Alright, let's open back up to
Psalm 127. I hope the Lord will comfort us. I really do. I hope the Lord
will comfort me. Psalm 127, verse 1 says, Accept
the Lord. Let's start right there. That's a good place to start,
isn't it? Accept the Lord. Let's begin our worship. Let's
begin our prayer. Let's begin our praise, our song
of praise with the Lord. Always. The Lord. He comes first. Pre-eminence. He comes first
in everything. He is first. All glory goes to
Him first. Every single thing that happens
to us, in us, by us, it starts with Him. Everything. Except the Lord. Look at Psalm
120. Back just a couple of Psalms. 120 verse 1 says, In my distress, I cried unto
the Lord, and He heard me. And that's all that needed to
happen. If we begin there, we're at the
finish line. Look at Psalm 121. I will lift
up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My
help cometh from the Lord. which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 122, verse 1 says, I was glad when they said unto me,
let us go into the house of the Lord. This house. I pray that this is the Lord's
house. You know that? I don't want this
to be my house or our house. The Lord's house. Look at Psalm
123. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants
look unto the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a
maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord
our God until that he have mercy on us. We will wait until he
have mercy on us. Psalm 124. If it had not been
the Lord who was on our side. Psalm 125. They that trust in the Lord shall
be as Mount Zion. I wish I could enter into that.
Trust in the Lord. If you do, you're going to be
as Mount Zion. which cannot be removed, but abideth forever."
Isn't that wonderful? Psalm 126, when the Lord turned
again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. So Psalm 127 says, except the
Lord. Except the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain that build it. When I read that, I thought
about three things immediately. Three things went through my
mind. The first thing was this house, 905 Yadkin Street. This is the house where we meet
together. We come together to worship our
Lord. The people in it, this church, this group of believers,
this ministry, Except the Lord build this house. Except the Lord build this house,
they labor in vain that build it. You know that? They labor in vain that build
it. You know what we don't need? Numbers. We don't need those. Numbers bring problems. You know
what we need? The Lord. That's what we need. Except the Lord build this house,
they labor in vain that build it. Go over to 2nd Chronicles
chapter 7. Back toward Genesis, 2nd Chronicles
chapter 7. David wanted to build the Lord
a house. You remember that? A house of
worship. But the Lord said, I don't want
you to build me a house. Solomon is going to build it. The father, David, willed it
to happen. But the son of David was the
one who carried it out. He's the one who did the work.
He built the house. And we all know that that reminds
us of the will of the Father carried out by the Son, the Son
of God. When Solomon finished the work
of that house, he consecrated it and he prayed to God that
he would bless it and look upon it and put his name there. That's
what he called on God for. Look at chapter 7, verse 1. It
says, Now when Solomon had made an
end of praying, the fire came down from heaven and consumed
the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled
the house." Man, I pray that would happen here. Verse 2 says,
"...and the priest could not enter into the house of the Lord,
because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house."
This is His house and He can put all the glory He wants to
in it. Verse 3 says, And when all the children of Israel saw
how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house,
they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the
pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For
he is good, for his mercy endureth forever." I pray that that's
what this house says till the day we leave this earth. Our
Lord is so good, for his mercy endureth forever. Verse 4 says,
Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the
Lord. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice
of 22,000 oxen. Can you imagine? 22,000 oxen
and 120,000 sheep, 120,000 sheep. All those sheep were sacrificed
in him. That was the King's sacrifice. We are all sacrificed in him,
aren't we? The end of verse five says, so
the king and all the people dedicated the house of God and the priest
waited on their offices. They did what God called them
to do. The Levites also with instruments of music of the Lord,
which David, the king had made to praise the Lord. The musicians
did what they were called to do because his mercy endureth
forever. when David, praised by their
ministry, and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all
Israel stood." The Lord built that house. The Lord built it. Men everywhere
spend their lives trying to build their religious house. They spend
their whole life trying to do that. And they do it in the name
of God. Let's bring in the people and
bring in the money and do whatever we've got to do to get them in
here. But if they don't have the fire of God's Holy Spirit,
if they don't have the Holy Spirit, I don't care how many people
they have, I don't care how much wood, hay, and stubble they've
built up, those buildings are beautiful. But except the Lord
build the house, they labor in vain. It's going to come to nothing.
They're going to get to the end of this life, and they have nothing.
Nothing but empty religion. And God won't accept their worship,
and He won't hear their prayer. And it's horrible. But if the
Lord builds the house, if we call on Him to build the house,
if the Spirit of God is there, then the labor is not in vain.
He said, my word will not return void. Not one word on it. We wait on the Lord to build
his house. And the Lord adds daily, such
as should be saved. We pray, Lord, would you have
mercy on souls? And Lord, would you call out
sheep? But the Lord must do the work. We wait on him. Here's
the second thing that went through my mind. My house, 2456 Wildwood
Drive. My own personal house. God has
been merciful to me. He has been very merciful to
me. My desire is that God would be merciful to my house. He has
been merciful to my wife. I pray he will be merciful to
my children. I really pray that. That is my
desire. We all want to be able to say
with Joshua, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We will. We want God to save
our spouses. We want God to save our children.
But here's the thing I have got to remember. Except the Lord
build the house. They labor in vain that build
it. I have got to look to the Lord. I have got to. I've got to take my family and
put them in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all have
loved ones who make no evidence of knowing the gospel. We must take them to the Lord.
Because this is life and death. We love each other and this is
such a happy thing and here we are. But the whole planet is
going to meet God and we have loved ones who don't know God
and we got to take them to the Lord right now. I've got to take my family and
put them in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, they
are in your hands. I have two daughters. I don't
want anything to happen to them. But Lord, they are in your hands. They are in your hands. If a
house is going to be built, you're going to have to build it. You're
just going to have to build it. Well, back over to our text in
Psalm 127. Verse 1 says, the end of it says,
Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. I cannot keep myself, much less
my family, much less this church. I've got to realize that. You
know that? I cannot keep this church. It's
not in my hands. This is not my church. I can't keep anybody from falling.
I can't keep anybody in the pew. I can't keep myself in the pew.
Except the Lord keep the city. The watchman waketh but in vain. You know why? Look over at Psalm
121 verse 4. It says, Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep. And I'm asleep all the time. If Christ leaves me to myself,
I am asleep. I'm dead. I'm dead. He never goes to sleep. Isn't
that wonderful? That's a literal fact. He never,
ever goes to sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. Look
at Psalm 121 verse 7. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil. You don't need me to do it. The
Lord shall preserve thee. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going
out and thy coming in from this time forth and even forevermore. Who am I? Who am I to think that I need
to wake up and add my two cents to His great work? You know what I need to do? I
need to trust in the Lord. Everything that happens, I need
to say, except the Lord. I just need to trust in the Lord. We all need the Lord to keep
this city. Lord, keep us. We need the Lord
to keep this church. We need the Lord to keep our
families. Here's the third thing that I thought about. This house. This tabernacle that my soul
lives inside. I live inside here. The house
that your soul lives in. The house that the soul of my
child lives in. That's a little house and it
houses a soul. Except the Lord build that house,
this house. A man recently wrote an article
talking about our children and he made a really good statement
in that article. This is what he said, faith cometh
by hearing, not hearing cometh by faith. That's good, isn't
it? What he's saying is, if you care
for the soul of your child, put them under the sound of the gospel. They will not get it on their
own. We're not going to be able to
sit them down and systematically lay it out for them and just
lead them to Jesus right there. We're not going to be able to
do that. They're not going to get it and
then come in here and fellowship with everybody else. That's not
going to happen. Our families and our loved ones, they have
got to be under the sound of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing,
and it's not hearing comes by faith. They've got to hear and
learn from God's Holy Spirit. Except the Lord build the house.
That's what I've got to remember. It's not me, except the Lord
build the house. Lord, would you speak to them?
Each individual house, they labor in vain. And the reason is because
God will not share the glory of His work with anybody. Salvation
is of the Lord, isn't it? It's of the Lord. That's what
God showed each one of us. Each one of us. Go with me to
1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 5 says, Who
then is Paul? And who is Apollos? But ministers
by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I
have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So
then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth. but God that giveth the increase."
Every man's work is going to be made manifest. That's what
it says, look down in verse 11. Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build
up on this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest. For the
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire,
and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
If I feel like I can work my way to heaven, all those works I accumulate,
they're going to be tried by fire, and they are not going
to stand. They're going to be burnt up.
The end of verse 13 says, the fire shall try every man's work
of what sort it is. Verse 14, if any man's work abide,
which he hath built there upon, he shall receive a reward. If
any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he
himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Know ye not that
you are the temple of God? and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you. If any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy,
which temple you are." Every man's work is going to be made
manifest. And it's, except the Lord build this house. This is
what I need. I need for Jesus Christ to take
up residency here. I need Him to live in this house. I need Him to take control of
this house. And I need Him to take out this
heart of stone. And I need Him to put in a heart
of flesh. And I need His work that He accomplished
on the cross to pay the sin of this house. I need God to build
this house. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
out of my hands. It is totally out of my hands. The only works that are going
to stand are His works. That's it. The only true works
I have are His works. The work of His life, the work
of His death. The only true wisdom I have is His wisdom. That's
it. God built this house. God built this house. And the
Holy Spirit of God dwells in this house. I pray, if God has
chosen me, dwell in this house, dwell in this house, dwell in
this house, and let us dwell in you. That's our only hope.
That's our only hope. Look at 1 Corinthians 3 here,
verse 1. And I, brethren, could not speak
unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
babes in Christ." I love the fact that he speaks
to us as babes in Christ. Really, milk, sincere milk. If I as a child ever see and
receive the labor of the Lord, the work of the Lord, The man,
Jesus Christ, if the Lord builds this house, He's going to build
it on the rock, which is Jesus Christ, a firm foundation, and
it's going to stand. It will stand. So let's all cry
unto the Lord, build this house. Build this house. Let's cry on
behalf of ourselves and on behalf of our children, Lord, build
this house. I can't do it. I just can't do
it. My labor's in vain. Go back over
to Psalm 127. If the Lord has built this house, if you know that your salvation
is not dependent on any of your works, you didn't take part in
any of the building, salvation is of the Lord. Verse 2 says,
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. If I know that my own salvation
and the salvation of my household and the salvation of this church
is of the Lord, If the Lord will really let me enter into that
and really cause me to believe that, then it is vain for me
to rise up early and to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows,
for so he giveth his beloved sleep. You know what that means? That means rest in the Lord. That's what it means. I did not know worry in my life
until I came to Kingsport, Tennessee. I thought I did. Rest in the Lord. Rest in the
Lord. Just rest in the Lord. Is the
Lord encouraging His people to be lazy and just sit around all
day and just do nothing? No. Seek the Lord early. Get up early. and seek the Lord. Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might. But what he's saying is, all
ye who labor and are heavy laden, all ye who rise up early and
sit up late, eating the bread of sorrows." I don't like that
bread. The bread of sorrows over your
own sin and your own salvation. The sin and the salvation of
your children and your loved ones? Go to Him. Go to Him. Really, go to Him. Take it all to Him. That's what
it means. Accept the Lord, build the house,
you can labor all you want to, but your labor is going to be
in vain. You can spin those wheels and you can do whatever you want
to do, but it's going to be in vain. Put it in the hands of
the Lord and then fluff up your pillow and go to sleep. I just
think that's fantastic. Put it in his hands. Put your
family in his hands. Put this church in his hands
and he'll give us rest. I want to read something to you,
a man named Henry Melville said this from the mid-1800s. The world would give its favorites
power, wealth, distinction. God gives sleep. Could he give
anything better? to give sleep when the storm
is raging, to give sleep when conscience is arraying a long
catalog of sins, to give sleep when evil angels are trying to
overturn our confidence in Christ, to give sleep when death is approaching,
when judgment is at hand. Oh, what gift could be more suitable? What more worthy of God, or what
more precious to the soul? Is there anything better? Rest
in Christ. Just rest. 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 what our children
need to learn to do from a young age. That's what we need to learn
to do no matter how old we are. Leave it in the hands of the
watchman. He never goes to sleep. Never. our watchman. He says we are
His beloved. Look at verse 3 here in Psalm
127. Lo, children are an heritage
of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. We are
His children. We're His children. I thought
about Sophie is my beloved. And Isabella is too, but I want
to give you an illustration on Sophie. She has this little stuffed
animal, and his name is White Bear. And she cannot live without
him. To the point where if she loses
him, she won't go to sleep. And it's not that angry, rebellious
cry. It's that break my soul, broken,
sad cry. So do you know what I do? I go
searching for White Bear. And buddy, we search all the
time. And I'm outside in the cold, and I'm digging through
the van, and if she leaves him at a restaurant, we go back to
the restaurant. Why do I do all that? The reason
is because I desire to give my beloved sleep. Sleep. We are His children. We're His
children. And we cry over the silliest
things, the things that really don't mean much to Him. Don't you love the thought of
being His little child and leaving all the work and all the burden
and all the responsibility in His hand? I love that. Well, verse 3 says, We are His reward. Look at Psalm 2 verse 8. Psalm 2 verse 8, this is God
the Father speaking to God the Son. Psalm 2 verse 8, He says,
Ask of Me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance."
That's you and me. The heathen. We are His children. We are His reward. We are His inheritance. You know
what our inheritance is? Christ and every single thing
that is in Him and given to Him by God the Father. You know what
His is? Us. But we are His reward. Back over in Psalm 127, verse
3 says, Lo, children are in heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of
the womb is His reward. As arrows are in the hand of
a mighty man, so are children of the youth. We are His arrows,
and He is the mighty man. We are in His hand. We are pawns
in His hand. puppets, arrows. And you know what He's going
to do with us? He is going to put us wherever He wants us. He's going to use us for whatever
He desires. Verse 5 says, Happy is the man
that hath his quiver full of them, they shall not be ashamed. He will not lose one of his arrows. Not one. His quiver is going
to be full. Verse 5 says, Happy is the man
that hath his quiver full of them, they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. I have a
margin By the word speak, I have a number five, and down at the
bottom of that it says destroy. They shall destroy the enemies
in the gate. The victory of the arrow depends
on the marksman with the bow. You know that? The arrow really
gets no glory. Without a mighty man and his
bow and arrow is useless. It's useless. All the glory goes
to him, except the Lord. I love this song. This is hymn
number 36. Verse 2 says, did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing. We're not the right man on our
side, the man of God's own choosing. Just ask who that may be. Christ
Jesus it is He. Lord Sabbath is His name. From
age to age the same. And He must win the battle. And
He has won the battle. He's defeated death. If He's
defeated death, what else do we have to worry about? If He's
defeated sin, what else do we have to worry about? So a couple
of toys got rearranged here. He must win the battle. He has
won the battle. That's the good news. He won
the battle. It is finished. He has built the house and he
will build the house. So let's rest in him. Let's rest
in his house. All right. I hope the Lord will
bless that. Let's stand together.