House - Part 7 - The Housing Market Series

House

“The Housing Market”

I. Introduction

I don’t normally like to stay in series for more than 3 to 4 weeks. I certainly don’t like to interrupt a series because I know that that causes us to forget. However, I really feel like I have 2 more messages that we need to look at concerning the house that God is trying to erect and establish here and in us! So since there has been a 3 week interlude I want to take just a few moments and highlight where we have been in this vein.

God’s House is being built. We have a choice as to whether we want that house to be established here or somewhere else. God is not obligated to live in what He has not built. And we can guarantee that God will move in if we follow His plans. We can guarantee His presence here if we will follow His blueprints.

House Rules – This house must be established and built on the concept of Authority. #1 authority is God’s Word. #2 authority figure is our conscience. #3 authority figure is delegated authority. Until we understand authority and respond correctly to authority this house will lie vacant.

House Manners – We will not see God move in to this house until we begin to operate exclusively by house manners. These manners are the direct opposite of how we have been taught to act by our culture. We must learn to regard one another after the spirit rather than after the flesh. What if your destiny is wrapped up in someone you don’t like? We are to respect each other. That means we treat each other better than the world says we should. We resolve issues face to face. We don’t sweep them under the rug or avoid one another. The Bible gives a clear mandate as to how we deal with our brothers and sister. We restore each other or handle each other with grace knowing that the day will come when we too will need grace extended.

Model House – Recognize that we need more room and that present structure will not handle a habitation. Habitation requires firm foundation. No expansion if weak in Word, weak in worship, etc. A model house is furnished. Requires a bed – place of rest. Requires a table – place of communion. Requires a chair – place of trust. Requires a lamp – illumination of Word. His house must come first. A model house is a full house and at the moment it was furnished bareness was broken.

Parade of Homes – The parade of Homes must stop. We must find our assigned house. There will be times we don’t like the smell of God’s house, but must understand that we are safest when we are in our assigned house. Others may laugh at our house, but if we are in our assigned house we are connected with favor! We must build this house to bring attention to and keep focus on His name!

So that brings us up to speed. Today, I want to talk to you for just a few moments about the housing market.

We have all watched over the course of the last year or so while the recession has swept our country. We have watched the news reports of cities and even states that have endured a crash economically. After being historically secure and pretty stable one of the areas that this crash has had some of the greatest impact is in the housing market. In June, The Center for Responsible Lending estimated that there had already been 1,000,000 foreclosures filed in 2009. It also noted that the Mortgage Bankers Association’s data showed 12% of all mortgages were delinquent. It gets worse. The group expected the 2009 foreclosure number to more than double by the end of the year. Thankfully Oklahoma didn’t see this type of impact for the most part.

This morning what I want to suggest to you is that even though we didn’t recognize it before 2009 there had already been a housing market crash going on around us for at least 2 decades. We have been asleep through most it. I think we are just now waking up to the fact that something is wrong. And if we are not awake we had better wake up before the crash is a crash that we cannot recover from. You might say what are you talking about? To explain I need to take you to a housing market report that was given in the Old Testament. I want you to hear this this morning. What I am about to read to you sounds like a current, up-to-date report of the condition of the housing market all around us! If we are not careful and if we are not intentional about building something different we will fall into this condition. This report demands a response! This report demands that we live our lives differently to get different results. This report demands that we reprioritize our lives.