The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is
he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he
was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to
Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying,
I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And
I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto
me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the
same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that
this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his
disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of
God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus
turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said
unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest
thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and
abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. John 1:29-39
Andrew
and his friend were drawn to Jesus, after John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to
them. They followed after Him and Jesus asked them what they were seeking.
Their response was "Rabbi, Where dwellest Thou? In this post resurrection
period we are faced with the same desire, but with greater scope and compass.
Andrew and his friend wanted to know the particular earthly address of Jesus as
in a house built by man, but we are aware today that God does not dwell in a building made with hands!
THE HIGH AND
LOFTY ONE INHABITS ETERNITY BUT HE TABERNACLED AMONG US AS A MAN!
For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of
the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isa 57:15
Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on
high, Psa 113:5
The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he
hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. Isa 33:5
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the
praises of Israel. Psa 22:3
With
the children of Israel, The Almighty condescended to dwell in their midst in a
Tabernacle, rich with typological and prophetic significance!
So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring
from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth
between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there
with the ark of the covenant of God. 1Sa
4:4
And David arose, and went with all the people that
were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God,
whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the
cherubims. 2Sa 6:2
Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion:
declare among the people his doings. Psa
9:11
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever
shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold
of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the
gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by
the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it,
he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the
altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar,
sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple,
sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by
heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Mat
23:16-22
Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the
wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it
according to the fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers that came
after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave
out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; Who found favour
before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon
built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with
hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool:
what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these things? Act 7:44-50
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and
said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this
inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him
declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that
he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Act
17:22-24
However
all the universe cannot hold the Fullness of His Presence, but heaven is His
Throne and the earth His Footstool! He fills eternity! Yet what we are noting
is that, in all respects, it is God Who is making the effort and taking the steps
to draw closer to man, and to include him in His Fellowship! Yet strangely, though
it is man who is in need of this relationship and closeness, man stubbornly and
rebelliously persists in his own way, unwilling to acknowledge the very One who
enables his life and gives him fee will to revere or rebel!
As
we have already clarified God does not dwell in buildings made by hands, but He
himself fashioned man in whom He is willing to dwell!
THE HIGH AND
LOFTY ONE ALSO DWELLS WITH HIM OF A HUMBLE AND CONTRITE SPIRIT!
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:16-18
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if
so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because
of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth
in you. Rom 8:9-11
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1Cor
3:16-17
WE ARE TO
RECOGNIZE WHERE GOD DWELLS AND WHERE WE DWELL!
It's
necessary, nay vital, that we recognize where God dwells and where we dwell! Our
recognition understanding of this juxtaposition will determine
- our
reaction to the actions that affect us,
- our
response to the circumstances and conditions that we confront daily, and
- our
realization of the Resource we have available!
While
our bodies may remind us that we are restricted to earth, our spirit realizes
no such limits! We are able to soar beyond the limits of physical boundaries, for not only are we indwelt by Him,
but we also dwell in Him!
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in
him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit
which he hath given us. 1Jn 3:24
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one
another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we
that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And
we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of
the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth
in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to
us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:12-16
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:1-3
We
have to move beyond the earthly and fleshly limits imposed on our physical
bodies, and realize that our spirit lives in Him. Not only does He live in us,
but we Live in Him!!! If we live in Him then wherever He is there we ARE!!! He
also inhabits eternity and we are right there with Him in eternity!
Let's
once again look at Paul's revelatory prayer for the Ephesian believers:
That the God
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far
above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to
the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Eph
1:17-23
It
tells us in no uncertain terms where Jesus is positioned! And as we continue in
the second chapter we are reminded of the following:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Eph
2:1-7
THAT'S WHERE WE
ARE!!! RIGHT THERE WITH HIM!!! IN THE HEAVENLIES!
We
have received the token (remember the subway token?), and we have boarded for
the trip! OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2Co 4:16
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:1-3
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1-2
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He
is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He
shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his
truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror
by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the
reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even
the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall
any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and
adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Psa 91:1-13
When
we realize and recognize where we actually dwell we are able to live above
doubts, fear, unbelief as we learn to see the way God sees!
When the ancient
church father John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople, was summoned by
Emperor Arcadius and threatened with banishment, he responded, "You cannot
banish me, for the whole world is my Father's kingdom."
"Then I
will take away your life," said the emperor.
"You
cannot," answered Chrysostom, "for my life is hid with Christ in
God."
"I will take
away your treasure," roared the emperor.
"You
can't," replied Chrysostom, "for my treasure is in heaven, where my
heart is."
"Then I
will drive you away from all your friends," the emperor said.
"You
cannot, for I have one friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy
you," said Chrysostom, "because you can do me no harm."
Such conviction
grows out of a firm grasp of who Jesus Christ really is.
