Presence of God – Part 4 | Sunday Service | November 22, 2020

Today is a beautiful day, not just because it is pleasant and sunny, but because God has made this day.

As you all are aware, we are already learning from our ongoing series, “Presence of God“. Today will be the “Part 4” of this series.

We learnt about specific three things last Sunday, i.e…

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord . And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord . Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord , and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

When Hezekiah came to the crown, he applied at once to work reform. Those who begin with God, begin at the right end of their work, and it will prosper accordingly. Those that turn their backs upon God’s ordinances, may truly be said to forsake God himself. There are still such neglects, if the word be not duly read and opened, for that was signified by the lighting the lamps, and also if prayers and praise be not offered up, for that was signified by the burning incense. Neglect of God’s worship was the cause of the calamities they had lain under. The Lord alone can prepare the heart of man for vital godliness: when much good is done in a little time, the glory must be ascribed to him; and all who love him or the souls of men, will rejoice therein. Let those that do good work, learn to do it well.

Many a times we fall and turn towards sin. Sins that distract us which in turn becomes a garbage load. As we eventually visit Church and speak to pastor, we have that consciousness that there is a garbage behind us. In order to get rid of this garbage, we need spiritual cleansing. We cannot just keep on carrying it.

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Blood of Jesus cleanses us and takes us away from darkness! This doesn’t means that God has to cleanse it and we need not even shed a single drop of sweat. We have to take first step and God will empower us and help us resist the devil.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Again, the three points from last Sunday…

This means, the house which is clean, shouldn’t be empty. Your heart is empty of all those bitterness, bad habits etc. But it shouldn’t remain empty, rather it should be a place for God.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’  And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.  Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Jesus here is talking to the most religious people here who have hardened their hearts. Christ’s thus casting out the devils, was really the destroying of their power. The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil’s palace, where he dwells, and where he rules. There is a kind of peace in the heart of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner is secure, has no doubt concerning the goodness of his state, nor any dread of the judgment to come. But observe the wonderful change made in conversion. The conversion of a soul to God, is Christ’s victory over the devil and his power in that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own interest in it and power over it. All the endowments of mind of body are now employed for Christ. Here is the condition of a hypocrite. The house is swept from common sins, by a forced confession, as Pharaoh’s; by a feigned contrition, as Ahab’s; or by a partial reformation, as Herod’s. The house is swept, but it is not washed; the heart is not made holy. Sweeping takes off only the loose dirt, while the sin that besets the sinner, the beloved sin, is untouched. The house is garnished with common gifts and graces. It is not furnished with any true grace; it is all paint and varnish, not real nor lasting. It was never given up to Christ, nor dwelt in by the Spirit. Let us take heed of resting in that which a man may have, and yet come short of heaven. The wicked spirits enter in without any difficulty; they are welcomed, and they dwell there; there they work, there they rule. From such an awful state let all earnestly pray to be delivered.

This parable suggests us that the house is clean and the evil spirit, which had left is back now. The only difference is that the house is clean now and evil spirit has called seven more spirits.

The question here is, why the spirit was successful eventhough the house was in order? Thats because the house was empty.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.  Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not. Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet Jonah, was the great proof of Christ’s being the Messiah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale, and then came out again alive, thus Christ would be so long in the grave, and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not repenting; the queen of Sheba, for not believing in Christ. And we have no such cares to hinder us, we come not to Christ upon such uncertainties. This parable represents the case of the Jewish church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who hear the word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns, he finds Christ is not there to shut him out; the heart is swept by outward reformation, but garnished by preparation to comply with evil suggestions, and the man becomes a more decided enemy of the truth. Every heart is the residence of unclean spirits, except those which are temples of the Holy Ghost, by faith in Christ.

If your heart is empty and Christ isn’t living in it, you are at risk of letting the evil spirits reside in.  And we bring ourselves to a place where we say, “God, things are not right!” Thats right, things aren’t as you supposedly thought it should be, thats because our house is empty.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

People of God, don’t you know your body is the temple of Holy Spirit?

Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.

After you clean the mess of your life but do not let Holy Spirit live in your house, the old evil spirit will find it’s way back. And this time it would be much more stronger. There has to be praise and worship for power of God to come to you and for you to be anointed with Holy Spirit.

Are you empty or filled with the holy spirit? If you feel by any chance that your heart is empty, then today is the time to bow down on your knees and pray, seeking Holy Spirit to live in your heart and to take care of your empty house.