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SCRIPTURE - PS. 127:1
MARCH, 1996
EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN THAT BUILD IT:
EXCEPT THE LORD KEEP THE CITY, THE WATCHMAN WAKETH BUT IN VAIN.
SUBJECT - WHO'S BUILDING THE HOUSE, AND WHO'S KEEPING THE CITY ???
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This passage of scripture, says a mouthful about the relationship
between the plans man makes for his life, and God. The psalmist
realized, that if any plan, that man makes, is backed by God, then that
plan will succeed, no matter who likes it or not. By the same token, if
God does not back the plan, then no matter how many people, famous or
not, or how much money is poured into it, it will ultimately fail. God
made it very plain in the last part of [ST. JOHN 15:5] where we read,
'..... WITHOUT ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING.' How true it is.
There are multitudes of examples in the old and new testaments of
the bible, where we see men, and women, attempting to do things, that
God has told them to do, and how others have tried to stop them, to no
avail. Why? Because if God has planned for something to be done, then,
quite simply, anyone that stands in the way of that plan, will be, in
effect, fighting against God. [ACTS 5:38-39], tells us what happened in
one instance, when the apostles, commissioned by God, through Jesus
Christ, to preach the 'Gospel', to the whole world [ST. MARK 16:15],
ran in to some resistance, from the religious leaders of that time.
One of them, had the presence of mind to warn his fellow leaders, that
if what these apostles were doing, was not of God, then it would amount
to nothing. It would eventually fade away. However, if it is of God,
and you resist it, then you will be fighting against God. And friend,
only a fool, would do something like that.
Yet, today, there many people that seem to think that no matter
what it takes, they are going to do what they want to do, and no one is
going to stop them. Big mistake. Sure, if God, is backing them, in what
they are trying to do, then they will be successful. If a person, being
led by God, determines that they are going to preach the gospel, feed
the hungry, clothe the naked, or any of the other things, that bring
the glory to God, then that person, will have His total support, and
woe to anyone that tries to stop him. But, notice, I said 'bring glory
to God.' That is the key. Well, you might say, 'if a person is being
led by God, can they be at odds with Him?' The answer is, yes. If you
read about what happened to Moses, a man, sent by God, to deliver His
people from bondage, and lead them in to the promised land, when he did
something that took the glory away from God, you will see what I mean.
[NUMBERS 20:7-12, 27:12-14], tells us that even though Moses was being
led by God, he did something that was not what God told him to do, and
as a result, he was punished for it. This is why, when doing the work
of the Lord, a person, must be careful, that in their work, they do not
get themselves in the position of thinking that they are the ones that
are doing the work, or accomplishing the goal. [NUMBERS 20:10], shows
us how Moses, angry at the rebellion of the children of Israel, made it
seem like he, and the other leaders were getting the water for them,
when he said 'must we fetch you water out of this rock.' God also told
Moses to speak to the rock, not hit it.
The problem that Moses had, is prevalent today. Many times, when
God is blessing someone in their endeavors, so much so that everything
they do, prospers, they tend to get a little 'big headed'. And though
they may not say it, they start to believe that they are prospering by
their own strength and knowledge. They tend to seek God less, and
therefore run the risk of moving out of His will, or timetable, for
their lives. And when that happens, disaster is waiting. Why? Because
once you move out from under the plan of God, you are essentially on
your own. Even though what you are doing, is what He wants you to do
at some future time, but not now. Other times, what seems to be right,
is done with the wrong motives, or solutions, and you have another
mess.
Several examples of things that seem perfectly legitimate, and
what God would want for us, coupled with the wrong motives or solutions
for achieving them, are spelling disaster. Examples, civil rights,
racial equality, equal employment opportunities, unions, million man
march, segregation, welfare, the black church, and many others. All
have what we would call justifiable visions. Yet, they all have plans
to get to those ends, that run smack dab in the face of what God says
is the right way to get there. [PROV. 14:12, 16:25] say, 'THERE IS A
WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT THE END THEREOF, ARE THE WAYS OF
DEATH.' In politics, we see one party, the supposed champion of the
poor, elderly and minorities, steadily telling us how they have done
this and that for us, and that we need them to continue to get ahead.
Sounds like Moses talking about getting the water from the rock. Few
fail to see, that the way they hope to achieve their goal of a Eutopia,
will lead this nation, in to the same mess, that we see today, in
France, the former Soviet Union, and other nations, that reject God,
and yet try to achieve those things, that can only be attained by
following His plan. The bible says, '.... GOD IS NO RESPECTOR OF
PERSONS' [ACTS 10:34]. That means that God loves all of us the same.
That means, that we better do the same thing. When we talk about racial
segregation, marrying within your own race, separate, but equal
education, you are going against God, and it will fail. And it is sad,
how many people, that claim to be doing God's work, back this garbage.
Today, many people are hired, because of the color of their skin, and
not by the content of their character, or their qualifications. That's
the direct opposite of what Martin Luther King envisioned. Unions,
which came into being, to combat the steady stream of overworked, under
paid workers, that couldn't seem to get ahead, lifted the standard of
living of the working class. But now, these same unions, are failing to
provide job security for their workers, as many companies are
downsizing, to compete with companies that provide the same products,
but at a more affordable cost. Sure, profits are a big factor. But,
many times, smaller companies, with all the right intentions, get
caught up in the union struggle, and have to close up shop, because of
union demands, which ultimately bankrupt them. The bottom line is, the
goal is legitimate, but the means, lead to destruction. Why? Because
God, is not in it.
Sure, I may be stepping on some toes, or smashing some sacred
cows, but that's my job. The black church. What is that? A church that
is specifically created by man, to address the problems of the black
community. There is no such thing, in God's plan, as a black church.
Neither is there a white church, Baptist church, Catholic church,
Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran or any other such church. There is
only one church, and that is, 'THE CHURCH', the body of Christ, with
Him as the head. God does not have several different plans, for
different races, or so-called denominations. What applies to one,
applies to all. What some of you need to do, is to quit listening to
man, and his ideas, that only serve to exalt himself, and listen to
God, and follow Him. If you want the best that He has to offer, then
you can get it. First, you have to get saved. Then let Him, start
building your house (life). As far as where you have to go, to get
saved, you can do it right now, right where you are. All you have to
do is say, "JESUS, I AM A SINNER, AND I AM SORRY FOR MY SINFUL WAYS.
WILL YOU COME INTO MY HEART, AND CLEANSE ME FROM ALL MY SIN, AND BE
LORD OF MY LIFE. I ACCEPT YOU AS LORD AND SAVIOR, AND WITH YOUR HELP, I
WILL LIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU. I BELIEVE THAT YOU DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY
SINS, AND WERE RAISED FROM THE DEAD, FOR MY JUSTIFICATION." If you
prayed that prayer, from the heart, meaning every word,
congratulations, you are now saved. The next thing you need to do, is
start learning about what God wants you to begin doing. Among these
things, is get water baptized, in the name of Jesus as a symbolic act
of the remission of your sins. Also, seek the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, which will be the evidence of God's power, being given to you,
as recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 2. You may not feel any
different, but believe me, no, believe God, YOU ARE A NEW CREATION IN
CHRIST. OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY, AND BEHOLD, ALL THINGS ARE NEW (2
COR. 5:17).
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