God's House

It is wonderful to be with you this morning.

It is such a privilege to be able to bring God's Word to us,

and I'm excited to dive into the Scriptures with our family this morning.

So it really is wonderful to be here.

We have been looking forward to this time and moving to Hong Kong

and looking forward to this Sunday for so many weeks back in Cape Town.

For weeks I used to stay awake at night just thinking about joining this family,

and so it really is wonderful to be with you.

We've had a great week with the staff in the office.

Well, I've had fun. I don't know if they have.

I hope they've enjoyed it as well.

But it's been wonderful to dive into the Watermark family.

Now, I just want to give us a brief introduction.

This morning we are starting a four-part mini-series called The Church That Jesus Is Building.

And the things that we're going to be looking at over the next few weeks

are probably not going to be new to most of us.

They're probably things that many of us would have heard and would know.

But the goal for the next few weeks is for God to remind us in His Word

about the foundational truths upon which this church is built

and every church should be built.

And to once again bring clarity and sharpness,

when we think about Watermark Church and we think about the church,

what is it that God is calling us to be?

And what are the foundational truths upon which this church is built?

And so that's where we're going to go for the next four weeks.

Now, one quick disclaimer or caveat is that when we preach,

often the application or the implication of our preaching is very personal.

It's how does this relate to you and your workplace tomorrow?

How does this relate to you and your family or your home life?

For the next couple of weeks, we're going to be talking to us as a family.

How does God's Word speak to us as a family, as a gospel family called Watermark Church?

And so the implications are going to be far more communal than individualistic.

And then we'll get to that a little later.

So I want to ask you as we listen to God's Word over the next few weeks

to think about it in light of,

God, what are you saying to us as a gospel family called Watermark Community Church?

Okay?

Great.

So I want to invite Cynthia and Venus to come and read God's Word to us.

And so let's listen to God's Word this morning.

You guys want to come on up?

Today's reading comes from Psalm 127, 125.

Please follow along in your bulletin or screen.

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil,

for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.

The fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

This is God's words.

Let's pray together as we consider God's Word this morning.

Heavenly Father, we come before you

and we come before your Word

because what we as a church and a family

desperately need to hear is you.

God, I pray that you will speak to us

from your Word this morning.

We're not here to listen to the opinions of man.

We're not here to find three quick ways

to make our lives more comfortable and convenient.

We're here to meet with the living God.

And so, Father, won't you speak to us?

Holy Spirit, won't you take the words of these pages

and apply them to our lives and our hearts?

Won't you soften our hearts to hear from you?

And I pray that we will encounter you today.

We invite you here.

We need you.

We're dependent upon you.

Come and have your way in our lives

and in our church, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Now, if you've got your Bible,

or I think it's in the bulletin,

two things I want to draw your attention to

before we get to verse 1.

Now, when you read the psalm,

right in the beginning,

you should notice two things.

It says,

A Song of Ascent.

And then secondly,

it says,

Of Solomon.

Do you see that in your Bible?

Is that in the bulletin?

In the scripture?

Two very important things to take note of

when we understand Psalm 127.

The first one is the Songs of Ascent.

So, in the Old Testament,

every year,

the Jewish men and women

would travel three times a year

from wherever they found themselves in Israel

towards Jerusalem

for the festivals.

And they would go to Jerusalem

to offer sacrifices

and to worship to God.

And as they went there,

the families,

the cousins,

the extended family would come.

They would journey together.

They would sing these Songs of Ascent.

And the Songs of Ascent

are 15 psalms

from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134

that would make up this collection of songs

that they would sing together.

And so these journeys

were like Chinese New Year

for us in Hong Kong, right?

They were like Thanksgiving for Americans.

All the family would come together.

It would be a time of family reunion.

They would sing together.

They would journey together.

They would go on these pilgrimages together.

And as they got towards Jerusalem,

as they started to ascend the hills,

the mountains which Jerusalem was built upon,

as they would ascend the hills,

they would sing these psalms

known as the Songs of Ascent.

These songs reminding them

about the faithfulness of God,

how God had led His people.

And Jerusalem was built up on a hill

and so they would ascend the hill

towards Jerusalem.

And as they saw the temple,

the high point in Jerusalem

where God's presence was said to dwell,

they would be reminded

and they would sing these songs

known as the Songs of Ascent.

And Psalm 127

that was read to us this morning

is one of these songs.

Second thing to notice,

this psalm is written by Solomon.

Now, many of the psalms

are written by King David,

some of them by the sons of Korah,

one or two of them by Moses,

but only two psalms are written

by King Solomon, David's son.

And this is significant

because Solomon was the one king

who oversaw the building project

of God's house.

Remember, David goes to God

and says,

I want to build you

a magnificent house

for your presence.

And God says,

you can't do that.

But your son, Solomon,

who will be on the throne after you,

he will build a house for me.

And so Solomon did.

He built the most magnificent temple,

which became the pride of Israel.

Now, look at what Solomon says.

Solomon, the one who oversaw

the building of God's house,

this magnificent temple, writes,

unless the Lord builds the house,

those that build it labor in vain.

And Solomon writes,

for those of you that are going to Jerusalem,

Jerusalem is Jerusalem,

the city of peace.

For those that have been

on the outlying areas of Israel,

and they're coming to the city of peace

where God's presence is,

unless the Lord watches over the city,

those that watch over it

stay awake in vain.

Friends, if there was one king

in the whole of Israel,

you could say,

I know what it takes

to build a great house for the Lord.

I know what it takes

to build a temple,

to build a church.

I've planned it.

I've organized it.

I've got the people in place.

Look to me.

I will build a great house for God.

It is Solomon.

And yet,

what does Solomon say?

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those that build it

labor in vain.

Now, of course,

Solomon is not saying

that you can't build a big house

or a big church for God

just based on human techniques

or humanistic thinking

or big branding

or the right marketing.

He says you can do that,

but it's all going to be in vain.

Friends,

shaky houses

built on shaky foundations,

no matter how beautiful they look,

no matter how expensive the finishes

or how wonderful the interior is,

shaky houses

built on shaky foundations

are a bad investment

and are dangerous

for those who live in them

or find refuge in them.

And so Solomon reminds us

there is one foundation

upon which God builds His church.

Unless I,

the Lord,

am building my church,

your efforts are all in vain.

And for those who are

on their way to Jerusalem,

as we said,

the city of peace,

cities were very important places

for business and entrepreneurs.

There's connections,

there's business opportunities,

but cities were also very important

for the marginalized

and the vulnerable.

There was safety in numbers.

In the outlying areas,

you were open prey.

Anybody could attack you.

But in cities,

there was refuge,

there was safety.

And so as the people

came to Jerusalem,

there was safety and security there.

And Solomon says,

you can do all you want

to secure it.

You can set up watchmen,

you can employ

the latest technological advances,

but unless Yahweh,

the one true God,

is watching over His people,

the house of God,

you watch it in vain.

And so notice what Solomon,

what God is calling us to see.

God is not just asking us

to invite God into our plans.

As we as a church family

look to the future

and look to where is God

leading us in 2018,

God is not just saying,

remember to include me

in your plans.

God is not asking us

just to invite Him

to bless our efforts.

God is saying,

unless I am the master builder,

unless I am at the helm,

and unless you give me

the controls,

all your efforts are in vain.

God is reminding us

of the binary nature

of His leadership.

Either Jesus is head

of His church

or He's not.

Either Jesus is the one

building His church

or not.

John Piper said it like this,

if we do not trust in God

with all our heart,

but instead rely

on our own insight,

we might,

if God allows it,

produce a great monument,

but in the end,

it will only be a monument

to our own futility.

Now,

look at what Solomon says

and look at verse 2 with me.

Solomon writes,

unless the Lord builds the house,

those that build it

labor in vain.

But look at verse 2.

Solomon then extrapolates this

and he gets a little bit

more specific.

And he gives us both

a warning

and an encouragement.

First,

he warns us

what happens

if we think that

the success of God's church

depends on human ability

or human strength

or human wisdom.

He says here,

it is in vain

that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread

of anxious toil.

And I think there's two

warnings here for us

and really they're two sides

of the same coin.

The first warning,

the first danger is

we forget just who we are.

We forget who we are

and we overestimate

our own strengths

and our own abilities

and our own self-importance.

We tend to think sometimes

as church leaders

tend to sometimes think

we have the ability,

we have the wisdom,

we know what it takes

to produce a great church.

If you do this

and you put that program in place

and you get those leaders in place,

then surely we can guarantee the results.

This will be a magnificent church.

And God says,

have you forgotten just who you are?

That you're only human,

you're jars of clay

and I am the glory.

I remember a story

when I was about 18 or 19 years old,

so many years ago,

I was on a mission trip

and we went to the border

of Sudan and Kenya

to a UN base called Locky Chogyo.

And I was young and naive.

I was 19

and I was with a bunch of other men

and the man leading the group

was about 55 years old,

a very experienced man,

a wonderful man of God.

His name was Henny,

an Afrikaans man.

And the one night,

we're sitting in this bush camp,

we're talking,

having dinner,

and I've been talking a fair amount

and at one point,

Henny,

this older man,

says to me,

Kevin,

I pray that God will take the I out of you.

I wonder what he means.

He says,

when I hear you talk,

it's just I this,

I that.

I'm going to do this for God,

I'm going to do that.

I want to do this

and I'm going to do this.

He says,

when you talk,

you just talk about yourself.

I this and I that.

I pray that God will take the I out of you.

And then he picked up his plate

and he walked away.

And it was very quiet around the dinner table.

I remember that night,

I went to my tent

and I got on my knees

and I said,

oh God,

please take the I out of me.

And just recently,

I was on the website of a man

who was moving from one country

to another country

to go for ministry purposes,

to go and start a ministry.

And on the website,

he was saying,

I am going to this country

and I will bring the kingdom of God there

and I will bring a new realm of God's glory

and I'm going to bring the spirit of God

to these people.

I'm very excited for what God is going to do to me.

And I thought,

you need a friend like I had a friend.

You know,

the Bible says,

the wounds of a friend

are better than the kisses.

The wounds of a friend

are better than kisses of an enemy.

I thought,

you need a friend like I had a friend.

And Watermark,

I want to ask you,

will you pray for us as elders?

Will you pray for us as leaders and staff

that God will continue

to take the I out of us?

Because the greatest danger,

I think one of the greatest dangers

that the church,

the modern church has,

is we've forgotten who we are.

We've forgotten that the most significant

and foundational truth of scripture

is that the church belongs to Jesus.

There is one leader of the church

and his name is King Jesus.

And as a church,

we sometimes think

that the church has a business model.

And if we can just get the business model right,

we get some wealthy business people

and we make a board of elders

like we have a board of directors

and we get a very nice venue

and we get some fancy lights

and smoke machines

and amazing musicians

and we get a wonderful leader

that can speak well,

he's strong,

but also sensitive,

vulnerable,

and also full of vision,

then the church is going to be a success.

And yet Jesus says,

unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it,

labor in vain.

And I think actually

at the heart of this

is a bigger problem

and that's that we forget

just who God is.

We forget that there's one head

of the church,

his name is Jesus.

We forget that God is God

and we are not.

And we forget that

at its essence,

the church is made up

of simple men and women,

sinners who have found grace,

men and women

whose lives have been turned around

by the living God,

men and women

who have encountered

the living God,

men and women

who were lost

and were found by Jesus,

that the church

is not in its essence

great music

or great kids ministry

or good leaders

that care for us.

And this is so easy to do

because Jesus,

in his humility,

he often shrouds his glory,

he restrains his power.

And sometimes like Job

or Joseph,

we say,

God, where are you?

And we forget

that behind the scenes,

God is at work

in his people.

And sometimes we forget

just who we are

and we forget who God is.

And the Apostle Paul

remembered this.

Remember the Apostle Paul

writes to the Corinthians

and he remembers his ministry

and there's a wonderful church

in the city of Corinth

and he says,

don't you remember

all I did was I sowed the seeds.

Yes, Apollos watered,

but God was the one

who brought the increase.

And he says,

so neither the one

who sows

nor he who waters

is anything,

but God who gives

the growth

is everything.

See friends,

when we forget

that just who it is

that stands at the helm

of this spiritual family

called Watermark Church,

when we forget

that Jesus establishes

and builds churches

on the rock of the gospel,

that he breathes life

into dead bones

as we sang this morning,

that he makes dead people

in their sin alive again,

that he takes sinners

far from God

and welcomes them

into our family,

when we forget this,

what will happen

is the leaders

will overwork

and overworry

and overorganize

and overstress

thinking that the success

of this church

is dependent

on our efforts.

And the cleverer we are

and the more gifted

our elders are

and the more professional

our marketing

and the grander

our branding,

we'll think that we can

guarantee a success.

And God says,

unless Christ

is front and central,

unless you give him

the reins of the church,

everything we do

is in vain.

And Jesus gave us

the same warning,

didn't he?

Remember Jesus,

the night before

he's about to be crucified

and he's having dinner

with his disciples

and he's told them,

he's warned them,

he says,

in a few hours time

they're going to crucify me.

They're going to hang me up,

I'm going to die.

And the disciples

who have given everything

to follow Jesus

must be wondering,

has it all been in vain?

We've given up family,

we've given up businesses,

we've given up our careers

to follow you

and now you're going to die.

Maybe this whole thing

has been in vain.

And Jesus says this to them,

remember I am the true vine,

you are the branches.

If you remain in me,

you will bear much fruit.

But apart from me,

you can do nothing.

And so what am I,

this morning Christ calls us

to heed this warning.

Unless the Lord builds his church,

unless Christ is front and central,

those who build it,

rise up early,

going late to bed,

eating the bread of anxious toil,

will do everything in vain.

But then,

look at the end of verse 2.

There's a contrasting encouragement.

Because Solomon says,

it is in vain that you rise up early,

go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil,

but God gives his beloved sleep.

Now,

why is it,

in the midst of great transition,

when there's so many changes in God's house,

in God's family,

that God says,

you can rest?

Why is it,

when Israel,

are on the way to Jerusalem,

and they're bandits,

and there's armies,

and there's enemies,

that are maybe bigger than them,

and there's enemies,

that have got more military power than them,

and there's other armies,

that are more established than them,

why is it that God says,

I will give you rest?

How could these people,

be at rest,

when there's so many difficulties,

and challenges going around them?

Well remember,

they're walking to Jerusalem,

they're singing the songs of assent,

and before they get to Psalm 127,

they read Psalm 121,

which says this,

I lift my eyes to the heels,

from where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved,

he who keeps you does not slumber,

he who keeps Israel,

he who keeps watermark church,

neither slumbers nor sleeps.

Friends,

the reason why we can be at rest,

and the reason why we can put our head,

on the pillow at night,

and rest secure,

is because the one,

who's really in charge of watermark,

and the one who's really,

on the throne of the universe,

and the one who holds this church,

so deeply in his heart,

never sleeps,

and never slumbers.

I know many of us here,

hold this church,

so deeply in our hearts,

some of us have invested,

so much time,

and relationship,

and energy,

and resources,

into this church.

Friends,

there is one who cares,

about this church,

even more deeply than you,

and he never rests,

and he never sleeps,

and he holds us,

in the center of his hands.

Friends,

this is what God is telling us,

that he is the head of his church,

he is in charge,

and that those,

unless the Lord builds his house,

those who build it,

labor in vain.

Now,

look at verse three with me.

The first two verses of the psalm,

are quite straightforward,

but then in verse three,

there is a big shift,

that takes place.

In fact,

it is such a big shift,

that sometimes,

some people think,

maybe these are two different psalms.

Because,

think about it,

in verse two,

God is talking about,

giving rest to his people,

and then in verse three,

he starts talking about,

children,

and babies,

and how can you have rest,

when there is new babies in the house?

Surely there is a mistake here,

right?

Somebody did not think about this,

when they wrote the psalm.

How can you talk about,

getting sleep,

and having new babies?

But,

in verse three,

actually,

God is giving us,

a profound promise.

And it's a promise,

it's another promise,

to encourage us.

Because we might ask the question,

well if God is the one,

who is in charge of his church,

if God is sovereign,

over his church,

how do we know,

that God is sovereignly choosing,

not to bless us?

You know,

if we are the ones,

that can't produce the fruit,

only God can,

how do we know,

that God is just going to choose,

not to produce any fruits,

in our church?

Maybe God is just choosing,

that we will just work,

and work,

and work,

and there will be,

no blessing,

no fruit from all our efforts.

How do we know,

that God is going to,

actually bless our efforts?

But verse three,

is a profound promise,

that if we will trust him,

our efforts won't be in vain.

God promises,

fruitfulness,

to those who look to him,

and trust him.

Look at what it says.

It says,

behold,

behold,

children are a heritage,

from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb,

a reward,

like arrows in the hands,

of a warrior,

are children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man,

who fills his quiver with them.

He shall not be put to shame,

when he speaks with his enemies,

at the gate.

What's going on here?

Well,

I think just as a side note,

a caveat here,

it's important to recognize,

just how important children,

and youth are,

to Christ our King.

Jesus is not just interested,

in the house,

he's not just interested,

in the city of Jerusalem,

he's interested in families as well.

It's almost as if,

the Psalm is saying,

unless the Lord builds the house,

those that build it,

labor in vain.

Unless the Lord,

watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

Unless the Lord,

watches over your children,

and your family,

all your efforts,

are in vain.

And so,

as parents,

I want to encourage us,

we need to be praying,

for our children,

we need to be teaching,

in the gospel.

We can't just think,

we bring them to kids ministry,

for one hour a week,

and they're going to be discipled.

As parents,

we need to be,

applying the gospel,

to their hearts.

But at the same time,

I want to encourage us,

we need to be praying,

for our kids ministry leaders,

and our youth leaders.

We need to be praying,

for the children in our church.

Why?

Because children and youth,

are a vital makeup,

of God's household.

But notice,

one of the things that,

one of the things that I've noticed,

in Hong Kong,

is that,

we like to work,

our children hard.

Right?

We send our,

Pat,

is that right?

You agree?

We send our children,

to school,

for many hours.

We bring them home,

from school,

and we give them,

extra tuition.

And then on Saturday,

they go to extra,

extra tuition,

and they work hard,

with homework.

Is that right?

Does that sound right?

Friends,

we need to know,

that giving our children,

a good education,

is a good thing.

And giving them,

the best opportunities,

is a good thing.

But that's not going to guarantee,

that we will make them,

wise,

secure,

mature adults.

Ultimately,

we need God,

at work in their lives.

And the Psalm,

reminds us,

that children,

are important to God.

But note,

what actually is God,

what actually is going on here,

is that God is giving us a promise.

And it's a unique promise,

which is counterintuitive,

but it's a promise,

that we find,

throughout the Bible.

God is guaranteeing,

the fruitfulness of our church,

but he'll do it,

in his time,

and in his way.

Look at what he says here.

He says,

children,

are a heritage from the Lord.

The fruit of the womb,

is a reward from God.

Now,

obviously,

in Hebrew culture,

unlike our day,

people didn't get to choose,

how many children they had,

and when they had their children.

Right?

Everybody knew,

that children were,

your children,

were in God's hands.

God chose how many children you had,

and when you had children.

There wasn't,

contraceptives in those days.

Right?

But additionally,

in the biblical language,

children are considered a blessing,

when two people,

it's the blessing of the fruit,

that comes,

when two people come together,

and make a covenant,

or a commitment,

to permanently,

publicly,

and exclusively,

love each other,

for the rest of their days.

So when two people come together,

and commit,

or covenant to exclusively,

just the two of them,

permanently,

forever and ever,

love each other,

for the rest of the days,

the fruit of that covenant,

the blessing,

or the fruit of that commitment,

is children.

And so in the Bible,

children are a blessing,

or a fruit of two people,

giving themselves to each other,

forever.

Now these days,

we tend to think that,

having children,

is a matter of biology.

Right?

It's human will.

We get to choose,

when we want children,

how many children we want.

But actually,

the Bible says,

that even today,

every child given,

is a miracle of God.

Every child is knit together,

in their mother's womb.

On the day of conception,

every child is a miracle.

New life is a miracle.

If,

sometimes we think,

that we get to plan,

when we have children,

how many we're going to have,

we think it's a matter of biology,

and science,

until you have your first child.

Right?

When your first child,

comes out of the womb,

and you hold that baby,

in your hands,

tears streaming down your eyes,

and what do you say?

Jesus,

thank you for this new life.

You realize,

the miracle of new life.

And friends,

the church is exactly the same.

Sometimes in the church,

we tend to think,

oh,

it's a matter of science,

it's a matter of leadership.

If we just employ this person,

put that person in place,

if we just get,

a successful board together,

we get a dynamic speakers,

we get an amazing worship leader,

like Jeremy,

we just get some people together,

we get some fancy lights,

some smoke machines,

and some really,

some good lights,

that we can produce the results.

And it ultimately,

it's not as simple as that.

Friends,

God is making us a promise here.

He's saying,

just as when two people come together,

make a commitment to each other,

there is fruit,

there is a life.

I promise to bless that covenant.

In the same way God says,

when my people come to me,

and they make a commitment,

they make a covenant,

they trust in me,

they choose to give themselves to me,

permanently,

exclusively,

not relying on their own self-wisdom,

not relying on their own strengths,

they come to me and say,

Jesus,

have your way in our life and our church.

I promise to bless them

with the fruit of that covenant.

I will bless them with the fruit.

Friends,

Watermark,

God is making a promise

that if we as a church

will commit to come to Him,

to give ourselves to Him,

permanently and exclusively,

if we will trust Him,

Jesus,

to lead us and to guide us,

He will bless us,

miraculously and supernaturally,

with new life.

He will bless us with only,

with that which only He can bless us.

And Jesus makes this promise

in Mark 4,

doesn't He?

Remember in Mark chapter 4,

Mark 4 · chapter mention

Jesus tells three parables.

He says,

the kingdom of God

is as if a man

was walking along,

sowing some seed.

And sometimes the seed

falls on hard ground

and the devil comes

and steals that seed up

and it never produces any life.

Sometimes the seed falls

and it sprouts a little bit

but there's no roots

and so it fades away.

Sometimes the seed,

the kingdom,

the word of God,

falls

and somebody's excited

for a few minutes,

a few months,

but then actually

other things

take their fancy

and they follow

those other things

and they stop trusting me.

And sometimes you think,

God,

is there ever going to be

any fruit?

We are sowing,

we are sowing,

we are sowing.

Is there ever going to be

any life?

And God says,

but don't worry.

The kingdom of God,

sometimes you sow

and there is a harvest

30 fold,

60 fold,

100 fold.

And then Jesus says,

don't you remember

the kingdom of God

is like a mustard seed.

It's small,

it's insignificant,

it looks not very fancy,

it doesn't look like

it's going to produce much.

It's so small

and insignificant

it's lying around.

But you sow that seed

and God will produce life.

It will produce one of the biggest

plants in the garden.

And then Jesus says,

don't you remember

the kingdom of God

is like a man

that scatters seed

on the ground

though he sleeps

and he rises.

Night and day

the seed sprouts

and it grows

all by itself

even though he knows

not how.

Friends,

watermark,

Psalm 127

contains a wonderful promise.

If we will trust the Lord,

if we will build

this church on Him,

if we will look to Him

and lead us

and guide us,

if we will build

upon His word,

not with tricks

and gimmicks

and shortcuts,

He will bless us abundantly

because He is the Lord

of His house

and this church

belongs to Him.

Now,

last thing

as we come to land.

There's one surprising

aspect to this promise.

There's something

unusual about it

because God says,

I will bless you.

Children are a heritage

from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb

a reward.

God promises

to bless our efforts

and children

have a unique ability

to be both the source

of your greatest joy

but also your deepest heartache.

Right?

Is that right?

When we first had our

Sierra,

she was one years old,

somebody came to us

and said,

little children,

little problems.

Big children,

bigger problems.

Right?

That when your children

are young,

the biggest problems

are smelly nappies

and waking up at night.

But as they get old

and they mature,

it takes a different

kind of parenting.

And children

are such a great joy

but part of the blessing

of children

is that they shape us.

They sharpen us.

Hopefully,

they make us

a better person

in the process.

Right?

Children have a way

about teaching us

about patience.

Children have a way

of exposing the sin

in our own hearts.

Right?

Children have a way

of exposing

our own idols.

And if we're honest,

sometimes children

are a challenge

before they are

a blessing.

Am I the only one

that that applies to?

If your child

is next to you,

you can keep quiet.

Okay?

Derek Kidner

said this,

It is not untypical

for God's gifts

that first they are

liabilities

or at least

responsibilities

before they become

obvious assets.

The greater the promise,

the more likely

that these sons

will be a handful

before they are

a quiver full.

But friends,

that is just like

God's gift of grace.

God promises

these gifts of grace,

but often,

they come wrapped up

in smelly nappies.

They come and they scream

and they cry

and they keep you awake

at night.

And sometimes you think,

what kind of blessing

is this?

Can't I just order in

a 21-year-old,

mature,

secure,

stable child?

You know,

Uber Eats or Akia,

don't you sell

21-year-old children

that just,

everything is sorted.

They know how

to dress themselves.

They know how

to feed themselves.

Sometimes you think,

God,

where is the blessing

in this?

Friends,

this is exactly

what God's grace

is like.

God blesses,

but sometimes

His gift of grace,

they shape us

and they sharpen us

and they bless us

in ways that

we don't expect.

And some people,

they write off

God's gift.

They disregard

God's blessing

because at first

they don't seem

like a blessing

or they don't think

what they're blessing

like we expect.

Remember,

Jesus tells the story.

He says,

the kingdom of God

is like a man

that found a treasure

buried in a field.

He sold everything

he had to buy that field.

And sometimes

the treasures of God

are buried in a field

of ordinariness.

Sometimes they're wrapped

up in nappies

and they come

and they keep you awake

at night.

But friends,

so often God

builds His church

the way that families

raise children.

Many hours of investment.

You sow

and you sow

and you sow

and sometimes you think,

is there any fruit?

Is there anything

happening here?

Sometimes you wonder

whether you're doing it right.

Sometimes you think

you're destroying

your children

in the process.

Sometimes you think,

God,

what is going on here?

And then all of a sudden,

one day you wake up

and your children

are mature adults

and they are strong

and they are like arrows

in the hand of a warrior,

strong and secure,

mature and resilient.

Children who make you proud

when they stand

at the city gates.

Friends,

this is the way

Jesus always

builds His church.

He takes that

which is insignificant

and He makes

something beautiful

out of it.

He takes something

unoppressive

and He makes

something significant

out of it.

He takes that

which is written off

by the elites

and the powerful

and the beautiful

and He builds

a kingdom

that cannot be shaken.

And this is the way

that Jesus always

builds His church.

Remember,

Jesus takes 12 men,

some of them fishermen,

some of them tax collectors,

some of them religious zealots,

and He brings them together

and through these 12 men

He fills them with His Spirit

and He turns the world

upside down.

This is the way

Jesus builds His church.

He says,

unless the Lord

builds the church,

those who build it,

build it in vain.

But He builds His church

not the way we expect you,

not with lights

and impressive leaders.

He builds it

with ordinary men and women,

sinners like you

and sinners like me.

And He says,

if you'll trust Me,

if you'll let Me lead you

and guide you,

I will do something

miraculous and wonderful

in your church.

And this shouldn't surprise us

because this is the way

of the gospel.

This is the way

God has always worked.

It's the way of Jesus

who though He was God,

did not count equality

with God

something to be grasped,

but He chose to be born

to an unwed teenage mom

in the backwaters

of Palestine,

born in an animal's stable,

laid to rest

in an animal's feeding trough.

Remember of Jesus,

they said,

can anything good

come out of Nazareth?

Nazareth?

What good comes out of there?

Bethlehem?

Where's Bethlehem?

What about the important cities?

And yet,

the gospel tells us

that that's exactly

how Jesus came.

It's the way of Jesus

who said,

I will build my church.

And yet,

He built it

in the most unlikely of ways.

He didn't do it

with beautiful venues

and impressive orators

and wonderful speakers

and good-looking men and women.

He didn't do it

with smoke machines

and beautiful music.

He did it

by offering Himself

as an atoning sacrifice

on the cross.

Jesus built His church

by being flogged

and mocked

and beaten

and scorned

and ultimately killed.

Jesus built His church

by going to Mount Calvary,

allowing Himself

to be nailed to the cross.

Jesus built His church

not just by telling

His disciples

to turn the other cheek

or to bless those

that curse you,

He did it

by actually doing those things.

Jesus built His church

by accomplishing for us

what we could not do

for ourselves,

taking our sin upon Himself

and giving us

a righteousness

which is not our own

and then welcoming us

into His family.

Jesus did it

by giving us for free

what we could not buy

with all the money

and all the gold in the world,

the unearned,

unmerited favor of God.

And friends,

still today,

Jesus is building His church.

But He does it

by taking simple men and women,

men and women

whose hearts

have been melted

by the gospel,

men and women

who once lived

for themselves

in their own glory

and now live for Him.

Men and women

who were once so self-focused

that they couldn't even see Him

and He went and found them

and He brought them

back to Himself.

Jesus did it

by taking people

who lived themselves

and now live

for His own glory.

Men and women

empowered with His Spirit

and He sends them out

to declare His wonder

of His love

and His holiness,

His perfection

and His grace.

Watermark,

whatever the future holds

for our church,

there will be ups,

there will be downs.

Let us remember

this warning

unless the Lord

builds the church,

those who build it

labor in vain.

But let us also remember

this wonderful encouragement.

Behold, children,

our heritage from the Lord.

God's fruitfulness

is guaranteed.

God promises to bless

those of us

who look to Him

for His leadership

and His guidance.

Unless the Lord

builds the house,

those who build it

labor in vain.

Unless the Lord

watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake

in vain.

It is in vain

that we rise up early,

going late to rest,

eating the bread

of anxious toil.

But God gives

to His beloved

sleep.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Heavenly Father,

at the start

of this new year,

we come before you

in humility.

We come before you

with open hands.

We come before you

as a family,

a gospel family,

a family made up

of men and women

that have been,

that have encountered

the living God.

And we come before you

and we say,

God, come and lead us.

Jesus, this is your church.

You are the head

of your church.

And God,

we don't just invite you

to bless our works

or our efforts.

We don't just ask you

to come and be here.

We say,

Jesus, take the reins.

Jesus, come and be

at the helm.

God, we long

to be a church

that blesses each other

and blesses our city.

We long for Hong Kong

to be better off

because our church

is here.

God, we long

to see men and women

come to know you

and discover you

and their lives

turned around

by the power

of the gospel.

God, only you

can do that.

Father, this morning,

we ask you,

won't you take

the I out of us?

Won't you take

the self-sufficiency

and independence

away from us?

God, may we be

deeply rooted

and anchored

in you.

God, we confess

we need you.

We ask you, God,

to come and lead

and guide us

for your glory, God.

Put your magnificent

glory on display,

we pray,

in this church

and in our lives.

God, may we be