Let's return this evening to Psalms of Ascent, Psalm 127 in your Bible, Psalm 127. Appreciate the attempts that were made to try to get the Jenkins to us, and that didn't work out. But we're still thankful that we could pray for them and focus on it. But if you could switch my screen to what's on the back screen, that'll help me at least, so I can know what's behind me and I don't have to turn around. Psalm 127, even as you're turning there, just a few announcement reminders that we wanted to let you know about. First of all, the seasoned saints have their banquet tomorrow night at 6.30. Looking forward to that. Wish I could otherwise be there, but I won't be able to. I'm flying out to Camp Calvary in Pennsylvania. I'll be preaching there twice a day all week long. Look forward to being there. And then from the 19th to the 29th, don't walk on our gym floor. That starts tomorrow, all right? If you walk on our gym floor, you are to be banished from the gym from here on out. I'm not sure what we'll do with you, but we are resurfacing the gym floor, so please do not walk on the gym floor. And as I mentioned, I won't be here next week, or this week, excuse me. I'll be back on Sunday. I actually get back Friday night late. I'm so thankful for Sean Alexander, who will be preaching for us this coming Wednesday, and I'm sure he will be a blessing to you. Psalms of Ascent. We're coming to Psalm 127. It's a familiar song. It's a song that's interesting on a Father's Day because it's a family song. Let me ask you as we turn there, though, is do we really have a grasp on what is being communicated in Psalm 127? We're gonna read it in a moment, and it is a familiar song, but do we have a grasp on what is being communicated? And in order to really grasp this psalm, we need to understand it in its historical context. We really specifically need to understand it in its redemptive historical context. And in an effort to do that, we're going to remind ourselves of what we've already noted. This is one more of the Psalms of Ascent. Now that may seem odd based on what we're about to read because Psalm 121, for example, makes sense to sing as you traverse up to Jerusalem. It sounds like a marching psalm. Psalm 127 doesn't appear to fit with the psalms of ascent, at least at first blush. And it's also interesting to note the author of this particular psalm. At the beginning of your Bibles, you should read an inscription that says, a song of degrees of Solomon, or a song of a sense of Solomon. There are only two psalms in the psalm book that bear Solomon's name. This one, Psalm 127, and Psalm 72 being the other. And you'll know and remember that Solomon is known for many things, but I call to your attention that Solomon would have been known at this time as being a great builder. Remember, he was the one, not David, who built the temple. Really, he built the temple of temples. And Solomon was a man who understood building, not just the temple, but many other magnificent structures that he would build as he was king. And so here is Solomon, the builder, teaching us through scripture, and it should come as no surprise then that Solomon, this builder, this master builder, uses building metaphors to begin his psalm. He begins it in Psalm 127, beginning in verse 1, it says, The Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Now, I have to admit, as I already noted, that at first blush, this psalm is perplexing on a number of levels. It's perplexing because it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the psalms of ascent that we've already studied. And it's perplexing because the two halves of this psalm don't immediately seem to fit together. The structure of the psalm is unlikely. In verses 1 and 2, we read talk about architecture and building and guarding cities. In verses 3 through 5, we read talk about childbearing and children and the home. It just doesn't seem, at first blush, to fit together. It's not apples and oranges. It's apples and golf balls. It just doesn't appear to fit together. How do these thoughts, then, align themselves? Well, the connection is really understood by virtue of remembering what we just introduced before we read the psalm. There are two things that we introduced. This is a psalm of ascent, and this is a psalm of Solomon. And as the people were ascending these times during the year, three times during the year, they would be ascending to what would be arguably the most impressive architectural feat in the world at that time. And as they are heading to the temple, they are going to come to a point where they look across and they look on the temple mount and they see Solomon's temple in all of its splendor. And in that moment, there will be an awe, like there would be in our time. If you see something of an impressive structure that was built, you just stand back and say, wow, that is magnificent. That is beautiful. In fact, the most wealthy leaders in the world would come to Jerusalem and they would stop in jaw-dropping awe and wonder at this temple that Solomon built. And Solomon wants to remind them Apart from God, this structure is nothing. That's what he says. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. And so as you see this, as you're coming up on this mount and you see this awe-inspiring structure, you need to know only God can do that. Unless the sovereign Lord of the universe has his hand in what is being done, it will not succeed. And the implication here is that as you go to this temple to see this place, don't stand in awe of Solomon, stand in awe of God. We get that as we ascend. There's a picture of this awe-inspiring structure that reminds us it's not the structure that we worship, nor the one God used to build the structure. There is something more significant than that. And now we come to the second half of the psalm. which stands in parallel to the first. These are parallel structures. Just as we come to the end of the first section, we see that there's a promise, he gives his beloved sleep, so also we come to the end of the second half and we see a parallel that is a promise that this man will be happy and not be ashamed. There's a blessedness there. This is a parallel structure. And what we see is that in verse one and two, it speaks of the sovereignty of God in building structures and cities and towns. And in verse three through five, it speaks to the sovereignty of God in building homes and families. And here we see how these, at first blush, that don't fit together begin to fit together. Here we see that the picture of children, and Solomon uses it in the same way that buildings are built. Verse three, lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. That's what you put in houses and buildings. You put people in houses and buildings. You put families there. And unless the Lord builds structures, the laborers labor in vain. And so too, unless the Lord builds our families, we labor in vain. And the message is very clear from Solomon, this master builder. Here's the message. The Lord is the architect of life. That's why you have two halves. And yet, I would say we still don't quite understand the connection between the two halves. We do not think that God's providential care extends to the particular case of our families. We have been and we are becoming deists when it comes to children. We believe about children like the deists believe about the world. We believe, well, God created and put these laws and motions and then took his hands off of it. And we believe that God created man and put biological laws in motion, but then took his hands off and said, you guys figure out the childbearing thing. But the psalmist would disagree. The psalmist would say the Lord is the architect and author of life, just as he is the author and architect of this glorious temple that you are now looking at. And because God, the master builder, has a plan for your home, you need to build your home according to his specifications. There are three things, before we get into the meat of this sermon, I want to get our heads around that we may fully understand it. According to this Psalm, God is not obligated to give us children. If we want children and children aren't coming, we shake our fists at God and think he owes us something. But God is not obligated to give us children. If he were obligated to give us children, we would not speak about children as an heritage from the Lord or a gift. They are a gift. Number two, if God has given us children, he is not obligated to give us more children. The decision is not ours as to if we have children or how many children we have. The Lord is the author and architect of life. And when we wrap our heads around this, it changes the way we think about the matter of childbearing. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. And that's our theological disposition when it comes to children, or at least it ought to be. But instead we think or say, I'm a good person, God owes me something. I'm a good person, God owes me children, or I'm a good person, God owes me children that are not troublesome to me. Or I'm a good person and God owes me better children than the ones I have. But here's the reality, God doesn't owe us, children are a gift. And number three, children are indeed a blessing. And it's not until we understand the first two points I just made do we really understand the third. By the way, the text doesn't say certain children are a blessing, or some children are a blessing, or even a certain number of children are a blessing, or how those children were born makes it a blessing. What this says is children are a blessing. It speaks generally and objectively that children are a gift from the most high. God is the chief architect of life. Now why spend such a grand amount of time introducing the psalm this way? Well, because God is the architect of life, you can pray to the author of life for children and you can grieve and lament to the author of life when your hope for children is deferred. That's why it starts there. Everything hinges upon this understanding. And yet, this psalm says that objectively, all children are a blessing. Now let's stop. It's time to flesh this out. Because we've been given blessings in this world. We have children in this world. How are we supposed to use this blessing? Well, this Psalm answers and says, number one, a strong home, a home built according to God's specifications is God oriented. And the song begins with an acute understanding that none of this is possible without God. And there are two basic directions you can turn to when it comes to the source of authority in your family. You can turn to the culture around you. Many people, when they establish a family, draw from the values and standards of their previous family, and they tend to build their own family and make it based on what they're used to or what they grew up with. And this could be a good thing if you have a godly home that you grew up with, or a bad thing, but ultimately it's not a very strong foundation to look at the culture around you for your guidance for your family. Or you can turn to the commands in scripture. And this is a God-oriented foundation on which to build. You don't simply look at those who went before and mimic them because they went before. Instead, you search the scriptures and mimic that because that's what God said. And God has given us a book, and in this book are principles and precepts and promises by which, if followed, we can build strong families. They are God-centered families. And what he says is, without God, all your working will not bring prosperity. The psalmist starts his psalm by using, again, imagery of buildings. Except the Lord build, they labor in vain. And as we noted, Solomon is very familiar with building. But that's not the only building project, the temple, that Solomon oversaw. He also oversaw many other building projects. It took him 13 years, historians tell us, to build his magnificent palace that Solomon built. Solomon in scripture fortified numbers of key cities. To this day, archeologists identify the Solomonic Gate as a unique design for city defenses that appeared during the time of Solomon's reign. Chronicles says that the rulers from all over the ancient world would make their way to Solomon's court to learn about his building prowess and to listen to his counsel. But when Solomon stepped back and looked at everything that his hands had made, do you remember what his conclusion was as he started Ecclesiastes? Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. And so Solomon makes a profound point, even at the beginning of this song. Laboring and toiling to build your home without considering the plans God has for it is vain. Solomon would put this in Proverbs. There are many devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. You can kind of put it this way. There are all kinds of books on how to raise your children. I mean, there are tons of them. I actually just did Walmart the other day. Not that I love going to Walmart. And I walked by the book section in Walmart and there was a whole collection right there in Walmart of all places on how to build strong homes. At least, I don't know if they use that exact phrase, but they were nonetheless books on homes. There are all kinds of ideas out there, but there's only one that will stand forever. And it's the counsel of our great God. Only on the rock of ages must we build our homes. Without God, all your planning, all your working will not bring prosperity. And without God, all your watching will not bring protection. Solomon says that without God as a central figure, all your plans to keep your family safe are vain. At the end of verse one, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. In ancient times, each city had a watchman to guard it, and they would position themselves on top of walls to watch for enemies. And yet the psalmist says that the watchman's job of protection is vain if the Lord doesn't keep the city. The watchman can be complacent. Walls can be breached. Armies can be defeated. Only God offers stability. Today we rely on security services and neighborhood watches and the police. People spend their money on security doors and alarms. We rely on insurance companies to replace our possessions when they are stolen. But none of these things we know. None of them guarantee safety. We are unwise to place our confidence in protection that man has to offer, even us men, ourselves. The best efforts of defense forces and polices cannot provide 100% of safety. Therefore, we must recognize, as the psalmist says, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust. And without God, all your worrying will never bring peace. Solomon is not advocating that builders stop building here in a moment, or that watchmen stop watching, or that workers stop working. and just kind of let go and let God, which is a clever phrase you can cross stitch on a pillow, but isn't exactly a biblical one. That is not what he's saying. He is saying we should build and we should watch and we should work, but we do so trusting in the end of our labors and our toils and our tiredness that God is the one still in control. And because I'm working and because I'm laboring and because I'm watching, He says in verse three, it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep. The woman who had lived long enough to have learned some important truths about life remarked, I've had a lot of trouble, most of which never happened. It's certainly true for many of us. Here's the promised blessing of those who have a God-oriented home. He gives his beloved sleep. What a wonderful truth. One person wisely said, fret not, he loves you. Faint not, he holds you. Fear not, he keeps you. You can work hard at building your home, and you can be diligent to guard your loved ones from harm, and you can make sacrifices to provide for what they need, but if God's blessing is not upon your home, you are wasting your time. A strong home is God-oriented. And I could have begun this sermon by saying the American home is in trouble, but that's certainly true in all cultures, in all time periods. Because Satan doesn't want strong homes. And so the psalmist says, here's a strong home. It is God-oriented. That is the foundation upon which they rest everything that they do. And as they move, a strong home is goal-oriented. There has to be a purpose for everything we do, especially when it comes to our homes. And verse three references the gift or blessing or reward that is bestowed upon families. Children are that gift. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord. Not just short children, lo children. That's all he's talking about, right? Getting your attention here this evening. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. But in order to enjoy the blessing of godly children, we have to have a proper attitude towards those children. We have to have a goal. We have to have a purpose. Like a good school teacher who is entrusted with the children in her class or in his class, it's not as though the teacher says, well, the class is about to begin, school starts at 8.30, what are we gonna do? The parents aren't picking them up till 3.15. I don't know, we'll figure it out as we go. That's not what you do. You've got a purpose in mind, don't you? That teacher's got a curriculum. They've got a plan. They know we've got to get the child from here to here. There's a goal in mind. Even so, Christian homes have a goal. There's something that they are striving for. And the first thing they do is that Christian homes refuse to separate the secular from the sacred. And I notice this because I want you to look at the beginning of this psalm. Notice what this psalm celebrates. It doesn't celebrate just the work in the temple. It doesn't even celebrate just full-time Christian service. There are Psalms that celebrate that kind of service. There is certainly a special honor to work and worship in full-time ministry, but this Psalm celebrates building buildings, building cities, and raising families. This is a glorious affirmation of the biblical doctrine of calling. And that means there is not a separate station for sacred things in your life that's separated from secular things in your life. What this means is all of your work, all of your endeavors, all of our callings as God's people are for the Lord to serve him. I hope you can say amen to that, and I hope you appreciate that, and I'm no doubt that this pulpit for many years has preached exactly that, but you understand, historically, that's not always been an agreed-on position. The medieval Catholic Church carved up life into two parts. And in the medieval times, they believed there were two classes of people. Some of you know this. There were those who were in the spiritual state, they said, the religious and the laity, those who served the church like priests and all those who had taken monastic orders, monks and nuns. And that state was kind of on a separate status or a separate sphere from those who they referred to who were only on a temporal sphere. Those who were in an earthbound state, they called them. Those who were not the laity, those who were not the monks who might just work in the field. But when the Reformation came, it brought about a rediscovering of biblical truths and biblical teachings. And men like Luther began to read, and other reformers, rediscovered biblical truths about callings. And they argued from scripture that all callings are from the Lord and all opportunities are opportunities to glorify Christ. One of these reformers was William Tyndale. who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Here's what Tyndale wrote about all stations. He said, in God's eyes, quote, there is no difference between washing dishes and preaching the gospel, end quote. William Perkins, another influential Puritan reformer, wrote and said, quote, The work of a shepherd tending sheep is as good a work before God as is the action of a judge giving a sentence, a magistrate giving a ruling, or a minister preaching, end quote. There is no difference between the secular and the sacred. It's not just preachers who have callings. All Christians have callings. dishwashers, laborers, judges, housewives, lawyers, school teachers, engineers, you fill in the lot. All of them, if you are saved, must be taught from a young age that there is a goal in life and the goal in life is to live in service for God, for his glory and for his honor. We need to rediscover the doctrine of calling. Serve Christ in holiness in every place that you serve. When you go to work, you work for his glory. And when your child goes to school, they should learn for his glory if they are saved. There is no difference. And Solomon wants to emphasize that. I have often said, there's no more Holy Spirit up here behind the pulpit than there is in the chair down there. You realize that, right? Christian homes refuse to separate the secular from the sacred. What does that mean for your ball game during the week? What does that mean for the family meal or even breakfast before you've had your coffee? What that means is that every station of your life and every hour of your home, every time is an opportunity to invest in the glory of God in the lives of your children and in the hearts of your spouse. Every moment is a holy moment or should be for the saints who follow God. Number two, Christian homes recognize God's sovereign hand. This is the point of the second half of the psalm, the quiver full part. Solomon points out, like every other opportunity, life is a gift of the Lord and children are a heritage, a reward from the Lord. In his great wisdom, God sovereignly allows certain couples the privilege of raising children. This is a heritage. And what is a heritage? Well, a heritage is something passed on to the next generation. And so every couple, every individual who has a child has a heritage responsibility, especially believers, to pass on what is theirs in Christ, not that you're winning your child the Lord by any means, but to pass on a love for Christ and to sow that into the hearts of young children. That's a heritage. You're passing on something that's been special to you onto the lives of your children. They've asked, you know, my brother was called to heaven at a young age. For the last several years, I'm consistently reminded that though Chad was a preacher, I am now older than Chad was when Chad went to home in heaven. But they left behind their now orphaned son. We call him Chase, but what's neat is Chase has a heritage. My grandpa is Charles Richard. His names are taken from his grandpa Charles on one side and his grandpa Richard on the other side. He is Charles Richard Phelps. When my dad was born, they agreed upon from my grandma and grandpa, when my dad hurt his parents, they were going to call him Mark. It was a time where the husband didn't yet get to go into the delivery room right away, and so the baby was born, and my grandpa went back and said, well, I'd like to see my son Mark and my grandma. My dad's mom said, actually, his name is Charles Richard. And so that's how my dad got his name. He goes by Chuck. He's Charles Richard Phelps Jr. My brother went by Chad. My brother is Charles Richard Phelps III. My nephew, who goes by Chase, is Charles Richard Phelps IV. When he was a preschooler, he used to call that his fancy name, Charles Richard Phelps IV. That's a heritage. Through calling of parenting, the Lord uses feeble men and women to raise another child. Now obviously, many Christians don't have children. Jesus himself did not have children. Paul, by all accounts, did not have children. But Solomon is illustrating an even broader principle here, one that applies to all of us, whether parents or not. If your life is being built by the Lord, it will always result in a heritage to be passed on to the ministry of other people. There is always someone to pour your life into. Jesus did not have children, but he certainly poured his life into many, most notably 12 disciples. Paul did not have children, but one man, Timothy, was influenced by his spiritual father and carried on Paul's legacy. Let me ask you, is the Lord building your life? Are you allowing the sovereign hand to guide you? And if so, who is it that you are currently pouring your life into? Certainly some have that built into their home, but all of us have the responsibility to wield this heritage and pour it into the lives of others. I am so thankful for godly mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas in my life, some of whom aren't even my own blood. who I know care deeply enough to sew into my young heart as a child in Sunday school and midweek services and evening times, they cared enough to share with me the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for that. And there are so many, even in this room, that can think of people in the church who cared enough about them as children to give them the glorious truths of this heritage. That's a goal worth following. And finally, a strong home, as we noted, is gospel-oriented. Solomon now compares children as arrows in the hands of a warrior. Now this simile, arrows in warriors' hands, suggests action. And the reality is that the gospel calls for a response because God is calling and urging and even pleading with sinners to be reconciled to him. And it is the duty of every sinner to obey. But the fact of God's sovereignty does not erase our duty once we are saved. There is a duty now to move in the gospel. And the aim of a godly home is to be sent out. Solomon says that children are like arrows. Arrows must be shaped and sharpened and then shot. You ever studied how even the Native Americans that were before us on this country, how carefully they would craft these arrows? Just the painstaking balance that would go into it. Have you ever watched some of those videos? I must confess, I found myself getting a little distracted in my sermon prep thinking about that and then YouTubing all of these videos on how they did that. It is actually really remarkable. It's really amazing. But their goal was not to sharpen these arrows and then just put them in their mantle, or in their teepee, I guess. That was not their goal. Their goal was to shoot them, and that's why they spent such painstaking labor. We live in a culture that doesn't seem to understand this concept, or at the very least is delaying it taking place. It's not uncommon to have 25-year-olds still living at home in this culture. It's not uncommon to have them still being even beneficiaries of their dad or mom's insurance in this culture. But scripture is very clear. The parent's goal is to aim their children at a target, Satan's kingdom of darkness, and release them as arrows for Jesus. There is most certainly a cost involved in this, but it is well worth it. A child may be called to leave his parents and serve God in some far corner of the world, and parents may never get to see their grandkids grow up. Siblings may not always live in the same city or town. Jim Elliott, who gave his life, we referenced him this morning, trying to take the gospel to the unreached tribes of South America, was feeling the pressure from his Christian parents to stay in the United States in a safer environment. And he wrote, and his wife, Elizabeth Elliot, records what he wrote in her book, Shadow of the Almighty. And here's what he said. Grieve not then, if your sons seem to desert you. Remember how the psalmist described children? He said that they were an heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver full of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So with the strong arms of prayer, draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly, all of them, straight at the enemy's heart." End quote. If we regard children with a proper attitude, we will rejoice to see them moving to serve our great God. We must desire to shoot them out and we should pray that from our midst may be raised up even here some who would be shot to the mission field. Others who would be shot to be pastors or school teachers or any other such ministry, but that they would move and not just stay, but move. And as they move, the action of a godly home is to be full of sterling messengers Now Solomon takes us a step further. He says that a father who has his quiver full of straight, sharp arrows ready to be sent out off into the heart of the enemy will not be ashamed when he speaks with those enemies at the gate. This is in verse four. Happy is the man that has quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with the enemies at the gate. Now the city gate was a place where the Hebrew men gathered to conduct business and carry out justice. And the idea here is that a man with exemplary children will not be ridiculed by his opponents because his children will be a living testimony of that man's integrity, uprightness, and honesty. Applying this today, we understand that a strong home is a powerful source of witness for Jesus Christ. In a day such as ours, when teenage rebellion and fragmented relationships at the home are the norm and even just excused as sowing their wild oats, there should not be an exception clause for teenagers in a strong home. After all, 3 John 4 says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Children ought to be a source of happiness to their children, but this, of course, implies that children have grown to respect their parents, that they have embraced their parents' faith. Proverbs 23, verse 24 puts it this way. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice. This is Solomon again. And he that begat the wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bared thee shall rejoice. Can I take a moment to address children? I think I should. Do you make your parents proud of you? Or are they at times embarrassed? Do you live in such a way that they can truly say, I have no greater joy? I am so glad. Or do they weep for your soul? Godly children and grandchildren enrich their parents' lives as they grow older, but you need to understand, child, that godliness is not hereditary. You need to decide to follow the Lord. That's a you decision. And my question is, what camp will you belong to? The camp that has been shot out as arrows into the heart of the devil to advance this glorious kingdom of which, if you are present here this evening, I am assuming your parents have a desire that you would follow the Lord. And I think that's a good assumption, because you wouldn't be here if that wasn't true. I've actually talked to parents who say, sorry, our kids don't have an option. They have to come to church. And I tell those parents, I'm right behind you. But if you're a child and you're hearing this message, or a teenager and you're hearing this message, you need to decide. Will you be the sharp arrow to be shot at? Will you be the kind of person that your father can stand in the city gates and be proud of what has happened? Or will you be like many others who have gone before, who have given great heartache to their parents and their parents even now, no doubt this evening before they go to bed, will be on their knees praying that their child, their son, their daughter, their grandchild will repent and come back to the Lord. And I'm pleading with you really as a pastor, but on the behalf of those parents and grandparents, come to the Lord. Would you serve God? And my heart breaks because honestly I believe that the most dangerous tool in the master's hands against the devil are not always first generation Christians, but often it's those second and third and fourth generation Christians who grew up in strong, godly homes and got this from a young age, and they know so much about God that when they go into the battlefield, they are prepared to fight. It is no wonder, young person, that the devil doesn't want you in God's army. Because if you are in God's army, you are a powerful weapon for God. And my challenge to you is be that weapon. And my challenge to you starts right now. I know as a youth pastor, so you get to hear my heart a little bit. But friend, I want teenagers and I want young people in this church serving God today. You do not need to wait. Someone wisely said, No culture has ever been able to provide a better shipyard for building storm-proof vessels for the journey of man from cradle to the grave than the individual nourished in a loving family. We live in a culture, in a world, where the devil seeks to destroy families. But he can't destroy a family built according to God's specifications. And if you want a family built on a firm biblical foundation, consider listening to the master builder Solomon, who through pen of inspiration says that a strong home is God-oriented, goal-oriented, gospel-oriented, and only by following this blueprint for your family can your family have a strong home. What is going on in your family? Are there needs to be addressed? Is there forgiveness that needs to be extended? Are there confessions that need to be made? Do we need to come and pray for our families? Are you a wayward son or daughter that needs to come home today? If there are any needs of your family, there is help and hope and strength found in the pages of scripture. Come to God to build your life God's way. Build your home as God builds it. He is the architect of life. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. Lord, we thank you for the admonition from the psalmist. Lord, we live in a culture that has very clearly put up a battle and they have waged a war against the home. And we see so many homes crumbling and vanishing and Lord, our prayer is as we study the pages of this psalm and the verses unfolded here that we would be those who are building our homes God's way as you are in fact the architect of life. And Lord, I pray even as we concluded this message was a challenge to the young people here hearing this message that they would have the courage and the tenacity and the boldness even now during the invitation. To perhaps come forward and just say, God, I'm going to give my life to you. I want to be an arrow shot out into the heart of the enemy. Or what a rejoicing it would be on a Father's Day to see some young people give their life completely to the Lord. With every head bowed and every eye closed, the instruments are going to begin to play a hymn of invitation. I think an appropriate hymn on a Father's Day. If God has spoken to your heart, would you respond? Pastor Jordan's up here to my right, your left. Pastor Stockard over here to my left, your right. If God has spoken to you and you need to speak with someone else, they'll direct you to someone where they can counsel. Otherwise, you can just kneel right here at the altar or turn around in your chair and kneel right there. Would you respond as God has spoken to you? We're going to play one more verse as God is working in some hearts. Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for your word. Would you build up strong homes, even here from our church, that we would be seeing you work in amazing ways to continue your gospel message.