9 April, 2017 Living your life with the LORD Psalm 127

Introduction:
Friends, we all want to leave a legacy, dont we? I mean, we all want a live to a life which has real
meaning & purpose & that actually makes a positive difference to the people around us. And so when
we finally die we want to leave good things for our families & especially for our children. And that is why
in this life we work hard. As God says right at the start of the Bible, we earn our living by the sweat of our
brow. And thats how life is for most people. And so the worst thing that could happen to any of us, is for
us to live our lives in vain. You know, the worst possible thing that can happen to you & to me is that
we do not make a difference to anyone, & that we leave nothing good behind for anyone. And you
see this at funerals, dont you? I mean, if you ever go to someones funeral here in Australia you will
never hear people say things like this: Im really going to miss Peter because he had such great teeth
or Peter was a terrific guy because he owned a red Ferrari! No! you will never hear anything like that
because at funerals we remember the important things, we remember the things that are valuable
about a person- at a funeral we remember the things of the heart. And the truth is, if the only positive
thing we can say about someone at their funeral is that they had great teeth or that they owned a very
expensive car - then that persons life has been lived in vain- that persons life has no lasting value. And
I think that is the worst disaster imaginable for any human being.

Well, here in Psalm 127 the great king Solomon warns us not to live our lives in vain. And here in this
Psalm, the difference between living a life that is rich with meaning & purpose, or living a life in vain-
may surprise us. Look at what king Solomon says.

1Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders work in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the
guards stand watch in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, working for food to eat because God
grants sleep to those he loves.

Friends, what does king Solomon say is the difference between having a meaningful life & living a
wasted life?...well, the difference is having the LORD God in your life! You see, king Solomon says that if
the Lord God is not building the house & if the lord God is not watching over the city then it doesnt
really matter how careful the builders & guards are. It doesnt matter how long they work & it doesnt
matter how hard they work- If God is not involved, everything they do will be in vain, it will be wasted, it
will not succeed. Now friends, what king Solomon says here is very challenging to us, isnt it? or at least it
should be. I mean, by this simple test most people in this world today are living their lives in vain, arent
they? I mean, if we test the lives of our friends, & our neighbours & our nation & most people in this world
- how many people can honestly say, with a clean heart-that the LORD God, is working with them in
their lives. And friends, it makes you think, doesnt it? Is the LORD working with me in my life? And
perhaps even more importantly, how can I know if the LORD God is working with me in my life? Well,
lets look again at this song written by king Solomon & see if we can find some answers.

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders work in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the

guards stand watch in vain.

Friends, who does king Solomon say builds the house & who watches over the city?thats right, its the
LORD God who builds & watches. You see, in this picture that Solomon gives us- the Lord God builds his
house & he watches over his city. And so the real question we need to ask about our lives is not: is God
with me as I do what I do in my life? But the real question we must ask ourselves is this: Am I with God as
he does what he is doing in this world? Can you see the difference? The secret to living a full &
meaningful life, which is filled with Gods peace & joy & purpose, is to work with God- its build what God
is building in this world today. Let me say that again friends, because we really need to think about this:
The secret to living a full & meaningful life-filled with Gods peace & joy & purpose, is to work alongside
God, its to work with the lord god to accomplish what he is doing in this world today. Friends, that is the
great litmus test for our lives: Are we involved with what the LORD God is doing in our world today?-
building what he is building & guarding what he watches over?

Now, in the New Testament, our lord & teacher, Jesus, tells a story of a rich farmer from Luke 12 which is
very similar to king Solomons teaching. You know, in the story Jesus tells us that the rich farmer is doing
very well for himself - so well, that he doesnt have enough room for his crops anymore. So the farmer
decides to knock down the old buildings & build new barns & new silos to store all his wheat & his
goods. And after working so hard the farmer now has everything he needs for a safe & secure future.
And so he sits back & says these confident words to himself:
 19 My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, & be merry!

And friends, there you have the great Australian dream. Because in modern Australia the blessed life,
the good life, the happy life is to have enough money in the bank & enough superannuation so you
can retire comfortably & have an easy life a life of good food & good drink. And yet, God speaks into
the rich mans life & his fantasy is destroyed in a just a second. Look at what Jesus says.

20But God said to the farmer, You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you
worked for?
21 Thats how it is with the person who stores up earthly treasurers for himself but does not have a rich

relationship with God.

You see friends, the rich man had everything he could want & yet Jesus says it all meant nothing-. even
though the farmer had silos & houses, barns & car, boats & big screen TVs, still, Jesus says this mans life
was all in vain - it was a waste, & he was a fool. And nothing would last beyond the short 50 or 60
years the man lived. And why was his life in vain? why was his life a waste? Well Jesus says, his life
was a waste because he did not have a rich relationship with God. In other words, God was not
involved in what the farmer was doing. But more importantly friends, the farmer was not involved in
what God was doing in this world. And so everything the farmer achieved was only accomplished by
his own human strength & in his own limited human wisdom. And so it was only temporary, it just
wouldnt last, it was only for this life & it wouldnt last into eternity-with God. Friends, the most important
thing we need for our lives today is to find out what God is busy doing in this world & then to join with
him in doing what he is doing. Well, what is God doing in this world? Now thats a good question, isnt
it? Well, look at what Jesus taught his own disciples & to the crowds. This is from Matthew chapter 6,
from Jesus most famous speech called the Sermon on the Mount & I think this is the clearest
description of what a life lived with God (which is not in vain) looks like. Jesus said these words:

28And why do you worry about clothes? Learn from the wildflowers: they dont labour or spin. 29 & yet I tell
you not even king Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these!31 So dont worry, saying,
what shall we eat? or what shall we wear?...33 But seek first the kingdom of God & his righteousness & all
these other things shall be given to you as well.

You see friends, if we want to live a life that is meaningful, if we want to live a life that lasts, if we want to
live a life where we work with God in what hes doing in this world, then we will seek Gods kingdom &
his righteousness, everyday. In other words in whatever we do & wherever we are, we will work with
God, alongside of him, in doing what He is doing. We will work with him to spread Gods kingdom. That
is what God is doing, today. God is growing His kingdom.

And really, I think this means we will spread Gods influence & Gods goodness & Gods good ways in
every part of our lives. Whether at home, at work, at school or university, as a father or a mother, as a
husband or a wife, or even as a child - it doesnt matter. To seek Gods kingdom means to spread
Gods goodness everywhere in our lives. And this doesnt just happen on a Sunday morning , it happens
everyday as we will seek to bring Gods will & his goodness into our own lives & into the lives of people
that God has placed all around us. And of course this means we will seek to introduce people to Jesus-
who is the king of Gods kingdom, & who died to bring us into a new meaningful life with God.

But friends, Jesus also says, that if we want our lives to be meaningful, then we not only seek Gods
kingdom everyday, but we also see Gods righteousness, too. look at v33

33 But seek first the kingdom of God & his righteousness & all these other things shall be given to you as well.

You see, not only do we seek Gods kingdom by doing, what God is doing in this world, but we also
seek Gods righteousness at he same time. In other words, we work with God in doing what he is doing
in this world, but we do this in the way God does it (thats Gods righteousness). Friends, to seek Gods
righteousness means to extend Gods goodness. We do Gods will, but we do it with the same love in
our hearts- that fills Gods heart. We do Gods will, with the same wisdom that fills Gods mind & we do it
with the same joy that fills Gods spirit. Friends, that is what it means to seek Gods kingdom &
righteousness. That is what it means to build with the Lord. Now friends, we are all busy building many
different things in our lives. Many of us are building families, or careers or houses. But if we want to make
sure all our effort is not wasted then we must be involved in what God is doing in this world. And we
must do it in the way God does it. And so Jesus says seek Gods kingdom & his righteousness first, &
keep seeking more & more of Gods kingdom & more & more of Gods righteousness in your life each
day. And if you do that nothing you do will be in vain. No moment will be wasted, every hardship will
seem lighter, & every effort will be rewarded by God & used for his good, eternal purposes.

Friends, look at what the apostle Paul says to Gods people in 1Corinthians 15:58

58Therefore, my dear brothers & sisters. Be strong & firm. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, because
nothing you do for the Lord is in vain.

Friends, God invites us to build our lives securely - by building with him, as he builds & extends his
kingdom in this world, today. As he extends his influence & his goodness into peoples lives all around us.
And friends, we do this in two ways, 1) We join with God, in doing what he is doing, 2) We do what God
is doing in the way that God does it- with the same love & wisdom & joy that he has - as he works.
Friends, that is the meaningful, productive, eternal life that Jesus offers to us all. Now, I would like to finish
by asking you a question, & the question is this: What words would you like to be printed on your
tombstone when you die? Would you prefer in vain or would you prefer with the Lord? In vain
means without lasting value, while with the lord means a life that has been lived with God, & a life that
now continues to be lives with the LORD God-even after death. Friends, which do you want? Lets pray.