YOUR HOUSE Is The LORD's HOUSE-II—Psalm 127:1-5
Attention:
A Krispy Kreme franchise:
Everything about your business, speaks of all that Krispy Kreme proffers—
A neon-ish ‘Hot Doughnuts Now’ sign...
Helpful cheerful employees...
A clean shiny stainless steel conveyor belt for frying & icing hot fresh doughnuts that slowly parades them before customers behind glass...
Delicious hot & fresh coffee...
Cold individual sized milk containers...
Krispy Kreme paraphernalia/memorabilia(shirts, hats, pants underwear, Koosies, etc.)...A sitting area(for conversation)...
Wi-Fi for business(or not conversing)...
Ample parking, etc.
Your Krispy Kreme franchise is Krispy Kreme’s franchise!
YOUR HOUSE Is The LORD's HOUSE!
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.
We have previously found that...
Your ‘house’ is the Lord’s ‘house’ when...
1. Your LABOR Is The Lord’s(:1a-b)
Likewise we will find that...
2—Your house is the Lord’s house when...
Your WATCH Is The Lord’s(:1c-d)
Explanation:(:1c-d)Guarding
:1—“...Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”
Likewise, as with the building of the “house,” “Unless” God Himself “guards” the city, there is no need of a watchman’s watching/labor because once the LORD removes His protecting hand, nothing but human effort can bring protection from destruction & human effort is merely temporary & will fail!
If our watching is NOT compelled, empowered, & directed by the Spirit of God, then all of our efforts are wasted.
We are bad to elevate a ‘vigilante spirit,’ calling attention to injustice We want to take it upon ourselves alone to ‘restore justice’ to it’s ‘rightful’ place.
However, vigilantism makes rash individual decisions so that it bypasses ‘due process.’ It may give undue credence to mere rumors made in emotional duress by those who know nothing of the reality! Is it right to protest an injustice & then loot the establishments of upstanding businessmen & women who are innocent of wrongdoing?—NO!
Protection begins with & in one’s primary responsibility of one’s own “house,” which in-turn extends to the wider arena of one’s “city.”
The “watchman” is intent upon—“to preserve it[one’s “city”/one’s ‘city’/‘the’ city] from riots, robberies, fires, etc. This may be applied to the church of God, the city of the living God, of which saints are fellow citizens: now in this city there are watchmen,”.....
“there are others[watchmen] who are awake & diligent, & watch in all things; & for the souls of men, & the good of the city, the church, to prevent heresies, errors, & immoralities; & yet all their watchfulness is in vain, unless the Lord keep it, who watches over his people for good, & that none hurt them.”—John Gill
God’s people watch as does the Lord Himself. We must be concerned to have the mind of Christ(1Cor. 2:16; Php. 2:4-5). We must have His priorities, His loves, His inclusions & exclusions.. God’s people notice that which pleases & displeases God thru Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit will prick our hearts if we allow ourselves to be trained in righteousness. But what exactly is it that God “Guards” & Watches”?
Ps. 130:6—“My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Heb. 12:11-17—“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, & the feeble knees, & make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, & holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, & by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”
“Unless/Except”2X—Ma 'eem—Conditional Particle—1) If—1a) conditional clauses—1a1) Of possible situations, 1a2) Of impossible situations, 1b) Oath contexts—1b1) No, not, 1c) If...if, whether...or, whether...or...or, 1d) When, whenever, 1e) Since, 1f) interrogative particle, 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.
“Guards/Keep” & “Watchman”(below)—rmv shaw-mar’—Qal Imperfect—1) To keep, guard, observe, give heed; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To keep, have charge of, 1a2) To keep, guard, keep watch & ward, protect, save life—1a2a) Watch, watchman(participle), 1a3) To watch for, wait for, 1a4) To watch, observe, 1a5) To keep, retain, treasure up(in memory), 1a6) To keep(within bounds), restrain, 1a7) To observe, celebrate, keep(sabbath or covenant or commands), perform(vow), 1a8) To keep, preserve, protect, 1a9) To keep, reserve. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To hedge about(as with thorns), i.e. Guard; generally--To protect, attend to, etc..
“City”—rye `eeyr, OR(in the plural)--re `awr, OR--rye aw-yar'(Jud 10:4)—Noun Masc.—1)Excitement, anguish—a)Of terror; 2)City, town(a place of waking, guarded)—a)City, town. Strong—A city(a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense(even of a mere encampment or post).
From—rwe ‘oowr—a primitive root; To wake(literally or figuratively).
“Watchman/Watchmen”(See “Guards/Keep”)—rmv shamar—Qal Active Participle—Participle=‘Watching”
“Stays awake/Waketh/Keeps Awake/Stand Guard”—dkv shä·kad’—Qal Perfect—1)To wake, watch, awake, be alert—(Qal)--a)To keep watch of, be wakeful over, b)To be wakeful, wake(as mourner or sufferer). Strong—a primitive root; To be alert, i.e. Sleepless; hence--To be on the lookout(whether for good or ill).
“Vain”2X(See :1b, :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:
Prov. 21:30-31—“There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.”
We must give our all to that which pleases the Lord, all the while knowing that we are powerless without God & His direction!
Gen. 11:1-9—“Now the whole earth had one language & one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, & they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks & bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, & they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, & a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” But the LORD came down to see the city & the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one & they all have one language, & this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down & there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, & they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; & from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”
Ex. 14:8-14, 15-16, 21-22, 26-29—“And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, & he pursued the children of Israel; & the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses & chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen & his army, & overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, & behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, & the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? “Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, & see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, & you shall hold your peace.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, & stretch out your hand over the sea & divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”.....“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; & the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, & made the sea into dry land, & the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, & the waters were a wall to them on their right hand & on their left.”.....“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, & on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; & when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned & covered the chariots, the horsemen, & all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, & the waters were a wall to them on their right hand & on their left.”
Moses was responsible for leading Israel to the edge of the sea & eventually thru it(on dry land). Moses maintained that watch...He “guarded” his ‘city’ as it were. But were it not for God, Moses’ actions would have been foolhardy, & selfish, arrogant.
Lk. 12:15-21—“And He said to them, “Take heed & beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns & build greater, & there I will store all my crops & my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, & be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, & is not rich toward God.”
Acts 12:20-23—“Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre & Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, & having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne & gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god & not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms & died.”
You can set yourself up nicely & ‘take good care of yourself’—You can eat the right foods & in the correct amounts...You can live a modest lifestyle(not extravagant)...You can get regular exercise...Eat free-range meat & eggs...or be vegetarian or vegan...& eat organic vegetables...!! & still die unexpectedly!—
Like:
1)The young man(early 20’s), who was involved in a car accident, who had to have almost half of his brain removed.
2)The young man(mid-20’s), a music director in his church, who had a massive stroke.
Js. 4:13-17—“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such & such a city, spend a year there, buy & sell, & make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time & then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live & do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good & does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Lk. 12:4, 5—“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, & after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
Mat. 26:36-44—“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, & said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go & pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter & the two sons of Zebedee, & He began to be sorrowful & deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here & watch with Me.” He went a little farther & fell on His face, & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples & found them asleep, & said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? “Watch & pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came & found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, & prayed the third time, saying the same words.”
Illustration:
Some popular warning signs you can buy for your house:
“I don’t call 911—This property protected by Smith & Wesson security.”
“Thieves—Please carry ID so we can notify next of kin.”
“That door you just kicked in was locked for your protection not mine.”
These sound like no-nonsense tough guy statements & are!/But no matter how tough you are...or how many guns you have...or how watchful...you must sleep, you must rest...you are wasting your life & losing sleep over empty things/What if the Lord leads you to move to another, safer location so you won’t have to be bothered by such madness?/What if the Lord God has you watch as He watches so that rather than worry about your stuff, that you watch for the needs of others with love/Only with God’s protection, is your city secure!/WATCH
Whenever someone is traveling in our family, by whatever means, & for whatever distance—but especially longer overnight trips/We are anxious for them to arrive wherever they are going/If by plane:—We download our live-flight check app/If by car:—We call them regularly until they arrive safely/God watches over you so that you will attentively ‘arrive’ safely/WATCH
Me temporarily letting the cat outside/She generally stays near me but, I keep a much closer ‘watch’ on the cat(compared to the dog who always comes home) because I suspect she would not come back as readily—after all she was feral at one point in her life/Regardless of my ‘watching’ once outside, the cat could very easily go wherever she desired & never come back/But I still anxiously Watch for her return/WATCH
A soldier guarding the door of a fort/Pointless if the enemy comes by other means!—air-subterranean/WATCH
During VBS, we wear bracelets that read, ‘Watch For God’/Your WATCH Is The Lord’s WATCH
Application:
?Is YOUR WATCH the Lord’s WATCH?
?Have you invited God to watch over your home?
?Is Your house the Lord’s house?
?Will whatever you ‘build’ survive eternally?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
A Krispy Kreme franchise—YOUR Krispy Kreme franchise is Krispy Kreme’s franchise!
Action:
Your ‘house’ is the Lord’s ‘house’ when...
2. Your WATCH Is The Lord’s(:1c-d)
1. Your LABOR Is The Lord’s(:1a-b)
Pt. #2 only! Presented 06/25/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. ‘A’)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
