If the Lord does not build the house, your work is in vain.

STUDY: # 905 CHURCH IN THE HOUSES FROM: JULY 26, @ AUGUST 1, 2016

Topic: "If the Lord does not build the house, your work is in vain." Psalm 127:1 When you are going to build something you must depend on God. It is believed that this psalm was written for Solomon, whom David had entrusted to build the temple of Jerusalem. Psalm 127:2 "... For he gives to his beloved sleep." When someone is a "beloved of the Lord" they must depend on God. Those who want to build know they will have to work, and therefore apply all their skills and strengths. But let’s keep in mind that if the Lord is not with that person, their plans will end in failure. After the flood, men came together in rebellion, and decided to build the Tower of Babel. But the Lord made them swallow their words. Genesis 11: 7-9 "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel." If God's hand is not upon us we cannot successfully build a house of worship for His name. Unless we have His blessing, it is not possible to build a comfortable home to live in. The Holy Spirit is not a master who directs lazy and sluggish men (those who are not affected or moved; they are lazy, idle, and are always tired; they have no will, energy or spirits). The Holy Spirit does direct the minds of those who work for the providence and power of God. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT GOD RULES OVER MAN. Have you seen it over the years? Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." The psalmist is not saying that the builder should cease to work, nor is he suggesting that the guard neglects his post. It does not say that men should show their trust in God by not doing anything. No! What is been said here is that the builders do everything they can, but it is prohibited for them to put their trust in what they have done. Yes, it’s guaranteed that every effort will be in vain unless the Creator provides His power for the work to be effective. WE MUST BUILD BELIEVING IN GOD, SO THE WORK IS DONE WITHOUT FEAR. 2 Chronicles 20:2 King Jehoshaphat faced great danger. "Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar’ ..." He received bad news, and therefore feared. "Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." 2 Chronicles 20:3. He prayed and fasted along with all Judah. "And said, ‘O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you?’” 2 Chronicles 20:6. We see that in all of this Jehoshaphat’s desire was to obtain God's favor. All the men of Judah fasted and prayed so that united they confessed their sins, and asked the Lord for help. They confessed their entire "dependence" on God. Jehoshaphat said in his prayer to God: "Are you not God in heaven and dominate all the kingdoms?" Even though Jehoshaphat had a large and disciplined army available to him, he said: "... for we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU." 2 Chronicles 20:12. Jeremiah 10:23 "I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." Jeremiah acknowledges the sovereignty and mastery of divine providence. We are not under our own provision, but under God’s. Often events unfold in a very peculiar way for us, contrary to all of our expectations. It is true, we are responsible for our own actions. But there are times when we are often driven by circumstances. Man is morally weak, and doesn’t always possess the necessary strength to overcome temptation and walk righteously. Man depends entirely on God!

John 3:27 "John answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.’" You depend on God for what He has for you. But do not stand where you are not called nor trained, because it will hurt you. John the Baptist fully agrees with the divine plans by saying that a man cannot receive anything unless it is given him from heaven. That is humility, nobility and sincerity. John the Baptist knows himself very well, and knows to stay within the limits of the gift that God has given him. Let us do the same with what we receive from God. GOD, GOD, GOD GIVES EACH HUMAN BEING A GIFT, A SERVICE, A PLACE IN THE WORLD, AND IT IS CRAZY TO WANT MORE THAN GOD HAS ASSIGNED! God "gave," this shows the permanence of the gift assigned to each one. Jesus was to be guided in His earthly ministry. He would not do more than what the Father would allow Him to do. For this reason, He said, "For he whom God has sent utters the words of God ..." John 3:34 God governs over everything, and He is the one who builds and stores because in life we all pass away. He is God and has no end. Let’s depend on Him if we want everything to go well. If the Lord does not build the home, our work is in vain. We do not want to work in vain, because we want to please He who loved and saved us by bearing abundant fruit in every good deed. Amen.