Does God Live At Your House?

Does God Live In Your House?

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. A man came home from work one evening to find his wife crying. She explained that

    shortly after she came in from her job the doorbell rang. Standing at the door was a

    young man with a particular religious group. The husband said, “Was he unkind?”

    She replied, “No, he was very nice.” The husband spoke once again, “Did you tell him

    we go to church every Sunday and even take the kids to Sunday school?” “No,” said

    the wife, “that’s not what he asked.” “Well, what did he want that made you so upset,”

    bristled the husband. “All he said was, ‘Pardon me, does God live at this house?” The

    woman went on to say, “I know we go to church but I’m not sure God lives in our

    house.” 

B. In 1 Samuel 1 we read about a family who desperately needed God in their home.

    1. It was a family filled with bitter rivalry, jealousy, frustration and heartache.

    2. The husband in this family was Elkanah. This man would have made a great

       commercial for Ancestry.com. He knew his heritage going back five generations.

       a. Was consistent in worshipping God at the tabernacle – verse 7.

       b. Had he been so inclined there were several reasons Elkanah could have sought

           to excuse himself from worshipping God.

           a. There was conflict within his own family.

           b. There was hypocrisy going on at the tabernacle. Hophni and Phineas were

               wicked men who served their own lustful appetites much more than they

               served God. Elkanah  did not come to worship them but to serve God.

           c. He had a considerable distance of about 15 miles to travel by primitive means.

           d. Elkanah wanted to be at the Lord’s house and he wanted the Lord to be in his

              house.

    3. Notice the conflict between Elkanah’s wives.

       a. Their names were Pininnah (Red Pearl) and Hannah (graciousness).

       b. How often do we read of conflict when a man had more than one wife or had

           children by different women i.e. Abraham (Sarah and Hagar), Jacob (Leah and

           Rachel). Does this not affirm the wisdom of God’s plan for a monogamous          

           relationship?

       b. When they would go to the tabernacle with their sacrifices they would receive a

           portion of meat. Since Pininnah had children who received a portion of the meat

           Elkanah always gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her. Pininnah,

           however, did all she could to provoke and irritate Hannah.  It is interesting that

           after this mention of Pininnah through verse 6 we never read about her again.

    c. In the midst of her sadness and heartache Hannah knew she wanted God in her

       home. What did she do?

I. PRIORITY

    A. Every family needs a set of priorities.

       1. This begins with you as an individual. Solomon, the wisest man in the Bible apart

           from Christ, said in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “The conclusion, when all has been

           heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every

           person. ¹⁴ For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden,

           whether it is good or evil.”

       2. Your priorities affect your marriage. As a husband and wife seek to draw closer

           to God they will find themselves being drawn closer to one another.

       3. As parents you must know and maintain proper priorities for your family,

    B. Hannah is a good example of a woman who had good priorities.

       1. Where did she go when she was troubled? She didn’t turn to sorcery or idolatry.

           She did not shake her fist in rebellion against God. She went straight to God and

           poured her heart out.

       2. Mothers are some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. If

           mothers do not have proper priorities the the heart of the home will suffer.

           a. Abraham Lincoln said, “I owe all I am to my angel mother.”

           b. Paul wrote that Timothy’s faith was the result of instruction he had received

               from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Tim.1:5).

       3. Everything you read about Samuel as a priest, a judge and a prophet was

           influenced by the priorities possessed by his mother. Hannah wanted God to give

           her a baby. It’s just as important that Hannah wanted to give her baby to God.

II. PRAYER

    A. Hannah believed in the power of prayer.

       1. She knew she could bring her petition before God – Matthew 7:7-11.

       2. She knew that God hears and answers our prayers when we ask – James 3:1-4.    

    B. Consider some of the great prayers in the Bible?

       1. David’s prayer of forgiveness in Psalm 51.

       2. Solomon’s prayer for wisdom in 1 Kings 3:6-9.

       3. Daniel’s prayer in defiance of King Darius in Daniel 6.

       4. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 or his garden prayer in Matthew 26.

    C. One of the greatest prayers is the one prayed by Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.

       1. “She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly” – vs. 10.

       2. Verses 12 and 13 tell us she continued to pray as she spoke in her heart to the

           Lord.

       3. Hannah was praying for her child before he was born. She was praying for him

           before he was conceived.

    D. Prayer needs to be a regular part of your family life.

       1. Do you pray before meals as a family?

       2. Do you pray before you set out on a trip?

       3. Do you pray in times of sadness and sorrow?

       4. Does your family stop to thank God when something good happens to you?

       5. A little boy was invited to a sleep-over at a friend’s house. Before the evening

           meal the family bowed their heads and had a prayer. The little boy didn’t know

           what to do. After the prayer was finished he asked his friend why they had

           prayed. After his friend explained they always did this to thank God for their food,

           the little boy said, “Oh, we don’t do that in my family. I don’t guess God lives at

           our house.”

       6. Some of you will remember the song, “Bless this house O Lord we pray, make it

           safe by night and day, Bless these walls so firm and stout, keeping want and

           trouble out. Bless this roof and chimney tall, Let thy peace lie over all. Bless this

           door that it may prove ever open to joy and love.”

    E. Here’s a prayer Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. I believe it is a prayer that

       should be prayed by every family. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

       ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would  
        grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through 
        His Spirit inthe inner man, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and 
        that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all 
        the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the 
        love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness 
        of God. ²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask 
        or think, according to the power that works within us, ²¹ to Him be the glory in the 
        church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:14-21).

 

III. PURPOSE

    A. Hannah did not approach parenting in a careless manner. Notice the purpose with

       which she prayed in vs. 11. ‘She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will

       indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget

       Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the

       Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

       1. Her prayer was specific. She asked for a son.

       2. Her prayer reflected her purpose of honoring God with her child. She vowed that

           he would be set apart and dedicated to God.

    B. For what purpose do you pray when it comes to your children?       

       1. Do you pray for them to be successful? Wealthy? Powerful? Influential?

       2. Do you pray that they will honor God and put Him first in their life?

       3. How many of us actually pray for our children to be missionaries or preachers,

           Bible class teachers, Elders, Deacons? I recall my grandmother telling me I was

           going to be a preacher.

   

IV. PERSISTENCE

    A. For God to dwell in your home there must be persistent faith.

       1. Notice the persistence Hannah demonstrated.

       2. In verse 12 we read that she continued praying. When Eli, the High Priest, saw

           her he didn’t hear her words. He only saw her lips moving silently and supposed

           she was drunk. She explained her situation and kept on praying.

       3. Ultimately God granted Hannah’s request.

    B. After Samuel’s birth she kept the child and made his instruction her first priority.

       1. On one occasion when Elkanah was going up to the Tabernacle she told him to

           go ahead while she stayed and kept the baby.  

       2. We do not know how long she nursed the child. Women in ancient times typically

           nursed longer than women do today. When he was old enough she took him to

           Shiloh to live and receive instruction from Eli.

    C. For God to live in your home you must remain persistent. We have people here

       from all walks of life.   

       1. Some of you are single. Be persistent in honoring God. Paul was a single man

           and even said, “I wish all were as I am.”

       2. Some of you are married but have no children. You can honor God through your

           commitment to one another.

       3. Some of you are widows/ widowers. Some have been divorced. Do not give up

           your service to the Lord.

       4. For those who are parents remember Hannah. She took her commitment

           seriously. You cannot abdicate your responsibility to teach your children.

CONCLUSION:

A. A boy had a mother who had no time or love for anyone but herself. She married 3

    times. Her second husband divorced her because she abused him. The little boy

    grew up without any values or love. He was told “Don’t ever bother me at work. I don’t

    want you pestering me.” He had a high IQ but dropped out of high school. He later

    joined the Marines but was given a dishonorable discharge. Ultimately he went to live

    in a foreign country where he married a woman. She left. He persuaded her to return

    to America with him. He couldn’t hold a job. The only skill he had was with a rifle. On

    November. 22, 1963, he took his rifle to the Texas State Book Depository in Dallas

    and used it to assassinate the President of the United States. How different might

    Lee Harvey Oswald’s life have been? How different history could have been if his

    mother had allowed God to live in their home.

B. Does God live in your house? It begins with you. If we can assist you in your

    relationship with the Lord today we’re here to do so. If you need to surrender your life

    to Christ and be buried with Him in baptism we invite you to come. If you need to

    rededicate your life to Christ we invite you to come. If you need to invite God into

    your home we invite you to come as we stand and sing.

Colossians Series - 4

Colossians Series - 4

Reconciled To God

Steve W. Reeves

  

INTRODUCTION:

A. We sometimes use the expression, “a matter of life or death” to emphasize the

    importance of a situation. 

    1. A medical emergency may be a matter of “life or death.”

    2. A safety issue regarding an automobile or truck, may be a matter of “life or death.”

    3. A health hazard can be a matter of “life or death.”

B. From a spiritual standpoint our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is a matter

    of “life or death.” 

    1. A matter of being saved or being lost eternally.

    2. A matter of eternity in the presence of God or eternity with the devil and his angels.

    3. A matter of heaven or hell.

C. Paul’s message in Colossians 1:21-23 is a message of reconciliation between God

    and man. It is a matter of spiritual "life or death."

       ²¹ And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet   

    He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before

    Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith firmly

    established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have

    heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a

    minister.”\

D. In each of these verses I want you to see a characteristic of the reconciliation found through

    Jesus Christ.

I. THE NEED FOR RECONCILIATION – vs. 21,

    A. Why do human beings need to be reconciled to God?  Notice Paul’s description of

       Humanity.

       1. Alienated from God – vs. 21.

           a. What does this mean?

           b. Separated from God by Satan’s wicked work in the world. See Genesis 2:17; Isaiah 59:1-2.

       2. Hostile in mind. We might not consider ourselves to be hostile towards God but sin is actually an act of 

           hostility towards God. Remember, with God there is no neutrality.

           a. Matthew 12:30 – Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me?” There is not

              neutral ground spiritually. There is no “demilitarized zone” in spiritual battle.

           b. James 4:4 – “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is

               hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes

               himself an enemy of God.” 

           c. Where did this hostility originate? It did not originate with God. He has never been

               hostile toward us. He has always longed for a loving relationship. The hostility is a

               result of our sin and disobedience.

       3. Engaged in evil deeds. Do we ever forget where we have come from and how dependent

           we are upon God’s grace and mercy? Do you remember the story behind John Newton’s

           writing of “Amazing Grace?” On his deathbed he said, “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a

           great savior.”

    B. Compare this to Ephesians 2:1-6 – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, ² in

       which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of

       the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. ³ Among

       them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and

       of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in

       mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our

       transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and

       raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

II. THE MEANS OF RECONCILIATION – vs. 22.

    A. In verse 22 Paul cites the means by which reconciliation occurs. You and I can live

       because Christ died.

       1. “He has reconciled you in His fleshly body through death.”

           a. Without the death of Christ there is no way we could be saved. All of the sacrifices of

               the Old Testament could not take away sin. It was impossible for the blood of bulls and

               goats to remove sin (Hebrews 10:4).    

           b. We can never be good enough through our human righteousness to earn salvation.      

       2. “Through his fleshly body,” was a shot across the bow of the Gnostics who did not

           believe the Messiah was flesh and blood.

    B. Why has he reconciled us? Notice the remainder of verse 22. “In order to present you

       before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

       1. Christ is going to present the church to His father. Can you imagine how wonderful this

           will be? Picture Jesus introducing you to the Father!

       2. When He presents us we will be:

           a. Holy – separate, pure, completely without sin.

           b. Beyond reproach. There will be no finger pointing and blaming in heaven.

    C. Why did Jesus come?

       1. To show us who God is.

       2. To set an example for how we should live – 1 Peter 2:21.

       3. To reconcile us with the Father. God does not want us to be separated from him. Have

           you ever had a child leave home rejecting your love and care in pursuit of their own way?

           Can you imagine how the father of the Prodigal son felt in Luke 15? Hallelujah! God did

           not give up on lost humanity! He sent His son to redeem us!

III. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RECONCILIATION – vs. 23.

    A With every privilege comes a responsibility. Do you remember when you received your

       driver’s license? Did you get the “responsibility talk” from your parents?  Paul immediately

       reminds the Colossians that they have a responsibility regarding reconciliation.

    B. In verse 23 - :If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not

       moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.”

       1. Notice the word, “if.” It introduces a conditional clause. If you buy an insurance policy it

           has conditional clauses. It will only be valid if the terms and conditions of the policy are

           met.

       2. God’s promise of reconciliation is prompted by unconditional love. This does not mean

           that reconciliation does not have conditions. 

    C. Notice these conditions.

       1. Continue in faith.

       2. Be firmly established and steadfast.    

       3. Do not be moved away from the Gospel.

CONCLUSION:

A. Why has God reconciled us to Himself?

    1. Because He loves us – yes.

    2. Because He desires a relationship with us – yes.

    3. There is another very important reason. Look at Ephesians 2: 7 – “So that in the ages to

       come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ

       Jesus.”

B. A father left a large inheritance to his two sons. He promised to give a double to the son with

    the most wisdom. Each son was given $100 and told to buy something that would fill every

    room of the house. The first son went out and bought $100 of hay. Even that much hay would

    not completely fill the rooms. There were still empty spaces. The other son went out and bout

    one candle for each room. He sat them on lampstands and their light filled the house. H

    received the inheritance.   

C. God is depending on us to fill the world with his light. How are we doing? How are you doing?

    Will you examine your life and be reconciled to God? If we can help you we urge you to

    come.