sermon

The Head of the House

Brad DeLong

February 7, 2021 · Apostolic Pentecostal Church (St. Louis, MO)

Transcript of a published sermon by Brad DeLong, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.

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Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

Jesus, Head of the Body and Head of the House

The speaker focuses on the anatomy of the body, and specifically on the head himself, Jesus Christ.
The opening reading presents Jesus as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn over all creation: all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities or powers, were created through him and for him; he is before all things, in him all things consist, he is the head of the body, the church, the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he may have the preeminence.
Everything ever created was created by him and for him, and that includes the church and every member within it.
He is therefore the head of creation, the head of the body, and the head of every member within the body — sovereign, preeminent over all, supreme, predominant in the earth, autonomous and matchless in all of creation.
For the direction of the sermon this is stated as the title: he is the head of the house — and the congregation is exhorted before sitting down to exalt him as head over all, in their lives, their own experience, their homes and their personal frames.

Scriptures: Colossians 1

Becoming Head of His Own Household

The speaker recalls striking out on his own and moving out of his parents' house, where he had resided his entire life to that point, soon to be married; as the scriptures say, he left his father and his mother and moved to the other side of the city, though he still returned from time to time for groceries and saw his family often at church and family gatherings.
Standing in the hallway of the empty house, he remembers thinking: this is my place, I have to protect it, I am the man of this house — he had arrived, with authority, sway and influence in that place, and what he said would resound through the hallways and the hearts of those who resided there.
A house is one's own domain and space, a note of confidence and comfort: a haven, a refuge, a sanctuary and a shelter, a kingdom so to speak — the place where one resides and presides, commonly described as being the head of that household.
That everyday analogy begins to give perspective on the passage just read, and on many others like it.

The Earth Is His House — He Reigns Over All

Using the house analogy for the sovereign Lord and his dominion: this world and everything in it belongs to him; nothing is beyond his dominion, his control, or the bounds of his authority and supremacy — it is all his, and it is all for his glory.
Greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty are the Lord's, for all that is in heaven and earth is his; the kingdom is his, he is exalted as head over all, riches and honor come from him, and he reigns over all — so the earth and everything in it is his house, his domain, his realm and his territory.
Heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord, and also the earth with all that is in it; this is his creation and his conception, and people simply have the privilege of taking up some space in it.
He built it all himself: the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it, founded upon the seas and established upon the waters; the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he set the world on them, laid the foundation himself, and made something out of nothing by his eternal power and his eternal word, all for his own glory — by him, through him and for him, with every power, principality, ruler and entity under his control.
The earth is even called his footstool — the place where someone sets their feet — a picture of God's rule over the earth and over his own dominion.
People worry, panic and grow anxious over this earth, yet it is where God rests his feet; without ceasing to care about the earth or the lives on it, believers are urged to get their eyes off the house and fix them back on the head of the house, realising he is still fully in control, knows what is happening in his house, and that nothing happens within it without him being fully aware and fully in control — he is still sovereign in all the earth, and this is still his house.

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 29:11; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 24; 1 Samuel 2:8; Isaiah 66:1

Head Over All Things to the Church

The opening text is restated: by him all things were created, he is before all things, in him all things consist, he is the head of the body, the church, the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence.
A similar viewpoint is given where God put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all — all things are under his feet and under his purview, including his house and all creation.
All of creation is under his headship, and that includes his own body, the church, of which he is undeniably the head.
The church is rooted and built up in him and made complete in him, who is the head over all.
The same God who is head of creation is also head of his church: the cornerstone and the foundation, the architect and founder of the earth and of his body; just as he is sovereign over the earth, he is in control of the body and his church — this is his domain, his kingdom, his house and his body.

Scriptures: Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 2:7; Colossians 2:10

The Body Must Follow and Stay Connected to the Head

The anatomy analogy shows the church's true relationship with Jesus: he is the head, the church is the body, and this showcases the vital connection shared with him — he controls and dictates what the church does, and the church is just an extension of who he is.
The head is where the body receives its marching orders and direction; in a physical sense every finger, arm, leg and muscle is controlled by the head, so if the head says to do something, the body ought to do it, and if the head gives direction or a command, it ought to be followed — if the members simply did whatever they wanted, something would be wrong and out of sync.
In the same way this church follows the direction, command, word and spirit of its head, Jesus Christ: not a disconnected body doing its own thing, not trying to make it on its own or move ahead without him, and not trying to be the body absent of the head — a body would not get very far without a head.
The church cannot exist without him, cannot function outside of him, and cannot live disconnected from him; he is wanted in every service, every interaction and every altar call, at the center of all the church does, emulated in all the church is.
Just as a body cannot live without its head, a body without a head is a dead body — so a church without Jesus, without his presence, his word and his spirit, is a dead church and ceases to be a church at all; he is wanted in every worship service, prayer meeting and study, on the main gathering days and every day in between, and the congregation pauses to tell him they need him, want him as the head and center of the body and the church, and cannot live without him.

Head of Every Member — and Head of My House

No member of the body can exist without him either: the whole body cannot function disconnected from the head, and the same is true of every single member — if any part becomes disconnected, that part does not move, does not function, and is dead, so every member has to individually be connected to Jesus.
It is one thing to concede his rule over the church as a whole, but another step entirely to concede his rule and reign over individual lives; people can be content with Jesus as head of his house and head of the church house, yet fall into compartmentalising and drawing a line when it comes to their own house and home.
This is the crux of the message: he is not only head of his house and creation and head of the church house and church body, he is also head of every member — head of my house and of this earthen vessel and temple; if he is to be head over his body as a whole he has to be head of every single member of it, and if he is to have his way in his church he must also have his way in individual homes and lives.
Each person's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in them, whom they have from God; they are not their own, they were bought with a price, and are therefore to glorify God in their body and in their spirit, which are God's.
God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as he pleased; there are many members yet one body, and he is involved with each and every member individually — he is not only concerned with being preeminent and sovereign in his church as a whole.
God is not content to be head of the church house solely; he is looking to be head of each person's house, and his dominion does not stop when they walk out of the church doors — he desires to be involved and on the throne across the threshold of their homes, as head of the home, family, daily life, daily interactions, plans, goals, future, work and finances, the entire being.
A person does not stop being the body when leaving the church family, so the head of the body is needed every single day — in the heart and in the home as much as in the church building, on ordinary weekdays as much as on gathering days.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:18

Making Jesus Head of the Home: Prayer, Doors and Consecration

The recent past year had taught that Jesus needs to be at the center of the home, the head of the house, the focal point of families and of daily lives, ordering lives, homes and steps — a pattern the speaker says he learned from his parents, his father and the pastoral team who exemplified it, learning early in marriage how central Jesus needed to be and still learning, without having it all figured out.
Early in marriage he had to be intentional about inviting God to be head of the home and family: the place he had called his own domain and space was to be filled with God's presence on a daily basis.
He remembers a time of prayer just after he was married, as a young husband trying to figure things out, walking through his home and praying over the doors, pleading the blood over every door, just like the families in Egypt — asking God to show him anything coming into the house that should not be there, and not to let anything come in that would affect his marriage or family.
He stood alongside the parents facing the death angel in the Exodus account: believers today may not face that particular plague, but their role and job is just as critical and just as eternal — standing alongside those people of God, making sure his word is followed in homes, families and earthen vessels, wanting him to be head of the house.
Letting God sit on the throne in the home and family meant some things were not allowed: certain media and movies never came in or had to go out into the trash, behaviour had to change and habits had to be formed; wanting the presence of God to be welcome meant some other things were not welcome, and things that would not be allowed in a church family or church building cannot be allowed in homes or hearts.
Experiencing at home the same glory felt in the church building requires the same level of consecration, conviction and submission at home, and that submission, conviction and obedience opens the door for God's glory and presence; when he is set on the throne in the home, some things absolutely have to go, while the more important and eternal things come to stay.
It is a trade-off: laying down some desires in exchange for God's glory, letting go of some media, entertainment and habits in exchange for his peace and presence, and exchanging old behaviours and routines for the outpouring of his Spirit.

Scriptures: Exodus 12

The Trade-Off, Liberty in the Spirit, and a Living-Room Outpouring

Those who have never experienced that outpouring or received the gift of the Holy Ghost are encouraged: making Jesus head of a life will cause change and concessions, but none of those sacrifices compare to the power of his Spirit, to having sins washed away, to being filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost and having a new life in him.
What can look on the surface like restrictions and restraint is in truth the greatest freedom, joy and peace, found when Jesus is head of a life, a home and a family.
When one turns to the Lord the veil is taken away; the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty — when he is the true head of a life and his Spirit inhabits every day and every room of the home, there is a liberty and freedom never experienced before, for there is no freedom like when he is head of the house, the home and the temple that was bought with a price.
The commitment is made to make him head of the house and of every earthen vessel within it.
Nothing replaces gathering together — the assembling of the church family and body is not forsaken — but nothing replaces the presence of God in homes and daily lives either, and no entertainment or extracurricular activity is worth the trade; a shift was felt when people realised they needed to allow him more space to rule and preside over their homes and families, and many could testify to moves of the power, presence and glory of God in their homes in the past year beyond what they had ever had before.
The desire is that God would feel as welcome in the home and house as he does in the church house, his Spirit as welcome in the living room as at the altar, his glory in the home, miracles as abundant in the family as in the church, and Jesus as sovereign in daily life as he is in a church service and in his creation.
As a closing snapshot, the speaker tells of a Sunday night during the pandemic when, joining a time of prayer and making room for God in the home and schedule, he and his wife sang worship songs exalting the Lord in their living room; their young child in the home did not know the words, and as they sang about the Spirit of God being welcome there they soon began speaking in the heavenly language and God's glory rushed in — the child noticed something was different, tried to emulate them, and did not succeed that day, though someday she will.
If God is head of the home and as welcome there as in the church, a child could receive the Holy Ghost right in the middle of the living room during prayer and worship, and could get to know him in the home first and in an altar later; whatever concessions, sacrifices or removals that requires would be worth that kind of reality and freedom.
The closing invitation is to stand in God's presence and take time to pray and make whatever changes are necessary for that freedom and consecration in families — single adults, young people, teenagers, elders, grandparents and parents alike recommitting themselves, their hearts and their families, asking that he be central as head of the house, that anything keeping him at arm's length be put out, that his presence and Spirit be normal in the home, that neighbours sense the difference, that children see prayer and a walk with God, and that his glory rushing in at family dinner and his word being followed become normal — this is worth the time, and worth the trade-off.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 3

Scripture index: Colossians 1; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 24; 1 Samuel 2:8; Isaiah 66:1; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 2:7; Colossians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:18; Exodus 12; 2 Corinthians 3.

today i want to preach along those lines and i want to focus on the anatomy of the body and specifically on the head himself who we know and understand from scripture is jesus christ so with that in mind i want to direct your attention to colossians 1 and verse 15 it says he being jesus is the image of the invisible god the firstborn over all creation for by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created through him and for him he's before all things in him all things consist and he is the head of the body the church he's the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he may have the preeminence to paraphrase this powerful passage we read that everything that was ever created was created by him and for him which includes the church and every member within it so it's safe to say that he is the head of creation he's the head of the body and he's the head of every member within the body he's sovereign he's preeminent overall he's supreme he's predominant in the earth he's autonomous he's matchless in all of creation he is jesus christ he's the head of the church and for the sake of my direction and my premise today i will say it like this he is the head of the house that's my title this morning what i want to preach to you for the next several minutes i want to preach today about the head of the house before you're seated i wonder if you just exalt him his head over all again just begin to exalt him in your life and into your own experience in your own home and your own personal frame would you begin to exalt jesus right now lord we lift you up and exalt you over anything and everything as our texts said over every principality and power and ruler and entity we exalt you as the head over all today we glorify you and in doing so we're just setting up your word to help us today we love you and praise and exalt you in jesus name before you take your seat tell someone nearby he is the head of the house

i still recall vividly the day that i struck out on my own moved out of my parents house where i had resided for over 22 years my entire life to that point i was becoming my own man i was soon to be married to my wonderful wife mariah so as the scriptures say i left my father and my mother and i moved all the way to the other side of the city it was almost 28 miles away to the land of south county to my family it might as well have been the other side of the planet they're thinking you just moved away so far i'm like 28 miles come up this was it i was officially an adult i was on my own now i was all alone in this world except when i needed things like groceries and i'd head back to north county from time to time and grab some from my parents house or the three or four times a week that i'd see them at church or family gatherings but but this was it all that is aside now because i have my own place i have my own abode i have my own domain i distinctly remember standing in the hallway near the living room of our empty house and just kind of standing looking over like this you know i had this look at my face and i was thinking this is my place i got to protect it i'm the man of this house if you ever see your husband or someone standing just looking into an empty space that this is probably what they're thinking these are the things that go through our minds from time to time i knew i had arrived i was finally a fully grown man i had authority in this place i had sway and influence here what i said would resound through the hallways and through the hearts of those who resided in that home i was the top dog now this was obviously before mariah moved into the house but that's beside the point as many of you know there's just something about your house your domain your space it strikes a note of confidence and comfort this is your place this is where you reside this is where you're the most comfortable and the most at ease and you may feel uneasy in other places and in other environments but typically your home is your haven in your refuge it's your sanctuary it's your shelter and as i said it's your domain it's your kingdom so to speak it's the place where you reside and you preside you use a common term in our vernacular it's a place where you're the head or where you're the head of that household and based on this analogy alone we start to get some perspective on the passage that we just read a moment ago along with many others just like it

if i could use this analogy today of the house with respect to our sovereign lord and his dominion in his domain i would remind someone today that this world and everything in it it belongs to him nothing is beyond his dominion nothing is beyond his control nothing is outside of the bounds of his authority and his supremacy it's all his and it's all for his glory first chronicles 29 11 says yours oh lord it's the greatness the power and the glory the victory and the majesty for all that's in heaven and earth is yours yours is the kingdom of lord you are exalted as head over all both riches and honor come from you and you reign over all to use the parallel of the house this morning i would tell you that the earth and everything in it it is his house he reigns over all he is exalted over all this is his domain this is his realm this is his territory deuteronomy 10 14 says indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the lord your god also the earth with all that is in it this is his house everybody we're just living in it today this is his creation and his conception and we just have the privilege of taking up some space on it this morning this is his handiworking his formation you and i just get to be a part of it this is his house in fact he built it all himself psalm 24 and what the earth is the lord's and all its fullness the world and all those who dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas he established it upon the waters first samuel two and eight says the pillars of the earth are the lords and he set the world on those pillars he gave boundaries to the ways he laid the foundation himself he made something out of nothing he fabricated the earth with his eternal power and his eternal word he made it all for his own glory it was for him it was by him it was through him every power every principality every ruler every entity is under his control and his domain this is his house this is his domain in fact isaiah 66 and one calls it his footstool i dug a little bit into that word trying to figure out okay what does this actually mean i found out it actually means footstool it's a place someone sets their feet but it shows us a picture of god's rule over the earth and over his own dominion i got to thinking about it recently after sister amer preached that powerful word several weeks ago at this earth and this place we get to worrying about so much and we start panicking we get anxiety over it it's where god rests his feet it's his footstool that doesn't mean we shouldn't care about it in the lives that are on her or be concerned for what transpires upon him but if we could just get our eyes off of the house for a moment and get them fixated back on the head of the house for just a second we would realize that he is still fully in control of this place that we call home in this place we call this is his house this is his domain and nothing happens within it without the head of the house being fully aware of it and fully in control of it he knows what's happening in his house he knows what's going on in his creation so it's worth repeating we've got to get our eyes back on the one who sits on the circle of the earth rather than solely fixating on the earth itself he is still sovereign in all the earth and this is still his house our text says for by him all things were created that are in heaven and on the earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created through him and for him and he is before all things in him all things consist he's the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he may have be preeminent ephesians 1 and 22 reflects a similar viewpoint it says and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all all uh uh all all things are under his feet they're under his purview including his house and all of creation he is sovereign in all the earth he's before all things and in him all things consist all of creation is under his headship and that includes of course his own body the church of which he is undeniably the head

he's the head of creation he's the head of his house and we also understand today that he's the head of this house this church this body he's the head colossians 2 and 7 says we as the church are rooted and built up in him and verse 10 says that we're made complete in him who is the head over all so the same god who is the head of creation is also the head of his church he's the cornerstone and the foundation he's the architect and the founder of the earth and of his body the church he's the head of the body and the head of its members as a whole which means that he's sovereign over just as he's sovereign over the earth he is in control of the body and his church this is his domain this is his kingdom this is his house and his body

using this analogy from scripture and the anatomy of the body is our god we start to see a true picture of our relationship with jesus as the church he's the head we're the body which showcases the vital connection that we share with jesus christ he is the one who controls and who dictates what we do as a church we're just an extension of who he is you see the head is where the body receives its marching orders and its direction the body as a whole and every member within it is controlled and directed by the head himself in a physical sense every finger and every tone every arm and every leg and every muscle is controlled by the head so if the head says to do it we ought to do it if the head gives direction we ought to follow that direction if the head gives a command we ought to follow that command in fact if in the natural sense the head was not obeyed and the fingers and the arms and the eyes just did whatever they wanted something's wrong something's up something's out of sync there in the same way this church follows the direction in the command and the word and the spirit of its head jesus christ we are not a disconnected body doing our own thing we are attuned to the head of this thing who is jesus christ himself we are following his direction we're following his command we're following his we're not trying to make it on our own church we're not trying to move ahead without him we are not trying to be the body absent of the head of the body and if we did we probably wouldn't make it very far i don't think i've ever seen a human body getting very far without a head in other words if we're going to be his body we have got to have the head of it all jesus christ himself we cannot exist without him we cannot function outside of him we cannot live disconnected from him i want him in every service i want him in every interaction i want him in every altar call we need him to be the head of his church we want him at the center of all that we do we want to emulate him in all that we are just as a body cannot live without its head we cannot survive and we cannot live and we cannot operate as the body without jesus christ hear me today a body without a head is a dead body so a church without jesus is a dead church a church without jesus without his presence without his word without his spirit it ceases to be a church at all we simply cannot and do not want to be the church without jesus i want them in every worship service i want them in every prayer meeting i want them in every bible study i want them to meet us on sundays and wednesdays and every last day in between we want jesus to be the head of his church and his body i wonder right now could we just pause and let him know that as a church as a body would you lift your hands and your voices and tell them lord we need you we want you as the head of this thing we want you at the center of this body the center of this church the center of everything that we do the center of everything that we are i don't want just want you on sundays lord i want you every day in between we need you we want you as the head and we cannot live without you as a church

the fact remains we simply cannot be the church without jesus and we cannot be the body without him jesus christ the head of it all and i will say for that matter neither neither can we be a member of the body without him see this analogy of the head of the body is all encompassing and that not a single part or member of the body can exist without him it's almost as if jesus knew how perfect this analogy was when he included it in his word we know we've already established the entire body cannot function disconnected from the head but the same could be said for every single member of it as well if any part becomes disconnected we know that part does not move it does not function that part is dead what are you saying i'm saying that every member has to individually be connected to jesus his or her self and it's one thing to concede his rule over the church as a whole but it's another step entirely to concede his rule and reign over our individual lives in members it's one thing to acknowledge that this world and everything in it is his it's another thing entirely to submit to the fact that i am completely and wholeheartedly he is i say from experience that we're often okay with jesus being the head of his house and being the head of the church house but we can also fall into the trap of compartmentalize and we draw a line when it comes to our house and our home to use that analogy today i would remind you this morning that not only is he the head of his house and his creation not only is he the head of the church house in the church body he is also the head of every member which means he's also the head of my house and this earth and vessel in this earthen temple and this is really the crux of the manner today because if god is to be the head over his body as a whole he has to be the head of every single member of it if he's going to have his way in his church he also has to have his way in our homes in our individual phrase to clarify i'm not just talking about our physical homes and families which i'll get to in a moment but i'm also talking about what's addressed in first corinthians 6 to 19 it says or do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit who is in you whom you have from god that you are not your own you were born with a price therefore glorify god in your body and in your spirit which are god's he's the head of creation he's the head of the church he's the head of every member within it in fact first corinthians 12 18 says god has set the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased they were all one member where would the body be but now indeed there are many members he had one body if you read this entire chapter you see he is involved with each and every one of those members individually as well so god's not just concerned with being preeminent and sovereign in his church as a whole but he concerns himself with every member of his church in his body let me just narrow the lens here and say what i felt in my spirit of life and that is i don't believe god is content to be the head of the church house solely but he's also looking to be the head of your house in the head of my house his dominion his domain does not stop when we walk out of these doors but he desires to be involved and on the throne when we step across the threshold of our homes is he's not just the head of the body he's the head of every member he's not just the head of this house he's the head of my house my home my family my children my daily life my daily interactions my plans my goals my future my job my workplace my finances my entire being i don't stop being the body when i leave this church family which means i need the head of the body every single day and just as the church is dead if it's not connected in the same way i am dead if i'm not connected to him as a member of that body that means i need him on monday and tuesday as much as i need him on sunday and wednesday i need him in my heart and in my home as much as i need him in this building i need him to be the head of my house as much as i need him to be the head of this house spoke to our parents along these lines couple wins and nights ago

that of 2020 taught us anything it's that we need jesus at the center of our homes we need him to be the head of our houses we need to be the focal point of our families and the focal point of our daily lives we need jesus to be the head of the house and we need them to order our lives and our homes and our steps we need the head of the house this morning i'm thankful for my parents my dad and our pastoral team who have exemplified this i was able to learn early on in our marriage in our home how central jesus needed to be and we're still learning in the long house we don't got it all figured out but

i can remember times just after we were married that i had to be intentional about inviting god to be the head of our home and the head of our family i spoke earlier about it being my domain and in my space but i want my space to be filled with his presence on a daily basis in particular i remember a time of prayer just after we were married i was trying to figure it out as a husband a young husband i didn't have it i still don't but i remember walking through my home and all i knew to do was just pray over the doors and plead the blood over every door just like those families in the accidents of egypt i stood alongside them god if there's anything coming in my house you don't want to be here i pray you'd show it to me lord don't let anything come in my house to affect my marriage or my family i stood alongside those parents who were facing the death angel in exodus 12 and you and i may not be facing that particular plague but our role in our job is just as critical and just as eternal we stand alongside those people of god making sure his word is followed in our homes and our families our earth and vessels we want him to be the head of the house

let me just give you a glimpse of what this looks like we haven't perfected it but we started to let god sit on the throne in our home and family when that happened they were just things that god didn't want to allow in our home there were certain media movies that never came in that had to go out into the trash there was behavior that had to change habits that had to be formed we wanted the presence of god to be welcome in our homes which meant some other things were not welcome just as we would not allow certain things in a church family or a church building we cannot allow them in our homes or in our hearts if i want to experience the same glory that i feel here right now in this building i have to have the same level of consecration conviction and submission at home that submission that conviction that obedience is what opens the door for god's glory and for his presence in our lives and when i set him on the throne in our home when i allow god to be the head there are absolutely some things that just have to go but i'm thankful to tell you that the more important and the more eternal things are the things that come to stay and what a trade-off is when i lay down some of my desires in exchange for god's glory in my life what a bargain it is when i let go of some media some entertainment some happens in exchange for his peace and his presence and what a gift it is when i exchange old behaviors and routines for the outpouring of a spirit in my life

let me pause here and say if you've never experienced that outpouring never receive the gift of the holy ghost i want to encourage you i realize making jesus the head of your life it'll cause some change it'll cause some concessions but none of those sacrifices will ever compare to the power of his spirit in your life none of that compares to having your sins washed away none of those sacrifices compare to being filled with the gift of the holy ghost and having a new life in him i know in the surface it might appear to be a lot of restrictions and restraint but the truth is you will never experience a greater freedom and a greater joy and a greater peace than when you let jesus be the head of your life and the head of your home and the head of your family second corinthians 3 says nevertheless when one turns to the lord a veil is taken away now the lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty when he's the true head of your life and his spirit inhabits your every day in every room in your home there is a liberty and a freedom you've never experienced this is the reality of the trade-off today he's the head of creation he's the head of the church and i believe he wants to be the head of every life and where his rule and authority is there's freedom i say again there's no freedom like when he's the head of your house your home in your temple which was bought with a price

so today we commit to make him the head of the house every earth and vessel within it we want jesus to be the head musicians you can come i mentioned a moment ago this past year of 2020 showed us the importance of jesus being at the center of our lives saying that i know i contend that there's just nothing that replaces gathering together we don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together there's nothing that replaces a church family and body but there's also nothing that replaces the presence of god in our homes and our daily lives there is no substitute some of us are learning this the hard way there is no entertainment there there is no extracurricular activity that would be worth the trade we felt that shift this year when we realized we needed to allow him more space to rule and preside over our homes and our families in fact i asked our parents or outlet students several wins in audits ago i said just give me a show of hands how many of you had a move with the power and the presence of god in your homes this leader hands went up all across the room and i said how many of you experienced more moves of the glory and power of god in your homes this last year than you had ever had before hands went up made me so thankful and all the more passionate about what god is doing in our families and what i'm preaching today it made me more determined that i want god to feel as welcome in my home and my house as he does in this house i want his spirit to be as welcome in my living room as he is in this altar i want his glory in my home i want miracles to be as abundant in my family as they are in this church i want him to be as sovereign in my life as he is in a church service and in his creation i want jesus the head of my house

i closed with this story i may have shared several months ago just a snapshot of what can happen we make room for god like a mentioned word this is a daily adjustment for us some days easier than others one sunday night during the high the pandemic we joined many of you for a time of prayer on a sunday night just trying to make room for god in our home and our schedule mariah and i started to sing several worship songs exalting the lord mila didn't know the words but that's never stopped her i started to sing a song about the spirit of god being welcome here in our living room and we didn't make it very far in english before we started speaking in that beautiful heavenly language god's glory just rushed in i feel it here today mila noticed something was up we weren't speaking english anymore she started trying to emulate us she didn't succeed that day someday she will i thought why wouldn't why couldn't that happen right in my living room she received the spirit and the power of god why couldn't she get to know him in our home first and then in an altar later if god is the head of our home as welcome there as he is here she could receive the holy ghost right in the middle of our living room during a time of prayer and worship i might have to make some concessions and sacrifices i might have to get rid of some things to make room for a spirit but that type of reality and freedom alone would be worth any kind of trait

so today as i invite you to stay in this morning in the presence of god i want to encourage us we're going to just take some time and pray to make whatever changes are necessary to see that type of freedom and consecration happen in our families i wonder if you begin to lift your hands right now in your voices and take some time here to recommit yourself and recommit your heart and recommit your family and families if you want to pray together but i'm asking single adults i'm asking young people and teenagers and elders and grandparents and moms and dads oh i'm asking for you for your earth and vessel for your home just to spend some time right now let the lord know god whatever it takes i i want you to be central i want you to be the head of my house and if you come in lord and there's something that needs to go if you don't feel welcome in my home god i pray that some other things would be put out lord that i wouldn't allow some things in my house lord that would keep you at arm's length my god i want your presence i want your spirit to be as normal in my home as anything oh i want my neighbors lord to sense the difference god i want kids to see me in prayer and to see me walking with you lord i want it to be normal that the glory of god rushes in and family dinner and your word is followed oh i wonder i'm going to put this might down we're just gonna take some time and commit here this morning this is worth the time it's worth the trade off

Scripture references as spoken: Colossians 1; 1 Chronicles 29:11; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 24; 1 Samuel 2:8; Isaiah 66:1; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 2:7; Colossians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:18; Exodus 12; 2 Corinthians 3.