‘Perfect’ Homes
Are Possible
Psalm 101
Sept 1, 2013 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Matthew
7:24-27) - Building a
A.
Some Questions to answer this
month:
1.
What IS a Christian’s home?
2.
What makes a Christian’s Home
different than others?
3.
What makes it “better”?
4.
Why work so hard to have one?
5.
Is it really worth having? Why
not just settle for what you already have?
B.
There is no better kind of home –
and I am quite convinced!
1.
Living together? Is not a home!
No commitment, and no permanence!
2.
Single parent home? Only half of
a home!
3.
Godless and Christless home? Just
one step away from hell!
4.
If there IS anything good in your
home, any kindness, any selfless loving acts in your home, it is ONLY because of
the effect of Jesus Christ on this world!
C.
You don’t just “have” a
1.
Built upon the Rock – not sand
2.
Weathers the storms, and remains
standing!
3.
It is not impossible to build
one! Hard, but not impossible!
4.
Most of all, It is worth having!
II.
Message
A.
A
1.
Only God can build a home! We
can’t!
a.
You cannot have the best home,
and strongest home, a Christian home without Jesus Christ being at the very
centre of it, and the Lord and Master of that home!
b.
Countless of billions of people
have places where people live and work and get along together
c.
But fewer and fewer have homes!
d.
All the emphasis years ago was on
reading books about the home, and going to hear from someone about how to have a
happy home
e.
Now, most people have given up on
even trying!
f.
But we have it backwards – WE
can’t build a home – only God can – IF we will let Him!
g.
God can build you a home!
1)
Not a house of brick and mortar
2)
But a “home”
2.
And, God can hold it together!
Keep it safe, and standing! By Him, all things consist!
With God, ALL things
are possible
a.
Giving you a godly wife or
husband
b.
Bringing your wayward children
home
c.
Restoring joy and love in your
home
d.
Giving you back what the devil
has robbed you of for so many years!
3.
But it has to be according to HIS
Design
a.
Not according to your own past
experiences – the way you were raised, the way everyone else did things
b.
Not built like everyone else’s
homes are built and run today!
c.
But built His way – according to
the Bible!
d.
And with HIS help! Never
attempting to do this alone on your own!
4.
Folks, You will never be able to
build your home without HIS help! Constant help!
a.
No matter how much you worry and
fret and work at it – worrying about your kids, about your husband
b.
No matter how much sleep you lose
c.
No matter how much you regret
things…
d.
No matter how hard you fight for
it
e.
Your strength will not carry the
burdens
f.
Your wisdom will not grasp all
the answers
g.
You need HIS strength (Eph 6:10),
His wisdom, His patience, His leading, and His end! He knows what He is doing
(Eccl 3:11)
5.
A
a.
Yes, you can have a home with
just a husband and wife – if that’s what God’s will is
b.
But to have a home like God
designed it, it will be built through your children!
c.
Not through your business
d.
Or through your bank accounts
e.
But through those young lives
living out your values, and your investments in them – which you should have
gotten from this Bible!
f.
According to God’s word, Children
are God’s heritage that He passes on to us as He sees fit!
g.
We all have an Irish heritage, an
English, an American, Nigerian, etc
h.
Children are a Christian’s
heritage to pass on Christ to the next generation
And believe me, this next
generation needs Christ!
B.
It Requires Perfect Hearts
(Psalm 101)
1.
What Are Perfect Hearts?
a.
Not sinlessly perfect, not
flawlessly perfect
b.
But Purified (Psalm 51:10; Heb
9:13,14)
c.
And Passionate - Anchored,
unmoving, fixed on the Lord
1)
Psa_57:7
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
2)
Psa_108:1
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my
glory.
3)
Psa_112:7
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in
the LORD.
2.
No heart starts off this way (Jer
17:9)
3.
It has to be supernaturally
transformed – born again!
4.
All our problems come first and
most from our heart (Prov 4:23; Mark 7:20-23)
a.
evil thoughts
b.
adulteries
c.
fornications
d.
murders,
e.
Thefts
f.
Covetousness
g.
Wickedness
h.
Deceit
i.
Lasciviousness
j.
an evil eye
k.
blasphemy
l.
pride
m.
foolishness:
n.
Mar 7:23
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man, and
especially his home!
5.
How to have a perfect heart in
your home:
a.
Focus first on YOUR own heart!
Make sure YOUR heart is made perfect!!!
b.
Appreciate God’s MERCY (Lam
3:22,23)
1)
We all really are a mess in God’s
eyes! God sees our hearts, and our homes, behind the closed doors, and behind
all the grumbling and bad attitudes!
2)
We have all done so much that
should have ruined us a long time ago
3)
And yet, God has been very
merciful to us – better to us than we deserve
4)
Given us a wife, or a husband,
children, second chance after second chance
5)
You had better start appreciating
God’s mercy!
6)
That He is offering you another
chance to do things HIS way, and have a Christian home
c.
WANT to change your behaviour “I
WILL behave myself…” (101:2)
1)
Bring my life into line with that
of Jesus
d.
Depend upon GOD – do things
wisely, according to His plans and design!
1)
Pr 24:3,4
2)
Pr 14:1
3)
Pr 10:8
Wise people LEARN how to do things – don’t just do whatever seems best!
e.
Limit what you allow to activate
and affect your heart (Eph 4:27)
1)
Visual things
2)
What I hear about wicked things
(Rom 16:19) – people who turn aside, are those who start off well, but have no
intention of finishing, and have their own agenda!
3)
Fake things – forward, deceptive
things – stick with real things
a)
Have Real friends, not facebook
friends
b)
Real love – not TV movie love
c)
Real worship – not fake,
emotional performances
4)
Personal and intimate things
about wicked people!
a)
Pull away from all the soaps and
intimate details of other people’s lives
b)
Especially of wicked people’s
lifestyles
5)
Gossip
a)
Don’t listen to people talking
about people
b)
It will bring you down and cause
you to join in
c)
They will talk next about YOU!
6)
Proud things
a)
Take a look in your home and see
what is fuelling all the pride and stubbornness
b)
High look – check you clothing
and image that YOU are promoting
7)
Lies – hate any and all lying!
a)
No one here should lie
b)
Some of you LIE and have no
problem with it
c)
You won’t be honest and humble
yourself and admit YOU are doing wrong
8)
Limit your association, your
interaction with these things in your home
a)
TV shows and movies
b)
Internet, and facebook – façade
c)
Irish Mail
d)
Hanging around with wrong people
who only gossip and tear each other down
f.
Love to fellowship with faithful
people
1)
Church, Sunday morning, Sunday
evening, Wednesday prayer and Bible Study
2)
Make these your best friends!
g.
Protect that home, at all costs
(101:8)
1)
Some of you need to destroy the
devil’s doorways into your home
2)
And destroy the idols that you
have set up
3)
So that your home is Christian
6.
God can make your home feel like
heaven (Isa 45:22; 51:3)
7.
Illustration: A man relates the
following interesting incident back in the early 1900’s: "The story is told of a
little Japanese girl who studied at an
C.
Is It Worth The Cost?
1.
God
thinks our homes are worth saving… just as much as the saving of our own
souls!!!
a.
Acts
16:13-15
b.
Acts
16:30,31
c.
Acts
18:8
2.
The
question is, do we think our homes are worth saving?
3.
This
month, let’s let God humble us, and correct us, so that our homes are saved
III.
Conclusion
A.
There is no better kind of home
than a Christian Kind of Home!
B.
A
1.
Is YOURS Built upon the Rock?
2.
Is it Weathers all the storms,
and remaining strong?
3.
It is not impossible to build
one! Hard, but not impossible!
4.
Have I convinced you It is worth
having?
C.
Then Let God Do the
Building!
D.
Make Sure Your own heart
is Perfect
1.
Purified
2.
And Passionate - Anchored,
unmoving, fixed on the Lord
E.
Start Taking Control Over
What is Going on In Your Home
1.
Sing of God’s MERCY
2.
WANT to change your behaviour “I
WILL behave myself…” (101:2)
3.
Depend upon GOD – do things
wisely, according to His plans and design!
4.
Limit what you allow to activate
and affect all the hearts in your home
a.
Limit your association, your
interaction with these things in your home
1)
Visual things - TV shows and
movies
2)
What I hear about wicked things
3)
Fake things – forward, deceptive
things – Internet, and facebook – façade - stick with real things
4)
Personal and intimate things
about wicked people! Irish Mail
5)
Gossip
6)
Proud things – God HATES my
pride! And YOURS too! Too humble to be sorry and to change
7)
Lies – hate any and all lying!
8)
Love to fellowship with faithful
people
b.
Protect that home, at all costs
(101:8)
1)
Some of you need to destroy the
devil’s doorways into your home
2)
And destroy the idols that you
have set up
3)
So that your home is Christian
5.
God can make your home feel like
heaven (Isa 45:22; 51:3)