Bible Text: John 14:23 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Peter In\u00e4b\u00adnit | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | We have heard a lot recent\u00adly about home, beco\u00adming at home and being at home with God. Today I want to ask the ques\u00adti\u00adon: Whe\u00adre does God actual\u00adly live? The tea\u00adcher asked in school: Whe\u00adre does God live? One stu\u00addent imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly rai\u00adsed his hand and said, \u00abGod lives in the bath\u00adroom.\u00bb \u00abWhat makes you think that?\u00bb asked the tea\u00adcher. The stu\u00addent repli\u00aded, \u00abEvery mor\u00adning when my father is stan\u00adding in front of the clo\u00adsed bath\u00adroom door, he rum\u00adbles at the door and shouts, \u00abMy God, are you still in the\u00adre?\u00bb But we know that God does not pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly dwell in the bath\u00adroom. Today we want to take a clo\u00adser look at whe\u00adre he real\u00adly lives.<\/p>\n
God dwells in the tabernacle Bible Text: John 14:23 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Peter In\u00e4b\u00adnit | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | We have heard a lot recent\u00adly about home, beco\u00adming at home and being at home with God. Today I want to ask the ques\u00adti\u00adon: Whe\u00adre does God actual\u00adly live? The tea\u00adcher asked in school: Whe\u00adre does God live? One pupil imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly rai\u00adsed his hand\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[40],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-peter-inaebnit","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2379","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nWhen Isra\u00adel was in the wil\u00adder\u00adness at Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses detail\u00aded ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions for the con\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtion of a por\u00adta\u00adble tent sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. \u00abThe Israe\u00adli\u00adtes shall build a sanc\u00adtua\u00adry for me, that I may dwell with them\u00bb (Exodus 25:8). The tent sanc\u00adtua\u00adry its\u00adelf con\u00adsis\u00adted of two parts: The sanc\u00adtua\u00adry, with an area of about 9 by 4.5 met\u00adres, and the Holy of Holies, which had a squa\u00adre base of 4.5 met\u00adres. The two parts of the tent sanc\u00adtua\u00adry were sepa\u00adra\u00adted by a curtain of blue, pur\u00adple and scar\u00adlet yarn. This tent sanc\u00adtua\u00adry was sur\u00adroun\u00added by a rec\u00adtan\u00adgu\u00adlar cour\u00adty\u00adard with an outer wall of curta\u00adins mea\u00adsu\u00adring 45 by 22.5 met\u00adres. This was the first place of wor\u00adship built by man for God, and God dwelt in this sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. Some\u00adthing that ama\u00adzes me is this: In Exodus 31 we read that God cal\u00adled artists to work for the taber\u00adna\u00adcle. \u00abAnd God said: I have cho\u00adsen Baza\u00adlel. I have fil\u00adled him with the Spi\u00adrit of God and given him wis\u00addom, under\u00adstan\u00adding and skill to do craft\u00adsman\u00adship. I have enab\u00adled him to draw up plans for all the work in hand, to crea\u00adte objects of gold, sil\u00adver and bron\u00adze, to cut and set pre\u00adcious stones and to car\u00adve wood.\u00bb So God was not indif\u00adfe\u00adrent to how his sanc\u00adtua\u00adry loo\u00adked. He had pre\u00adcise ide\u00adas and only the best was good enough.
\nGod dwells in the temple
\nSolomon\u2019s father David was for\u00adbidden by the Lord to build the Temp\u00adle in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem becau\u00adse he was a man of war and shed blood. (1 Chr. 28,3) The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre it fell to Solo\u00admon to build the temp\u00adle. He began it in his 4th year as king and it took seven years to build. The temp\u00adle was 27 met\u00adres long, 9 met\u00adres wide and 13.5 met\u00adres high. The Temp\u00adle con\u00adsis\u00adted of three main parts: the outer court, the main hall or sanc\u00adtua\u00adry and the inner sanc\u00adtua\u00adry or holy of holies. This is whe\u00adre the Ark of the Coven\u00adant with the Ten Com\u00admandments was kept. The enti\u00adre inte\u00adri\u00ador of the temp\u00adle, inclu\u00adding the walls and flo\u00adors, was cover\u00aded with gold. Some 400 years later, the Temp\u00adle of the Lord was burnt down by Nebu\u00adz\u00ada\u00adrad\u00adan, the com\u00adman\u00adder of the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan king\u2019s body\u00adguard. No remains of the temp\u00adle have yet been found.
\nRecon\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtion of the temple
\nAbout 60 years later, the Temp\u00adle was rebuilt by Zerub\u00adba\u00adbel. The temp\u00adle was cer\u00adtain\u00adly not as lar\u00adge and as rich\u00adly deco\u00adra\u00adted as Solomon\u2019s temp\u00adle. This was even\u00adtual\u00adly repla\u00adced by a magni\u00adfi\u00adcent temp\u00adle by King Herod 18 years befo\u00adre Christ. This temp\u00adle com\u00adplex was a gigan\u00adtic struc\u00adtu\u00adre. In August 70 AD<\/span>, the temp\u00adle was des\u00adtroy\u00aded by the Romans. The 14 lowest rows of stones on the west side, known as the Wai\u00adling Wall, can still be seen today. The\u00adse are the essen\u00adti\u00adal buil\u00addings that were built for God. Now we ask our\u00adsel\u00adves, whe\u00adre does God live today? The\u00adre are many pas\u00adsa\u00adges in the Bible that descri\u00adbe whe\u00adre God lives. I have cho\u00adsen two that spo\u00adke to me.
\nGod dwells in our heart
\nWho actual\u00adly lives at home with you? Do you have a part\u00adner with whom you live? Do the child\u00adren still live at home? Or do you live with your par\u00adents? Or do you live alo\u00adne? How you live is a very important ques\u00adti\u00adon that deter\u00admi\u00adnes your atti\u00adtu\u00adde to life. Living with someone always means living for that per\u00adson or per\u00adsons, adjus\u00adting one\u2019s life to each other, taking into account each other\u2019s needs, stri\u00adving for the well-being of all. With whom I live, I share my life. When I plan some\u00adthing, I ask for the opi\u00adni\u00adon and advice of the others with whom I live.
\nI want to live and live with a per\u00adson I love, or at least be clo\u00adse to him or her, if it is not yet pos\u00adsi\u00adble to share a home. Jesus says: \u00abWhoe\u00adver loves me will do what I say. My Father will love him, and we will come and live with him\u00bb (John 14.23). Yes, it is a logi\u00adcal con\u00adse\u00adquence that God dwells with us if we hold fast to His Word and love HIM<\/span>. God wants to dwell whe\u00adre we dwell and live!
\nAre we awa\u00adre of this? Jesus does not say that he wants to dwell in beau\u00adtiful churches and magni\u00adfi\u00adcent cathe\u00addrals. HE<\/span> wants to dwell with us and in our midst! Our heart and our living space is the dwel\u00adling place of God. Are you awa\u00adre that God wants to dwell in our heart, that our heart is the Holy of Holies, which the priests were only allo\u00adwed to enter once a year. That is a won\u00adderful thought. In the Gos\u00adpel of John the\u00adre is a beau\u00adtiful nar\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve, when the first disci\u00adples beca\u00adme awa\u00adre of Jesus, they asked him, \u00abMas\u00adter, whe\u00adre do you dwell?\u00bb They wan\u00adted to know him and whe\u00adre and how he lives and resi\u00addes. But he did\u00adn\u2019t give them a spe\u00adci\u00adfic address or mai\u00adling address, he just said, \u00abCome and see!\u00bb So you see it, not only with the eyes, but with all the sen\u00adses it is per\u00adcep\u00adti\u00adble whe\u00adre God dwells. This can also be our dwel\u00adling, our home. But God does not allow hims\u00adelf to be impri\u00adso\u00adned the\u00adre eit\u00adher, but wants to be whe\u00adre\u00adver we are.
\nSo how can we prepa\u00adre a pro\u00adper home for God? From time imme\u00admo\u00adri\u00adal, peo\u00adp\u00adle have tried to crea\u00adte a place for God whe\u00adre he can be, whe\u00adre he can be found and whe\u00adre he can be wor\u00adship\u00adped. Magni\u00adfi\u00adcent temp\u00adles and hou\u00adses of wor\u00adship have been built. The lar\u00adger and more magni\u00adfi\u00adcent the\u00adse buil\u00addings were, the more venerable God was and the more rever\u00adent the peo\u00adp\u00adle were. But Jesus did not give a man\u00adda\u00adte to build churches, he did not say that the more magni\u00adfi\u00adcent and impres\u00adsi\u00adve the sacred buil\u00addings are, the fas\u00adter peo\u00adp\u00adle will belie\u00adve in God and fill the churches. God longs to dwell in our hearts. We also want to keep the home we live in clean. I feel like that. I don\u2019t feel com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble if it is dir\u00adty ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre in our house. When we have visi\u00adtors, we are sure to clean our home. But can we show our visi\u00adtors all the rooms, inclu\u00adding the attic and cellar?
\nI also have a part-time job. I read about 800 elec\u00adtri\u00adci\u00adty meters for AEW<\/span> once a year. Seve\u00adral times I had to read the meters in the base\u00adment of hou\u00adses, and I was told by the house owner that he curr\u00adent\u00adly had a buil\u00adding site in the base\u00adment. And real\u00adly, I had to climb over haras\u00adses and dir\u00adty laun\u00addry to get my work done. The fun\u00adny thing is that this alle\u00adged \u00abcon\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtion site\u00bb has been like this in quite a few flats for years now, and got worse every year. What is the situa\u00adti\u00adon in our heart\u2019s flat? Do we also have \u00abbuil\u00adding sites\u00bb the\u00adre that are get\u00adting worse and worse? Can God see into all the \u00abrooms\u00bb of our heart, or does it have boards that say: No entry.
\nGod dwells in praise
\n\u00abBut you are holy, enthro\u00adned abo\u00adve the songs of prai\u00adse of Isra\u00adel\u00bb (Psalm 22:4). Whe\u00adre the\u00adre is wor\u00adship and prai\u00adse, God dwells. In wor\u00adship and prai\u00adse we are clo\u00adse to God\u2019s thro\u00adne. Who would not want to be? So today we want to think a litt\u00adle more about prai\u00adse and wor\u00adship. Glo\u00adri\u00adfy\u00ading God, prai\u00adsing him, than\u00adking him with words, songs, music, inde\u00aded with one\u2019s who\u00adle life, is an important the\u00adme of the Bible. \u00abSing psalms, hymns and songs inspi\u00adred by God\u2019s Spi\u00adrit; sing them gra\u00adteful\u00adly and from the depths of your heart to the glo\u00adry of God\u2026 giving thanks to God the Father\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:16b-17).
\nGiving thanks: When we give some\u00adthing to someone, the reci\u00adpi\u00adent says thank you. God has given us thou\u00adsands of reasons for which we can be grateful.
\nPrai\u00adse: In prai\u00adse you prai\u00adse God becau\u00adse of what He has done.
\nWor\u00adship: Wor\u00adship is a ges\u00adtu\u00adre of hono\u00adu\u00adring a king. Chris\u00adti\u00adans adopt the ges\u00adtu\u00adres and wor\u00adship Jesus as their King. In wor\u00adship we mar\u00advel at Jesus admi\u00adre his per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty and man\u00adner. And the bet\u00adter we get to know him, the grea\u00adter beco\u00admes the desi\u00adre in us to exalt him and make him gre\u00adat. So what is wor\u00adship in prac\u00adti\u00adce? Is wor\u00adship sim\u00adply the 15-minu\u00adte wor\u00adship part in the ser\u00advice and then it goes on in the pro\u00adgram\u00adme? No, wor\u00adship is a life\u00adstyle. The Bible says: \u00abI will prai\u00adse the Lord always; his prai\u00adse shall be in my mouth fore\u00adver\u00bb (Psalm 34:2). The Bible is full of us prai\u00adsing God always, all the time, con\u00adti\u00adnuous\u00adly. When things are going well for us, but also when we are going through hard times of sor\u00adrow and worry. Not just on Sun\u00adday mor\u00adning in wor\u00adship. Make it a habit to wor\u00adship God again and again, ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre. Wor\u00adship is more than a Chris\u00adti\u00adan acti\u00advi\u00adty. Wor\u00adship is an atti\u00adtu\u00adde of heart that sub\u00admits to God\u2019s lord\u00adship. A wor\u00adshipful life\u00adstyle looks up in won\u00adder to the Tri\u00adune God again and again, in every cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtance, and hono\u00adurs him by his life, his being. \u00abWha\u00adte\u00adver you do, con\u00adduct your\u00adsel\u00adves in such a way that God is hono\u00adu\u00adred by it\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 10:31). Wor\u00adship times in the church and in the small group are abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly neces\u00adsa\u00adry. They moti\u00adva\u00adte us to wor\u00adship, help us come into the pre\u00adsence of God, teach us and often touch our inner\u00admost being. And they invol\u00adve tho\u00adse who are going through dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times, per\u00adhaps just lis\u00adtening in wor\u00adship, and encou\u00adra\u00adge them to look to God.
\nWhy prai\u00adse and wor\u00adship? Wor\u00adship is a cal\u00adling and an offe\u00adring The Bible is full of texts on the wor\u00adship of God. Not only are the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel exhor\u00adted to wor\u00adship God alo\u00adne, but it is also fore\u00adtold that Gen\u00adti\u00adles will come to wor\u00adship God. Like\u00adwi\u00adse, the angels and all the hea\u00adven\u00adly host wor\u00adship God and crea\u00adti\u00adon also wor\u00adships God. Wor\u00adship is the cal\u00adling of belie\u00advers and the church today, tomor\u00adrow and for eter\u00adni\u00adty. Prai\u00adse and wor\u00adship are the lan\u00adguage of hea\u00adven. Lis\u00adten to ver\u00adses from the Book of Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon whe\u00adre the Bible speaks about our future with God: Powerful was their voice: \u00abTo the Lamb who was sacri\u00adfi\u00adced belong all aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty and all riches. To him alo\u00adne belong wis\u00addom and power, honour, glo\u00adry and wor\u00adship!\u00bb Then I heard all the other crea\u00adtures join in too. All in hea\u00adven and on earth, the dead under the earth, like the crea\u00adtures of the sea, they all shou\u00adted, \u00abPrai\u00adse and glo\u00adry, all power and glo\u00adry belong to him who sits on the thro\u00adne, and to the Lamb fore\u00adver and ever!\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 5:12\u201313). Let us not stop prai\u00adsing and than\u00adking God in the name of Jesus. The\u00adse are our sacri\u00adfices with which we con\u00adfess to God. We are always wor\u00adship\u00adping some\u00adthing. We wor\u00adship some\u00adthing from which we expect hap\u00adpi\u00adness: per\u00adson, part\u00adner, hob\u00adby, money, care\u00ader. Prai\u00adsing God keeps us from wor\u00adship\u00adping the wrong things in life. Satan, God\u2019s adver\u00adsa\u00adry also wants to be wor\u00adship\u00adped. He said to Jesus, \u00abI will give you all the king\u00addoms of the world if you will fall down and wor\u00adship me\u00bb (Matthew 4). Jesus, howe\u00adver, rebu\u00adked him cle\u00adar\u00adly and told him God\u2019s com\u00admandment: \u00abWor\u00adship and ser\u00adve only God your Lord!\u00bb May the Holy Spi\u00adrit help us grow more and more into a wor\u00adshipful lifestyle.
\nIn wor\u00adship, our love, trust and faith in God grows: by spea\u00adking out the state\u00adments about what God is like in pray\u00aders and songs, we fill our minds with the\u00adse bibli\u00adcal truths about God. Over time, they beco\u00adme more and more a rea\u00adli\u00adty in our lives and chan\u00adge the way we think, speak and act. Prai\u00adse. Walls come down \u2013 enemies are defea\u00adted! After Paul and Silas cast out a spi\u00adrit of divin\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon and stand up for the gos\u00adpel, they are thrown into pri\u00adson. Paul and Silas, howe\u00adver, do not mope: \u00abAbout mid\u00adnight Paul and Silas pray\u00aded; they prai\u00adsed God with songs of prai\u00adse, and their fel\u00adlow pri\u00adsoners lis\u00adten\u00aded to them. Sud\u00adden\u00adly the earth shook so vio\u00adlent\u00adly that the buil\u00adding was shaken to its foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adons. At that moment all the doors burst open and the chains of all the pri\u00adsoners fell to the ground\u00bb (Acts 16:25\u201326). As a result, the jai\u00adler and his who\u00adle house are con\u00adver\u00adted. This expe\u00adri\u00adence encou\u00adra\u00adges us to thank God even in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times, to prai\u00adse him becau\u00adse I know that he has ever\u00ady\u00adthing under con\u00adtrol. \u00abBut we know that all things work tog\u00ade\u00adther for good to tho\u00adse who love God\u00bb (Romans 8:28).
\nWe too can expe\u00adri\u00adence walls coming down in our lives, doors ope\u00adning, chains\/attachments coming off, beco\u00adming free when we look away from our worries, bad cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances, dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties to Almigh\u00adty God and wor\u00adship Him for His limit\u00adless pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties. In wor\u00adship we lift our eyes to the Almigh\u00adty God. Wor\u00adship is a choice. I look away from me and my pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties, I look to God and his pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties. If we live that, we will also be vic\u00adto\u00adrious. Walls will come down and enemies will be pushed back. Beco\u00adme a wor\u00adship\u00adper like King David. Befo\u00adre David was anoin\u00adted king, he beca\u00adme a wor\u00adship\u00adper. He wor\u00adship\u00adped God with his harp, with the sheep and later when wri\u00adting the Psalms. He wor\u00adship\u00adped God even in times of per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon and suf\u00adfe\u00adring. David prai\u00adsed God 7 times a day: \u00abI seek you in your sanc\u00adtua\u00adry to see your power and glo\u00adry. Your love means more to me than my life! The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre I will prai\u00adse you; all my life I will thank you and lift up my hands in pray\u00ader. I will cheer you and prai\u00adse you; I will be hap\u00adpy and satis\u00adfied as at a ban\u00adquet\u00bb (Psalm 63:3\u20136). This man, with the wor\u00adshipful atti\u00adtu\u00adde of heart, was later cho\u00adsen by God to be king for Israel.
\nBeco\u00adme more and more a wor\u00adship\u00adper of God. When you wor\u00adship, you are whe\u00adre God dwells, you are in the thro\u00adne room. Speak or sing words of admi\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon, words that express your love for him. God is touch\u00aded by our words. Amen!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"