Overview

1. Behold Jesus in the Lord’s house and have your hope renewed
2. The beauty God sees when we behold Jesus together
3. Where there is unity, His anointing and favor flow
4. In His presence, there is life!

Behold Jesus in the Lord’s house and have your hope renewed

Every Sunday, we come to the house of the Lord after a week that may have held both joys and challenges. Some of us arrive encouraged, while others carry worries, unanswered questions, or burdens that are too difficult to be put into words. Yet whichever we are, the Lord will draw our attention away from ourselves and what surrounds us back onto Jesus.

Just as David declared, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1). So even in the midst of the darkness or uncertainty that we might be facing, we are not alone or without help. The Lord remains our light, salvation, and strength.

Continuing on in the same psalm, David revealed the deepest desire of his heart:

“One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.”
—Psalm 27:4 NKJV

It captures the reason we gather in the house of the Lord each Sunday—to behold the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word translated “beauty” here is noam, which also speaks of kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, and favor. So as we turn our eyes to Jesus, we see again how lovely He is, as well as the favor that He pours out on us.

When we hear the Word of God preached in church, it is not meant to leave us occupied with our failures. The preaching of His Word is to remind us that our sins have been forgiven and that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). And as we behold Jesus and the perfection of His finished work, we are transformed from glory to glory.

David closed the psalm by saying, 

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”
—Psalm 27:13–14 NKJV

“Wait” here carries the meaning of “hope.” We are exhorted to wait or hope on the Lord and be of good courage. We can’t produce courage in and of ourselves, but as we wait on Him and hope in Him, He will strengthen our hearts. So keep on praying, keep on hoping, and keep on beholding Him. Even if you have received bad news or a troubling medical report, continue to believe that you will see the Lord’s goodness and enjoy many beautiful days with your loved ones here in the land of the living. 

The beauty God sees when we behold Him together

The Bible tells us, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1). The word “pleasant” here is translated from the Hebrew naim, which is related to noam, the word for “beauty” in Psalm 27. The Father loves it when His people gather together in unity.

Now, unity doesn’t mean we must agree on everything, every preference. Believers come from different backgrounds, have different personalities, and carry different perspectives. Yet in the house of the Lord, Jesus becomes our shared focus and passion.

This was the posture of the early church on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were “with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). The Greek expression here carries the picture of different people moving together in unison. Like distinct musical notes forming one harmonious sound, the different members of the body of Christ are brought together by the Holy Spirit to revolve around Jesus at the center.

Our heavenly Father delights to see His children united. Pastor Gabriel illustrated this with the story of a father who was deeply saddened because his sons had fought and did not attempt to resolve their differences. If an earthly father can be grieved when his children are divided, how much more would our heavenly Father care about the unity of His family?

This helps us understand why Proverbs 6 speaks so strongly against those who sow discord among brethren. Gossip and strife do not remain between two people; they often draw others into the offense and widen the division. What sounds like “sharing a concern” can become a way of spreading hurt.

There is a more gracious and godly way to behave when misunderstandings arise. We can speak directly with one another, seek peace, and allow grace to guide our conversations. Ephesians 4:3 speaks of “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The Holy Spirit has already made us one in Christ, and we are privileged to have Him as our unifying force, treating each other with grace, compassion, and brotherly love.

Pastor Gabriel revealed that in our church, this same heart of focusing on the Lord is a key principle shaping how we worship during services. He also recalled how the Lord had lovingly corrected him early on when he reacted negatively to a song he did not enjoy during worship. The Lord had asked him if he was there to worship Him or be entertained.

The truth is, worship is not about our preferred song, style, key, or volume. It is all about Jesus. When our eyes are on the Lord, personal preferences become less important, and many different voices become one beautiful sound. This is the beauty of the church gathered together—different people, yet one body; many voices, yet one passion for Jesus.

Where there is unity, His anointing and favor flow

When the church gathers with one heart around Jesus, something beautiful happens. Psalm 133 compares this unity to precious oil flowing from the head of the high priest Aaron to the edge of his garments (Ps. 133:1–2).

The Lord Jesus is the head of the church, our great High Priest, anointed with the oil of gladness. From Him, the anointing flows to every part of His body, bringing healing, freedom, and life. The oil also points us to Jesus, who was crushed like the olive fruit so that the anointing could flow to us.

As we gather in church, beholding Jesus together, we place ourselves under and receive from the flow of His corporate anointing. Privately, we can apply the anointing oil in faith on ourselves and our loved ones, especially when believing the Lord for healing, freedom from bondages, or strength in a difficult season. 

Parents can anoint their children before an important examination, and families can apply the oil as they pray together. The power is not in the oil itself, but in what it represents—the finished work of Jesus and His anointing that breaks every yoke.

Pastor Gabriel then shared the testimony of a 74-year-old man who had been diagnosed with cancer. His daughter stood with him on God’s promises, encouraged him to partake of the Holy Communion, anointed him with oil, and brought him to church. Her care group members also rallied around the family and prayed for her father. As the man attended services, the Lord began to touch his heart and restore his health, and in time, the man was declared cancer-free. 

In the last verse of Psalm 133, unity is also compared to the dew descending upon Zion, where the Lord has commanded the blessing—life forevermore. Dew speaks of God’s favor, which flows corporately as we gather in His house. That favor can bring restoration even to relationships that seem beyond repair.

Pastor Gabriel shared another testimony of a couple whose marriage had reached breaking point and how sitting under the anointing in church helped them find a way forward. Change began when a friend from New Creation Church invited the lady to a Christmas gathering at a home. Through witnessing this Christian sister’s loving and respectful interactions with her own husband, the lady received a beautiful picture of a Christ-centered marriage. 

Back home, the lady asked her pre-believing husband to join her in praying for what they wanted God to do in each other’s lives. At first, their prayers felt awkward, but soon, peace, understanding, forgiveness, and grace began to fill their relationship. Her husband also started attending church with her and received Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Today, Christ has become the center of their marriage, and He is healing their marriage.

These testimonies show how God works through the body of Christ. Through prayer, the Word, and the love of His people, no one has to struggle alone. As families gather in church, care groups, and ministry, they come under the flow of the Lord’s anointing and favor. Where Jesus is honored, and His people dwell in unity, burdens are lifted, hearts are restored, and life flourishes.

In His presence, there is life!

The Bible tells us that there is life forevermore when believers behold the Lord together in unity. Yet some of us may look at our circumstances and feel that little beauty remains. Something precious may have been lost, hope may have faded, or a dream that once burned bright may now feel dead.

Luke 7 takes us to a city called Nain, which means “beauty.” Yet, in this place called Beauty, we see grief, loss, and death—a funeral procession was coming out of the city. A woman who had already lost her husband was now sending her only son to his burial. 

Then Jesus entered the city.

The altogether lovely One stepped into the widow’s sorrow. When He saw her, He was moved with compassion for her and said, “Do not weep” (Luke 7:13). Jesus was not asking her to deny her loss or pain. He alone could say those words to her because He alone had the power to remove the cause of her sorrow and to turn her mourning into dancing.

He then proceeded to touch the open coffin and declare, “Young man, I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14). Under the law, contact with death made a person unclean. But death could not defile the One who is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). Instead, resurrection life flowed from the Lord, and He presented the young man alive to his mother.

What began as a funeral became a celebration of life. In the presence of Jesus, death did not have the final word.

Perhaps the enemy has stolen what was once beautiful in your life—your health, peace, marriage, family relationships, or hope for the future. Disappointment may have buried the dreams God placed in your heart or weakened your desire for His Word and the calling you once carried.

But Jesus still is the Resurrection and the Life. As we dwell in His house and gather in His presence, we place every dead and broken thing in our lives before the One who holds all things together and makes all things alive. 

The word Nain is also connected to the Hebrew word used for “green pastures” in Psalm 23:2. “Green pastures” can mean a home, habitation, or the shepherd’s dwelling place, which tells us that the Lord does not lead us to a random place of rest. He brings us into the Shepherd’s own house, and His house is where we are fed, nourished, and loved back into wholeness. It is where the weary find rest, the broken find grace, and what has been lost is restored.

This is the beauty of beholding Jesus together in the Father’s house. As we gather in the Shepherd’s house, His anointing flows, His favor abounds, and His resurrection life is there for every dead area of our lives. In His presence, we can have life and have it more abundantly.

We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.

© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2026
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.