Mensa Otabil - I Will Dwell In God's House
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Happy anniversary to the International Central Gospel Church! Today is our 39th anniversary as a church, and 39 years ago, a band of us young men and women came together to start a Christian congregation that we call the International Central Gospel Church. It was in a small classroom in Kanda Estates in Accra, Ghana. We had nothing; we just had love for God and a desire to do His will. We trusted the Lord to be present in our meetings and to touch our lives. We had no idea of all the great things that He would do with us, and today, what started as a small church in a small classroom has touched the rest of the world. We give God all the praise, and next year, by God’s grace, we will be 40 years.
So, I want to extend a special anniversary greeting to all the members of the International Central Gospel Church, wherever they are, and to all the pastors and leaders of the church. May the Lord continue to be merciful unto us, and may His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives.
We go to our concluding Psalm, Psalm 23, verse 6, the B part: «And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.» This is my favorite part of the whole Psalm because David has talked about what God will do for him, and he ends by saying what he will do for the Lord. You know, many times we are so glad about what God does for us, but we never focus on what we want to do for the Lord. How do we respond to God’s goodness and mercy? How do we respond to God preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies? How do we respond to God being our Shepherd?
David says my response to all of this is that I will serve God; I will be in His house. When he talks about being in the house of the Lord, he is not just talking about a physical location; he is speaking of having a relationship with God. Of course, it includes going to church, but it’s more than that- it’s having Christ in your heart, being connected to God, dwelling in the house of the Lord, and being in the presence of the Lord. That is something we all must desire. When we consider all that God has done for us, all His mercy towards us, our response should be, «Lord, we are going to serve You. We are going to be in Your presence; we are going to have a relationship with You, and we will do it forever.»
The presence of the Lord is our dwelling place, and I like how David concludes; he says, «I’m not going to do it only when things are good; I’m going to do it forever.» It’s a lifetime commitment. For those of us who make a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not only for us; it is also for our children and our children’s children, generations after us. We must ensure that our children are raised in the faith we have found in Christ Jesus. We must pass on not only our genes to our children, but our spiritual heritage, so they can also say, «I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.»
It would be sad for parents to serve God while their children do not serve Him. Our children and our grandchildren must be part of our heritage. So today, as we conclude this Psalm and also mark the anniversary of the International Central Gospel Church, we also make a pledge to the Lord that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, that our hearts will be for God forever, that our passion will forever be for the Lord, and that our desire will always be toward Him. We will do His will, we will serve Him, and we will dedicate ourselves to Him. I pray that you make that dedication to the Lord, even if you are not a member of the International Central Gospel Church, that you will make that commitment to the Lord, to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
May the Lord continue to bless us, increase us, and prosper us, and may He watch over each one of us. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, there is no place like Your presence. I will remain in Your house all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow, and Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.