Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Isn't that just powerful?

I mean, that just kind of cuts everything away and gets right down to where the rubber meets the road. 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. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

The name is His reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Notice the first part of verse 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. May I say that we all have different sized quivers. For some six is full. For us, three is two full.

I think we were full at two, but we snuck another one in there. And God gives different grace and has a different will for everybody. And I heard one preacher preach, I say that, hopefully you haven't heard one preacher preach one time that you ought to have at least six children. And to him I say, that's what I say to him.

I'm just picking. But I don't believe biblically there's anywhere God tells you how many you're supposed to have or whatever the case might be. God will give you what he wants you to have. God designed the home.

We're going to talk about that today. Father, we need you to build our house. Lord, so many of us have labored in vain so often, trying to create a product that only you can build. We've tried all the books. We've tried all the advice. We've taken everything that's possible.

We've tried everything that society would tell us that we need to do. And Lord, over and over again, we have failed. Lord, may we see today that you're the one that has to build it. We have to submit to you. Lord, I pray that you would build our marriages, that you would build our homes, that you would build our children, and that Father, we as the husbands and wives, as Lord, the ones that are responsible for our homes, that Father, we would allow you to do exactly what you want to do.

In your name we pray, amen. First today, I want to look at, there's some things I see in this passage that are very, very clear. I believe Scripture almost outlines itself, and I enjoy outlines.

I'm sure many of you can probably tell that. But the first thing I see is the foundation. Look at verse 1. It says this, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. That means this, from the very start, God has to be the one to build it. God has to be the one calling the shots. You know the foundation dictates everything. The foundation of your house will dictate, you could have the nicest house, but if the foundation is wrong, if it's not settled right, if it's not designed right, if it's not stable, it doesn't matter how nice the house is on the outside, it's not safe if the foundation is not right. Do I have an amen right there? The Bible says that a wise man built his house on the what?

The rock. The foolish man built his house on the sand. And so often you and I trying to make what this society tells us is a family and trying to have in our homes what society says we need to have and what we're supposed to have, oftentimes we've done nothing but build our family on sand and it doesn't last.

It washes away and we find out it's not as stable as we thought it was. And we have to come right back to verse 1 and realize that unless God builds the house, then we are laboring in vain. All of our work and effort and money spent and all the things we're going through, if it's not the way God would do it, it's in vain. Why are our churches falling apart all over America? Why are Christians so hated? Why are all these things, why is society so against Christians? And I'll tell you why because we have failed to do our job as Christians.

I don't know what happened years ago but somehow we stopped designing our families and building our families the way God wanted it. We let too much of us. You know I figure yourself out and you think, man, I know I want these products and I want these things to happen but where am I supposed to be strong on and where am I supposed to be leaning on and where do I draw the line and where do you show compassion and then where do you show, it's a hard process and I've found out that the best of my efforts can't build one brick of a church. It's going to have to be God. You know sometimes people are going to leave and you've done everything you could do, bent over backwards and you're going to have to do everything backwards, giving them the world and they're still going to leave.

And you know what, it's God's building the church. God's in control of that. And I realize that I could spend all of my time giving all of my effort and they'd still probably leave probably.

I don't know if anybody that's left. I'm just saying that you're beginning to learn that you know what, your efforts can't do it. God's just going to have to do it. And more work has to be done in the prayer closet unless trying to do what you think ought to be done.

And our staff, we've tried to take them to places where we're not on all these things that we can do. We need those things and we need ideals. But we have to go to leadership training where it says hey, all these things won't do any good if you're not on your knees in your prayer closet praying and asking and begging God to bless this. God has to build this church. And folks, God has to build your home. Number one, it has to be the foundation. We recently built a house, I shouldn't say we built a house, we recently had someone build our house and they're here this morning. And I enjoyed watching the process.

I was very, very impressed by the process. And there's some things I find when it comes to the foundation. First off, and I had to literate these, but number one, there has to be a director. And it's what we would call the contractor. There has to be somebody calling the shots. There has to be somebody making the decisions. And that's called a contractor. If everybody put in their two cents worth and everybody was calling the shots, there's no telling how a foundation would turn out.

There's no telling how a house would turn out. Somebody has to hear everybody's ideas. Somebody has to hear everybody's opinions. But then somebody has to make the final decision. And dear friends, God's supposed to be that person in your home. What often happens is we normally have a constant fight of God wanting to build our family a certain way and us trying to build it a different way. Every one of us would say, no, I want God to build my family.

But so often we do things and allow things and practices in our home that are totally against God's will. Well, what's going to happen? We're going to have a house divided. You know what the Bible says? A house that's divided can't stand.

There has to be a director, folks, and that requires submission. It requires us saying, God, this is your family. This is your home.

Our marriage is not our marriage. This is your marriage, God, and you're going to have to build it. You're going to have to do the work. And the way God does that is for you to simply abide by the principles and God's word, and God will build it. First, there's a director. Second, there's the design. That means that would be blueprints and plans, etcetera. That means that there has to be decided how big a room is going to be, and it has to be decided where this is going to be on this lot.

And it has to be decided how many rooms we're going to have. And if it's going to have a pitch roof, if it's going to have this kind of roof, it's going to have, you know, this kind of siding. If it's going to have brick, there has to be a blueprint. There has to be a design. You have to know where the electrical outlets are going to go. And you have to know where the plumbing lines are gonna be run. There has to be a design somewhere.

You don't go out and just say, wow, I like a house, I'm just gonna start building and see what I come up with. There has to be a design. And you know where that design comes from for your family?

It comes from the Bible. We have blueprints right here. These blueprints, we dealt with it all last week about husbands and wives and our differences. This Bible gives blueprints how I as a husband am supposed to treat my wife. And it gives blueprints how a wife is supposed to treat her husband. And this book gives blueprints how my wife and I are supposed to raise our children and the principles we're supposed to instill in those children. A design. May I say this, dear friend? If you want God to build your home and God has a certain design and you decide to go against that design, God's not building the home.

You are. God now can't do anything about it. If you're gonna take the design He had planned for your family and you're gonna say, no, I want this. I want a different type of thing. I wanna have my opinions.

Guess what? God's not building it now. You see, we gotta go by God's design.

What is the title of our series that we began some weeks back? The Way God Designed It. And dear friend, this Bible gives us the blueprints of how it's supposed to be done. It gives us the blueprints about our marriage. It gives us the blueprints about our children. It gives us blueprints.

Are you listening to this? This Bible tells us how we're supposed to act at work. Did you know that? It tells us how we're supposed to treat our employer and or our employees. This Bible even gives us a blueprint how we're supposed to treat each other at church.

Do you know this Bible even gives us a blueprint of how we're supposed to treat our government? By the way, Tuesday's a big day. A really big day.

We need to ask God for some miracles. And His mercy. The design. Number three, there are the details. You see, when you begin to design a house, there has to be a foundation and that is dictated by, okay, you've got to have a contract, you've got to have a director, then you've got to have a design.

But third, you've got to have the details. And that would be the kind of materials that are going to be used. Whether your house is going to have crown molding, if it's going to have trim in different places.

It even has the details of the kind of quality you're going to use. Are you going to have maybe a hardwood floor? Are you going to have an engineered floor? Are you going to have carpet? Are you going to have tile?

And can I tell you this? Many times the difference between an expensive house and maybe a mid-range house is the details inside. I mean, somebody has to make that decision. Are you going to use quality products? Or are you going to try to get a deal? Are we going to cut corners?

And are we going to use something that maybe it'll look okay for a while, but it's not going to be the most lasting of things, but who cares? I'm just building the house. They're going to live in it. Dear friends, this is your family. It's your home. It's your marriage. So you better determine that you're going to use the best materials possible. You say, well, where does that come from, preacher?

Well, it's very easy. The Bible says that they that sow to the flesh shall love the flesh, read corruption. But the Bible says he that sow to the spirit shall love the spirit, reap life everlasting. What a difference.

Look at me, folks. Let me tell you when it comes to the details in your family and in your life, you have to pay attention to the details. And you have to determine whether your home is going to be a fleshly home, or if it is going to be a spiritual home. You're going to have to determine what's going to go on in that house, what you're going to watch in that house, what you're going to listen to in that house, what the practices are going to be. You're going to have to determine how the kids talk to you and how they don't talk to you. You're going to have to determine what those kids wear and what they don't wear. You're going to have to determine what we eat or don't eat, drink or don't drink.

You're going to have to pay attention to the details of your house. If God is going to build it, you're going to have to have the best possible materials. Often times we sow to the flesh in our families, in our homes. We participate in practices that are totally against the Bible and God. And man we're not here to jump on anybody here today. You say, man I come to church.

I'm not jumping on you folks. I'm sitting here saying, if you want to build the right kind of house, and you want God to build it, and you want to have the kind of family and marriage one day that you're going to look back and say, man thank God there's no way to explain it except God did that. And then there's some things we're going to have to do.

And we've got to pay attention to the details. And God gives us the blueprint for that. He says, hey if you sow to the flesh you're going to reap corruption. I don't know about you I don't want corruption in my family. I don't want corruption in my marriage.

I don't want corruption in my home. Last I see is the decorations. See when things get up then we determine what's going to go inside of it, the decorations.

Everybody has a different opinion about that. Paint colors, to carpets, to whatever else might be. I'm going to tell you over the years in evangelism we've gone to eat in a lot of homes. I'm going to tell you something there's a lot of different taste in decorating. Man, there's some people who go in their houses like a headache. And I can't tell you what's going on in there, but I'm going to tell you something I would be like, boy I don't think I can live in this, you know, but man they love it. Some people might come into my house and say, how do you live like that?

I love it. Hey, we're all different. But may I say, what are the decorations preacher? Well, 2 Peter chapter 1 gives us this, listen it says, add to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. That means this God says, hey once you have the foundation settled which is faith, faith is the foundation, then there are some things you're supposed to add. There are some things that you're supposed to decorate your life with.

There are some things that should start showing up. And after faith then you've got to start adding these things. Folks, if we're going to have a godly home, if we're going to have a home that God built, then we've got to start adding some things. May I say this, that there ought to be some virtues showing up in our homes. There ought to be some knowledge.

You say, how do you get knowledge in your home? Man, you get in God's Word, you read it with your family. You have them faithful to church. You get them under the sound of preaching.

And you're here this morning so I'm obviously not jumping on you. But some people you know they say, wow this is falling apart, that's falling apart. And you want to say, you haven't been at church in 2 or 3 months.

I mean what would you expect? Dear friends, God says after we're saved we're supposed to add virtue, we're supposed to add knowledge. That means we're supposed to put ourselves in a position where these things are added to our life. I believe that temperance ought to start showing up. Let's be honest now, it's pretty clear that God is not building that marriage and that home if there's constant outbursts of temper everywhere.

There's always hollering, screaming, calling names, fighting left and right. Let me tell you something, God's not building that, that's not God's product. God says we should have temperance, gentleness, goodness, faith, the Bible says. I'm not going to go through all of these, but that's the foundation. The Bible says, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

May I say this, you're wasting your time unless you do it God's way. Second thing I notice is this, not only is the foundation, but second the fortification. Say what does fortification mean? That means the defense around the home. Notice what he says in the second part of verse 1, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

We're talking about the defense, we're talking about protection, that's what we're talking about here. And he's saying this, God has to build the house, if you try to build it you're wasting your time. And then when it comes to that he says, God's the one that has to protect your home, you try to do that on your own, you're waking up too late.

In other words you and I don't, by the time you and I see a problem, by the way when we try to form a family, have a marriage, raise our kids, when we try to do that in the flesh, are you looking at me? By the time we see the problem it's too late. That's why we need God's wisdom, because God will show us way before that thing gets out of control, hey this, something needs to be done about this.

Something needs to change here. Because you and I in our own wisdom we're just slow, we don't know what God knows. And often times by the time we think there's a problem what does He say? The watchman waketh but in vain. By the time we say, hey something's got to be done, it's too late.

It should have been dealt with a long time before. Let me give you some things about this fortification, number one I see the protection. It says, except the Lord keep the city. Second thing I see is prevention.

He says the watchman waketh but in vain. That means this, you know if I'm going to make sure that my house, my home is safe, and I'm not just talking about from break-ins, I'm talking about safe spiritually. I'm talking about creating a hedge about my family and my home. This is what the Bible says, God not only has to build it, God has to protect it. And if you try to do that without God's help then you are going to be too late.

That's what He says. Say preacher what do you mean by that? What I'm saying is this, if you abide by God's principles for God to build the house then you and I have to abide by God's principles in order for God to keep the house. And if we sway from that, if we say, no I'm not going to do things God's way, I'm going to do it my way, God says that by the time there's a problem you're going to be too late to try to do anything about it.

The fortification, third this morning and I'm hurrying through, I see fear. Look if you would, this is very interesting in verse 2. It says this, it is vain. You see this word vain, vain, vain, vanity? God is saying that all our efforts are for naught. All the best things we think are good things we can do. If we do it without God it's for naught, it's vain, it's vanity, it doesn't accomplish anything. Notice this, verse 2, it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. What is he talking about here? Well number one I see under this, under fear is panic.

This is a picture of you and I, things going wrong in our family. We see devil trying to do this, doing that, and this is what God says. It's vain for you to rise up early, go to bed late, eat the bread of sorrows, panicking, worrying. God says that doesn't accomplish anything. What does the next phrase say? He says, because this, because God gives sleep. What do you mean?

Look at this, for so He giveth His beloved sleep. Say preacher how these things happen. Can I tell you something? I found out this a little bit. When I say safety and fear and different things happen, you know I always come back to this, but my wife and I when we had our time at the hospital with Kaden, you talk about fear, you talk about panic. You know what I found out there, and one thing I can do about any of it?

Nothing you can do. I mean what good, listen to me folks, I did have my times of getting up early. I did have my times of staying up late. I did have my times of eating the bread of sorrows.

In fact, I had my times of not sleeping at all. Worrying, wondering, God would you do this? Why is this happening? But can I tell you this? All of that didn't do one thing to change the situation. So you see panic, second you see peace.

He says He gives His beloved sleep. It's amazing that all my efforts didn't change one thing, but when I realized I said, alright Lord this is You, You're the one in control of this, I can't do anything to change it, I'm just going to give it to You. It's amazing how God can give peace in the middle of a very difficult situation. It's amazing when people come up and they say, well you're just so strong, you have such strong faith through this.

Well you know sometimes we didn't. But you find out that hey my best efforts of panicking doesn't do one thing to change the situation. What I found that in situations that most people would panic, God can give you peace.

You know why? Because prayer works better than panic. Hey when things happen in your life and circumstances come up, and sickness comes up and you have fear, look at me dear friend, prayer works much better than panic. You just get down on your knees, you lay it all out to God, give Him your heart's desires, talk to Him about it, let it all out, say God I need your help. And you know what, let God worry about it, let God minister to it, you get in the bed and sleep. What did the Bible say? The Bible says joy comes in the morning.

Weeping might endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. I want you to notice also lastly I see the future. Not just the foundation, the fortification, the fear, but I want you to notice lastly the future. Look at verse 3. What is our future preacher? Look at verse 3. Low children are in heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them, they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Number 1, I see the privilege of our future. What does it say in verse 3? Children are in heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb, excuse me the womb, just joking. That's an homage to my dad right there. I was going to say if I preach on Fruit of the Loom it will be a very brief sermon.

But anyway, that was bad, I know. What does God say? He said children are a privilege. You know what that word heritage means in Psalm 127? It means this, it means inheritance. It means payment.

It means obligation. It means this, that God out of His love and goodness has given you an inheritance by giving you children. That is a privilege.

Just the whole process of children, I don't know how God does it, but He does it. And may I say this morning that every one of you I believe that have children, there are difficult times and there's times where they absolutely break your heart, and I understand that, but children are a privilege. That word reward in verse 3 means compensation or benefit. They're a benefit to us.

It's a pleasure, it's a privilege. Once you notice secondly we see the potential. Look at verse 4. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. God says this, that your children are not just a privilege for you, but they have potential.

And it is your job as a parent to do everything you can do to cultivate that potential. I'm here to tell you mom and dad, all you do and you try and you work and you raise and you plead and you train, you do all this stuff, your child can still decide to do what they're going to do. They might choose a different route. They might choose a different direction.

They might go a way that you never tried to point them in or push them in. But listen, that is their decision. They will answer to God for their decision. You and I will answer to God for how we curved and trained their potential. Every child has a potential. This is what God says that our children are literally like an arrow in the hand of a mighty man.

Have you ever thought about this? Why would he use arrows? Arrows are only in the hand for a short period of time.

Did you know that? Listen to this, arrows are made to release. Arrows were made to let go. You know what our job? Our job is to point those arrows in the right direction and then let them go.

That's all we can do. You know why they're like arrows? Because they can do damage to Satan. They can do damage to Satan.

You know what we've got to do? We've got to train our child right, teach them the principles of God, give them every opportunity and potential to serve God. Now if they choose differently that's their choice. But if you raise them right and they choose right then they can do damage to Satan. Some of you have raised children and they are serving God in places, some of them right here. I'm going to tell you something every time that child is faithful to church, witnesses to somebody, does anything for God that does damage to Satan.

And God said, hey these children not only are a privilege but there's great potential there. Why do we have a bus ministry? Why do we do things like trunk retreat? Why do we do things like community day? Why do we have Sunday classes? Why do we have a Juana?

I'll tell you why. We're trying to point our arrows in the right direction. And we need your help. Man the more people we have helping the more arrows we can point. I'm going to tell you something we're averaging around over 200 kids now on a Wednesday night with our buses. Imagine that's with four routes. Imagine if we had eight routes. Imagine if we had ten routes.

Imagine if we had fifteen routes. Imagine if enough people got a burden and a vision and all of a sudden those buses when they pull in aren't just full of a bunch of bus kids those are arrows that we one day could point at Satan. Lastly there's the pleasure.

Look at verse 5 and we'll go. Happy is the man that half his quiver full of them. Do you know that children not only are a privilege and not only are they potential, look at me folks, children are a pleasure. I know that the day might come they're not a pleasure. But you just be quiet, leave me alone, let me enjoy them while they are. . . . . . . .