The House of God - Part 3 - Revealing the Reality — Stephen Kaung

Christ as the Tabernacle and the Household of God

Will you please turn to the gospel according to John. John Chapter 1 Verse 14. John Chapter 1 verse 14. And the word became flesh and dwelt that is tabernacle among us and we have contemplated his glory a Glory as of an only begotten with a father full of grace and truth.

Efficience the letter to the Ephesians. Chapter 2 we will read from verse 19 through verse 22. Efficience chapter 2 verse 19. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners. But your fellow citizens of the Saints and of the household of God being built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone.

In home all the building fitted together Increases to a holy temple in the Lord. In home you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. Let's have a little prayer. Dear Lord as we continue in thy presence We pray that thou will Through thy written word Speak to us.

By thy spirit we thank thee that thy word is truth Thy word is life and thy word is spirit. So Lord do open our understanding and our heart and allow thy word to really come into Us in such a way that will reveal thyself to us.

Draw us to thee And be conformed to thy image. We trust thy Holy Spirit to do this work. We ask in thy precious name Amen. We have been Meditating together on the house of God. The house of God is not a human idea.

The house of God is in the heart of God. Even before the foundation of the world it was hidden In God's heart and yet we find He began to reveal What was in his heart? To his people. And the first one that really began to see the house of God Is Jacob.

God revealed to Jacob in a dream a letter That joins God and man together and through that letter God spoke to man and Jacob realized This is the house of God the gate of heaven. But unfortunately His Respond was not quite Full in other words.

He understood a little bit He understood that this is the house of God. But it is a terrible thing a fearful thing to be in the house of God to have the presence of God to Commune with God and even after God promised him with such great promises He could only take it a little bit.

But at least he had a faint understanding of what the house of God is that it is the gate of heaven and Then we also share together. How God continued to reveal The house of God through types. First we find he revealed it to Moses God said Build me a sanctuary That I may dwell among you.

And then later on We find God revealed the temple To David and Solomon built it. Now we have covered these in the past and We would like to continue on this morning and See that how? God began to reveal the reality of His house at the coming of our Lord Jesus.

The Tabernacle, Temple, and Failure of Israel

Now dear brothers and sisters When God revealed the house of God to Jacob He was not able to understand it fully. And his response Was rather weak. And when God gave the house of God in types We find that in the beginning Moses Who was faithful in the house of God He built everything According to the pattern on the mount and because of this when the tabernacle was set up You remember the glory of God filled that tabernacle.

But unfortunately because of the unfaithfulness of the children of Israel Even after they got into the promised land. You remember how the ark That is the real center of the tabernacle was captured by the Philistines and Even after the ark returned it never came back to the tabernacle.

The tabernacle was there It moved from place to place and at the time of Solomon it was in Gibeon and Yet the ark never returned To the tent in Shiloh not only it never returned to the tent in Shiloh But the children of Israel forgot the ark altogether for many many years.

Until David a man after God's own heart he found the ark in the field of the forest and When he became king he brought the ark To Mount Zion And put the ark in a tent there. So the picture you see is Even though the tabernacle was there With the great altar the candlestick The table of showbread even the golden altar of incense.

But in that tabernacle The presence of God was missing. In the holiest of all it was empty. David he had a heart to build God a permanent house a temple. God was pleased With his thought. But because he was a man of war who shed so much blood It could not represent the house of God which is peace and Yet God accepted His heart desire.

God gave him the pattern of the temple and David out of his love for the house of God He prepared lots of materials Gold silver all kinds of things for the building of the house, but it was Solomon Wisdom that built the house.

So when the temple was finished again, you'll find the glory of God filled that temple, but unfortunately again, you'll find the children of Israel became unfaithful to God and because of their unfaithfulness.

Eventually You'll find the temple Was destroyed by Babylon the children of Israel were taken captive into Babylon and They were there for 70 years. It was the mercy of God that stirred up the spirit of some of those in captivity to return to Jerusalem To rebuild the temple, but after the temple was rebuilt there was something missing there.

That temple that was rebuilt had no ark in the holiest of all but all these services went on. We had the priesthood there we have the Sacrifices there Everything Seemed to go on as usual. But the most important thing The ark, the presence of God Was not there.

When our Lord Jesus Came into this world the temple in Jerusalem was enlarged by King Herod. It was adorned with beautiful stones and the gifts consecrated gifts of people. It was a glorious temple. You remember even the disciples of our Lord show our Lord Jesus said behold This temple.

It was the pride of the children of Israel and yet there was no ark. The presence of God Was not there. In other words the very meaning of the house of God was not there, but thank God man's failure Only brings out God's glory.

Not because of the weakness of man God gave up What he had in his heart, no We find that God even Bringing more glory at the failure of man. So in the fullness of time We thank God God sent his only begotten Son Into the world to be a man.

The Word of God became flesh and When he became flesh and dwelt among man. The word dwelt is the same word as tabernacled. In other words When Jesus came into this world the house of God Appeared on the earth and we beheld the glory Even the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.

In other words here you find a man he was God. He became a man and he became the tabernacle The house of God the real house of God on earth and full of grace and truth. You remember when our Lord Jesus was 30 years old after he was baptized.

He went into the temple and he saw What happened there and he cleansed the temple and he said this is my father's house. And you make it a house of merchandise and because of this he was challenged. What sign do you give that you do such a thing.

And our Lord Jesus said in John chapter 2 destroy the temple and in three days I Will build it up now when the Jews heard about that They were so surprised. They said don't you know? That this temple has been building for 46 years.

And you say you destroy it and in three days to raise it up. They didn't know that our Lord was referring to his own body how they destroy his body the house of God but in three days He was raised from the dead.

Jesus as Emmanuel, the House of God

So dear brothers and sisters We find in spite of the failures of man God is faithful To himself he cannot deny himself What he had in his heart even before the foundation of the world. He will have it for himself and here you'll find He sent his own son into this world to be a man To accomplish What he had in his heart when our Lord Jesus was born or before he was born.

After Virgin Mary was conceived Joseph was thinking of Get rid of her quietly and then in a dream the angel of the Lord came to him and said this is the fulfillment of prophecy. A virgin Shall give birth to a child and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

In other words Mary a virgin Was conceived By the Holy Spirit and This child is Emmanuel and Emmanuel simply means God with man. Now brothers and sisters that is the very meaning of the house of God God with man in him.

God and man are brought together brothers and sisters here in Jesus in Christ Jesus We have a demonstration a Revelation of what the house of God really is. He is the house of God the perfect Sample now if you look into the life of our Lord Jesus You discover That how he demonstrate to the world That he is truly The house of God.

Let me put it in a very simple way. First of all, we find that the house of God is where dual God dwells with man that is the house of God and our Lord Jesus is the house of God because God Dwells with man Emmanuel.

But this dwelling is not just an out with thing because we find that God dwells in him and he dwells in God. It is an in dwelling when Philip said to our Lord Show us the father. And we will be satisfied.

And our Lord said Philip You have known me so long and yet You do not know that I am in the father and the father is in me. Don't you know that when you see me you see the father? Brothers and sisters throughout the life of our Lord Jesus You find that God dwells in him and he Dwells in God.

It's a mutual dwelling. The father never Left him and he never left the father only a very short time When he was on the cross For the first three hours God still dwells in him. He still dwells in God.

Because he can pray and said father Forgive them for they know not what they do and the father sustained him, but the last three hours of his Crucifixion God left him the house was deserted. He cannot address God as father.

He said my God my God. Why do you forsake me? I still want you. But why do you forsake me? Brothers and sisters. In that last three hours He suffered eternal death. He tasted hell Separation from God for our sake.

But throughout his life You find what a temple was dead there so glorious so beautiful admired by people. And it was empty. God was not there. But here was a man a man of Galilee despised Rejected and yet God dwells in him and he in God.

No separation, but only for our sake. There was a separation For three hours, but thank God Before he died the Bible said he commit his spirit. In other words There was a reunion. Because the work is done.

Dear brothers and sisters What is the house of God. The house of God is where God dwells in man and man in God. Secondly not only God dwells in man and is an indwelling. But we find that God communicates With man now that is what the house of God is.

Communion Between God and Man

Because you remember When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle He said in Exodus chapter 25 verse 23 there That is in the tabernacle in the wholeness of all there I will meet with you and I will speak to you.

In other words the house of God is where God communicates himself to man. Not only God communicates with man, but man communicates with God now. That is the house of God. Now in our house. What is it if in the house?

There is no communication? Say You have the husband and wife there, but they never spoke to each speak to each other. There was no communication. You cannot say this is a house. It's empty. Just as they were not there.

Brothers and sisters here we find in Christ Jesus that communion that communication Was unceasing Uninterrupted sweet harmonious glorious. The father always speaks to the son and the son always speaks to the father.

There was perfect communication. You remember our Lord Jesus his whole life was governed by the will of God. How does he know the will of God? Even his timing. He will not even go to the feast and he tell his brothers you go there.

Because your time is always ready. But my time has not yet come. Why. Because the father hasn't communicate It to him. He waited for the father. And yet Later on he knew and he went. In other words you'll find his whole life is in communion with his father.

Now in the Bible you will find many instances when our Lord Jesus prayed early in the morning he went to the wilderness to pray late in the night deep in the night He was praying. And all these are but indications.

But even when he was not outwardly as we're praying. There was that communion going on day and night unceasingly. Because he is the house of God. God spoke to him three times the heaven open. And God spoke.

This is my beloved son. In home, I'm well pleased Hear him. There was perfect communion in that house and not only that. But thirdly God Was worshipped and served. This is what the house of God is. The house of God is Where God is worshipped.

Worship, Service, and the Pattern of Christ

Now what is worship? Worship is not a formality worship simply means You put God in his rightful place and You stand yourself In your proper place. Now that's worship. No one on earth Puts God in his rightful place as Our Lord Jesus did When he came into this world.

The Bible tells us How he emptied himself of the glory and honor of being God The Son of God he emptied himself of all these things and He took up the form of a born slave. Now a born slave is one Who has no right of?

Anything He does not possess anything He is possessed he has no right even to his life. His life of death is the hand of his master and our Lord Jesus coming to become a man and The form he took Was the form of a born slave.

He give up every right and he allowed God To be all to him to be his Lord to master and throughout his life He obeyed He was obedient Even unto death and that the death of the cross. Brothers and sisters that is worship his whole life is a worship giving God his rightful place and Standing on the ground of a born slave and not only worship but served.

You'll find that throughout his life. How he served God, how do you serve God? You serve God by serving his will. If you serve and serve your will According to your will But not serve the will of the one whom you serve.

You're not serving you are serving yourself. You are not serving God and you remember even in Psalm 40 There was a prophecy about the Lord. In Psalm 40 says Sacrifice an offering God you do not Desire, but you prepare me a body.

No, I come to do your will. Because Your will is in my heart it is my pleasure to do your will. And This prophecy was fulfilled in our Lord Jesus. Because we find it in Hebrews Quoting the same thing concerning our Lord Jesus so you'll find his whole life is Service even though he Was serving man, but in serving man He was serving them.

According to God's will our Lord Jesus on earth is a perfect Example of the house of God brothers and sisters. God Gave us such a revelation such a demonstration In the life of our Lord Jesus. That we cannot fail to understand what the house of God really is.

But Our Lord Jesus as the house of God Is a demonstration. God wants to demonstrate to man what kind of a house That he will be pleased To dwell and rest. But God's purpose Is to include. So in a sense you'll find that our Lord Jesus is not only a Demonstration he is a pattern.

He is the pattern of the house of God and he came into this world to prepare for it. Not only to show what it is, but even to prepare for his Enlargement if I may put it that way. Because God wants to include man us into that house.

Christ Prepares the Church as His Bride

So when our Lord Jesus was on earth What was he doing? What was he looking for the Apostle John? Always went to the very heart of God. So there in the Gospel of John we are told That our Lord Jesus came into this world to seek for his bride.

He is the bridegroom because John the Baptist said I'm the friend of the bridegroom. I'm not the bridegroom. When I hear the voice the sound of the bride bridegroom I'm happy. He must increase I must decrease.

In other words Our Lord Jesus came into this world as a bridegroom looking for his bride looking for his like. Looking for people whom he can join together with. Feel them and express himself To be the real house of God in eternity.

But when he was on earth If you read the Gospels you'll find the people He was in touch with sinners, deaf blind crippled dead. That's all he could find. They were not his like. They could not be joined together with him to be the house of God as an expansion enlargement of himself.

So he had to prepare. He had to save to redeem to discipline to train to provide a material. For the building of the house of God now, that's what our Lord did when he was on earth. So not until very late towards the end of his ministry.

You remember in Matthew 16 He said on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and. Then again in Matthew 18 20 he said where two or three are gathered together in my name There am I in the midst of them.

That is the house of God. It's preparation and Thank God for Calvary for the cross. Because there on the cross He redeemed a people out of every people every nation every tribe every time God called out a redeemed people unto himself and on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down and in one spirit.

They became one body and we'll all drink of one spirit. That's where we are. So brothers and sisters here you'll find on earth. Today There is the house of God. Not in type but in reality. When Christ was on earth, he was the only one That really represents the house of God but after his death burial resurrection ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

We found from that time onward until now. There on earth is the reality of the house of God. What is the church? In first Corinthians Chapter 12 verse 13 verse 12 and verse 13. The body is one and has many members.

There are many members but one body. So also is the Christ for in one spirit You were baptized into one body. Whether of Jew or Gentile Bormann or Freeman and you were all made to drink of one spirit.

Brothers and sisters the Holy Spirit makes no mistake. The body is one but has many members. Many members but one body. We know what that is. That's the church, but the Holy Spirit's said So also is the Christ.

So what is the church? The church is the Christ. In other words it is Christ in his corporate expression. It is the enlargement of Christ. It is the fullness of Christ who fills all and in all that is what the church is.

In other words, whatever Christ is That is what the church is to be nothing less nothing more. It is the Christ. Thank God. Where two or three are? Gathered together in my name. Thank God. He has given us his name you remember.

In the last discourse of our Lord with his disciples before his crucifixion he promised a few things. One of the things he promises I will give you my name. You have never prayed in my name. But now I give you my name.

If you ask the father in my name He will do it for my sake. So dear brothers and sisters. Even though our Lord Jesus today is not physically here. He is in heaven. But he left his name with us. We are all called by his name where two or three Are gathered together in my name.

There am I in the midst of them that's the house of God when we really Take up the name of our Lord Jesus. His name is above every name. It's not a feminine formality. It is real If we get it together in his name.

That is to say We all put ourselves Under his name under his authority Under his headship. We are assured of his presence. Every time when God's people come together Representing the house of God we should Experience the presence of God.

You remember in first Corinthians chapter 14 when The church Gathered together and when people came in and heard they said God is in your midst. That is the house of God. The house of God is not an empty crushed Building.

What if we meet together and the glory of the Lord Does not fill the house. What if we meet together? And The Lord is not there. We lose the very meaning of our existence. The reason why we are together is not to have a social time is not I have a good time.

It's not to satisfy ourselves. Get something for ourselves. The reason why we are together is We are together with the Lord and the Lord is together with us. Not physically But spiritually and Spiritual is more real than physical the presence of the Lord if the presence of the Lord has left.

You remember when the ark was taken Eli's daughter-in-law gave birth and he said The glory is departed. The glory of the Lord has departed if that's the case. It's emptiness so brothers and sisters What we look for is The presence of our Lord his very presence in our midst, but there is a condition We have to gather together in his name.

That is we have to put ourselves down and allow him to be our head. Allowed him to express himself through us. Nothing satisfies God or satisfies us then His presence that is what the church is. It is not an external thing it is a reality every time when we come together.

We need to be able to say Thank God He's here and not only that but the house of God Is the place of communion or fellowship? Therefore the church is a fellowship and fellowship is sharing something in common.

Fellowship, Worship, and Service in the Church

Now, what do we have in common? Naturally speaking we are so different and yet then God there is something we have in common. We have Christ we have his life. We have his word. We have a spirit and We come together to share with one another.

Nobody is so selfish as to keep everything unto himself and will not share. And nobody Is so proud as to think They themselves are sufficient. The church is a fellowship as We fellowship with the father and with a son out of that fellowship.

We fellowship with our brothers and sisters. Communication fellowship not only vertically it begins with that and horizontally. Now if we do not have fellowship with the father and with a son. We have nothing to report To our brothers and sisters, but the Apostles they have much to report.

Why. Because they have such sweet fellowship with a father and with a son. So it is so important brothers and sisters Being the house of God. If there is no fellowship only social there's a club. That's not a church.

That's not a house of God. So we want to encourage brothers and sisters to fellowship. Now fellowship is not Just talking about Everything under the heaven. There is a time for it. Yes. Fellowship is sharing Christ and by sharing Christ We encourage we enlarge One another is a fellowship of love.

Do we love one another? Enough to be willing to share What Christ means to us and not only that? Just as our Lord Jesus is where God is worshipped and served. So as the house of God, this is where he is worshipped.

And served is he really worshipped. Do we really put him in his rightful place. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess That Jesus is Lord. That's worship. Do we really worship him in our singing? If we sing with our voice.

But not with our heart. There's no worship. Do we worship in our prayer if we just want God to do what we want and not? Want what he wants. Is that prayer. Is that worship if we are thinking of ourselves all the time and not of the Lord?

Is that worship? Who is worship not only our life? Should be a worship. This is the time When God's people come together our worship ascends as incense. Towards God satisfying his heart. Brothers and sisters are often feel When we come to the Lord's table.

Are we here? To be satisfied. Or are we here to satisfy him. After we have the Lord's table will our Lord said Today I'm satisfied or just we say well this Worship time is not good. I'm not satisfied.

Give him the rightful place together. Not just in your personal life, but together. Let's give him the rightful place and we stand in our proper place as born slaves With no right of any kind and Serve serving him Simply means doing his will if we are doing our will.

That's not serve. Being him we are serving ourselves. So when we come together brothers and sisters When we serve we serve according to his will by his strength. By spirit not by our own self. Not by might nor by power.

But by my spirit. Says the Lord our service is unto him not just unto man. Sometimes I'm thinking, you know every group Has a chance to serve To clean this place on Saturday. Once in a few weeks, I thank God that brothers and sisters served.

So on the last day when we come we find the place is clean and the chairs are there but my question is When you are doing these things not to say those people who are not doing them when you are doing these things Do you do it as unto the Lord?

Or as unto man if it is unto man, that's not service. If it's unto God Thank God. Because even when you are Putting the chairs There is a spirit behind it. The Lord will bless that action and will remember it even eternity.

Brothers and sisters, what a privilege we have so many opportunities To serve God By serving brothers and sisters. If you just have your heart open There's no lack of places to serve. We don't need to go to Africa to serve.

Right here, there's lots of Opportunities of God if we had the heart so brothers and sisters, this is what the house of God is and Finally You remember in 1st Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 the Apostle Paul Told Timothy he wrote these words to him That he may know how to behave in the house of God, which is The base and pillar of the truth.

Holiness, Unity, and Love in the House of God

So knowing what the house of God is We need to Know how to behave How to conduct ourselves in the house of God and I will just briefly mention three things. One is from the personal point of view. How should I? conduct myself in the house of God, I will say One word holy because the house of God is holy without holiness.

No one Can see God be holy because I'm holy. In other words, we need to be separated. It doesn't mean that we need to leave the world. It doesn't mean that you go to the mountain and be a monk. That's no separation because the world follows you in a monastery it is a spiritual reality we need to be separated from everything that is Not of God not only separated from the world from sin from our flesh from our self Holy because he is holy.

So how we need In our daily life to learn by the grace of God to be separated. The world will tell us the spirit within us Will show us we need to be a separated people. Now corporately we need to keep Diligently The unity of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace.

How do we keep our unity by putting ourselves? All under the headship of Christ as Colossians 2 19 put it in a positive way holding fast ahead that all the members of the body will be ministered to and United together and there will be the increase of God and then from the family point of view Because the house of God is a family the house of Okaka.

There is nothing more important than love. Even in the last supper you remember our Lord Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and Then he told us Love one another as I have loved you. This is my new commandment, so dear brothers and sisters Thank God that in spite of all the failures throughout the centuries of man God is able to reveal even more glory Not only in Christ But in the church As the house of God dear Lord We are really all By that glory, who are we that down should have such a Glorious thought Concerning us that thou wants us to be thy house.

Oh Lord pray that We may really see it in our heart that we may really Be able by thy grace to represent thy house. Even today on earth Lord, we want thee to enter into rest We offer ourselves afresh to thee.

For this purpose I precious name we pray.