House
“Parade of Homes”
I. Introduction
God’s House is being built. Part of it or not, like it or not, fully understand it or not God is in fact building for Himself a habitation. My desire is that we become a part of that edifice and structure. So, we have been trying to understand the blueprints and systems that must be in place so that God will move in here! I want to make sure that God has to turn on the power, the light, the water, and have His mail forwarded to Passion Church! In order for that to happen we must build by His rules. Authority is the rule of His house! There are 3 avenues through which He exerts His authority. What are they? Word, conscience, and delegated authority! To be a livable house we must know house manners? What are they? Regard, respect, resolve, and restore! Nobody lives in an empty house. To change God’s visitation to a constant habitation we must furnish His home with bed (place of rest), a table (place of fellowship), a chair (place of support) and a lamp (illumination of His Word). We must expand our thinking outside our present level of thinking! We must secure our foundation so that we can handle the weight of His presence! We must come to a moment of decision about whether or not we are willing to pay the price and do our part to insure a habitation! One brick can’t get the habitation by itself. It takes all the bricks in harmony and pulling their own weight to provide such a place of dwelling.
So this morning I want to try to wrap this thing up if I can. I wonder how many of you have ever gone to a parade of homes? Julie and I have never done that, but we have talked about it quite a bit. I think I understand the basic concept of a parade of homes. The idea is that people open up their homes in order for you to get to a peak at how they live (at least a cleaned up, spruced up, dressed up glimpse of how they live). In that regard a parade of homes is positive. I will come back to the idea of a parade of homes in a minute.
I want us to go on a 2 stop parade of homes and look at a couple of homes that teaches us some things about His house.
Text: Genesis 7:1-10, 22-23; 11:5-7
1The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."
5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
6Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.
22Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
Genesis 11:5-7
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
I. House #1
Noah understood authority. God said build an ark. It had never rained before, but Noah knew that God’s Word is prominent and preeminent, so when God said build his response was “Yes Sir”. He built it exactly as God had commanded! He followed the blueprints.
In essence, Noah constructs the world first ever house boat! It was huge! 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet deep. Noah is instructed to bring on board all of his family and then as you know the gathering of animals that joined the family on the boat. We think it was two by two. However, that was only the unclean animals. The clean animals he had 7 of each. There are some things that this home teaches us about His house that I want to point out to you!
a. There are times you won’t like the smell of God’s house.
Stunk at times. Have you ever walked through the elephant area of a zoo? What is the most striking thing about their enclosure? Smell! Noah and his family were enclosed in this house for 377 days. There were going to be days on the floating zoo that everything didn’t smell like roses! You could probably grow some roses! But it certainly didn’t smell appealing.
I wished I could tell you that this house would always be appealing to you. I wished I could say that you will like the aroma that this place gives off every week, every month, and every year, but the reality is that there will be days when you will not only dislike the aroma you may be repelled by it! Something will happen, someone will act unbecomingly, or something will be said or sung that will cause you to wrinkle your nose and want to turn away, but I want you to notice something this morning. Noah and his family, in spite of the smell and in spite of all the stuff, didn’t leave the house! They stay on board. They stayed inside . . . because. . .
b. The house still provided protection and covering!
Even with all of its smell and stuff there was safety in the house. There was still provision in the house. There was still covering in the house. There was all kinds of stuff in that house boat . . .except one thing . . . flood!
There may be days you don’t like the smell, but if you exit the house you exit the covering, the protection, and the provision of this house! There are days that storms will come and rough seas may be on the horizon! On those days you had better be in the house!
The North American Christian doesn’t understand or grasp the concept of covering! We think we can just go to any house we want! We think that we can just walk in and out at any moment. However, I have some news for you this morning when the storm of your lifetime approaches you had better be on the right boat! That is why I want you to pray about the house you are supposed to be a part of. Don’t select it based on style or personality! This is your life boat!
The truth is I believe you have an assigned place!
Number 2:17 - 17"Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their standards.
You are taking those out of context! Really – why do we think that in the Old Testament God would assign folks to their place and we don’t think He does that today?
What I am saying to you is that in order for you to be covered, protected, and provided for you have to be in the right place! You have to be in your assigned place!
We have treated church selection like a buffet. We pick and choose what we want. We don’t even understand that we aren’t church shopping we are house shopping! And I came to call some of you in from the storm this morning! You had better get in the house! Storms are coming you had better get in the house! Trials are coming you had better get in the house! Difficulties and tests are coming you had better get in the house!
Your covering, your protection, your provision is tied to being in the right house!
I honestly believe you can be in a house and not be blessed if you are in the wrong house. Oh, Steve, God doesn’t care about that. He just wants us in a church. It doesn’t matter which one! Wrong . . . has anybody other than me ever been in a house, but it was the wrong house and I would leave angry, hurt, distressed, and feeling vulnerable to attack? I don’t feel that way when I leave here. This is my assigned place! The reason you feel refreshed, guarded, and blessed when you leave this house and miserable when you are at another house is because this is your assigned place!
c. Others will laugh at your house!
Noah was the laughing stock of the neighborhood. A boat when there is no rain. That’s your house? Why would you choose to leave this comfortable house for that smelly, storefront, fledgling, gaps in the ministry house when you can stay at our plush, posh, full functioning, and sanitized house? Why would you choose that house?
I realize that some of you have faced scoffers for coming to this house! I realize it has cost some of you relationships and perhaps ridicule. It may have produced some laughter or doubt. That has certainly happened to Julie and me. All I know is that the thing floats. All I know is I feel safe, covered, and protected! All I know is my family is being saved! Laugh all you want, scoff all you want, call us crazy all you want it floats!
Some of you need to go back and count the cost again! Some of you are going to have to make up your minds that the laughter is worth it. Some of you need to go back and recommit to the fact that lost relationships are worth the safety of the house. Some of you need to go back and covenant again that the covering is worth ridicule! Cause all we know is that it ain’t wet in here!
d. Connect to the favor!
Go back and think about our text again. Verse 1 says, “The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Who found favor? Noah found favor with God. But who is saved when the storm comes? Noah and his entire family. We aren’t told that Noah’s family found favor, but they still get a ride on the life boat! Why? Favor and anointing flows down!
Say what you will, but I believe that the favor of God rests on this house! I can give you example after example of favor. We have been blessed when we shouldn’t be. We have had provision when we shouldn’t have! Favor flows down. What is happening on the corporate level should flow down to your house! That is why it is important to be in the right house because favor flows down. If you are in the wrong house whatever is at the top will flow down to you!
I want you to connect to the favor. Begin to look for provision in your house. Begin to look for good standing with those around you! Whatever is on the house will flow down to you!
II. House #2
In Genesis 11 the people begin building themselves a house. Their construction project teaches us something! Did you catch it in verse 6 of Genesis 11? If the people are unified then nothing they do will be impossible for them. God didn’t stop them because of their unity! If we would become unified we can build, establish and secure a house that is air tight and water tight. Two things we can learn from this building project.
a. Say the same thing.
We can’t get unified if we aren’t all saying the same thing. We never see churches where nothing is impossible because we can’t get everyone to quit sharing their opinion and start saying the same thing. I am calling you to say the same thing. Let’s all talk the same language. We have made it easy for you! Encounter, Equip, Engage!
Unity! Unity is underrated in the American church. Woody read it to you. There is a commanded blessing in a place where there is unity. I want to be a part of that place! What if Passion is assigned/selected/designated to be the answer to Jesus’ prayer? That they may be known by their love and their love will show people that Jesus was in fact sent by God!
b. Teaches us that we must keep the correct focus.
Their house fell and sunk because their focus was wrong! Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves
Our focus must remain and will remain building and making a name for HIM. Not Steve, not our worship team, not our programs . . . HIM. As long as we build for Him our house boat will float, protect, and grow! At the moment that this becomes about us we will be scattered! We must make a name for Him. It is His name that brings salvation, hope, peace, etc.
III. Parade of Homes
Finally, a parade of homes is a great way to get to know your neighbors and an impossible way to live your spiritual life!
Even though the parade of home gives you a glimpse into other houses you can’t live there. The real assignment is to make your own home into home sweet home.
I am just telling you the truth this morning because I want to make sure you are protected. The parade has to stop! Other people’s homes won’t protect you, favor you, or cover you! As much as you like their home when the time of storm comes you won’t be invited in. As much as you drool over their home when that home is blessed you ain’t getting none. As much as you appreciate their structure, décor, and taste, their home won’t guard your back. Only one home does that . . . your home! You need to decide which house you are in! You need to get in the house! A house divided against itself can’t stand! A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways!
Are you telling us not to visit? Not to learn from other houses? To huddle up in this place and shut the door? NO! I am just declaring to you that you have an assigned place and you need to find it and get in it! I am just saying that you had better lock into the place that will cover you when things go wrong and who will celebrate with you when they go right!
If this is your house then let’s make it home sweet home! Let’s get as many other assigned folks in here as we can! Some of them don’t even know they are assigned here yet! Let’s get them in . . . become unified in what we say and let’s build a house that will bring attention to His name!
