Sermons

S.R. John 1:1-14 

Introduction

1. Would it be okay with you if Jesus came to live at your house?
2. Would you mind if he went to school and work with you?
3. Is it okay if he watches and reads and looks at whatever media and games you do?
4. We need to know what God and Jesus did in the past before we invite them into our house (cf. Acts 2:11, 22) God is in the details. Principles- built upon facts.

Outline

1. From Tabernacle to Temple
   1. Tabernacle throughout history has pictured for us God’s desire to live among us.
   2. Review:
      1. In the Beginning
         1. God among His children. Paradise of Eden – the garden of God where humans enjoyed perfect fellowship with God prior to choosing sin.
         2. Sinfulness grows and leads to destruction (Genesis 6-11)
         3. Tabernacle means – a dwelling place, a tent-type dwelling.
      2. Tabernacle and Promise (Genesis 12, 15, 17, 22) Blessing thru Seed.
      3. Tabernacle and Covenant
         1. The descendants of Abraham eventually find themselves enslaved in Egypt.
         2. God had not forgotten his promise (cf. Genesis 15:13 - 14)
         3. God was preparing His people to follow His lead by providing at Sinai a Covenant, A Law and a Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle).
      4. Just as soon as the covenant was ratified God instructed His people to:
         1. “construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).
         2. Exodus 29:45-46; Exodus 40:33-35 Reason for bring them out Egypt
      5. Breaking Covenant with God (Exodus 32) would not go unpunished
      6. God came down to His people to begin the process of reconciliation. (Dt. 30:10f.)
         1. This restoration of fellowship with God was only partial and provisional
      7. The Covenant given by God through Moses was a temporary solution.
      8. It was not, however, just a provisional solution. It was a prototype of the real solution that God would provide through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus.
      9. So the fellowship provided by God dwelling in the tabernacle was a shadow of the greater restoration that would come in Christ.
2. From Tabernacle to Temple
   1. After leaving Sinai as a new nation with a new covenant and a new tabernacle wherein God’s glory dwelt, the people marched into the land God had promised.
      1. The next 300 years saw them go through a cycle of rest, rebellion, retribution and repentance repeatedly.
      2. The tabernacle seems to have remained at Shiloh (cf. Jeremiah 7:12-14; 26:6-9)
   2. The tabernacle (tent) survived even though the “glory” of the Lord departed (cf. the case of Ichabod 2 Samuel 4:19-22).
   3. David, during the period of the United Kingdom, decided to build a house for God (cf. 2 Samuel 7).
      1. The tattered tabernacle was replaced with a magnificent temple.
         1. A temple is only a more permanent version of a tabernacle.
         2. A tabernacle was portable.
         3. A temple seemed more permanent, but God’s presence was conditional.
            1. It is easy to transform the desire “to glorify God to be transformed into a sinful overconfidence in the permanence of God’s presence.”
            2. This is exactly what happened (Jeremiah 7:1-15)
            3. God did not ask for the temple to be built (2 Samuel 7:5-7).
            4. God permitted the construction to proceed on his terms, not David’s.
   4. Solomon completes construction of the temple (2 Chronicles 7:5-7) and dedicates it.
   5. The Glory of the Lord fills the temple as God’s glory had earlier (Leviticus 9) filled the tabernacle. (2 Chronicles 5:13-14)
      1. God had representatively moved into his new house among His children.
         1. Covenant, law and sacrifices still applied.
         2. Some changes were made regarding the responsibilities of the Levites, including the musical worship associated with the sacrifices.
         3. But these sacrifices were still provisional (Hebrews10:1-3) so that the ability to “draw near” to God was still very limited.
      2. Solomon realized and acknowledge those limitations (2 Chronicles 6:18)
         
      3. Although this splendid house was built for God’s dwelling (2 Chronicles 6:2; Psalm 132:14)
         1. Yet Solomon, during his prayer of dedication, confessed that Yahweh’s true dwelling place was “heaven” (2 Chronicles 6:21).
         2. God’s dwelling among his people was still conditional. (2 Chronicles 7:19-22)
3. From Glory to Ruin
   1. The Lord’s warnings are prophetic
      1. Within a very few years after the completion of this magnificent edifice the kingdom had ruptured in civil war and the 10 northern tribes had forsaken God and His temple and turned to idolatry (1 Kings 12 f.)
         1. Just over 200 years later the northern kingdom is no more.
            1. Assyria has crushed and disseminated them throughout their empire.
      2. The remaining tiny kingdom of Judah, preserved by a few good kings and prophets, lingers for another 100-140 years.
         1. The people of Judah and Jerusalem trusted in the temple and despised God’s holiness.
         2. Surely God would not permit the place of his dwelling to be plundered.
         3. Jeremiah 7:4
         4. The people are destroyed by plague, famine and sword. (Jeremiah)
         5. They are dismantled in stages: 605 (Daniel) 597 (Ezekiel) 586 (Jeremiah)
   2. God withdraws His presence.
      1. The destruction of the temple (2 Kings 25:8-9) 
      2. Ezekiel is given visions of what was going on “in the temple” in order to understand and explain to the people why God was “leaving.” (Ch. 9-11)
         1. The “glory of the Lord” departs (Ezekiel 10:3-4)
         2. Ezekiel 10:18-19
         3. Ezekiel 11:22-23
      3. With the presence of God departed, God had moved out, and there was nothing to keep the Babylonians from destroying the abandoned house.
      4. The Jewish people had seemingly lost everything:
         1. The throne (descendant of David) was either killed or a captive.
         2. The land had been taken from them.
         3. The temple was pillaged and burned.
   3. Hope of a New Covenant:
      1. During the very announcements of judgment a future and a hope were extended to a remnant whom had a heart for God.
         1. Jeremiah 29:10-11
      2. Ezekiel 37:24-28
      3. The new covenant would succeed for these reasons:
         1. It was based upon the faithfulness of God to His promise (Hebrews 8:6)
         2. It was not based upon the faithfulness of Jews to the Mosaic covenant.
         3. It would succeed based upon a better sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14, 23).
         4. It would succeed because sins would be “remembered no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
      4. The new holy city to be built would be “holy to the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:38-40)
         1. This covenant would be on hearts, not of stone, but of flesh, and would identify a people as a
            1. “spiritual household” (Hebrews 12:22- 23)
            2. And a temple of the Lord (Ephesians 2:22)
            3. Both the city and the temple will merge into one as depicted in Rev. 21-22)
            4. Ezekiel 40-48 depicts an idealized dwelling of God with his people (cf. 48:38) “The Lord is there.”
4. From Ruin to Rebuilding by a Remnant: A Step of Faith
   1. (Ezra 1-6; Haggai, Zechariah) narrate the events in the temple built under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
      1. This structure was small and seemingly insignificant (Haggai 2:3; Zech. 4:9)
      2. God has in mind a latter glory (Haggai 2:7, 9).
      3. The rebuilding of this meager temple was a statement of faith in the promise of God.
   2. This temple was completed in about 515 BC (Ezra 6:13-22)
      1. At the dedication of both the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple the descent of the cloud of the glory of the Lord is recorded.
      2. In this case it is noticeably missing.
      3. Five other things are missing as specified in Jewish tradition:
         1. The ark with the mercy seat and cherubim
         2. The sacred and continuous fire
         3. The Urim and Thummim
         4. The spirit of prophecy
         5. The “Shekinah” cloud of the glory of the Lord.
      4. They built a house, but there is no indication that God ever moved in.
      5. Judaism was an empty house waiting for their God to move in
         1. Malachi 3:1
         2. Hosea 3:4-5
   3. Without that presence of the Lord it wouldn’t make any difference how magnificent the temple might be.
5. The Temple of Herod: Empty Grander
   1. The greatest material magnificence the temple in Jerusalem ever enjoyed was the remodeling at the direction of an Edomite ruler, Herod the Great.
      1. Construction was from about 19 BC – 63 AD (cf. John 2:20). [46 years]
      2. That splendid temple was completely destroyed just seven years later (70).
         1. Jesus was not impressed – not one stone (Luke 21:5-6)
         2. God’s people had abandoned Him and their temple (house) would be left desolate (Matt. 23:38). “Abominations which caused desolation.”
   2. Jesus would serve in the true sanctuary , not made with hands (Hebrews 9:24).
      1. He was not welcome in the one built by Herod and ruled by thieves and murderers (John 11:47-53).
6. The Word Tabernacles With Us
   1. The time, the fullness of time had come, for God to leave behind temples made with hands and provide real and lasting forgiveness of sins.
      1. The time had come for God to truly dwell among men.
      2. John 1:1, 14 
   2. Dwell - several terms translated
      1. The most common occurs about 40 times and relates to dwelling in a house.
      2. The word used here is rare.
         1. Outside of the Revelation (cf. 7:15; 21:3) it is used once (John 1:14)
         2. It carries the special connotation of dwelling in a tent
         3. skenoo, skay-no'-o; from G4636; to tent or encamp, i.e. (fig.) to occupy or (spec.) to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection and communion):--dwell.
      3. The word “dwell” in John 1:14 is more accurately translated “tabernacled” among us.
   3. The Lord had come to his temple (Malachi 3:1).
      1. But it was not a physical edifice.
      2. Jesus was not even allowed into the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 7:13-14)
      3. But that temple belonged to the old order that was passing away (Hebrews 8:13)
      4. Jesus was the new “temple” that even though men might seek to destroy it “and in three days I will raise it up.” But he was speaking “of the temple of his body.” (John 2:20, 22)
   4. Jesus was not merely a replacement for the temple built by Herod.
      1. He was the fulfillment and continuation of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple.
      2. He was the fulfillment of God’s promise through Haggai (Haggai 2:9) to make the latter glory of Zerubbabel’s temple even greater than that of Solomon.
      3. Jesus coming displayed once again, the glory of God, in the bodily presence of His son (John 1:14) “We beheld His glory, full of grace and truth.”
   5. Jesus came to show us the way home to the presence of the Father.
      1. We need not simply for God to come and dwell among us.
      2. We need to ascend in order to dwell with God.
      3. God’s permanent dwelling is not this sin-cursed earth (Genesis 3:17)
      4. Christ came not to bring heaven to earth, but to open the door to the heavenly temple, the true dwelling of God.
         1. Earthly tabernacle is merely a shadow or model of the true on in heaven.
7. Conclusion:
   1. The Temple of His Body: The Church (Next time)
   2. Would you like for Jesus to move in and live with you?
      1. Faith is absolutely essential for Christ to dwell in you (Ephesians 3:17)
      2. Faith can only be produced by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17)
   3. Did Jesus once live in you? Did you send him away from your temple?
   4. The Father’s desire for you and me: A prayer:
      1. Ephesians 3:16-19
      2. For the Father to come and live with us, each of us must come to him through faith in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:20)