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Sermon Notes May 15, 2011
Psalm 127: 1-2
Intro: A convention of delegates from each state gathered in Philadelphia in order to write and agree upon a Constitution. They were having trouble coming together after winning the war. The year was 1887, four years after the Revolutionary War ended.
Benjamin Franklin stood to address the presiding officer of the convention. Franklin was not a born again Christian, but he had a respect for Christians, He believed in an active God and knew the Scriptures. He was asking for the convention to agree to begin each session with prayer. Here is James Madison’s record of Franklin’s speech…
t/s – I note this speech today because Franklin quotes our Text,
Psalm 127. In connection to Psalm 127, he also mentions
“the builders of Babel.”
- Franklin believed in a God who answers prayer
- Franklin had solid/sophisticated understanding of Scripture
First, let’s read again Psalm 127: 1-5 (focus on vss. 1-2)
Then, let’s talk about Babel.
Finally, we will find a biblical supposition for Life & Family.
Read Psalm 127
t/s – Why does Franklin connect Psalm 127 to Babel?
(Building in Vain…. Wasted, fruitless efforts to build)
The Story of Babel (Genesis 11) Key verse: Genesis 11:4
Contrast for Abraham’s Story…. Genesis 12:2
I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great! And so you will be a blessing
God used Abraham and His family to Bless the World!
Pursuing Prosperity and Security…. (“House” = Family)
Prideful reliance on Self vs. Humble dependence on God
(Babel) (Abraham)
Our Suppositions about Life and Family.
- Family is the Arena for the Living Out of Our Faith.
- Trying to build a life/Family without the LORD is Wasted Effort…. Vain… Empty, meaningless, useless
Nissi Dominus Frusta – Without the Lord Frustration – Edinbrough
Labor Omnia Vincent – Labor Conquers All – Oklahoma
t/s – We are a people who pride ourselves in a capacity to Stake Our
Claim in the World; to Build and protect what is Ours!
Signs of Prideful Self-Reliance (Symptoms of Babel Fever)
- Is My Work Toilsome?
Work Is good, God-ordained…. Job or Vocation?
- Am I Dominated by Anxiety?
We tend to associate Worry with Weakness, Actually, Pride!
Prideful Self-Reliance
Ill – Jesus… Remember you have a Father.
- Do I Neglect My Family?
n Fertility gods and child sacrifice!
n Imagine trading a child for prosperity, success, wealth
—- We do it one evening meal at a time!
- Have I Lost My Integrity?
Vs. 5 – Speaks to status, standing, respect in the public square.
We trade our good name for prosperity and security!
The symptoms of Prideful self-Reliance, Babylonian Fever:
Toil, Anxiety, Neglect, Compromise
Building a life/Family without the LORD is Wasted Effort… Vain!
Oh, you might succeed — Prosperity & Security — Meaningless!
Solomon had more money, bigger family, better education, wider fame than we could ever imagine:
Vanity, Vanity of vanities, All is Vanity! (Eccl.)
ILL – Boys building a Snow Fort
…Sucked into the Soil…
All our Work, worry, weary years… Vain! We want our Lives to matter, to count, to mean something.
App – Focus on what God Gives you, not on what you can manage to Grab for yourself and Guard!
Psalm 127: 1-2
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, then,
All these things will be added unto you.
The Gospel – Life that matters cannot be grabbed and guarded,
It is Given, freely, by God!
Eternal Life is not Grabbed, but Given… Ephesians 2: 8-9
