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.
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 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,
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,
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 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,
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