House
“House Calls”
I. Introduction
Over the last month and half or so we have been talking about how to guarantee a move of God. Such a guarantee only comes when we build the house God’s way. God is not obligated to move into what He has not designed. When we follow His blueprint and construct His House His way He moves in! (His House – we have learned that he has a big, big house with lots and lots of room. . . LOL).
So we have said that we have to learn House Rules – authority – the authority of God’s Word, our conscience, and delegated authority.
We must operate by House Manners – regard, respect, resolve, and restore.
We must furnish His House learn to rest, commune, trust Him again and bath ourselves daily in the light of His Word.
It is absolutely essential that we get off the Parade of Homes circuit and find our assigned place. Because it is in that assigned place that we are safe and blessed.
And then last week I declared that this is the time to build His house in spite of what the housing market report says. We must make sure that we consider the condition of His house rather than putting all of our attention on us! When we get our priorities right we will see glory, provision and peace.
Today, I want to wrap this series up by switching tracks a little. We have been talking about how to get God in the house. Today, I want us to look at what happens once He is here. What will we see happen and what should we expect when He makes a house call here?
TEXT: Mark 2:1-5; 5:38-42, Luke 10:38-42
Mark 2:1-5
1And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 5:38-42
38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." 40But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
Luke 10:38-42
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
If we are serious about constructing a house that God will live in one of the thing that we must consider is what will happen when He moves in. We have to prepare for that. We need to know going in that certain things will happen!
In all three of the accounts that I read to you Jesus makes a house call! We have to decide whether or not we can handle the results of His presence.
II. The Visits
a. He fills the house.
In the first account that I read to you the house is filled. When God moves in space moves out. If you need your space you might not want God to move in! If you need personal space go to a church where God hasn’t shown up in years. God will fill this house. In all of our efforts to fill up the house we will fail. No gimmick, no program (oh, if we could just do this people would swarm); no slick advertising will fill this house! We will utilize programs and advertising, but the only thing that will fill this house with people, power and presence is Jesus! Our talents, our reputation, our nothing will fill the house! Jesus alone fills the house!
b. He creates noise in the house!
Jesus creates noise! If you want a quiet, containable, neat, packaged, dull, predictable, don’t bother me, no volume house then Jesus can’t be on the invitation list! Because everywhere Jesus goes there is a commotion! The volume gets raised. We can’t tame Him! We can’t even house train Him! We want to ask Him in and then control what He does!
We want to run his house like our house. When we invite someone over to visit we clean it up, we vacuum, we dust, we put everything in its place. However, when Jesus shows up He specializes in disrupting our preconceived notions and ideas about Him. He takes delight in destroying our boxes! He refuses to be trapped by our bulletin or our comfort zone! He will take the roof off! If you want things your way go to Burger King, but don’t come to a house where Jesus lives! If you want a nice little, quiet service that starts at 9:15 or 11:15 sharp and ends at 12 dull then invite the doctors, lawyers, and mathematicians, but don’t invite Jesus into the house because he will tear it up! You aren’t going to get much sleep here!
Have you made any noise lately about the fact that Jesus is in this house?
c. He attracts sick folks!
So, what that means is that if you are looking for a church full of perfect, no blemishes, no hang ups, no faults, no sin, no problems, no addictions, no issues to go to church with then you may want to go somewhere else! Once Jesus is in the house sick folks will flock to find Him. Every time Jesus as in the area harlots, drunks, lepers, handicapped, broken people flocked to be with Him. So unless you are ready to rub shoulders with some sick folk you had better keep Jesus out. The one caveat to that is when Jesus is here He will attract sick folks but they won’t leave sick!
d. He pushes aside or pushes out religious folks.
I might as well break it to you now. When Jesus shows up here religious folks will complain. When sick folks get first dibs on treatment, when the volume goes up, when the box is broken, and we go off the plan religious folks will squawk. When Jesus makes a house call He will not allow people who distract or who doubt to stick around! Jesus will live in a spirit and atmosphere of expectation and belief and He knows that those who are scoffers, doubters, and naysayers destroy that atmosphere. So He will remove them quickly. Don’t be surprised if religious folks come and go. Don’t be surprised if doubters are silenced and removed quickly. Jesus will push those folks out!
e. He produces life.
Jesus never conducted a funeral. In fact, He had this habit of breaking them up and turning them into parties. When Jesus is in the house we will know it because life will be produced. The hopeless will find hope. The loveless will find love. The lifeless will find life! If you can come into this place dead and leave dead then we know that Jesus isn’t here! He is the way, the truth, and the life! He brings life with Him. Dead marriages exposed to Jesus will live again. Dead dreams exposed to Jesus will explode in us again. Barren lives will flourish again.
f. He reveals priorities.
I preached about this last week. Mary and Martha’s house call teaches us again that Jesus’ priority is our priorities. Every week that Jesus is in this house should be a week that you are forced to decide what is really important in your life. Every time we gather together in the presence of Jesus everything in our life that is out of line and out of order should be exposed and corrected! Because when Jesus is in the house we are forced to find the one thing that is needed and everything else becomes unimportant and optional. We shouldn’t be shocked to find out that in this house our hidden agendas, sins, issues, and priorities are exposed! Jesus always pulls back the cover on those things so that we can find healing and correction!
g. He produces worship!
When Jesus is in the house there will be worship! We won’t be able to contain it! We won’t be able to stop it. We won’t be able to refuse it! We know about “Habitat for Humanity”, but the Word declares that there is a key element to “Habitat for Divinity” and that is worship. He inhabits the praises of His people! This house is, will be and must be filled with worship and praise if we long for Him to stay here! AN ABSENCE OF WORSHIP IS AN ABSENCE OF JESUS! “Judson Cornwall, in a study on worship, said that something interesting took place during the Old Testament days. When the aroma of the incense that signified worship burned in the temple and mixed with the aroma of the oil used to anoint the priests, the goats that were present would have an allergic reaction to the combination and would begin to choke, cough, and wheeze. He also mentioned that the sheep had no allergic reaction to this smell. What is your reaction to worship?
I don’t know about you, but I want God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to make a House call here! Fill this place up with His presence, with His noise, with sick folks, get rid of the religious folks, bring on the life, and bring on the worship! Let’s get our priorities right and He moves in!
III. Close
Two elements here:
a. Examine your heart . . . Do you really want Him here? Are you willing to pay the price?
b. Are you willing to give Him an invitation to move in if it means your will, your way, your rules are thrown out the window? If it means that your space will be invaded? If it means who you rub shoulders with may change?
