation:
Solomon realized that no ‘job’ could ever meet anyone’s spiritual need:
Eccl. 1:2-3—“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?”
Eccl. 2:11—“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”
Eccl. 12:13-14—“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”
Matt. 6:5-21—“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues & on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. “But you, when you pray, go into your room, & when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; & your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head & wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; & your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Mk. 10:17-22—“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, & asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father & your mother.’” And he answered & said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, & said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have & give to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven; & come, take up the cross, & follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, & went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” He was unwilling to part with his possessions—he had allowed his possessions to become his god!...his labors—Useless...For nought!
Prov. 16:7-9—“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice. A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”
1Cor. 3:1-10—“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk & not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, & even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, & divisions among you, are you not carnal & behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” & another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, & who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants & he who waters are one, & each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”
Illustration:
Building a car for auction/Beautiful!...Precise...Perfection...Clean lines...Spotless paint!/Now suppose that vehicle into which you have put so much effort & into which you have involved others had everything EXCEPT an engine...It was only ‘perfect’ on the outside but not on the inside!/Wasted effort!/LABOR, but NOT the Lord’s Labor!
I could be very easily seen as one who parades his Bible reading/You see, most mornings(way after the sun has risen), I do make an effort to sit outside at our table under the carport to read/On sunny mornings I usually take a large beach towel & drape it over the wooden frame of the carport on the side facing the sun & sit down in our rocker, facing east & looking out over the adjacent unimproved lot/Anyone who drives or walks by might think, ‘That preacher over at First Baptist is an arrogant sort, look how he wants everybody to know that he’s ‘reading his Bible!’...he thinks he’s so much better than everybody!’...
ACTUALLY though...the reason I hang the towel, is to block the sun from my eyes!/The onlooker’s LABOR is their own, while my LABOR Is The Lord’s
Application:
?Is YOUR LABOR the Lord’s LABOR?
?Is Your house the Lord’s house?
?Will whatever you ‘build’ survive eternally?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Plans are needed to build anything worth having!...Especially a life that speaks of Christ!
Action:
Your ‘house’ is the Lord’s ‘house’ when...
1. Your LABOR Is The Lord’s(:1a-b)
Pt. 1 only! Presented 06/18/2017am(Father’s Day) to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. ‘A’)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
