“UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE”
Psalm 127
As we prepare to
dedicate our new addition we want to consider what place our Lord has in all of
this. And we relate it not only to this
building, but to all of life.
A person is foolish to plan
and live life without including God in all decisions. Jesus told a parable of a
prosperous farmer who kept building bigger barns. There was only one problem
with this farmer - he omitted God. For
this folly God labeled him a fool. And
we would certainly be foolish to build this building and dedicate it without
consideration to building for God’s glory.
Psalm 127 deals with the folly of human
experience that leaves God out of the equation.
Our plans will
only flourish with the wisdom and goodness of the God of the universe. Psalms 127 presents several aspects of life that will end in failure if God is not considered.
The family must be the
central institution of any viable society (Ps. 127:1 a).
The psalmist referred to people who
considered social plans with a secular concept.
People can construct an ideal social structure on paper and in their
minds.
Houses must be built with God in mind. Building without God is
folly. In Genesis people
sought to build a tower without God, and it led ultimately to confusion.
Jesus told about a person who built his house on the sand with disastrous
results.
Nations rise and fall on the basis
of the success or failure of the family.
Social life in today’s world must be
structured with God in mind. Social problems abound because people have built
selfishly rather than with God's help.
The Church has been established as the core
institution to build the family of God in faith.
God
must be included in the life of the city (Ps. I27:lb).
Cities are strategic centers
of life. The psalmist referred to people who lived in
the city without God.
God
secures life in the city. The safety of cities is not in the
gates, nor in the council, nor in law enforcement. God brings
safety to a city.
City
life must be influenced by people who know the Lord. Cities
that have become jungles of violence can become havens of peace.
God must be included in business (Ps. 127:2).
Work comprises a large portion of life. The
psalmist referred to people who labored without reliance on
God. The greatest labor according to God's Word is that which
depends on God.
God must not be omitted from business. Though
people work tirelessly from dawn until late at night, their labors will be
fruitless unless they depend on God. Great anxiety results when
people do not trust the Lord.
Business will be blessed when God is
considered. If businesses would depend on
God and his principles, business would be great.
God must be preeminent in domestic life
(127:3-5).
Families are symbols of God's blessing. The
Old Testament regarded parents as experiencing God's special favor.
Home is a strategic center of life.
God must not be left out of the family. Tragically,
God is being left out of families. Marriages are being dissolved,
and children lack serious responsibility and respect.
Godly families build a great
nation.
The church was the center of life for the
early Christians. So continuing daily
with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate
their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praise God and having favor
with all the people. And the Lord added
to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts
The church is to represent our Lord before
the world in which we live. In all our
activities we need to ask, “Is this going to glorify God?”
The first Christians continued worship and fellowship in the
Following exclusion from the
After official acceptance of the Christian faith the Church began to
build houses of worship.
In Christian communities the church commanded a central and prominent
location.
In many communities the church also served as community center and
school.
Life centered around the church.
Our desire should be
that we regain our prominence in the community as a place where our Lord is
glorified in all that we do in life.
Is there something missing in your life? You could be leaving God
out of your social, civic, business, or
domestic life. If so, your life will be lived in vain. Put God in the center of life, and allow him to
permeate every aspect of your life.
In early Acts we discover that the believers met together
regularly for instruction and breaking bread together (fellowship meals).
The building is not primary in ministry but it is an
important extension of ministry to the community and the family of God.
We can worship without a building. We can be in ministry without a
building. But the church is a place of
preparation for ministry. It is a place
of refuge, a place of comfort and peace, a place to draw near to our Lord, a
place where we gather as the body of Christ to be instructed and built up and a
place of fellowship for the body of Christ.
© 2007,