Vision of Hope
November 12, 2006
Rev. Eddie Smart
Psalm 127
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one's youth.
5Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Solomon – “Unless the Lord builds the house”
House - Temple
Solomon = Master builder of Israel’s history
Wisdom 1Chronicles 11:7-13
Prosperity & Success unequaled in Israel’s history
David - plans for Temple
Solomon - God’s choice as builder
Solomon depends on God – Great
Solomon moves from God -
Kingdom becomes divided
About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.
In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?
These were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.
House could refer to today’s church
Compare to church:
Loose vision like those pioneers.
Forget reason for being.
Forget those outside of the church
Forget Great Commandment & Comission
Structure vs Mission
Ever thought the church was:
“Eating the bread of anxious toil”
Busy accomplishing nothing or little.
How often do we ask ourselves,
Who’s building this house – us or God?
Psalm about importance of trusting God
Living in dependence upon God
House = household
Unless the Lord builds the house,
Those who build it labor in vain.
EVER thought of that in terms of your family?
Psalm speaks of our Children as a Gift from God
Why were we created?
Why are we here?
We are here to be in relationship with God.
Do our children learn in their homes
How to be in an intimate relationship with their creator.
A young businessman returned home all tired out from a hard day at the office and found his two children rushing madly about the house. He gave them both a scolding and sent them off to bed as soon as they had eaten their supper. The next morning, he found this note pinned to his bedroom door:
"Be good to your children and they will be good to you.
Yours truly, God."
The Psalmist writes of
getting up early
going to bed late
& anxious toil
Not a bad description of American life.
Not only are adults running in ten directions at the same time,
we have our children, from a very early age, doing the same thing.
There is piano, band, dance, cheerleading, gymnastics, school, church
There is conditioning, football, school, special activities, work...
Where is the Lord in the midst of all the activity?
Is the Lord the builder?
Is the Lord the guard?
Is it all in vain?
The Psalmist is reminding us:
None of this is of any consequence unless
God is somehow a part of the picture.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
THE HOUSE --
the Temple, our own household, our children, our church
Are we laboring in vain?
Our Lord Jesus expressed the thoughts of the Psalmist when he said
Matthew 6:25-34
Wouldn’t it be nice to know
that our church is seeking first the kingdom of God?
each of us as individuals?
our community,
our nation
Are we seeking first God’s kingdom?
OR are we laboring & watching in vain?
What a vision of hope this Psalm is!
That is if the Lord is indeed the builder of the house
& guard of the city.