Pastor Brad DeLong - If Jesus Was Here

and now would you indulge me and stand once again we're going to turn to the word of the lord The Book of Mark chapter 2. tells an interesting story of Jesus in a house and Capernaum we're going to read it together and draw from it this morning Mark 2 and verse 1 says and again Jesus entered Capernaum and after some days it was heard that Jesus was in the house heard that Jesus was in the house I wonder how many people hear that about Apostolic Pentecostal Church I hope that's how they perceive us Jesus is there Jesus is in that house and I hope it's as abundantly clear as it was in that day verse 2 immediately after they heard it many gathered together so there was no longer room to receive them not even room near the door this is what happens when Jesus is in the house and he preached the word to them and they came to him bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men and when they could not come near him because of the crowd they uncovered the roof where he was so when they had broken through the roof they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying and when Jesus saw their faith he said to that man's son your sins are forgiven you verse 11 after he confronted the Pharisees he finishes this miracle by saying I say to you arise take up your bed and go to your house and immediately he arose took up the bed went out in the presence of them all so that all were amazed and they all glorified God saying we've just never seen anything like this before again I thought I want people to say that after they leave this house we have never seen anything like it there's just no place like this oh Jesus is in that house Jesus is amongst those people and they get a little excited Jesus is there today with this text in mind I plan to help us through the word of the Lord as we imagine together the possibilities and the Miracles that would take place if only Jesus was here and in this house I want to preach to you along those lines and from this title if Jesus was here here I want you to begin praying about your response if Jesus was in the house and what you would do if he was here would you lift your hands with me right now in your voices and begin to thank the Lord for his presence that's already here and open your heart and your life to whatever Jesus would ask for you to do today Lord we thank you we do not take for granted that every Sunday we can walk into a service and feel the glory in the presence of God and I pray it help us Lord to inspect our own response to to look inwardly today and recognize and and begin to consider what we would do if we truly believe that you are in the house today we thank you for your word and your presence in Jesus name amen you may be seated a couple months ago I listened to a podcast in which brother Aaron Soto and sister Heather Soto were on the podcast as guests of the host many of you know the sotos pastor a great church in Appleton Wisconsin they are a wonderful Apostolic people and based on the stage of life that I'm in personally I tuned into this podcast it was centered on raising children and specifically raising children in a pasture a Minister's home as I mentioned that the sotos are exceptional people they they've been very strategic in raising their three children what the Bible calls the nurture and the admonition of the Lord they raised them with Godly values in a healthy environment and home but just like any family they told about a time when their home they said it was just on edge their children seem to be at each other's throats constantly this is at a time when their children were younger and they were constantly fighting and they weren't getting along and if that's where you are today there's hope all right there is hope the sodas recounted they were on edge themselves they were trying to navigate through this difficult season sometimes it just helps to know that other people's houses are in chaos too all right someone along the line mother and sister Soto came up with this wonderful idea and one that I probably will employ should the time arise for me to need it in my own house it seemed to be a a foolproof plan that would cause their children to finally get along to finally play nice with one another brother Soto mentioned their family would have regular times of devotion in prayer a great practice for any home and that's obviously uh helpful to them but in this case it just didn't seem to be enough so one night it told the kids it said tomorrow we're going to have a very special guest come for our devotion it's a surprise and the kids were excited just couldn't wait to see who was coming who was going to be there for the devotion the day that the moment of riding with a sister uh brother and sister soda that called for the kids and said he's here he's at the door they said go and go and open the door and let them in and when they did they were confused to find no one there empty porch no one there to greet them obviously wondering what's going on and uh trying to figure out what Mom and Dad are talking about and brother Soto chimed in he said look kids Jesus is here send invite him in the kids caught on pretty quick come on in Jesus take off your shoes they began to pretend that Jesus was there in that night they made special room for Jesus in their house they talked about how they should behave and act around Jesus since he was always there with him they Incorporated him into their conversations and in their daily interactions and for quite a while the Soto said that the plan worked the kids got along so much better they all wanted to please Jesus who was living in their house was staying with them so they actually started to talk differently and they acted differently they responded differently to one another they were not as quick to lash back or to fight one another their actions were guided and dictated by their love for God in his undeniable presence in their lives and what they quickly discovered in their home is the point that I want to bring across to all of us today and that is simply that if Jesus is in the house things tend to shift and things tend to change the atmosphere fear is just different when Jesus is in the house the feeling in the tenor of the house changes when his presence is represented the people in the house respond differently when Jesus steps into the building and everything and everyone is affected alike when Jesus is in the house and for that matter wherever you encounter Jesus whether on the pages of scripture or in your own personal life anywhere you find Jesus you find change you find Healing you find Grace in The Miraculous in the love of God in both modern times and those represented on the pages of scripture anywhere Jesus was found there was also peace and joy and deliverance that was found anywhere Jesus showed up there was a ripple effect in the landscape and in the lives of the people he encountered when Jesus arrived blind eyes were open and lame legs were strengthened leprous hands were rehabilitated and sins were forgiven when Jesus showed up there was an extraordinary reaction that was this built-in response think about it the disciples lay down their Nets and followed when Jesus showed up the crowds claimered to his location the masses moved to his side and when he arrived people tended to do some crazy things that they wouldn't normally do Zacchaeus literally climbed a tree Paul fell flat on the ground Peter stepped out of the boat in the middle of a storm and later he jumped out of his own fishing boat to get to Jesus the man just couldn't handle himself when Jesus was around blind Bartimaeus screamed out for hell the woman with the issue of blood pushed her way through the crowd Mary wiped his feet with her hair and costly perfume the demoniac fell demonstratively at his feet the soldiers in the Garden Fell prostrate onto their backs even the Pharisees and the demons had some sort of response when Jesus came on the scene I'm telling you when Jesus is around things shift dramatically people don't act like they normally act Pentecostals start to get a little restless and start to go a little crazy apostolics start running wild in worship enthusiastically Believers jumped to their feet and they lift their hands and they begin to shout out praise unreservedly the children of God start to move and act unapologetically and just like they did in the Bible people start to push past the crowds in the intimidation in the fear as they make their way to Jesus they ail out and praise and excitement they cry out in desperation in anticipation they move out in faith and in complete confidence in the god they are seeking they break the mold they break the mundane they break the routine and sometimes they go and they break the roof just to get to Jesus saw in our text earlier those four friends recognized Jesus is in the house and they ripped the roof off the place just to get to Jesus and if they'd be willing to do that with just the limited knowledge they had about this traveling preacher and teacher it's got me wondering today what Apostolic Pentecostal Church would do if we truly recognize that Jesus is in the house if they would be willing to do that for someone who hadn't yet died for their sins what should my response be if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Jesus is in my vicent what would my response be if I really believe that Jesus is in the building and in this Sanctuary would I have service as usual or when I stop everything to acknowledge Him would we have a normal schedule in a normal routine or when we allow him to dictate everything that's said and done in our service would we step out of our comfort zones and run out after him like that woman with the issue of blood or cry out to him like mine Bartimaeus what would I do how would I respond if Jesus was here it's a compelling question and thought and as I molded over this week and I consider it I I figured first of all I would tell you that if Jesus was here I would worship a whole lot differently if Jesus was here I don't think and this is not to diminish any praise but I don't think I could be stuck in my 10 to 15 second recognition and I'm preaching to myself I've seen people get real giddy around their favorite ball player or their favorite famous personality and they don't even know how to handle themselves a couple weeks ago I was on the same airplane with one of my heroes but the Daniel Scott a great missionary great man of God we got off the plane and I didn't even realize that it took the airline company more than 50 minutes to get our luggage from the plane to the Carousel because I was having a conversation with brother Daniel Scott time just seemed to fly by I was so excited to be around one of my heroes and a man that I look up to and after that experience I got to wondering how much more enthralled and excited and in all would I be if Jesus was here oh I could tell you church I would not worship the same I would not be stuck on that Pew if Jesus walked in the room something different would happen I couldn't stop what I was doing oh I couldn't stay fixed and routine oh I'd probably have to fight every one of you off to get to him but I would not keep my feet planted oh if Jesus walked in today I don't really know what I'd do I'd probably Embrace him or I would just fall at his feet and worship him oh I'm trying to help us get a vision of Jesus today if Jesus was here I couldn't stay in my routine I'd have to break the mold a little bit I'd probably look like the leper of Luke 17.

the Bible says he fell at the feet of Jesus and he worshiped this leper was one of ten one of ten who God had helped and got it healed how many has got healed here today oh and the tragedy of the story is nine others went their own way probably had to get to lunch had to go visit with the priests and this one turns back and recognizes no Jesus is here and the Bible says he falls on his face at the feet of Jesus and he was a Samaritan make sure to mention he's a Samaritan this cross-cultural lines verse Samaritan to be so open with a Jewish man but that man recognized what some of you are bringing to your mind in remembrance that Jesus has healed me Jesus has cleansed me Jesus has made me whole Jesus has changed my life oh and I can't just go about the same way I've been going I'm trying to help someone today who may have forgotten everything that he's done and oh he's singing Jesus I'll never forget what you've done for me and when I remember it I can't stay in my same routine he was a Samaritan and he crossed cultural lines to go and fall at the feet of a Jewish man if Jesus was here I would worship him without reservation without an ounce of hesitation this leads me to say if he was here I would not be distracted by trivial things if Jesus was here I wouldn't care what my neighbor was doing or not doing if Jesus was here I wouldn't worry about the inconsequential or the temporal church I'm talking to myself if Jesus was here I think I would forget entirely about lunch thank you the rest of my day wouldn't matter I believe we're in the season of her Bible and I'm not trying to make a way for a four-hour service every Sunday don't be alarmed but what I believe God is trying to do is break our box that we have kept him in and God's ready to do more more than we've already seen we're already seeing the fruits of Revival what if God wants more for us and what if it's going to take it's a true faith in a new dimension of Praise that when you walk in on a Sunday you recognize Jesus is here oh Jesus is in the building ah and am I given enough to Jesus it is my praise truly a reflection of what he has done for me if Jesus was here what would I do how would I respond this morning I'm thankful I'm surrounded by a group of people who know what it means to see the glory of God and recognize it and worship him in spirit and in truth and the Lord just prodding us a little further a couple Sundays ago I stood right over here the worship team sang about the greatness of God and the praise was Apostolic it was beyond the norm so much so I leaned over to someone next to me I said I feel like we're about to push this roof off with our praise and I got to thinking about that service and services like last Wednesday night when the glory of God moved into this place I thought what's the common denominator we didn't sing the same songs we'd had the same chord progression it wasn't the same service schedule we didn't manipulate things to engage your emotions but the common denominator what I've come to realize is I'm pretty sure it was just a simple fact that Jesus was here Jesus showed up and the people of God responded Jesus walked into the place and you couldn't contain yourself and you begin to give glory and honor and Praise Jesus came in the building and you stood with all those examples throughout scripture and you moved and you allowed God to move you Jesus came in and it changed you I read Psalm 95 recently it's all the more applicable to us today and lie the presence of God the psalmist encourages us oh let's sing to the Lord let us shout joyfully to the rock of our Salvation he's talking to Believers today let us come before his presence with Thanksgiving let us shout joyfully to him with praises for the Lord is the great God in the great king above all guys if I'm going to get Giddy and I'm going to get excited around anybody it ought to be Jesus when I come into his house in his hand are the Deep places of the Earth the Heights and the hills are his the sea is his for he made it and His Hands formed the dry land oh come let us Worship in bowed town let us kneel before the Lord our maker for he is our God we're the people of his Pastor the Sheep of his hand I wonder if we could do that right now would you lift your hands and voices and I compel you to give God a praise that's beyond the norm oh would you begin to worship Him in light of his glory and goodness like the psalmist said worship this great God let your praise reflect the greatness of God oh Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah We Praise You Jesus we worship you this morning oh in spirit and in truth you're worthy of it you're worthy of it what you just did and what we're going to do through the remainder of this service that is a suitable response when you come into contact with the presence of God many times when Jesus came onto the scene we find that worship would be at the Forefront of that response and not only that but on numerous occasions that worship was also it was accompanied by acts of faith and acts of desperation as well you see when Jesus came around people started to recognize their opportunity for the miraculous to see the glory of God demonstrated in their life that being the case I have to imagine that if Jesus was here today we would worship Him and we would glorify him like we just did but we also would not hesitate to petition him for his help and his healing and his delivering power wherever Jesus went in the Bible I wish I wish I could get a hold of this and we pray to God the Lord help our faith wherever Jesus went in the Bible Miracles happened they followed they abounded they followed him in every place so it stands to reason someone hear me if Jesus is here his healing power and his Supernatural power is here as well if Jesus was in the room peace is in the room overwhelming Joy accompanies him deliverance and forgiveness of sins are available through him salvation and the gift of the spirit will be offered by him healing and restoration would simply flow out of him grace and mercy would be found in him the miraculous power of God would follow him if Jesus was in the house today with that in mind it's no wonder that those four men in our text went and ripped the roof off of another man's house just to get to Jesus wouldn't we do the same if we knew Jesus was in the house how far would I go Mark 2 and 1 says they heard Jesus was there and they came running and I said this already as an aside but I'll say it again I hope that the people around us know that Jesus is in this house and I hope that when they come and when they leave they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they encountered Jesus and I want them to find a nice house and I want them to find a beautiful place to Worship in a connect team in a church that's ready for them in a service that helps them I want them to have all of it but more than any of that I want them to find Jesus here I want them to find his presence in his glory and his truth here I want them to find Jesus if they're going to find anything when they come into the house let it be Jesus because the probability is just like the paralytic man and just like you and I on occasion when others come they're coming broken and desperate they've got a need and a petition and they're coming with faith and God forbid someone's got to rip the roof off the plate to get to Jesus but even if they did it would still be an appropriate response for any of us desperate enough to make our way to Jesus in other words if Jesus is here we ought to do anything and everything we can to get to him if Jesus is in this place we ought to do whatever is needed to encounter him if Jesus Is Here We ought to break the norm and the mundane in the box and break the roof if necessary to get to him and again their response has got me wondering that if those men would rip off a roof and Peter would jump out of a boat and blind Bart a mess would scream out and Zacchaeus would climb a tree and the woman of Luke 8 would push through the crowd what would I be willing to do if Jesus was here today how far would my faith push me to encounter Jesus how far out of my comfort zone would I go to see the miraculous in my life what would I be willing to break and to climb and to push and to do in order to get to Jesus if they did all of that just recognizing Jesus is our in our vicinity and nearby it should not be out of order for you and me to yell out in desperation right in the middle of the service schedule and even right in the middle of the sermon of this it is not out of line for us to let our faith push us to our feet drive us to an altar and lift our hands and seek after gee it's not unbiblical it's not Unthinkable for me to stop everything Break Free of the norm simply because I recognize Jesus is nearby and I need him and I want to see his power demonstrated in my life and in the lives of those around me if Jesus was here it probably sound a whole lot like blind Bartimaeus who I talked about a couple weeks ago if you recall this was his response when he got in Jesus vicinity he says Jesus our son of David have mercy on me why would you quiet down he's trying to preach I'm trying to hear you're messing up the flow of the service we've got an order we've got a schedule Don't Mess With Jesus now son of David there is the same type of desperation in this room today we just haven't seen it manifested it says they warned him to be quiet but he cried out all the more son of David have mercy on me you see the response to Jesus Stood Still commanded him to be called Bartimaeus and others recognize Jesus was there so they cried louder they climbed higher they jumped out of boats they ripped off roofs to get to Jesus and the end result of every single scenario I mentioned was at the very least they had a face-to-face Encounter With Jesus wouldn't it be worth it and on top of that blind eyes open and lame legs made straight forgiveness of sins and all begs the question lie these examples in light of a noticeable pattern we find the word of God if they would be willing to do all of that and go to those links and be willing to let their faith push them that far what would I do if Jesus was here what would I do if King of Kings was present how would I react this morning if Jesus walked down the center aisle stood right here at the front what would I do would I run to him and worship what I would I asked him for his help would I seek forgiveness and ask for the Holy Ghost what I push through that would I jump over some pews when I climbed the baptistry to get a glimpse of him like Zacchaeus did or would I even react at all God is reaching for someone today someone he's been reaching for for quite a while when I moved to where Jesus was if he was here would I remain unmoved would I tear a roof off to get to him or would I stand at a distance and watch like so many did in that day and like so many do on pews across our world and our country today what would I do Jesus walked in it's a compelling question and it's compelling for us today for many reasons the main reason it's so fitting is the one that you've seen coming from the beginning of the sermon I didn't try to pull the wool over your eyes the question what would I do if Jesus was here it's so fitting for the simple fact that he is here maybe I don't see him in a physical form this morning but his presence is no less real or powerful and what God can do is no less powerful I want to tell someone here today who may be in doubt that Jesus is here this morning whether you see him with the naked eye or not he's here he's been here the entire time he probably never left I walked in this morning early hours before service and I went in my office and I could feel his glory and presence there came in a preserve his prayer I didn't make it three seconds in a pre-service prayer before he could feel the glory and presence of God we prayed in pre-service meeting in God's glory man it's there and we heard the word in Christian education and he was there and as you worship ten moments ago you felt the very real and tangible glory of God Jesus is here and you don't just have to take my word for it but Matthew 18 tells us I say again if two of you agree on any thing on earth concerning anything they ask it will be done for them by my Father in heaven for two or three are gathered together in my name in unity in togetherness I am there in the midst of them just 10 chapters later just before he ascends Jesus tells his disciples I'm with you always even to the End of the Age the end of the age does not negate God's presence with you and he told the same group in John 14 and 16 and I'll pray the father and he'll give you another helper that he may abide with you forever that helper is here today the spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and he'll be in you I will not leave you orphans I will come to you that's what he's done today I told Bishop musicians can come on at least three occasions this week as I prepared for this day I felt the Lord speak to me and give me a word and each time this is what he spoke to me and mentioned he said I'm going to come and I'm going to visit with you Bishop told me he said it's one thing for someone to drive by it's another thing for them to come and to visit we feel the visitation of God right now his glory and his presence here he's drawn individuals there's individuals here who need a healing need a work in your life but you've felt hesitant to move because of Doubt will he really heal me can I really go up there and receive a healing if Jesus is here the answer is yes and I'm telling you that Jesus is here today Jesus is in this room Jesus is in your life Jesus has come to meet with you oh his presence and glory is not just reserved from my office on the other side of the building but there's a reason he's manifested his glory and his power here and God's reaching for some individuals who haven't moved for a little while and he's asking if they would be willing to do that they didn't even have his word he didn't have all the stories we have they'd be willing to do that knowing Jesus is there how much more should you and I move go to where he is I know it's difficult when he's not in a physical space but you are active obedience would lead you to an altar in a place of Prayer in just a moment I'm going to invite you to stay in before we do foreign all week about the end of this service I didn't know where we would land but God did I want to affirm to someone just how real and close he is today we had a team come and work on some lighting throughout the building one of them named Roland came stop sister Linda and the vestibule he had to tell someone he said I was baptized in a Pentecostal Church when I was a kid haven't been back since he said but I feel something here said I feel a peace here the man is working on fluorescent light bulbs and the glory of God so prevalent not necessarily the space although we do believe it's a holy place but God has decided to visit with us I took that opportunity I told sister Linda I'm gonna go get him I'm sitting in here this front Pew working he came through I began to ask him about his past he's standing right here yeah I told the lady in the office he said feel something here said it feels like I'm home I said I got goosebumps walking through here he said Roland God's drawn you right now God's God's decided to visit with you Roland saint of God guest someone coming home God wants to visit with you said wrong let me pray for he said please please he prayed right there I said if you want to come fill out a guest card he's going to be here I believe it in Jesus name he filled out the card all the way gave us all the information said I want a Bible study caught me wondering today that man's just putting lights up and he feels the presence of God so strongly that he'd give us all his information and he let me pray with him on the spot what would I be willing to do if I really believe that Jesus was in the house with all of the things that he's done for me what is my response today if you want to worship him or you need anything from him this is your opportunity I believe Jesus is here this morning if you need healing if you need strength if you need peace or if you just want to come and worship the lord they're going to sing in a moment but would you not hesitate would you come right now and flood the front of this place and offer those Praises or offer your faith whatever you got to give today in light of the presence in the glory of God oh I wonder if you'd come right now with every intention of visiting with Jesus and encountering Jesus oh oh it should come fully believing that he's right in front of you and let your response be dictated by that faith that you have that he's nearby someone God's able to heal your body today God's able to do it Jesus is here and he's able to heal you and he's able to fill you with his spirit and he's able to forgive every last sin oh you're here today you're here today your people recognize it Lord and I pray it help every one of us if we've taken for granted your presence and your glory oh God we're not going to do it anymore again remain unmount though someone lift their voice in Praise someone lift their voice in worship someone lift your voice in desperation believe in God's able to heal you right here and visit with him I can be healed today no more fear no more anxiety no more of it no more foreign oh my foreign glory Lord you are yummy forever here right now here I am making this place growing all over there forever foreign now all right I'm coming forever Glory glorious I run inside the throne before me back the doors I love him me foreign you'll be forever years old Glory foreign foreign who are you forever in the past several Services there's just been a heaviness and a weight of the glory of God I believe the Lord is responding to pressing needs and needs that are marked by desperation I'd like us to pray right now I mentioned several weeks ago that although those who warned Bartimaeus told him to be quiet did that eventually they cleared a path and they let him get to Jesus they recognize the desperation that Jesus did let me just say it and I know that we all know this but in case anyone ever wondered he's not put off by your desperation and your Brokenness but if there's any place that you can be broken this ought to be it this ought to be it there's a safety here so if you're facing a desperate need I wonder if you just lift your hand right now and we're going to pause and we're going to make room for God to help and strengthen would you lift your hand across this place the Lord sees it and now brothers and sisters do what you know to do and would you go right now and lay hands and pray in the name of Jesus we're not just going to make room for it we're going to pray and believe for it oh Lord You've responded to just about every one of us in a desperate time and hour and this is not a season in which you cease to do that but you're going to respond right now our brothers and sisters are desperate and they're broken and they need help and they need strength and they need the power of God to meet them where they are I pray you do it and I pray that you would do it right now in Jesus name we know that you're here and you're able to touch their hearts and you're able to test your lives oh Lord respond to every bit of Faith that's expressed and respond to the desperate life and Desperate Heart and desperate family oh in the name of Jesus oh we believe it in your heart we're believing in you Jesus let me calling your name call on your name we speak that name over every family every knee and every life in Jesus name in Jesus name thank you Lord a couple weeks ago in our connect class had our second lesson so thankful for all of our new family members all those that God has brought to Apostolic Pentecostal church we welcome you to the family we're so thankful that you're here and God's brought you in that second class we ask Why'd You Come to APC and why don't you stay why are you here if I could summarize their answer it would be this Jesus is here sounded differently depending on the person but we feel the presence of God here feel the glory of God the people represent Jesus well that's not going to change Church but just like they recognize and Capernaum I want them to know when they come I'm gonna find them I'm gonna find them at Apostolic Pentecostal church at 901 barracksview Road and we're never going to take for greater the fact that he's here I wonder if we could take a moment and thank him for his presence his glory that's here in such a powerful way Lord we acknowledge you we don't take it for granted oh God and you're here Lord thank you for your glory and your presence we thank you that you're with us that you visited with us today Jesus name he's visited with you in this house he told that man arise and go to your own house so take him home with you introduce him to some neighbors and bring them back