Saturated in Love: When the Presence of God Dwells
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Good morning church family! I want to share a message with you this morning that was prompted by some visitors that we had this past week. I believe in divine appointments.
A divine appointment is a God-orchestrated moment where He brings people together at the right time and place for a specific purpose that fulfills His plan.
The true power of a church is not the building itself, but when the presence of God is allowed to move in and through the people. When the people of God walk together in love, prayer, and unity…the presence of God will saturate the space.
(Saturate means to completely fill, soak, or permeate something so thoroughly that no more can be absorbed.)
What do I mean by that?
There is a common phrase that I hear often when people come either visit a church service for the first time or even when there is nothing happening but they come into this space.
This past week there was a young couple by the name of David and Delfina. In speaking with them they are the founding directors of Adventure Life Academy which disciples boys and girls in the community of Redding and beyond. They have a bus that was getting fixed and they decided what better place to hang out than our church parking lot. We have shade by the street. Delfina said it was better than hanging out in the Dollar General parking lot.
I gave them tour of our facility and I was just sharing some vision and dreams we have for New Life and our community. I was sharing how we are trying to start a pre-school and have a dream of starting a K-12th Christian School. I shared how I would love to build a gymnasium with new social hall in the North Field with new offices, kitchen, and full court basket ball.
As I was going from room to room I shared how God had transformed each room for our kids area, nursery, nursing moms room, and how this used to be a bowling alley.
I showed them the back area where the Men meet for CR and as we walked to the sanctuary from the back I told them to wait by the stage so I can get the lights. It was pitch black in here.
Once I got the lights on I hear them talking about how they can feel room was saturated with the love and peace of God (common phrase I hear).
They didn’t hear a message. There was no worship music on. No one in the room other than me and them and they felt the love of God. I have heard that from multiple people coming through our doors midweek as well as on Sundays.
Church this is no accident. What they felt and experienced was the presence of Jesus. This is what happens when a church becomes saturated in the love of God.
1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
What David and Delfina experienced wasn’t just a coincidence or a feeling…it was a divine appointment. It was a moment when the presence of God met them in a tangible way.
This only happens when a place is prepared - not just physically - but spiritually…through love.
This brings me to my first point.
Love Invites His Presence
Love Invites His Presence
Love is the key to those experiencing the power and presence of God. Jesus said:
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
It is by our love for one another that those in this world will know that we belong to Jesus. This is why I am adamant about how we as Christians, followers of Christ, treat one another whether it is in person, online, in the church or outside the church.
When we do not love one another, we hide Jesus from the world. The opposite of that is when we truly love one another without expecting anything in return and we will experience the presence of God abiding in us.
12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
When we walk in love, true sacrificial, genuine, forgiving love…God doesn’t just visit…He abides. He inhabits us. That means where ever we go, whatever room we step into, the love of God does also.
Think about walking into a bakery. You don’t see the flour, sugar, oil, or any of the ingredients, but you do smell what’s been baked into the final product.
In the same way, when LOVE has been BAKED IN to a church through prayer, unity, forgiveness, and compassion - people sense it the moment they walk in.
Our love for one another leaves a spiritual fragrance.
Ask yourself, “Do I love in such a way that it creates an environment that people can feel, even in the silence?”
When you love the way God loves, it creates an atmosphere of love and where the love of God is, there is peace.
Peace is a mark of God’s house.
Peace is a Mark of God’s House
Peace is a Mark of God’s House
Not just the church building, but you and I. God abides in you and me. We are the church. We are the true house of God.
In a culture that is in an unholy rest, those that follow Christ who have God abiding in them, should be a peace. It is a sign to those around you that you belong to God.
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Jesus tells us He will give us His peace. With His peace, we are called to create peace and maintain peace. Not keep it, but maintain it. There is a difference.
When you become a peace keeper it often means you avoid conflict in order to preserve the calm. It can be passive, choosing silence over confrontation, tolerating issues instead of addressing them, or side stepping hard conversations.
It’s like putting a lid on top of a boiling pot. The surface looks calm, but the pressure is building underneath.
Maintaining peace is active and intentional. It means confronting issues with grace, pursuing reconciliation, protecting unity, and making decisions that promote lasting health - even when it is uncomfortable.
It’s like maintaining a garden. There is pruning, pulling weeds, and watering. Maintaining the garden will produce fruit.
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul isn’t speaking about avoiding conflict, he’s urging us to fight to for real peace, which often includes hard conversations, forgiveness and choosing grace over pride.
God doesn’t just want us to keep peace—He calls us to maintain it. Not to avoid tension, but to walk in love, pursue unity, and protect the peace His Spirit brings into the house.
Jesus didn’t just speak about peace, He left it behind. Where ever we go, we don’t just speak about peace, we should be leaving it behind as a peacemaker.
It’s one thing to feel peace for a moment—but when peace lingers, even after the music stops and the people leave, that’s not accidental. That kind of peace is sustained by something deeper: a praying, united, Spirit-filled church.
Love Lingers where God’s People Pray
Love Lingers where God’s People Pray
When God’s people pray together, it isn’t just communication between us and God. There is a spiritual cultivation that takes place. When God’s people pray, the atmosphere is affected. When God’s people pray, especially when we pray in the Spirit, it creates an atmosphere for the presence of God.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
Praying people are a loving people. They are a loving people because they are connecting with the source of that love…God Himself. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. Because God is love, when we pray our hearts are getting aligned with God’s heart.
You ever walked into a room where you can feel the atmosphere? You just know something is different. Maybe it is peace, warmth, or it can even be conviction. That is the result of prayer. Prayer changes the atmosphere.
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
It was after they prayed the place where they were was shaken. Prayer doesn’t just change the moment, it marks the space. A praying church isn’t just inviting God’s presence…it is hosting Him.
When someone burns incense in a room, the smell lingers even after the incense is gone. Likewise, when prayer and worship have filled a sanctuary, love and peace remain long after the service ends. That’s what those two people felt when they walked in without anyone there—the lingering love from a praying people.
When a church is saturated in prayer, it becomes more than just a gathering place—it becomes a resting place for the love and presence of Jesus. That love doesn’t just stay within the walls—it prepares us to carry it beyond them.
Because the real impact of a love-filled, prayer-covered church isn’t just what happens inside—it’s how it welcomes and transforms those who come in from the outside.
This brings me to the final point for today.
The Church is a Holy Welcome to the World
The Church is a Holy Welcome to the World
Jesus said,
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
When people walk in the doors of New Life, it doesn’t matter who they are, how far they are on their faith journey, even the unbelievers, should feel what they are missing - love, peace, and hope.
They don’t need hype. Performance. More ministries. They need presence. The presence of Jesus to be exact.
Listen, people go to therapy to find peace, to yoga to find calm, to relationships to find love. And yet, in the presence of Jesus, all of those needs are met—and more. Imagine how powerful it is when they walk into our church and immediately encounter that without a word.
Church I believe that we can be a place where God so saturates this campus with His love that people will immediately feel it the moment they step foot onto the property. I believe the Holy Spirit can so saturate this place that the moment people even set eyes on the building they feel a Holy unction to come to Jesus!
It won’t be by a service, a message, or worship song…but simply because the Spirit of the Living God dwells here!
Closing: Invitation to be a Place Where He Dwells
Closing: Invitation to be a Place Where He Dwells
As we close out today I want to leave you with one more Scripture and a challenge.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Let us be a church that isn’t just filled with people—but filled with His presence.
Let’s continue to be a place where even in silence, people can hear God.
Even in stillness, they can feel His peace.
Even in darkness, they can see His light.
Final Challenge:
Let’s not just attend church. Let’s become the church that saturates our city with the love of Jesus.
Let’s keep the prayers going, the forgiveness flowing, the worship rising—so that love lingers in the air long after we leave.
ALTAR CALL:
ALTAR CALL:
If you’ve never experienced that peace for yourself—Jesus offers it freely.
If you’ve walked away from love, let Him draw you back into it.
If you want your home and heart to carry the same presence you feel in this place, today is the day to surrender fully.
