Dadda, Dadda, Dadda! (Part 1) - Pastor Brad DeLong

I know you might look to me for instruction right now, but you just received your instruction. If you need something from Jesus, why don't you just slip your hands to heaven and begin to call on his name right now, fully believing that he is responding already, that he's already in this room, would you just call on the name of Jesus in your faith? Express your faith right now by calling on the name. If you need healing, if you need deliverance, if you need God's strength, call on the name of Jesus.

Truth is there is just something about that name. What other name could you walk in this room and call on and this amount of people feel a sweeping move of the power and the glory of God? If you're a guest with us today, this happens regularly. It happened last week. It happened a couple weeks ago where we don't make it much further than calling on the name of Jesus because he responds to his name. Go figure. And when you call on Jesus, all bets are off anything can happen. We came in this room Monday night. It's a great congregation of hungry people and we called on that name. Later in the week, as I prepared, continued to prepare for this day, I felt the Lord just assure me, I heard every prayer made in that room Monday night. He heard them made in your living room. The following day, he heard the prayer in your car. God has heard you. And I believe he's responding today.

The writer of Hebrews says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. It's the evidence of things not seen." You can't see Jesus in this room necessarily unless you look at one another and the love we have for one another. It's the evidence of things not seen. For by our faith, the faith that caused you to yell out Jesus or call on his name after that message in tongues. F for by that faith the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. The worlds were framed by the word of God. So the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. He goes on to give examples of this type of faith. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Through which he obtained witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts. Through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he never saw death. God can do anything. God can do anything. That in no way was me trying to rebuke someone. That's that's stirring your faith. He can do anything he wants to do at any time. By faith, he was taken and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. What a testimony. And the writer takes a brief pause here to offer a quick summary statement for all of us to acknowledge. But without faith, the faith you're going to need today, the faith you're going to need tomorrow, it's impossible to please God. But first, you got to believe that God actually exists. I hope you do. And that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

This is where I feel the Lord wants to help us today. I feel to preach a clarifying word for those who showed up Monday. For those who may not have been here Monday, but you called on the name of Jesus. For those who called on the the name of Jesus more than once this morning and you're waiting on an answer and you're waiting on a response. I want to preach a word from a unique title. Are you ready for it? Probably not. All right, we're going to talk about diligently seeking God and what happens when we do. And this is my title. It's one word repeated again and again and again. Da da da da da da da da da da. Hopefully, you'll see why in just a moment. Don't let that take away from the fact that God is ready to speak to somebody. Would you call on the name of the Lord again right now? Invite him to talk to you. You've been waiting on this. Someone You've been waiting on the Lord to speak to you and I believe this is that day and this is that opportunity. God's ready to talk to you and I invite it, Lord. I don't want to miss it. Uh this isn't just another part of the service, Lord. This is where you really speak to us and help us. And we invite you to do that today. We need it, Lord. We want to leave here with a sure word. And we know that you have it for us. We trust in you now. In the name of Jesus, you can be seated. Amen.

I told our team this morning that this service was going to be special because I just had this feeling when I walked in and uh the air conditioning unit was deciding whether or not it was going to work on a heat advisory day and and the sound uh equipment was deciding that it didn't want to work on this day. And thanks to our AVM team, thanks to brother Jared and others who are working on those things running. You're sitting in a cool room and you can hear my voice because of these great servants of the Lord. But I just had this feeling, okay, uh, usually when something like that happens, the Lord just shows up because we're a little hamstrung and God is able to do things that we are not able to do. So, we just have to lean on him. I say all that to say, I don't know how far I'm going to make it into this message. I just have a feeling that someone's faith is going to be stirred to the point that you're going to stand up at some point or you're going to be worshiping God and you're going to say, "You know what? Enough's enough. I need an answer and I'm going to make my way to the altar." If that's you, at any point, come on down. We'll be all right. Okay, we're just laying the foundation from here.

Let me talk to you about this title. We just wrapped up Father's Day about a month ago, and those who have been around me for more than five minutes will know I glean a great deal from fatherhood and from my kids especially. I celebrate and honor fatherhood. I'm so thankful for every dad in this room, like we talked about, that's teaching and training uh their children. And of course, thankful for moms. But uh with this day in mind, uh and this title in mind and my experience in mind, I keyed in on this this role of fatherhood in the response of fatherhood. I love it. Even as I wrote parts of this sermon from some slight sleep deprivation a short time ago, I love it dearly. And as you can imagine, I borrow a title from time to time using some direct quotes from my own kiddos. I hope to not alienate anybody with these personal experiences, but I imagine that many in the room knew exactly where I was going when I gave you what could have been my most unusual title yet. Whether you're an aunt or an uncle or a mom or dad, grandpa or grandma, maybe you're a babysitter, you're a nanny, you're a nursery worker, God love you, you're doing the work of God, or maybe you're just a general observer. You've all likely experienced the persistent nature of a young man or a young woman when they are adamant about getting their mom and dad's attention. They're tenacious. They're determined. They are, to use a previous word, as diligent and as earnest as their approach or as they can be. And and they need the attention of their mom and dad. And they need it right now. It doesn't matter what you're doing. You might be sleeping and they need your attention and they need it right then.

Such as the case on Father's Day Sunday. We were in the backyard and we were playing some yard games and I I heard some knocking at the back glass door and I looked back to see Miss Selena with her face pressed up against the glass. She was hitting on that door. Her little hands were making as much noise as they could and her lips were mouththing the title of today's sermon on diligently seeking the Lord. It took me all half a second to realize what she was saying. Dad, it was muffled like that, too. Dad, dad, dad. Can imagine what happened next. I went back to playing my yard game and ignored it. No, I didn't. I didn't. I'm joking. I went straight for that little girl. I opened that door. Hey, like I just seen her for the first time ever. She got her dad's attention. She got his full focus in that moment. I went and got her. I I was going to give her whatever she was wanting in that moment. Her persistence paid off. Her diligence got her what she was wanting. Her repeated cry for dad was all it took for me to come running to open that door to reward her with what she was seeking. She wanted her dad. She wanted to be outside. She she wanted to swing. And she got exactly what she was seeking in that moment.

Can I encourage someone this morning that it really is just that simple? It really is. There's just something about the name. So when I say Jesus, Jesus, I can't even get two names out of my mouth, two twice out of my without feeling the glory. And anyone had that experience that really the first time I say the name of Jesus, I just feel this presence of God. Come. Do you wonder if God hears you? Why don't we just take a moment and do something a little unscripted? Why don't you just in just a moment say the name of Jesus with the full expectation that he's going to let you feel his presence in closeness. Can we do that together? You do it in your own timing, but go ahead and do it. Jesus. You can feel the glory of God start to move throughout the room. There's people with hands lifted right now because all that's all you got to get out of your mouth. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. It really is just that simple. He really is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I just want to offer a simple reminder to someone who's facing an obstacle like that glass door that Selena was facing that if you seek the Lord and you call on his name and you seek his face and connection with him that you will find him. You will find help. You will find peace. You will find answers and closeness simply by calling on the name of Jesus and seeking his face continually. And unlike Miss Selena's initially in a tent of death, our father hears the first time you call him, our father hears every time you call him. That name we just sang about is powerful. When you call on the name of Jesus, I believe there's just something that I don't know all that happens in the cosmos. I don't know. But you might as well have a megaphone like that or something even bigger. And really, you don't need near it. You don't need it because he's near to all of those who call on his name. You don't have to go bang on the glass door to get God's attention. He is ready and willing and able to hear you and respond to you just as his word promises that he will. I hope it never gets old to us or unexciting to us that God is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. Oh, if you've never experienced, you can have that right now. It should not be lost on me that I can ask and it will be given to me. And seek and I'll find it. Knock and the door will be open. For everyone who asks receives it. He who seeks will find it. And the one who knocks the door shall be open. Those are the words of Jesus himself taken from the sermon on the mount from his very own vocal cords. And they are as true today as they were the day that he spoke them. Some schol scholars say that was one of the uh one of the most just boldest one of the boldest and the and the rarest expressions to that date and promises that had ever been given to the people of God to that time that our heavenly father wouldn't just hear us but respond. And Jesus makes it loud and clear that if you seek me, you're going to find me. I'm going to answer. I'm going to open a door. He later sums it up. He uses a similar analogy to our title today. What man is there among you? If a son asks for bread, you give him a stone. If he asks for a fish, are you are you going to give him a serpent? Matthew 7 says, "If you then being evil or you're immoral or you're carnal, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more," that was a teaching tool used in that day, a comparison tool. How much more will your father who's in heaven give good things to those who ask him? I Any dads in the room, you like to give gifts to your kids? Anybody raise your hand? You know where you got that inclination, that desire from your heavenly father who's no one's better than him. I don't think anyone delights more in giving good things, good things, God things to his children than our heavenly father. He desires to give those to you. Like any good father, he loves to bless his children and to give us good gifts. So we're invited to seek him, not the gifts. Seek him and trust him with the outcome. Like Enoch and Abel and Abraham, we're called to come boldly before the throne of grace. Receive grace to help in time of need. We're invited to taste and see that the Lord is good. Knowing that blessed is the man who trusts in God. Psalm 34 says, "Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints. There is no want to those who fear him. The young lions lack and they'll suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord, you shall not lack any good thing. You won't lack any good thing. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and it comes down from the father of lights with whom there is no varess. There's no shadow of turning. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's always delighted to give good gifts. So the writer of Hebrews says, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." This is what I'm trying to do today. My directive and mandate is try to help someone and stir your faith. Again, it doesn't mean you don't have faith. It might mean that you lost it somewhere along the way. But I'm here to stir your faith again. And if you're going to draw near to God, you need to draw near in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our bodies washed with pure water. If you've ever been washed with that water, you've got every reason for faith. So, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. I just have to park there because someone is struggling believing that right now. Let me just ask you again. Vulnerability. Anyone ever in your life struggled to believe that? Any any moment? Anybody? Yeah. Has anyone though found that to be absolutely true? He who promised is faithful. Someone needs to latch a hold of that. This God, this father that you're calling out to, he doesn't tuck, tail, and run. He's not hit or miss. He's not the one telling you, "Hey, I'll be there and not showing up. This God is always on time and he's always faithful. And if he promised it, it's going to be done." He's a rewarder of those who trust him. The Greek word there means he's a wage payer. He's a recompenser. Someone who gives back in return for services is rendered. And what's awesome is all you have to do is believe that he'll give that to you. That's your service. Seek God. Seek him continually in faith. As plainly as Selena calling out for her dad and seeking an audience with him, believing he would respond.

Your seeking of God yields a heavenly reward and blessings only he can give.

I shared this story last week. Some of you uh heard it. Some of you were here. Some of you have already forgotten it because I probably would have, too. I was praying for that young man at Bible Quizzing. I love this story. You're going to hear me tell it more than once. All right, just heads up. Praying for that young five or six year. I think his name was [name redacted]. I said, "Bud, I mean, he was just giving it all he had. He if he got my attention, I believe he had God's full attention. Six years old, praying with all his might. If you're seeking the face of God today, you have his full attention. You have his full attention. Said, "But what are we praying for?" This is what he he said, "I don't know. I don't even know what I need. I don't know what I want. The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. Who can know it? We don't even really know what we need, do we?" Miss Selena like, "What do you want?" She's like, she's pointing and there's like a wall right there. Like I You don't That's a wall. like she wants eight different snacks, but she ain't going to eat any of them. All right. We don't know what we want. He continued the statement. He said, "But God knows what I want. He knows what I need. He's in the book." Because the Lord himself says, "Your father knows the things you have need of before you ever ask him." Brother Chris taught on this this Wednesday. In this manner, therefore, because he already knows, pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That's key. He knows what you need. So pray God's will. You can ask for what you think you need. But then also pray God's will. Your father already knows what you need. He's got the answer. He He has the good things and the blessings that you need even before you ask. He knows how to give good gifts to his children. He's the best giftgiver. He's willing and ready and able to provide the answers that fit within his perfect will. So he says, "Hey, I already know what you need, so don't even ask me. You're good. Just show up. Sing. Don't ever go to the alt. Just don't even ask.