Message: The Middle – House of the Lord
I.
Read Psalm 23
a.
We’ve been
working through this Psalm as a guide for us on how to survive and thrive in
the middle. That is, how to hold onto
your faith in God and live in a way that changes you and your world for the
better.
II.
Read Psalm 23:6 –
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
a.
Dwelling daily in
the house of the Lord will help you survive and thrive in the middle
III.
Homeless
a.
Did you know
there is a homeless epidemic in America?
i.
636,017 in 2011 (of a population of 315 million)
ii.
But there are almost 7 million people who live
doubled up, meaning they have no place of their own and instead are living with
someone else. This group has increased
53% in the past 5 years.
b.
How many of you
have ever lived in someone else’s house for at least a week, not as a vacation
but because you needed a place to stay?
i.
I did when I was
a kid, my mom had something she was going through and so we moved in with some
friends for a few months.
c.
If you have ever
been in that position you know the stress that goes with it. Will I have a place to sleep tonight? Will I have to sleep in the car? Where will I shower?
d.
The best thing to
happen is often having someone invite you to stay with them, because you at
least have a home to be in.
e.
Spiritually
speaking, we all are homeless. We lack a
place that will give us the chance for complete peace, comfort, and
security. We wonder around looking for
someone or something to take us in.
f.
But God is
inviting us into his house. All we have
to do is accept that invitation.
g.
Ask for anyone to
accept that invitation to join God’s house.
IV.
Dwelling
a.
What does it mean
to dwell? To live in
b.
When you live in
someone else’s house you have some pretty amazing things happen:
i.
You get to know
the people more than you would have otherwise
1.
When you dwell in
God’s house you get to know him better than you would if you were looking in
from the outside
ii.
You pick up their
traits
1.
When you dwell in
God’s house you start to act more godly, something that we are supposed to be
doing.
2.
What are some
things that God is like that we should be like?
iii.
You live by their
schedule and rules
1.
When you dwell in
God’s house you start living as he wants you to live and because of that your
life will be better than it would be if you were living however you want to
live.
iv.
You are protected
1.
When you dwell in
God’s house he is there to give you comfort, strength, and protection and all
you have to do is ask.
v.
You become part
of the family
1.
When you dwell in
God’s house he adopts you into his family.
You have a place of belonging and acceptance.
c.
What does it mean
to dwell? To remain in
i.
This means that
day in and day out you are there.
ii.
What does that
mean spiritually? You spend time with
God daily
iii.
What are some
ways you can spend time with God daily?
1.
Illus: 5 min walk
records
iv.
Why daily? There is a danger of losing connection if it
isn’t daily
1.
Illus: My
friendship with Aaron Keller (I’ll call tomorrow, I’ll see him next year, I
wish he’d visit) I know of him, but I
don’t know him well anymore.
2.
It is like a
kite, you are connected to it with a string, but if you just keep letting out
the string you don’t see the kite as well as you once did, and eventually you
run out of string and the kite flies away, you have lost connection with it.
v.
Some of you have
been in that house before but have lost connection with God. Tonight he is offering you that kite string
again and wants you to come back to connection with him. Or to come back and dwell in his house again.
1.
Ask and pray
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