America, what do you think of when you hear that word? For some, especially children, you may think of the Fourth of July. If you're a true-blooded Englishman, you may think of some stubborn revolutionaries. But for others, it may be considered home. For many of us, it is. But whatever you think of America, nobody can deny the incredible strides that America has made in the young early years of its life, roughly 250 plus years. We went from 13 colonies and now we occupy 50 states and many more territories around the world. We have been and in many ways are still the world's leading economy. We took on a tyrant, and against all odds, we won. And we, with the Allies, defeated Nazi Germany and Japan at the same time in World War II. We took on communism head on and won, and we even put man on the moon. But what was the point? A surprising question to many, but nonetheless, it's an important one. A thousand years from now, when man looks back on the first 250 or so years of America's life, and they see all the great accomplishments in just a short time, to what end will it be? Solomon, in this psalm of wisdom, makes us ponder that question. How confident can America be that what they are doing actually means something? And we should actually ask at that point, what does it mean to mean something? Where is their confidence? After all, the Lord builds up nations and he strikes them down and all serve his eternal purpose. We can't deny that. But that doesn't mean that all have partaken in his divine blessing. The Lord built up the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, and of course, the mighty Roman Empire. And though they were mighty, though they had much earthly success, we have to ask, were they blessed by the Lord? When leaders of such mighty land stand before the Lord and His eternal throne, will they be able to actually look at Him and say He was seeking with all of His might to build the Lord's kingdom, or will He come with a hollow hand of vanity saying, I have built up my own kingdom? And if that is the case, we come back to the original question. All that we have done, putting it in our own context, what will be the point of it? And that is exactly what Solomon does here. But he doesn't, again, just make the nations ponder this point. We can take exactly what he is saying in his own personal examples and apply it not to just a national level, not just to a state level or a family level. It is applied to our own lives. And through this psalm, he causes us to see. That apart from the Lord, all that man does. Is pointless. If it is apart from the Lord and his divine blessing, And to him, all that we do is in utter vanity. Now we will cover this in two points. We'll see verses one to two broken down. We will see how we should labor. And in verses three to five, we will see the fruit of such labors. We'll see Solomon kind of explaining the Lord and his providence in verses one to two. And then in three to five, we'll see it almost applied to a specific situation. So now we come here and we say, just as we've asked, what would it be for America? As he looks back and say, what is the point of everything that I've done? Now we ask, and as we have applied that to our life, we say, so how should we labor? Because ultimately that's what this passage is talking about. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. But notice that he doesn't say those who sit by idly as the Lord builds it for him. We are still called to labor. But now the question is, how do we labor? There's a just way and an unrighteous way. So how do we labor? Solomon was a king. He's the king of Israel. Now, he was tasked in 1 Kings 5-6 with building the house of worship, the temple of God. He also, as King of Israel, in his city, the city of David, Jerusalem, was tasked with protecting that city. That was the duties of Solomon. Now we will later see that there's a slight play on words in reference to the house, but for now it's at least worth noting that though this only mentions a house, when we realize that these are the words of Solomon, we should be immediately thinking back to 1 Kings. Now Solomon, unlike David, was tasked with building the temple for worship. And as he protects the city, we'll see that in a sense he acts as an overseer or a watchman. So really in verses one to two, Solomon is using his examples in life to prove his point. But Solomon knew that no matter what he did, whether it be constructing the house of worship or watching over a nation, that it would all be pointless and in vain if it weren't the Lord's doing and if it was apart from the Lord's blessing. But we ask, how do we know if it's the Lord's doing and the Lord's blessing? And this ties us back into the original question. How should we labor? And we think over that question. What's the separation between us and the world? We read in Romans that anything that does not proceed from faith is sin. So if we're to labor righteously, if we're to labor justly, we should labor in faith. In all that we do, in all that we're building, in all that we're constructing or overseeing, we should always be laboring in faith. If we were to take confidence in anything, it can only be in the Lord. And we can only take confidence in His proceedings and doings by faith. If in all that we do, we do so in faith in the Lord, seeking to build His kingdom, furthering His name and glorifying Him alone, then we can take confidence that the Lord is involved. And then we can rest assured that we have His blessing. After all, what we are seeking there's a separation. For the world sees worldly success, but the church and the bride of Christ should see heavenly success. Just as the world is over here and looking to the left and seeing what they consider goodness and what they consider success with all of their objects in all of their glory that they can boast in that's physical. We stand on the other end and we don't boast in our possessions. We don't boast in what we have gained earthly. After all, didn't the Lord say to lay up our treasures in heaven? The world seeks to build up its own house and watch over its own city with its own power. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that they aren't interested in God or what he has to offer them. They're interested in their own power and grit. But ultimately, they will see that it leads to a pointless ending in life. Now, where better can we see this from the church's perspective than in the prosperity preacher? The mighty kingdom underneath the many pope as he asks people to sow a seed, as he builds thousands and thousands of members, as he boasts in all of his objects that he sits in, in his sphere of worldly gain. At the end, what will he say that he has accomplished? So the world, and he looks, as the world looks over to that, and that kingdom, the world recognizes that, and they say, well, this man has been very successful at what he's done. But as that man stands before the Lord, he will have to account for what he has done, just as we all will. And the question will be posed to him just like it'll be posed to us. What does this mean? And as they think over it, they'll realize that all of their items and possessions and the money that they gained will all be to no avail because just like everything else in this life, and just like everything else that we gain, it will all burn. And so will the souls of the people that followed and trekked with them. And that should be a warning to us compared to when the world looks at this prosperity preacher, the one who has gained earthly success, and they compare it to the small church that seems to boast in absolutely nothing, who's just seeking to make ends meet in their house of worship. To them, the prosperity preacher has gained much more than what that small church has. But in eternity, when we come before the Lord and we stand, We may be marred by the sin-filled world, but at least we can stand faithfully, that we can say that we stood in faith, that we sought to build up somebody else's kingdom other than our own. We should be seeking to build up the Lord's house. Now we see this in the prosperity preacher. I almost feel like that's easy target practice, like shooting fish in a barrel. I'm gonna move on from that and shoot a bigger fish. That's quite an easy target as well. What better way to see this than in the Pope himself? Sure, a prosperity preacher stands in the face of the world and proclaims a false way to God that ultimately leads to hell. But the Pope stands and sits on his throne and proclaims that he is God himself, that he has the authority to interpret the word infallibly. And what greater judgment can that be on a man than to say and put himself equally in line with God? To do so, to say that you can interpret the word rightly, infallibly, is to say that you are in line with the truth of God's word. The Pope, too, will be judged. Through many centuries, many have filled that throne, yet it's the same song and dance every single time. In time, each Pope will see how worthless it truly was to build up his own kingdom, attempting to take the place of Christ as he sits under God's glorious but wrathful judgment. but how glorious it is to the true and faithful laborer in God's kingdom that has acknowledged his need for the grace of God and for the Lord to be involved, how glorious it is when the laborer's not in vain, but in godly confidence, seeking the Lord, his blessing and his glory, this laborer. who has proceeded in faith to God will not be utterly disappointed as he sits under the wrath of God, but will instead hear, well done, my good and faithful servant. And these are the words that we should all be seeking to hear as we toil and labor in God's kingdom, striving on towards Mount Zion and our consummation in it. We're God's children, but we are God's children in an alien land. And ultimately, we are building up something. We're either building up our own kingdom or building up God's. No, according to scripture, we must not build up our own kingdom and our own strength, because it too will prove to be pointless. But we must instead acknowledge the power and strength of God and trust in his divine promise. Now, what better way to do this Then with our time, verse two, it says, 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. This isn't saying that you must not work hard. This isn't saying it's sinful to wake up early, and it's not saying that it's sinful to go late to bed. But the question is, how are you laboring? And you can almost see this in three separate spheres. One, you can see it with actual physical rest. Another sphere, you can see it with your mental estate while you're laboring. And then the third sphere that I would say that you see this in is the Sabbath day itself. With your physical rest, if you were so caught up in your work that you refused to sleep, If you're so caught up in your work that you cannot lay your head down at night, that you say, I must continue, how much are you truly trusting God with your provision? If you are laboring effectively, making ends meet and more, but you're doing so without acknowledging the provision of God, without understanding that everything that you possess, everything that you've gained has come from His hands, then are you truly laboring righteously? If you are laboring so hard and so confidently that you refuse to take one day a week, just one day, to worship God as He has called us to do, Can you truly say that you're confident that the Lord is providing all things for you? Just as easily as he has handed you something, he could easily take it away. It doesn't matter if you work 24-7. If the Lord is not the one that's providing, if the Lord is not the one that's giving, then you ultimately have nothing. But, at the end of verse two it says, for he gives to his beloved sleep. So you can almost see this, to put it in terms of another psalm, Psalm 1-1, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the sea of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He's like a tree planted by streams of water. In that psalm we almost see, we see the wicked man who stands in the counsel of the ungodly, but then we see the righteous man who finds his trust and confidence in the word of God alone. We too see here, it is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest. This is the the toils of a wicked man. But in the latter part of that verse, the way the ESV has, it has a semicolon, it continues the sentence for he gives to his beloved sleep, the righteous man, the righteous man is the one that can rest and take confidence with his time to take confidence in the Lord. The righteous man is the one who can lay his head down because he knows that every bit of work that he's done throughout the week and everything that the Lord has given him, it's been handed to him from the Lord. And he can take a day of rest each week to worship the triune God as he has called us to do. We must take confidence in the Lord. We must rest. And that leads us into verses three to five It's as I have said, we see almost an application of this this righteous laboring as it would be. We see that children. Our heritage from the Lord. Now, there's a. Slight play on words, as I had mentioned, house can refer to a physical home or it can be also be related to a family or a house or a household. The Hebrew word for builders is closely similar to that of the Hebrew word for son. So if we pay attention, we'll kind of see what Solomon is doing. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Or we could read it this way, unless the Lord builds your family, those who are building it labor in vain. Anyone who has a family can tell, Anybody who has a family can attest that it's hard work. It's tough, and it takes a lot of effort. And despite your best efforts, all can and will prove to be utterly pointless if it's not the Lord's building or doing. But we should take heart. Those who seek to labor faithfully in the presence of the Lord, behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord. So we ask, what is your, or our main objective in having children? And what I mean by that, if I should reword that is, as you are raising them, to what end are you raising your children? What you seek to instill in your children above all else is the model we should all be living by. And as a Presbyterian, in a Presbyterian congregation, I hope you see where I'm going with this. What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Children, in a sense, are our legacy. We have little churches within our household. And I'm sorry, my Baptist brothers, because I know you're out there. but children of believers are part of God's covenant, and they are in God's grace. And we teach them to pray to our Father in heaven, and we teach them to be obedient to Christ, but above all else, what do we teach them? We teach them to cling faithfully to their Lord, and to rely on him with all of their heart and soul, and to cling and trust to Jesus Christ alone. And here we see in general terms the fruit of such faithful laboring. Our children, our heritage and reward from the Lord and the fruit of the womb go out from us as arrows for Christ. Now, arrows fly as weapons from the hand of a warrior. But how effective will an arrow be if it's not first sharpened? If you send a dull arrow out, To what avail will it be? It won't penetrate anything. But if a Christian household takes their children and sharpens them in the word and admonition of the Lord, how effective they will be in God's kingdom. As they fly out from us, from our household, out into the world, They will serve as arrows and weapons for the kingdom of God. But we can turn that on its head. What if you send out dull arrows? Or better yet, worded differently? What if you haven't raised them up in the word of God? Don't we see this in the world now as they go off to college and state universities from many churches, many of those children that you can see on college campuses that now have an atheistic mindset who has been indoctrinated by the state. They grew up in the Bible Belt, where a church sits on every corner, but not a single time were they truly raised in the word of God. My friends, if they're not arrows for the Lord, then they'll be daggers for Satan. but if they are sharpened. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one's youth, and 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. Know these children that go out as arrows for the Lord, they have been and are called to be holy. And in that holy lifestyle, as you may stand in your old age before those who are seeking to judge you, they will be there to protect you. What confidence can you have that your children will be there for you if you haven't raised them in the word of God? Where have they found their righteousness? Where have they found their justice? We can look at the world and see today what they think is justice, but we know it's not. The only justice that we find is in the word of God and in his word alone. This isn't to say that The man who has children, the more children he has, the more blessed he truly is, though that may be true. But what this is really getting at is how faithful are you in raising children? What are you using to teach them? I think it was Votie Bauckham that said, if you send your kids off into Babylon, don't be surprised if they come back as Babylonians. If you send your kids off into the world and you never teach them the word of God, if you never teach him the truth of his word, then why should we be surprised if they come back ungodly and unrighteous? Our denomination has adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith and the larger and shorter catechism. And that is used as a tool to teach our children And how ungodly and how embarrassing would it be to stand before the Lord when we have breathed our last breath, just to say, I haven't used the tools that you have provided for me to raise up my children who are in your covenant, under your love, to your glory. Not only will that prove unfruitful for our children, we'll prove as lazy laborers in the kingdom of God. will be filled with total unrighteousness. So now we say, and we look back, America, what do you think of it? What do you think of when you think of the Roman Empire? What do you think of when you think of the Egyptians, the Babylonians? What do you think of when you think of your own household? All of us, all who have labored in this world, all who have labored Whether it's a Roman, an American, an Egyptian, or a Persian, they're all going to stand before God's throne. And one kingdom has been built up. Is it yours, or is it the kingdom of God? But in all of this, we must acknowledge, as Solomon has, it is only with the Lord's divine blessing that any of this proves fruitful. It is only by His grace. Yes, we should labor justly and righteously, but laboring justly and righteously means laboring by faith. And the Lord, He is the one that has provided all things, and He is the one that will raise up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And He uses tools. So will we be proved to be dull tools in raising our children? Will we be proven to be righteous to us in sharpening our kids. See, blessed is the man who's faithful to the Lord with his time, who acknowledges his building up, who acknowledges all that he has given us. Blessed is the man who labors righteously and fruitfully in the kingdom of God as he raises up his children to the Lord. So now we ask, as we close, How will you labor? As the title of my sermon, what is the Christian's only confidence? I hope that rings familiar, that it's taken almost as a play on words from the Heidelberg Catechism question one. What is the Christian's only comfort? And ultimately, that comes down to Jesus Christ. So now we ask, what is the Christian's only confidence in all that he does? And the Christian's only confidence in all his dealings is the Lord himself and his blessing. No man can take confidence in anything else, in anything that he does, if it's apart from the Lord. Let's pray.