The House that Richard Built

by James D. Smith

  2 Chronicles 1:7-10

  Wisdom, the practical application of knowledge, is what common sense is all about. Solomon could have asked for anything…riches, wealth, glory, for the death of his enemies, or for long life for himself; but he chose to ask for wisdom. One of the most interesting things that I have found is that God is willing to give us the same gift.

  Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting.

  James 1:5-6

  Oh, how I have sought wisdom. It is so much better than knowledge. Who cares if I know psychology like the back of my hand if I cannot make my marriage work? What does it matter if I know Plato and Aristotle if I can’t relate to my kids and make them feel loved? What does it matter that I know leadership and business theory if I fail as a father and husband in leading my family? What does it matter if I know all the scriptures but can’t live them out on a daily basis and relate to God? What does it matter if I know biblical theology but do not know God?

  I have tried very hard to follow the path of wisdom as I have learned it. I have learned some very valuable lessons as I have applied knowledge that I have gained. I have learned some very valuable lessons through making mistakes. And I have gained some very valuable wisdom through listening to other wise people.

  "Stay away from debt."

  "15 year mortgage is better than 30."

  "Live within your means."

  "Save for a rainy day."

  "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

  If only we would listen to the wisdom we already have at our disposal. If only we would live the way that we know that we should. Everyday educated people do stupid stuff. Are you seeking the way of wisdom?

  A fool’s way seems right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

  Proverbs 12:15

  A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

  Proverbs 11:22

  Go to the ant, you slacker!

  Observe its ways and become wise.

  Without leader, administrator, or ruler

  it prepares its provisions in summer;

  it gathers its food during harvest.

  Proverbs 6:6-8

  Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.

  Proverbs 12:1

  There is much value in education. Our society has put great emphasis on education. But there is much value in wisdom as well. Seek both. Much heartache can be avoided when you follow the path of wisdom. Don’t let it be said of you, "He has a lot of book sense but no common sense." Seek common sense and use it.

  Practical Application:

  Spiritual Wisdom - (From where (or whom) do you seek spiritual wisdom? How do you seek it and how do you apply?)

  Marriage Wisdom -(From where do you seek marriage wisdom? How do you seek it and how do you apply it?)

  Financial Wisdom - (There is much written about financial wisdom. From where (or whom) do you seek wisdom in making financial decisions? How are you applying it?)

  Lesson 12 - People Do You Wrong, Do Right Anyway

  Carpentry is a rough business. It is not a profession that attracts a lot of college graduates and church-going folk. The people that the carpenter had working for him were sometimes a very unsavory lot. They were often the most cussiness, drinkiness, smokiness group of people I have ever been around. I would expect more civilized people on a pirate ship. I am not going to say that everyone that worked for Richard was this sort, but there were enough of them to make quite an impression on a young boy. Sometimes people would not even show up for work for days at a time.

  Given the unsavory group of characters with which the carpenter had to work, it was a wonder that he was able to get anything done. I know that many people did the carpenter wrong. One employee even stole a truck and left the state. One family that Richard built a house for refused to pay him after he had already built the house.

  People have stolen from him, left him without help, and cheated him. Yet through it all, I have never seen the carpenter steal from someone else or cheat anyone. He did the job he had to do and never cut corners or used cheaper materials than he charged his customers for. He was a man that did the right thing even when many around him did wrong.

  It is hard to live a life of character when you are surrounded by a world in which character matters only as long as it gets you ahead. When lying is the better path, lying is what many people do. When cheating is better, that is what many people do. When stabbing someone in the back is better, that is what people do. Yet whatever people did to the carpenter, he did not turn around and do that to others. He was a man that could be counted on to do the right thing.

  While He was still speaking, suddenly a mob was there, and one of the Twelve named Judas was leading them. He came near Jesus to kiss Him, but Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

  Luke 22:47-48

  At that time Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture Me? Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple complex, and you didn’t arrest Me. But all this has happened so that the prophetic Scriptures would be fulfilled." Then ALL the disciples deserted Him and ran away.

  Matthew 26:55-56

  Then he (Peter) started to curse and to swear with an oath, "I don’t know this man you’re talking about!" Immediately a rooster crowed a second time and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

  Mark 14:71-72

  Then the soldiers led Him away into the courtyard and called the whole company together. They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on Him. And they began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They kept hitting Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying Him homage. When they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple robe, put His clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

  Mark 15:16-20

  The world is a hard place. At times, it is uncaring and merciless. Sometimes, the only way to win is to cheat or do wrong. It is not like the movies where the good guy wins every time. Sometimes, the good guy loses. Sometimes, the good guy gets beaten, mocked and crucified. The temptations are great and the pull of the world is strong. Yet, even though the whole world does you wrong, the man of character stays true to his convictions.

  "Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels? How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?"

  Matthew 26:53

  Real character is the ability to do right even when doing wrong is easier. It is doing right even when no one is looking.

  It is bearing up to temptation and saying "NO!" Are you a person of real character? Do you do right consistently, day in and day out? The fact is that we are all sinners. We should always keep in mind the words of God to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." We, as human beings, will always be tempted to sin and we will sin. Yet how we deal with sin is what sets us apart as men and women of godly character.

  Dear children,

  Do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brot
her. (John)1 John 3:7-10 (NIV)

  Is it possible to live without sinning? No. But that does not mean that we shouldn’t make every effort to try. It is God’s expectation that we seek to be righteous. Jesus told those that gathered at his sermon on the mount to "Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness." (Matt 6:33) How do you do that in a world mired in sin? First, do as Paul told the Corinthians to do, just "stop sinning." (1 Cor 15:34) Second, remove the temptation as Jesus taught when he said, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." (Matt 9:43) Third, ask for forgiveness from God. (Lk 11:4) Lastly, "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed." (James 5:16)

  Far from being a list of rules meant to deny us of freedom and fun, God’s lists of sins in the Bible are meant to protect those He loves. What sin doesn’t hurt someone, whether it is the one committing the sin or the one it is being committed against? As Christians, it is time to take sin by the horns and stop! It is time to "be holy!"

  Practical Application:

  Stop Sinning/Repent (What sins do you know you need to stop right now? Look at Galatians 5:19-21. How are these sins hurting you or those that you love?)

  Remove the temptation (What do you need to cut off that is causing you to sin? TV? Internet? Certain friendships?)

  Ask for forgiveness (Do you have sin in your life that you have never taken to God and asked him to forgive? How do you think He feels about this sin? What are you waiting for?)

  Confess your sins (What sins do you need to confess to someone so that you can be prayed for and healed in the manner of James 5:16 and 1 Jn 1:9? Do you have someone in your life that you are close enough to confess to and get support?)

  Lesson 13 - When the Roof Comes Crashing Down

  It just so happened that on the day that my grandfather was sworn in as a deacon at the church our family attended, the roof of the church came crashing down. Thankfully, no one was hurt. One second, there the church stood; the next second, there was nothing but a pile of rubble where the church had been. You can imagine the jokes at my grandfather’s expense. I doubt that the church collapse was God expressing His opinion on my grandfather’s selection as deacon; it was probably more a testimony to the quality of the original carpenter.

  Here was a church that was nothing but a pile of bricks, mortar and wood (not to mention all the crushed furniture, lighting fixtures, windows, etc…). The building, like so many things that we attempt to build, came crashing down. A beautiful church building that had seen weddings, baptisms, revivals, countless services, fellowship dinners and numerous Bible studies no longer existed. What do the members do when their building collapses around them? I was there and saw many of them standing around with hands in their pockets, taking pictures and commenting about how bad the situation appeared. In other words, they were doing nothing. What would you have done?

  The solution is easy…you call the carpenter. On the very day that the church collapsed, the carpenter was on the job. The carpenter took action. Richard moved in, clearing the rubble out of the way so he could prepare for what happens next when a building turns to ruin.

  What happens next? You rebuild.

  What is the best thing to do when you fall off your bike? Get back on. What is the best thing to do if you fall off a horse? Get back on. What is the best thing to do when you fall down and scuff your knee? Get back up, brush off the dirt and get back in the game. What do you do if you fall down while you are on a diet or exercise program? Get back on the diet or exercise program. What should you do when you fail at achieving a goal? Get up and try again. What do you do when you sin? Repent and go at it again.

  What Richard did when the church collapsed was to rebuild the church, from the ground up. There was no hesitation. He did not think about anyone within the church that had done him wrong or that had not treated him the way he thought he should be treated. He did not think about how much he could get paid for the job, he actually built it for cost of materials. He did not think about what other people were going to do who were sitting back with their hands in their pockets commenting on what a horrible thing had happened. Richard got up and rebuilt the church better and more beautiful than it had been before.

  There are going to be times in our lives that the things we are building are going to crumble to the ground. Maybe as the result of some of the storms of life we may face or maybe because of faulty construction decisions in the first place. It is going to happen to everyone. The question is not if it is going to happen but what your response will be when the roof collapses. When we fail or when life deals us a rotten hand, we can give up or we can get up and try again. Whatever the case, you have to take action. Action is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.

  One of my favorite stories about taking action is the response of a young David when he comes upon a setback that the army of Israel has been experiencing. While taking food to his brothers serving on the front line, David observes the reason why the Israelite army is quaking in their boots and discouraged as to their chances of success.

  While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard. When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.

  1 Samuel 17:23-24

  David’s response is the response of a person whose attitude when the roof comes crashing down is "where is the hammer and nails so I can start to build again." He says, "Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" There were plenty of people standing around with hands in their pockets talking about how bad the situation was. Some even took offense to David. His oldest brother, Eliab, even became angry with him and insulted him. Nevertheless, David, a young man amongst an army of grown men, persisted in taking action.

  What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. David said to Saul, "Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!"

  But Saul replied, "You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young."

  David answered Saul, "Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

  Then David said, "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine."

  Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you."

  1 Samuel 17:31-37

  Now, remember that one of the reasons that Saul was chosen as King was that he was a head taller than anyone else in Israel. If anyone should have been going out to fight the Philistine champion, it should have been Saul. Yet Saul was brooding about the bad luck that had befallen Israel while sitting in the shade of a tree. And here was a youth that was the only one in Israel willing to do something about the problem and the king was willing to let the boy go. We all know the outcome of David’s action; it has become one of the most popular stories in the whole Bible.

  David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies — you have defied Him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us."

  When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to
the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung [it], and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran. The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.