The Lord Builds the House
(Part 1)
Let us begin this study by looking at Psalm 127:1-2
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2 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.
This passage is primarily directed toward the family, but it applies to the church as well. Throughout the New Testament we see that God uses the family to illustrate how He deals with the church. Just as the family is the symbol of the church, a strong family directly benefits the church.
We must realize that it is not our labors that create success for the Lord alone builds the house. This is true for your family and it is true for the house we call our local church. Your labors are in vain unless the Lord builds the house. Over the next few weeks, I want to look at how the church is established based on scripture and how that we must be hearers and doers of the word. God will honor those who honor Him. In 1 Samuel 2:30, God stated, “Those who honor Me I will honor”. If you honor God, God will honor you and this church. If we are faithful to keep and do His word, the Lord will be faithful to give us His kingdom and His promises.
It is not the hearers of the word that benefit from God’s promises but those who apply the word and do His will. The world is filled with churches and the churches are filled with people who have been hearers of the word their entire life, yet very few will have any real impact that has any eternal significance. I believe that many people are very sincere and want to do what is right, but because true discipleship is lacking in the church, we just simply don’t know what we need to do. I was raised in church but looking back I cannot see one example of real discipleship in my life. I was taught the word, but never was I taught how to be a doer of the word. I spent many years sitting idly without knowing what I needed to do. Most teachers do not know how to disciple and most preachers do not know how to disciple either. In the Bible we see examples of discipleship in leaders such as Paul doing the work and using others such as Timothy, Barnabas, Titus and many others in the work of ministry until they come to the point in their lives where they are able to go out and minister from a biblical perspective as they hear God’s call in their own lives.
If you look at the ministry of Jesus, He taught, led by example, commissioned and then sent others out to do. He then followed up by gathering them together to teach and equip them as they gained ministry experience. God indeed calls us to study the word to lay our foundation of understanding, but then tests us by giving us increasingly more responsibility as we show ourselves faithful. Look at James 1:21-27
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Pure religion requires that we first lay aside our flesh and the things that hinder our walk with God, receive the word, do the word, and remain unspotted from the world as we do the work God has equipped us to do. Knowing and applying the scriptures to our lives is a foundational principle. Unless the word of God is the foundation of our lives and ministry, there can be no success. There can be an outward appearance of success when a church can appeal to the fleshly mind and get praise and achieve worldly success, but this means nothing. It is vain for you to build the house or labor to succeed. Anything done through efforts of the flesh has no eternal significance and no eternal reward – for it is all in vain.
Consider the gospel message preached through the account of Gideon. In fact, this account should be an encouragement to the church for it shows that God’s work is not dependent on a multitude. When God called Gideon, he was unequipped, inexperienced and had no leadership or abilities that would make the people take note of him. God commanded and Gideon obeyed – even when he was in fear. He was afraid of his own people, but obeyed God to cast down the idols even though he had to secretly do it by night. He went to war even though he was afraid of the Midian army gathered against him. There will be times when we will be afraid, but even when we feel threatened, the Lord will be our confidence if we stand upon Him. Look at Psalm 27:1-5
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident. 4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: 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. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
The Lord showed Gideon that He alone was the power to protect and do every good work. After assuring Gideon, God narrowed his armies down to 300 men. Gideon began with well over twenty-thousand soldiers but he was still greatly outnumbered. The Midian army was a joint force between the Midians, Amalekites, and other nations from the east. They were so large in multitude that they were not able to number them. God’s plan was foolish based on human standards, but the Christian life is always foolish unless you recognize that God is the power behind the work.
If we think it sounds foolish to send all but three hundred men away, the attack plan was even worse. God gave them the command to take a clay pot, put a lamp in the pot and surround the camp. At the sound of the trumpet, these men were commanded to shout and then shatter the pots and hold up the lamps. This is the same battle plan that God gives the church today and we must be faithful to do this. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We have the treasure of our salvation and the light of the Holy Spirit in our earthen vessels as the children of Israel did under Gideon. The command they were given was to break the earthen pots so that the light would shine forth and then God would accomplish His mighty work without them having to defeat anyone. We to must allow our lights to shine. Our flesh prevents the culture around us from seeing the light. When we are living for ourselves to feed our fleshly desires, the light of the Spirit may indeed be within us, but it does not shine forth until we are broken, our flesh is out of the way and then the Lord will do His mighty work through us.
This is what becoming a doer of the word is all about. Over the next several weeks, we are going to be looking at how we become faithful keepers and doers of the word.
True Vision – Seeing the call of God.
Now look at Proverbs 29:
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
This is a commonly quoted passage of scripture and when it is taken out of context, it is abused and twisted into a false doctrine that is foreign to the gospel. I have seen this used dozens of times and the first phrase is the only thing that is quoted; however, you cannot apply the first part of this passage without the second part that commands us to keep the law (or God’s commandments).
Let’s dig into this passage a little bit for it is rich with meaning and application. First look at the word vision. The word ‘vision’ is the Hebrew word chazown {khaw-zone'} which means prophecy, revelation, or divine communication. This passage is telling us the importance of God’s divine communication or the revelation of His word. God, through His divine word has given us a vision to do His will and fulfill His word. I would like to take a few minutes to examine what biblical vision is all about.
Many of the modern church movements have adopted the pagan practice of ‘vision casting’. Vision casting is the practice of imagining something you want to come to pass, meditate on that vision that comes from your own imagination and then speaking it into existence. This is a New Age practice that has been around for thousands of years, but is completely anti-biblical. As the true revelation based on the word has ceased because of a lack of faithfulness to the word of God, the concept of vision has become something man declares rather than something God has declared. The Bible says in Proverbs 28:
26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Add to this Jeremiah 17:9-10
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Vision casting and the modern church doctrine of the pastor creating his own vision instructs pastors and ‘visionaries’ to become fools. Since the heart of man is deceitful and wicked, we cannot trust in our own hearts. Just look at your own past. When you want something or to do something you know is wrong, you can justify in your own heart a reason to do it. Prisons are filled with men and women who trusted their heart and many still do not think that their actions were wrong. If your heart is the standard by which you determine what is right and wrong, you will make many foolish decisions. True vision is found in Psalm 119:14-18
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. 17 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
You can read the scriptures and acquire knowledge without understanding. We are dependent on God to open our eyes to see truth, gain understanding and teach us His ways. True vision is God opening our eyes to see the truth of His word, opening our eyes to see the fields of ministry all around us, and opening our eyes so we can see our role in His plan. God opens the door of ministry and then opens our eyes to see it. However, we must first be delighting ourselves in His word before He will open our eyes.
Consider how many times God blinded the eyes of man so that he could not see until God opened their eyes. Even though Jesus clearly foretold of His death, burial and resurrection, these events took His disciples by surprise. Many times we are told that their hearts were hardened so that they could not understand. Concerning Israel, the Bible says in John 12:39-40
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Like Israel, our eyes remain closed until the Lord enlightens us. The men who walked from Emmaus talked with Jesus as He explained the scriptures to them, but their eyes were held until Jesus opened them to recognize Him. In the Old Testament, Hagar was sent away from Abraham. She and her son were in danger of dehydrating in the wilderness. She cried aloud and the Lord answered her. Then the Bible says in Genesis 21:
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
When God provided a substitutionary sacrifice to Abraham, the Lord opened his eyes to see a ram caught in the thicket. In each of these cases and many more, one thing is common among them, God held their eyes until He chose to open them. The provision of God was there all along, but they could not see what God had for them until He opened their eyes.
The same is true for you. Your eyes are held from seeing all that God has and all God is calling you to do until you are at a place in your life to be used. Then God will open your eyes to see it. The people who close their eyes will fall away and never see the vision of God. The Bible says that a church that is faithful to keep His word and not deny His name, God will set before them an open door that no man can shut (Revelation 3:7-8). He will open the door for you to minister and then He will open your eyes to see that door and see His call in your own life.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. The word perish in this passage is the Hebrew word para` {paw-rah'} which means to show a lack of restraint, be cut loose, or to show neglect. This is a completely different word used in passages such as Psalm 1:
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
In this passage, the word translated into perish is 'abad {aw-bad'} which means to die, perish or be destroyed. This is the final judgment for those who are never redeemed. To cast off restraint is significant because it indicates a state of spiritual immaturity and the lack of unity in the church. The end of this passage says, “he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Those who abide in the word of God and keep His ways will be set above the consequences that come upon those who neglect the divine revelation of His word and begin to go astray. Look around any church that lacks a vision for God’s word and what do you see? There is no unity or focus on God’s work in the church, people are doing their own thing or doing nothing at all and because there are no bonds of unity, members will begin to go astray and drop out of the local congregation. The opposite is true for those who keep the word of God for they will be happy as they focus on the mission God has given to the church as they apply their lives to the work of God. They will succeed because God is working through them. When our flesh gets out of the way, God shines forth to the world around us and uses us to reach lives God will change.
When we have unity in faith and truth, we will have unity in the call of God as He opens our eyes to see the mission of the local church. God will open our eyes to see the needs around us and to the call of God to take our role in the mission of our local assembly. The open door comes to God’s people who keep His word. The most important thing you can do for the local church is to set your heart to seek the Lord. As you grow in maturity, you will be used by God to be a fire to others and God will raise you up to fulfill your own ministry.
A People after God’s Heart.
When the members of the local assembly begin to get a heart for God, you will see God move in the church. God will move in the heart of the individual and then it will directly affect the church. We will look at this in greater detail later in this study. Consider this passage in 1 Corinthians 1:
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
God is not looking for the one who has talent, self-assurance, credentials, a commanding presence, or any other ability that the human mind would look at and identify as a potential great leader. Consider the men who God called throughout the scriptures. Abraham was not a mighty man. On several occasions Abraham hid behind Sarah because he was afraid for his life. Jacob was a manipulator until God called him, changed his name from Jacob which means supplanter to Israel which means God prevails. Moses was timid and poor in speech. Gideon was young and fearful. King David was an emotional basket case many times during his reign as king over Israel.
Consider the life of King David. David was not a great man until God raised him up. God did mighty things through him because he was tenderhearted and humble before God. If you read the life of David, he was greatly affected by his emotions and on several occasions they got the best of him. When his son Absalom rose up and tried to take the kingdom, David fled with those loyal to his throne. He loved his son and when the civil war took place, his son was killed. His loyal men returned only to find David weeping and morning for those who rebelled against the kingdom. He almost alienated his loyal people because of the shame he caused among his army by showing more compassion on his enemies than his defenders.
If you read the life of David you will see many times when he showed himself to be an average man with normal problems. In the Psalms you can see how he was given to depression and anxiety, but he overcame these things by taking comfort and courage in the Lord. This was the greatness of King David. It was not the man, but the faith of the man in the Lord God. God hand picked David for one reason. Look at 1 Samuel 13:13-14
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
When Saul was made king over Israel, he was also a timid man. God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him as king. Saul was afraid so he hid himself among sheaves. In time, Saul became proud and through his own arrogance he quit listening to God and began to value the wisdom of his own heart over the word of the Lord. He disobeyed God on several occasions. In 1 Samuel 15, God told Saul that when he was little in his own sight, God anointed him king over Israel. Now, through pride, Saul saw himself as being wiser than the word of God and he made changes to God’s commands to fit his own understanding. Since Saul no longer followed after God, the Lord declared that He has sought after a man who is after God’s own heart. This was the might behind David. God did not choose a man who was mighty, but a man who was after God’s heart. David was established through faith and was obedient to the Lord all his life.
This is the strength behind the Christian life. God is not looking for great leaders, but humble men and women who will seek Him and search out the heart of God. If you want to see God use you, set your heart to be after the heart of God. Very rarely does God call those we think would be great leaders. As the church departs from the faith, the church organization has begun to seek out leaders based on worldly standards, but if God is not behind this, the local church will have no eternal significance. The power behind your ministry is not your abilities, attributes, or credentials. The Lord alone must be the power behind ministry – otherwise it is merely a human effort. Unless the Lord builds the house, your labors are in vain. Man can build an organization and give an appearance of success, but only the hand of God can create true, eternal success and empower us to make disciples who will be transformed into the image of Christ.
God has the power to take an unqualified, unconfident, unspiritual person and show His power through them by accomplishing His work. The prophet Isaiah was such a man. When God first appeared to Isaiah, this man cried out, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Then God touched him, purged his sins and then asked the question, “Who can I send for Us” in reference to reaching Israel with the word of God. Isaiah responded with a passionate cry, “Here am I, send me”. One moment Isaiah was unqualified for ministry and recognized his inability to even stand before the Lord, the next minute he is pleading with God to send him to do the work of ministry.
Isn’t this exactly what happens in the Christian life when we humble ourselves before God? God takes sinners, reveals to them their sin so that they recognize they are undone so the man or woman cries out to the Lord in repentance, God then purges our sins and equips us for the work He has created for us. We have all been saved for a purpose and God has a special calling for every person’s life. Look at Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are not saved by works, but we are saved for good works. God has prepared your work and ordained you to walk in the mission field that He prepared for you before you even knew Him. Are you walking in those works? It begins by removing the sins that easily beset us and then having a heart for God. As we seek the Lord, He will transform our minds, equip us for the work, and give us a heart to serve Him. Take this passage to heart from 2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The word of God convicts us of sin and makes us clean (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3), the word of the Lord renews our minds (Romans 12:1-2), the word of the Lord reveals to us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), the word of the Lord directs our steps (Psalm 119:105), the word of the Lord gives us instructions and leads us to wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-9), the word of the Lord preserves us and keeps us from evil (Proverbs 2:8) and the word of the Lord equips us for every good work. Since these things are true, the value we should put on seeking the Lord through His word should cause us to make studying the word the highest priority of our lives. If we begin to seek the Lord and set our hearts upon Him, we can be assured that He will reveal to us the plan for our lives and equip us to do every good work.
Isaiah began by crying “woe to me for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips”. God touched him, set him free from his sin, cleansed him and the next moment He was crying “Lord send me”.
The fields are already white with harvest. There is no need to prepare the mission field for ministry, God has already prepared it and calls us to go into the field and pray for laborers. When we have a touch from God, we will also cry out, Lord send me! God will open our eyes to see ministry needs in the church and outside of the church. It centers around God’s people being established in his word.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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