Confessions of a Church: Wise House Construction

From the 10/25/2020 Liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie

The Psalm writer wrote:  Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.   This is the word of God.  It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.  

Proverbs 24:1-9 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble. By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate. One who plans to do evil, Men will call a schemer. The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

This is the Word of the LORD.

Ask an engineer about the starting point from which the fabrication of any structure or system should begin, and they will surely tell you that before anything else, a proper foundation must be laid. Skyscrapers are erected upon a foundation of bedrock and steel reinforced concrete. Ships are built upon a sturdy keel. Electrical and plumbing systems are only as good as the wiring and piping which moves the electricity and water efficiently and safely from point A to point B. Cars must have a solid chassis. Even our own bodies, perfectly engineered by our Creator Who is a Master Craftsman, have a foundation called a backbone. Without it, we would be skin-bags filled with organs lying on the ground.

Surely you get the point. Anything we build must have a firm foundation. Sinking sand will not do. A good foundation must be able to support the weight of the structure, the demands placed upon it, and be able to weather unforseen storms which arise.

Your home is no different. No, not the physical structure in this case, but rather that group of people you gather with, in the dwelling in which you live. Mother, father, husband, wife, and children who unite together under the banner of the "Spurgeon family", or "Anglen Family", or the " Jackson Family", constitute a home with a foundation.

What is your home built upon?
Your job?
Your family history?
Your hobbies?

Since its inception, have you been laboring and toiling to build a kingdom called home in your own strength? Flying over your home, is there a banner which declares "My will be done"?

The Proverb tells us today:
By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches

There is both a physical and a spiritual element to this proverb. Physical, in the sense that faith in the Lord Jesus, coupled with hard work, proper planning, and diligence, often bears fruit in regards to establishing a household upon firm footing, with growth that occurs as God's favor is granted to the one laboring in faith.

And then there is a spiritual aspect to this. As one meditates upon God's word, hides it in their heart, their soul is established. As the believer partakes in the means of grace offered by God, for instance the preaching of God's word and the fellowship of the saints, he is strengthened and fit for service. Matthew Henry states that wisdom will " fortify a house and turn it into a castle". That is a dwelling built upon a foundation which cannot be moved.

What is your home built upon? The wisdom of God, or folly? "Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1).

Just as your physical home will rot, deteriorate, and get washed away if built upon a foundation of sand, so the fabric of your home will crumble if built upon anything other than the precious blood of Christ, our Spiritual Rock. Apart from Christ, the foundations of our homes are prone to being eaten by termite, destroyed by rust, or burned up by fire. But with faith in the Lord Jesus, we have a foundation upon which no calamity, no storm, no trial, and no enemy can move us from.

The wisdom which truly builds a house is found only in Jesus Christ, Who is the wisdom of God. It is wisdom which comes down from heaven:
James 3:17–18: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The wisdom to build a home, establish it, and fill it with precious and pleasant riches is pure, peaceable, gentle. Full of mercy. Is your home a home full of mercy? Is forgiveness a practice on display in your home? Are faults overlooked, sins covered by love? Do the members in your home remember the weaknesses inherent in the frames of their loved ones and show mercy?

Or is your house one that is full of strife and contention? Is your home marked by selfishness, animosity, back biting, and a habitual failure to consider others more highly than yourselves?

 James 3:14–16:  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

A home full of jealousy and selfish ambition is a disordered, chaotic home which will be swept away by the tides of life. Void of the rock solid foundation of Christ and His love, this home will not stand. There will be no rooms filled with precious and pleasant riches. Only sorrow, emptiness, and vain, fruitless living.

What are you building your house upon?
What fills the rooms of your home?

If you are able, please kneel, and let us repent of how we have offended God in building our homes.
Heavenly Father,
We see in Scripture what love and patience Your Son shows as He builds up the body of His Church. We see the rock solid foundation upon which it is built, so that even the gates of hell cannot prevail. I pray Father that You would be merciful towards those of us who have taken to build our lives, and our homes, upon foundations other than Your Word.
Please give us wisdom Father, to recognize the faulty, weak, cracked foundations of our lives, and the resolve to tear those foundations down with gospel truths and stand firmly upon the one laid by Your Son. Father, please forgive us for having been led astray by our lusts, passions, and selfish desires, to build in vain and waste the blessings You have granted us. Please lead us once again to the Rock, help us be satisfied by Him and abide in Him. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Please join me in standing and listen to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: 

He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. | Psalm 111:9

 To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!