As you know, when John was on the island of Patmos, he had a tremendous vision. Most of you have probably read it, and most of us are still trying to figure it out. Now, I realize you understand that when John wrote this magnificent vision, Jesus had already been taken up to heaven, but he wrote, “
I did not see any temple in it [in Heaven], because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light because the glory of God gave it light. The lamb was its lamp” (Revelation 21:22-23).
Wow! What John was saying is that the
only temple in heaven is our Father and His Son (our Lord) themselves. Wow! Go ahead and try to imagine that. I don’t know, like I said yesterday, your mind is probably going, “
Tilt!” (Now if you can picture this, you are doing better than me because it boggles my mind).
Okay, as I was saying, I don’t totally understand the immensity of what John was describing. But since Yahweh lives in glory, and sitting at his right hand is our Lord (and brother) Jesus,
where do they dwell on earth? As Yahweh asked, “Since Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. What sort of house could you
possibly build for me? Could you build me such a resting place? I made all this! I own all this!”
Well, I suppose that is a reasonable question . . . because we know there isn’t a building that could contain Him. Oh, we certainly try, but He isn’t living in St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican. He is not living in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. He certainly isn’t in any of the great European cathedrals or in the
Crystal Cathedral that was built in Garden Grove, Orange County, California. Oh I know that Robert Schuller believed He was, but He wasn’t
But let’s be honest, none of those places
could even contain Him, if He chose to live in any of them. As Paul explained on Mars Hill in Athens, “The God who made the universe and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t live in
shrines made by humans, and he isn’t served by humans as if he
needed anything. He gives everyone life, breath, and everything they have” (Acts 17:24-25). What all this means is that if we are going to look for Yahweh’s dwelling place in some building, we are fooling ourselves, because we are not going to find it. Even Nikita Khrushchev’s said in a speech “Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any god there . . .” Well, I suppose not.
Well that is rather distressing, don’t you think? I mean, where are we going to find our King? Where is He going to live? Aah-ha! Paul told us that: “
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16). Huh? Oh man, that is great! The Lord has found his home! He lives and rests in the hearts of those who welcome Him in!
Once we place our belief in Jesus, we become His temple, His very dwelling place! The most obvious place to see this in the Scripture is in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came and fell on the disciples, filling them with Himself. Amen! Right then and there He claimed their sanctified bodies as His temple, where the Father would come and live. The Spirit would help them to mortify and destroy the works of their sinful flesh. He he would give them power to live victoriously. Their bodies became Yehoveh’s temple, a dwelling place that wasn’t built with the hands of men. No! He created His own home!
Jesus said, “
Those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will go to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). That is where they came to stay! Then Paul admonished us when he wrote, “You were bought at a price. So honor God with your bodies” (I Corinthians 6:20). Wow! As Juan Carlos Ortiz taught, “There is no need to go thirsty when you are
swimming in the Amazon River!” Friends, we belong to Him and He wants us to be His resting place. We need to open our hearts to that truth and give Him glory by receiving it.
But Glory to God, that is just the beginning! Jesus said, “When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into the full truth. He won’t speak on his own. He will speak what he hears and will tell you about things to come!” (John 16:13). That was a declaration of complete intimacy! James declared, “If
any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he
will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn’t find fault with them.”
All you have to do is ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you! The Lord declares,
“I am closer than you think. You keep looking ‘out yonder,’ when the whole time I am closer than you know. I am waiting for you to call to me, to ask me to come to your aide.
I want to show you things to come. I long to show you more of Jesus and Father. I love for you to ask me questions, to search for understanding. I don’t want you lost and confused. It is my joy to lead you into all truth. I will lead you and guide you to whatever you need.”
How are we supposed to respond to that?
Oh Father, you have given us your Spirit to reveal the truth and to give us wisdom, whenever we ask. But frankly, sometimes we forget to rely on you, and try to ‘work it out on our own. Forgive us, Father. In fact, I realize it sounds kind of odd, but give us the wisdom to ask for we really need to know. Show us what need to ask for. When you do, we will grow in your wisdom and joy. We are open to receive your wise counsel in every area of our lives.
Nickolas
(I send out messages like this each morning in emails, and if you are interested in receiving them, send me your email address and I will add you to the list: Mail List)
With these Morning Messages, I take you on guided tours to, as Bunyan described, the Celestial City. At times we linger at corners familiar and unseen. And explore the depths of our faith along the way.
The trail is long, but there’s no hurry. Though we do need to stock up on supplies for the way, and that’s where I need your help. If you enjoy these messages, please consider becoming a contributing member of this tour group. It will be very much appreciated.
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