Turn with me, if you would, to
Psalm 127. Psalm 127. With everything that's
been going on with our building, I've had these verses of scripture
on my mind. Thought we could look at them
for our Bible study. Verses 1 and 2. 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. It is vain for you to
rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows,
for so he giveth his beloved sleep." That's wonderful, isn't
it? Man, that is wonderful. He said
it's vain and empty and useless and pointless to sit up all night
long worrying or to wake up at 2.30 in the morning and can't
go back to sleep because you're worrying. The heading just under this says
a song of degrees for Solomon. The word for translates of. A song of degrees of Solomon,
even they either David wrote this for his son Solomon or Solomon
wrote it himself, one of the two. But this is a song of comfort
and peace and trust and rest. Absolute rest. I've titled this
three houses. I want us to look at three houses
that this truth that we just read applies to with each one
of them. The message is salvation is of
the Lord. All right. With all three of
these houses, salvation is of the Lord, except the Lord build
the house It is not going to be built. It will not be built. If God does not do it, it's all
going to crumble and it's all going to fall. If God does not
keep the city, the city is not going to be kept. It's just not
going to be kept. But here's the good news of the
song. God is going to build the house. God is going to keep the
city. And God is going to give his
beloved sleep. He is going to give them quietness. He's going to give them rest.
He's going to give them peace. Now, if God doesn't do it, we
can cry, peace, peace, all we want to, but there will be no
peace. If God doesn't do it, there'll
be no peace. If man tries to build his own
house, just like they did in Babylon, they all said, we're
going to build our own house. The tower of Babel. I'm sure
that everyone has heard of the story of the tower of Babel. They said, we're going to build
our own house and we're going to work our own way. By our own labor, we're going
to build ourselves a house that reaches all the way to God. How foolish man is. How absolutely
foolish man is. Except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build
it. That means God is either going
to do it or it's not going to be done. Now I started thinking
about some different houses that are mentioned in the scripture.
We're going to look at three of them with each one. I want us to see that the Lord
must build that house. I believe this will be profitable
with each one. We are going to see that the
Lord must build that house. Salvation is of the Lord. What we're about to see goes
against the natural mindset of every man and woman. It goes
against it. With each one of these, man thinks
that he is at least going to be a partial builder in the house. He thinks he's at least a subcontractor
somehow in this thing. It's not so. If the Lord does
not completely build all three houses, none of them will be
built. All right, here's the first one.
Go with me to first Peter chapter two. 1 Peter 2 verse 1, it says, Wherefore,
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if so be you have
tasted that the Lord is gracious to whom coming as unto a living
stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious
you also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and
holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. He said, you are a spiritual
house. He said in chapter 1 that He
was writing to a particular people. When He said, You are, He was
writing to a particular people. Chapter 1 verse 2, He said He's
writing to those who are elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father. Through sanctification of the
Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ,
grace unto you and peace be multiplied. He's writing to God's chosen
people. And to each one, he says, you
are a spiritual house. All of God's people, all true
believers, are a spiritual house. And he said in chapter 2, verse
1, laying aside all malice, that's evil, wickedness, being malicious,
and laying aside all guile, trickery, laying aside hypocrisy, being
a hypocrite, Laying aside envies, wanting what you don't have.
Laying aside all evil speakings. He said, lay aside all of that. You're a spiritual house. You
are a spiritual house. In verse five, right here, chapter
two, he said, built to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Sometimes I fear that we get
it into our minds that because we are not saved by our works,
good works is the enemy. I fear that. It is important
to me to lay down the law that we are not saved by works. Throw it out. Grace and works
don't mix. But then it's my fear that we
get to this place where we think just because we're not saved
by works, good works is the enemy. Good works is not the enemy.
Obedience to what God has commanded in His Word, that's not the enemy,
not at all. His law is not the enemy, it's just not our salvation. It's just not our salvation. As God's people, we ought to
strive, as verse 2 says, to grow in the Word into mature believers. As verse five says to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Look
with me at first Corinthians chapter six. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 18. It says, flee fornication. Period. That's a sentence, two
words. Flee fornication. Every sin that
a man doeth is without the body, but he that commiteth fornication
sinneth against his own body. Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have
of God, and you are not your own, for you are bought with
a price? Therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's. That is what the house
of every believer ought to be. But let me go ahead and cut to
the chase. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain
that try to build it. Men and women see this. They
see this in the word and they think, hey, I better start cleaning
house. I better start renovating this
house. I got to make this house acceptable
to God. I need to get this house in order. Man cannot make his own house
acceptable to God. He cannot do it. Every work that
a man does is filthy in God's eyes. Filthy. Except the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain that try to build it. Look with me at Philippians
chapter 1. This is good news. Philippians
1 verse 6. Being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. Everything that needs to be done,
he started it and he will perform it. He's the one who will continue
what he started all the way to the end. He must perform it. Look at chapter 2 verse 13. For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He is our
wisdom, He is our righteousness, He is our sanctification, He
is our redemption. That according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Those spiritual
sacrifices unto God, He is the one offering them. He's the one
offering them. Galatians 4 says, it is His Spirit
in us crying, Abba, Father. He must build this house or it's
not going to be built. He must do it. All right, here's
the second house. Go with me to Psalm 122. Psalm 122 verse 1 says, I was
glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the
Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy
gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city
that is compact together. Each child of God is a house.
And when he brings his people together into a congregation,
into an assembly, they all collectively become his house. The house of the Lord, the walls,
the walls, the floors, the roof of this place is not his house.
This is not his house. This actual building is not his
house. We are talking about leaving
this building, but we're not leaving his house. An actual
building is not his house. The church is his house. Look with me at second Corinthians
six. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 16 says,
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are
the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. His people is his house, are
his house. And this is the fact of the matter.
except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that try to
build it. We put a lot of effort into the
ministry of the gospel. I believe we do. I say that humbly,
respectfully, by the grace of God, according to His will. But
I believe that we're trying, and if He would let us put more,
let's put more. But I believe we are trying to
put a lot of effort into the message of the gospel, the ministry
of the gospel. We're trying to get this message
out to men and women. All right, well, based on our
text, are our efforts in vain? No. This is the means that he's
chosen to use to bring his people to himself. He's chosen to use
the effort of the ministry of the gospel. But as we labor in
the ministry, we labor knowing that he is building the house. He is building the house. We
labor knowing that except the Lord build the house, we are
laboring in vain. Do we want numbers? Are we going
after numbers? No, sir. We're looking for God's sheep.
We're praying God might bring his sheep in. We're not trying
to take any credit for winning any souls. You know, everybody
wants to win souls to Christ. If any soul is going to be won,
Christ is going to win him. I'm not going to convince anybody
to bow the knee to Christ. He is the builder of his house. He's the builder. I'll be quick. Go with me to Acts 2. Acts 2 verse 41, Then they that gladly received
his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto
them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all
that believed were together and had all things common. and sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as
every man had need. And they continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." The
Lord adds to His church, to His house, whoever should be saved,
whoever is supposed to be saved. And who will be saved? Whoever
He lays hold of. Whoever God the Father gave to
Him. Whoever He shed His blood for. Whoever He sends His Spirit
to, and the Spirit whispers the call, come. That's who's going to be added.
That's who's going to be saved. I love this verse. You can listen.
This is Acts 13 verse 48. It says, and when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, believed every soul that was ordained. to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ was added to His house through faith
in Him. When it comes to our own individual
house, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain
that build it. When it comes to His house of worship, except
the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
And here's the third house. Go with me to John 14. John 14 verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me in my father's house. are many mansions. If it were
not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there you may be also." The apostle Paul told
the Corinthians, he said, we know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved, We have a building of God and
house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Our Lord called
it my father's house, a physical abode of God, the place where
God dwells, the place where God lives. And whoever Christ carries home
to be with them, Father, Son, and Spirit, is going to dwell
in that house forever. Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? Here's the answer. Whoever has
clean hands and a pure heart. How can wretched, vile sinners
like us have clean hands and a pure heart? They must be washed in the blood
of the Lamb. They must be washed in the blood
of the Lamb. The only way that we will be
accepted into the Father's house is in the Beloved. That's the
only way. In the blood of His Beloved.
He said, This is My Beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. People
think that they can do things to earn heaven. Honestly, when it comes to this,
people think somehow they have to hold a hammer. Somehow I've
got to do something. People think that they can pray
themselves or pray other people in. It's not so. It is not so. Only the Lord can
build that house. only the Lord. If any man comes
to the Father any other way than through the Son, that man will
never be accepted in. Entrance into that house only
comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord.
Look with me at Psalm 27. Psalm 27 verse 4, David said,
one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life
to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Well, David, what makes you believe
you're going to be allowed to dwell in the house of the Lord?
Verse 5, In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion,
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set
me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted
up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore will I offer in
His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will
sing praises unto the Lord. He said, I'm going to be there
because He's going to put me there. He's going to hide me
in His tabernacle, in His house, in the time of trouble and set
me on a rock. That's the only reason. All three
of these houses, this house, this house, and that house, All
three of these houses, except the Lord, build the house. They
labor in vain that build it. But don't turn back. The text
went on to say, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh
but in vain. It's vain for you to rise up
early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so
he giveth his beloved sleep. Peace and rest. When the Lord builds the house,
there is peace and rest in all three of those houses when the
lord builds the house this is i'm going to try to emphasize
this i'm done when the lord builds the house finally peace comes within the
house. Here's what happens, I'll tell
you exactly what happens. We sinners get a hold of our sin,
we get a hold of the holiness of God, and there's no peace.
There's no peace. What about my sin? What about
eternity? What about this? And what about
that? And what about, and what about,
but don't I have to? Doesn't it say I need to? Shouldn't
I be And then all of a sudden, God's Spirit comes and says,
the Lord has finished the house. Peace comes when the Lord builds
the house. Peace comes and when the Lord,
we don't want numbers. If there are only three sheep
in this city, then I only want a three person church. We're
not looking for numbers, but when the Lord builds the house,
there is peace in the house. And when the Lord builds a house,
there is eternal peace in the house. Eternal peace. We're not
going to read Psalm 23. I was going to close with that.
The Lord's my shepherd. He leads me beside still waters,
paths of righteousness. I won't be afraid. You're with
me. You prepare a table before me. Surely, goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. All right, amen. You're dismissed.