Sermon Tone Analysis

Worship Music:

Oh Freedom - Chris Rice

Amazing Grace - Chris Tomlin

That Sounds Like Home To Me - GVB

Let Freedom Ring - GVB

Glorious Freedom - GVB

Call To Worship Scripture:

Psalm 136:

Sermon Scripture

Introduction

I don't know where you lay your head Or where you call your home

I don't know where you eat your meals Or where you talk on the phone

I don't know if you got a cook A butler or a maid

I don't know if you got a yard With a hammock in the shade

I don't know if you got some shelter Say a place to hide

I don't know if you live with friends In whom you can confide

I don't know if you got a family Say a mom or dad

I don't know if you feel love at all But I bet you wish you had

Come and go with me To my Father's house

It's a big big house With lots and lots a room

A big big table With lots and lots of food

A big big yard Where we can play football

A big big house - Its my Father's house

It's a big big house

With lots and lots a room

A big big table

With lots and lots of food

A big big yard

Where we can play football

A big big house

Its my Father's house

A Preachers Plea:

For these next three weeks we are going to walk through some the heart of Bible Wisdom literature in attempt to have our eyes open to some practical, revolutionary and essential theology that is waiting as a lost treasure for some passer by to stop, take heed of, apply and know the riches for themselves.

Here is what the wisdom of scripture will be addressing:

How do we escape a life that is enslaved to the vain patterns of the world when before our eyes they all appear so necessary?

How does one rightly establish themselves and/or build there house?

What is the path of the Christian?

How is the Christians life revolutionized by the Word of God?

How do avoid living our lives with regret?

How do we avoid giving life our all only to look back and say we wasted it all?

Where do we place our fear, invest in wisdom and know the fulness of love?

Let me begin with a theological note and passage from what we will be covering next week:

Ecclesiastes 12:11

The Word of God - the commands and teachings of the good Shepherd are in a class of their own.

Many a wearisome night you can spend collecting all of the books and resources that you want, but from the wisest man that ever has lived, know this - it will simply make you weary.

The end of the matter is FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.

Now that we know the end of the matter let us look at the building and some possible pit falls and in week three we will see our way to the fruits and blessings.

You can build a house - but it will be in vain.

You can put in place securities - but it is vain security

If God is not the builder and God not the protector then vanity, emptiness, want, and/or empty pride is your pursuit, anxiety your diet and death your end.

Last week we discussed a Psalmist that knew from where his help came (the Lord God Almighty)

Today let me ask, from where does your anxiety come?

You rise up early, and you go to bed late while you dine on anxious toil.

Notice that what is spoken of here is the very heart of health and peace: shelter, security, sleep/rest and nourishment.

Sleep you cannot get because you are building your house and the anxiety that drives you is eating away at you rather than you being nourished.

You live fearful of not obtaining and of loosing what you have obtained.

THE SHEPHERDS PLEA - PRACTICAL THEOLOGY 1:

IT IS THE LORD WHO PROVIDES SHELTER, SECURITY, FOOD/NOURISHMENT & REST.

Next, God speaks of as a blessing what the world so often views as a curse or at the very least a burden or extra to be juggled.

Of all the reasons that I am often told as to why a child would not be a blessing to someone or why certain parenting decisions have to be made, I find that all of the reasons and their proper response are listed just prior to this verse:

Think on it, a child is often seen as not being a blessing because:

A place to live - the current dwelling is not adequate.

We must reach a certain position or status before a child would be exceptable.

You know, before three people can make up a family the parents need a six bedroom, 4 bathroom home.

Security - In two areas I see this.

The world seems incrisingly dangerous is #1.

But also the child can be viewed as a threat to the parents security in their current way of life, dreams and pursuits.

The child can threaten what a parent has worked so hard to obtain.

As such the child is acceptable when the parent has reached the position where the dream can be maintained and the child cared for.

Sleep - From dawn to dusk the day is already packed - there simply is not room in the scheduele for parenting.

Nourishment - For one who is already dining on anxiety a child is but a overwhelming mouth full.

Yet the Bible says, let God build your house, be your security, give you rest and nourishment and a child is a blessing from the same God who has blessed you with a home, security, sleep and nourishment.

This truth could also have had a deeper understanding for Israel.

For them the place that they lived, the security, rest and nourishment that they knew was often found in God in the land that God had promised.

As such children would mean further possession of the land for generations to come and protection against the enemy (; …Gen.

15...Abraham had many sons…).

This meaning however does not make this passage unique in how we would understand it today but rather unifies us to it, for we also are trusting in a land of promise, a land that is our home, in which our security lies, and our nourishment and rest come in full.

As such child to join us in such promises and in our pilgrimage unto them is indeed a blessing, a sanctifying work to keep our eyes upon that which is true and of lasting importance.

Here is what is true about the rearing of a child - they will pick up on your good and bad.

The man who spends his youth investing in his children rather than investing in himself and the world will not be put to shame but will have a strong testament even before his enemies.

Let me go a little deeper here.

Just as we noted Israel and the promised Land and the children which would inherit it.

So here are we talking of the promises and provision of God.

The children then of which we are speaking are not merely biological, but are spiritual.

In this your aim is that your children become not merely children by blood by children by the blood of Christ and as such that you seek the blessing of God that the children that you know as blessing of God will be many through the faithfulness of your Christ like faithful living.

THE SHEPHERDS PLEA - PRACTICAL THEOLOGY 2:

CHILDREN (biological/spiritual) ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD AND A GOOD WITNESS AND TESTAMENT OF THE FAITHFUL FATHER.

Now, these are truths, and as such the only question here is, do you believe them?

With that you only have two answers, yes or no.

Either God builds your house or he doesn’t, either He is your security, nourishment and rest or he is not.

How do you know…simple…are you anxious?

Has the Lord blessed you with anyone espessially in your own home who has looked to Christ because of you?

Does your home rest in the provision, security, nourishment and rest that is only in Christ?

Or are you building your home, seeking another security, are you given nourishment by finally obtaining that thing that you have been so anxious to get, is your rest lacking?

Friends, you will either labor in the Lord and be blessed or labor in the world and be anxious.

The path that you choose demonstrates what you fear and what you fear testifies to what you worship.

If you fear the Lord then you walk in His ways, and if you walk in His ways then you will eat the fruit of your labor and it will be well with you.

Note what is most greatly impacted here, is your home.

To many man and far to many pastors wear a religious title or appearance while their homes testify to just the opposite.

The man who fears the Lord fears the Lord in his home and on his travels.