The House That The Lord Built

Psalms 127:1 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.

To begin with brothers and sisters,Christian Friends Well Wishers and Saints of God, It gives me a plum pleasing privilege to present the word of God to this waiting congregation. It’s been a long time since I preached here.The Late Great Samuel Singleton, Jr. was my father in the Gospel. And now I’m here preaching for Rev Mark Steward who is also his son in the Gospel. We’ll always have a special bond and the Lord said this right nah 2023 message to Second Baptist Church.

The Message is “unless God build the house Nothing isn’t going to workout the way God designed it to work! The first thing I want to talk about Is The Right Way To Build Upon God’s House.

We have to be the kind of church that makes God looks good. Here’s what I’m talking about. In the book of Genesis in the 6 th chapter The people in biblical antiquity were cutting up and doing all sorts of evils stuff and Noah told them to get right church and let’s go home because the Lord God Almighty says that it’s going to rain.

I imagine that the people talked about Noah pretty bad. Rev. Noah preach the same sermon . I wish he preach another sermon. All Rev Noah talks about is it’s going to rain. We done heard every sermon known to mankind on the subject of it’s going to rain.

But Noah kept on preaching it’s going to rain. For 120 years the same message, It’s going to rain. Meanwhile if you read Genesis Noah was building the ark that God told him to build. 450 ft long by 75 ft wide by 45 ft high. Building building building!!! And as long as Noah built what God said to build the materials never ran out, his carpentry skill set was impeccable, His insight for gathering every kind of animal to go on the ark was nothing short of miraculous. You try to get a lion and tiger into their cages together without fighting, You try to get sheep away from hungry wolves that’s waiting for you to turn your back. You try to keep poisonous snakes away from small rodents that hide in the nooks cracks and crannies, It was hard! This was a zookeeper’s nightmare. But Noah managed it and built the Ark that God told him to build. Everybody say “Noah built the Ark”. Lastly long short short God took care of the rest.... Pastor you just build and God will take care of the rest. In 2023 Build this House!!! And smile while you’re doing it and watch how good God blesses this House. And the church said Amen

Psalm 127:1  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.

However the antithesis to building the house the right way, is building the house the wrong way. Building the House the wrong way. If you build it without God you’re going to have some trouble. In Genesis 11:5 Nimrod and his folks decided to build a city and a tower that reach up into the heaven. They thought that they could supersede God Almighty and be their own gods. And the Lord said Let’s go down and see what mankind has imagined in his heart to do. They had carpenters plumbers brick masons, tile cutters stone cutters,and skilled laborers of every kind. But they had one big big big problem. They were deciding to build without God.

In fact they builded in direct opposition against God. They wanted to be their own god. And Long story short God confused their communication skills and nobody understood anybody and everybody had to split up and go their separate ways. It’s the same way in the church in 2023 we have to be on one accord. If we are on one accord we can work together for the acculturation and shared goals and values or the local church’s.

And it has to be what work in the local acculturation at Second Baptist. Because what works up the river at Shiloh or down the bayou at Pilgrim may not work here. Come on say Amen.

The theme text says that if God is not fully in the plan, If the Lord don’t build the house, you can have the best preacher pastor teacher leader and it still won’t work. You can have the best deacons and trustees but if God is not in the plan it’s all for nothing. because the bible says in the NCV If the LORD doesn’t guard the city, the guards are watching for nothing.

Let read out theme scripture again in Psalm 127:1  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. Pastor, I’m not being vain but I know that I’m capable, competent, and charismatic and I can get a lot of things done. I know that the Psychological analytical side of me could come up with a model and theory that would make things work. And I know that the cognitive comprehensive side of me can get good things done. And finally I know that the theologically seminary trained side of me know enough great doctrines of the bible to get great things done.

But after pastoring 30 years now and I’m fully, absolutely, unequivocally sure that WITHOUT GOD’S APPROVAL ON THE PROGRAM FOR HIS HOUSE WE WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL.

Tell your neighbor : God has to be in control. And a wise Pastor will have a leadership team that have a heart for following God’s will, God’s way, and God’s work.

Brothers and sisters if you ever want to get God’s program off the ground and be successful, we have to work together. And the Church said Amen

Do I have a witness here.

Listen brothers and sisters. There are so many OT and NT situations about the Tent, the Tabernacle, the temple, the sanctuary, the assembly, and the church, until we could be here all day, But the Holy Spirit laid this on my heart The Third thing: This is Jesus’s Church. Tell your neighbor This is God’s Church.

I said that to say this, that In the New Testament Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Brothers and sisters this profound, perspicacious, prolific and prophetic text teaches talks and tell us in a prestigious way “ why Jesus said upon this rock I’ll build my church. His church 3x. In the Greek vernacular the word Church is Ekklesia. Ekklesia means a called out meeting place for a religious congregation. Yeah yeah So the church has to be a community of people who are whole heartedly committed to doing what God wants to get done on earth. We are God’s foot soldiers and God has a plan for His Church.

Jesus describes the The broader context, with the setting and the topography being Caesarea, Philippi.

This was A place filled with disturbing idolatry . And while Jesus was looking around at all of the sinful idolatry of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus penned this narrative about the ancient city of Dedan. Listen listen listen, The ancient city of Dedan was called the Rock City. It was a city full of heathenistic people. In other other those were some terrible people that did all kind of wicked stuff.

The Ancient city of Dedan was well known and Jesus used the term upon this large rock I’ll build my Church. And The point was, that the ancient city of Dedan was described as a defiled, devious, devilish place .

And the geography of the landscape placed the ancient city of Dean in a strategic place. ONLY a handful of men could come through the pass at on time.( Illustrate the scene) Every time an enemy came to attack they would get slaughtered because only a few could get through the narrow narrow narrow mountainous pass to get to the city of Dedan.

And Jesus used this narrative to describe His Church!

Jesus used this example to elaborate to explain and expound to his disciples and to us in 2023 that His Church has a narrow narrow narrow way to get in it, and that narrow way fortifies His church against all enemies, against the Mightiest Wicked armies on the planet. That narrow way, fortifies His church against the Most malicious Evil forces that come against God’s Church. And then lastly that narrow narrow narrow way fortifies His Church against Mischievous Malignant folk whose aims and intentions are designed to infiltrate God’s Church and Metastasize a fatal terminal blow hoping to cause God’s Church to DIE!

They literally can’t stand church people. They can’t stand ya’ll Church and mine, and they can’t stand y’all Pastor and they can’t stand me either. But! the word of God says that No weapon formed against us shall prosper.

Tell your neighbor : I’ve got God on my side. Because Greater is He that lives in me than he that’s up in the world. And I don’t care how many awful things happen Second Baptist “We know! that all things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to God’s purpose.

Tell your neighbor: We”re called according to God’s purpose.

Because Psalm 127:1 says Except the Lord build the House. God has to build, to construct to fashion fortify repair and restore His Church House into what He wants it to be.

The reason I say this is because after Covid-19 Church Members had decided to abandon the regular assembling of church services even though the bible says forsake not the assembling of yourselves as some has done.

And then lastly Take Care of God’s Church because the church has to pay its bills, so we have to pay our tithes. I’m reminded of a situation in the book of Acts in the 5th chapter, With Ananias and Sapphira. the bible says “ a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. 2 Ananias kept back part of the money for himself; and his wife Sapphira knew about this and she agreed with it. So Ananias brought the rest of the money and gave it to the apostles.

Brothers and sisters Nobody knows what’s in your heart but God. And Ananias and Sapphira thought they were lying to Peter and the other disciples. But they were lying to the Holy Ghost. Peter said Ananias, why you came in here styling and smiling and profiling faking and flaunting trying to stunt like your daddy, like you a big dog? Why you came here like that? Peter said Ananias it was your property, you could have given us whatever you wanted too but you standing here lying to God like you gave a %100 and the bible say when Peter finished talking Ananias drop dead. Then after a long while Sapphira said to herself “Ananias should have been back by now, Wait nah I’m going up to that church and see what’s going on”.

Sapphira got up there and Peter said did you and Ananias sell the land for such and such? Sapphira said yes, and Peter said “Sapphira you and Ananias done lied to the Holy Ghost and then she dropped dead”. They fear came over the church and it reminds me that I don’t lie to God about my giving.

God has been too good to me, for me to clown with Him about His money for His Church. I haven’t always done right by God’s money. When I was younger I put myself in a whole lot of unnecessary debt. I knew that that money belonged to God And I suffered to break free of debt.

And so now that I’ve got 2 nickles to rub together, I treat Kingdom Business like it’s Kingdom Business I pay my tithes. Take care of Christ’s Church,

Because the bible says that One day Jesus is coming back for a Church without a spot or wrinkle I’ve got to close here ya’ll but I heard Jesus saying I came down through 42 generations t sacrifice myself for mankind. um um um Yes And They took my Lord from Judgement hall to judgement hall Please sir to have mercy Oh Lord oh Lordy ah. They spit on Him they whipped Him they use and abuse him And they led Him on up to Calvary’s Hill um um Yes They hung Him on the cross They strecthed Him wide and hung Him up High and Oh He died. Anybody here know He died? But that’s not the end of the story. They put Him Down in Joseph’s new tomb And He stayed there All night Friday night stayed there All day Saturday stayed there all night Saturday Night But Early Early Early Sunday morning He Got Up!!! With All Power in His Hands. He’s got Power to speak and men live He’s got power and that can lay men down to die. Is there anybody here

The Everyday Bible: New Century Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005), Ac 5:1–2.And all it takes is for a little crisis to come and church folk slack off from coming and attending church services. And it’s not anybody in particular that’s at fault. I was preaching on line during covid, and people were watching our broadcast. I had more views that we had members. At the in person bible study I have an average of 15 to 20 folk. On line bible study 240 last week. What am I saying? Church as we knew it before has changed on us. And in 2023 we better tap into how the new generation is attending listening and giving. Folk can give from a cash app and be more paid up than prominent members.A person from out of state sent a $700 cash app because of an inspiring message.