If you take inventory of your home-life right now and don’t like what you see – the good news is that – with the help of the Holy Spirit – and literally one Word from God – you can begin to remodel your home right now!
Look with me at my text today – only two verses of Scripture to begin with.
Proverbs 24:3-4
“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
This is your blueprint for victorious Christian Living!
Life changes. Our marriages change. Our children change. Everything is in the flux of change. Even our bodies change – as much as we hate to admit it.
I was reading recently of the four stages of life. They are simply:
1) Lemonade
2) Gatorade
3) Medicaid
4) Hearing-Aid
What type of structure are you building with your life and what do people see when they look at the construction?
What is wisdom? Wisdom is discretion; judgment.
For example, here are some great thoughts of wisdom:
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticize them, you’re a mile away and you will have their shoes.
Or, how about this: If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
Wisdom in the Hebrew: chokmah – which means ‘skill, shrewdness, prudence.’
What does it mean to wisely build your home?
Proverbs 14:1 says “Every wise woman builds her house…”
What is it that you are to be wise of? The word ‘wisdom’ is used over 200 times in the KJV of the Bible. When God’s Word speaks of having wisdom – it is referring to wisdom that comes from the Word itself!
Psalm 37:30 “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice.
Jesus put it this way: “A good [righteous] man out of the good [righteous] treasure of his heart brings forth good [righteous] things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” [Matthew 12:35]
Psalm 49:3 “My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall bring understanding.” So, what are you mediating on?
So, we must gain wisdom through the Word of God – which will bring understanding of the Word of God.
Look at this verse with me.
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.” [NKJV]
But let’s look at how the NTL presents this verse: “[The] Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom.”
Notice – in constructing our lives – and our homes, we need a solid foundation. That foundation must be established on the wisdom of God’s Word and obeying His commands.
The entire book of Ecclesiastes is wrapped up with this statement:
“Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” [Ecclesiastes 12:13]
So – we have established this fact – we gain wisdom in our home – when our home is established on the Word of God.
Proverbs 2:1-7
“[1] My son, if you receive My words, and treasure My commands within you, [2] so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding…[6] For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; [7] He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.”
So, again, out of the mouth of God comes knowledge and understanding. So, it is the very Word of God that will bring wisdom to our home and our lives. What this means is that we must establish a foundation of God’s Word in our home in order to construct the kind of home God desires for you.
Look with me at a very famous passage, the next chapter in Proverbs:
Proverbs 3:1-10
“[1] My son, do not forget My law, but let your heart keep My commands; [2] For length of days and [a] long life and peace they will add to you. [3] Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, [4] and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. [5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. [8] It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. [9] Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; [10] So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
That’s a mouthful! But, notice something special here – when we keep His commands – when we walk in obedience to God’s Word and establish our lives; our homes on the foundation of His Word – look what He promises: 1) Knowledge 2) Understanding 3) Blessing
He said we will find the favor of God and men, we will have our paths ordered of the Lord, we will have health and strength for our spirit man and our physical man, and we will have our barns filled with plenty (barns speaking of grain or increase) and our vats overflowing with new wine (speaking of the anointing).
Verse 13 says: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.” [Proverbs 3:13]
This implies that you have to ‘find’ wisdom – which implies you have to ‘look for it.’ And in looking for it- you will ‘gain’ understanding. Again, where do you search for wisdom? In the Word of God! By establishing your home on the Word of God!
Again, our text says: “By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” [Proverbs 24:4] And…. “Wealth and riches will be in the house of the upright [he who obeys the commands of God]…”
Even God Himself understands the importance of constructing a home with great wisdom and understanding. Think about if for a moment – if you don’t have wisdom of God’s Word – you won’t understand how it operates in your life – and you won’t have the knowledge needed make application of that Word.
This is why Proverbs 4:7 says: “Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom, and in all your getting, get understanding.”
Here is the way I like to put this: “Wisdom is the discernment of God’s Word. Understanding is comprehending God’s Word. And knowledge is being aware of what to do with God’s Word.”
Look at this: “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord.” [Proverbs 21:30]
As I was saying – even God understood the importance of building a house on wisdom!
Proverbs 3:19-20 “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up and clouds drop down the dew.”
Look at this – even God founded the earth with wisdom. Even God established the heavens with understanding. Even God established the waters of the earth with knowledge.
If you want to establish your home – you have to do so on the Word of God!
The Apostle Paul says that we must be “…knit together in love, and attaining to all riches and of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” [Colossians 2:2-3]
Last week we talked about establishing God’s Word in your life. This week we have discovered that in order to have our lives and our homes established we ‘must’ walk in accordance with God’s Word.
The word ‘established’ means several things:
• To set up
• To be fixed
• To be securely determined
• To be fastened
Sounds like construction doesn’t it? Or remodeling!?
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
"[5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [6] And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” [NKJV]
So now we have our house built. It has been remodeled and reconstructed on the Wisdom of God’s Word that brings us the pillars of understanding and knowledge, our windows are filled with all precious and pleasant riches and we have the covering of our faith to secure it all!
Deu 6:17 -19
"You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken."
