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If you would open up your tablet, your phone, your Bible, flip over or punch in the reference

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of John chapter 1 verses 19 through 18.

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And we're going to look at this, we're going to call this part one this morning.

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Because there are a couple of themes, there are a few handful of themes in this section

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that it just is so difficult to choose which ones to leave on the floor and which ones

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to talk about.

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So, I narrowed it down to two and we'll kind of look at it over the next two weeks.

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So, there's one particular theme this morning, we'll talk about that in just a moment.

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If you would, in honor of the scripture, and all those who died so that this book could

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be placed in our hands, would you please stand with me as we read our text this morning.

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John chapter 1 verses 9 through 18.

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The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

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He was in the world and the world was created through him and yet the world did not recognize

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him.

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He came to his own and his own people did not receive him, but to all who did receive

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him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,

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who were born not of natural descent, nor of the will of man, but, nor of the will of

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the flesh, or the will of man, but of God, the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

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We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only son from the father, full of grace

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and truth.

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John testified concerning him and it's claim, this is the one of whom I said, the one coming

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after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.

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Indeed we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given

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through Moses and grace came, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

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No one has ever seen God, the one and only God who is himself God and is at the father's

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side, he has revealed them.

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We ask that you would open up the eyes of our heart and give to us, share with us, a spirit

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of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you.

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As we meditate upon the scripture this morning, we pray that the Holy Spirit would cause

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it to come alive so that in looking at the written word, we would come face to face with

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the living word in Jesus name I pray in and in.

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So this morning what I want us to do is I want us to look at a theme that's throughout

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scripture and I am not saying at the next and 35 minutes it is my desire that everyone

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believe exactly like me.

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What I want to do is for you to just be open to a survey of the scripture and just

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entertain with me an idea for a moment.

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Upon entertaining that idea and investigating it and maybe talking about it with someone

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you trust, you might find that you don't necessarily see or agree with this particular

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idea and that is fine with me.

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I am simply trying to be a faithful I can to the truth that I see and bear witness to it.

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Rather than try to indoctrinate other people with the arrogant assumption that you should

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all believe the way I believe that is not my desire.

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But I do have a burden on my heart and I would have to steal from the words of Dallas

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Willard who wrote a book over 20 years ago called the Divine Conspiracy.

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And in that book he coined a phrase that came alive and my soul has grabbed a hold of me

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and hasn't really let go every sense and the phrase that he coined was the Gospels of

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sin management.

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And the point that he was making is this we have truncated the Gospel and shrink it to just

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one aspect of the Gospel that the scriptures talk about and by and large ignored the significance

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of the larger message.

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And we've made the Gospel a set of affirmations about Jesus when we forget that Jesus himself

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is the first one who preached the Gospel.

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So whatever our understanding of the Gospel is we have to understand that if it begins with

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the death of Christ we've missed a significant portion of the Gospel message.

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And unfortunately most of us are taught to begin there or if not begin with the bad news

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that someone's a sinner and therefore separated from God and that's why Jesus died to

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pay that penalty so that they then could be forgiven.

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Some kind of version of that.

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But if that's our primary version of the Gospel we have to understand that actually is not

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anything that Jesus said.

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Now I am not saying that it's untrue.

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That aspect of the Gospel was very meaningful to me especially when I was in the dark days

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of my shame and my guilt and the only way that I could feel comfortable approaching God

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was that I was told because of the death of Jesus.

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I'm covered by his blood therefore I need no fear of his presence because I've been

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clove with the righteousness of Christ.

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And I appreciate that I am not denying that.

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But I am saying it's an aspect and what we have to remember is that the Gospel is themselves

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teachers that Jesus came teaching the Gospel and that is not his primary message.

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Jesus came to bring the revelation of the Father's heart.

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He is God in the flesh so that He's tangible, touchable, experiential so He could clarify

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our misunderstandings about Him.

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And if you read to the Gospels which we will highlight in our journey through John what

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we will see oftentimes, well I would say every time Jesus was never clarifying disbelief

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in God.

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His message was a consistent clarification of misunderstood belief about God.

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And he highlights in his speech and we can see it.

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He over and over acknowledges that some of that misunderstanding came from a misunderstanding

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of their religion and even their scripture.

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He is even so bold to make statements like you've heard it said that he'll quote from

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the sacred texts and then he has the audacity to say, but I tell you as though he's confessing

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I, the higher authority over the words in that book, I tell you this.

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So Jesus came to reveal the heart of the Father and to bring forth this announcement of

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good news which did not begin with your ascender, cut off from God.

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But rather God is drawn near to you and this kingdom is here and it is within you and

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you if you choose can live from your citizenry of heaven right now.

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You don't have to wait to begin after you die but you can live your life as a citizen of

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heaven in whatever country we all find ourselves living.

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It is not bound by politics and geography.

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The kingdom is driving all over the world and Jesus invites us to participate in the life

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of the kingdom which means we can either choose to live in the rhythm of the world.

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We can do that two ways.

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We can live from the rhythm of the world by pursuing a life of selfishness, greed and

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the pleasures of sin.

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Or we can live to the rhythm of the world by trying to consequence and mitigate the negative

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circumstances on our life by living a religiously moral life.

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That keeps us busy, keeps us feeling guilty, keeps us tired and exhausted.

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But we gotta hang on to it because that's the way we've been taught to manage our sin until

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we're free from the presence of sin.

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But we don't have to live in either of those rhythms.

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We can live in the rhythm of the kingdom of God responding to his very present spirit that

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has been given to us as a gift and if we are pulling air and life into our lungs, that

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alone is evidence of the manifest presence of God.

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And we need no mediation of religious systems or religious experiences in order for that

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to be real.

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Now our systems and our experiences, if they're doing their job, then they're increasing

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our awareness of this truth.

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But we all know that sometimes they go in a different direction and they actually create

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obstacles to the joy of living in that truth.

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So what I want to suggest is that the gospel is not primarily about sin management.

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It deals with sin as one of the variables are aspects of the gospel.

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But that's only to set us free from those things that we perceive as an obstacle to us.

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Not that they're an obstacle to him.

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I've been taught to teach the gospel in ways that begins with people being enemies of God.

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What Paul clarifies is, no, you were his enemy, but only in your mind, think that's a

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fusions, many collections.

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I was going to mix up every similar.

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What I am suggesting is from beginning to end, this is always about God's longing to

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dwell with his creation.

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That's what it was about from the very beginning, all the way down to the last bit of ideas

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that we encounter in the book of Revelation.

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It is as if the theme of God's dwelling provides the bookends of the story of creation,

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reconciliation, and restoration.

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It is about God's dwelling.

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It is not.

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The primary question is not, have your sins been forgiven.

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The primary question is not, are you a believer?

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The primary question is as your life characterise by a radical intimacy with the Almighty

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as you walk with Him as though you were walking with Him in the garden in the cool of the day.

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Even the garden of Eden itself is about the separation of a space for intimacy.

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It was the place of unhindered fellowship with God and with one another as the man and

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the woman were naked but not ashamed.

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This is what God's after.

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We want to be a community of the burning heart.

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It is not about a community that we are primarily preoccupied with the sins we are managing

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and overcoming.

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The management, the overcoming of sin is never the goal.

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It could be a means to the end because your sinfulness might be hindering a life of free

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enjoyment of intimacy with God because of the consequences and what it is building up in your

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mind and the damage it is doing to yourself and the damage it is doing to the people who

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love you.

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Certainly it is a significant topic that can't be brushed under the rug.

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I am just saying it is not the main point because even if I get free of sin just to take

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up a more positive idol that in which I express my greed and self-centeredness, I am not

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living in the freedom of the gospel.

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Gospel freedom is very simple.

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It is knowing that you are loved, that you will always be loved, that the main response

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of who are you is I am the beloved of God.

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That's God's believe and then this awareness we don't need discipline to live gospel

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principles because the one who successfully lived the gospel life has given his life to you.

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To live the gospel is an expression of trust, not discipline.

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It's yielding to the life of who you already are, not trying to improve who you think

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you are, who doesn't measure up.

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That's the invitation.

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But if that's true, then it needs to be true and I want you to see it in the scripture.

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Fasten your seatbelts, Christ, give me the church.

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I just built water all over myself.

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Call it a reception of a noointing.

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The theme of God's dwelling provides the bookends of the story of creation and restoration.

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The theme of God's dwelling is the good news of the gospel.

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If we won't look at it, we won't go back.

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I actually had to do a little cutting pasting.

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Actually, no, let's just jump in here.

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I don't need to give you explanations because you don't know what I left out.

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Revelation, here's where the story ends.

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Read you over Revelation 21 and here is the celebration.

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Then I heard a loud voice from the throne.

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Look, God's dwelling is with humanity and he will live with them.

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They will be his peoples and God himself will be with them and will be their God.

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Now I believe there was a time in history when this revelation might not have been accessible.

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But I also believe that what it's describing is now.

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It is not describing what happens when we fly away from here.

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That doesn't even really make sense to me.

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Because all the scripture points to the fact that right now, God's removed every obstacle

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and is dwelling is with us.

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This is the goal.

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This is what we're moving toward not to get people to stop doing bad things, not to get

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them to live a different kind of lifestyle.

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I mean, all of these things may happen.

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But the ultimate goal is to help one another understand we are never alone and we're never

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isolated the way we think we are.

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This God has made his dwelling with humanity and the ultimate expression of that is God's

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dwelling and the incarnation.

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So my thought this morning is that to be saved or to have faith is to recognize that

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you are the dwelling place of God because humanity is the dwelling place of God.

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Now let's see how this lines out in scripture.

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And if you are maybe your mind is already going, maybe you are a bit of a thinker and you're

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going, wait a second.

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I see, but think about reflect upon the story, there seems to be places in there where that

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doesn't seem to be true.

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Where does that work in?

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Well, I'm glad you asked.

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Because God is the same yesterday today and forever.

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But human awareness is not.

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Human discovery and knowledge and wisdom.

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It is not the same yesterday today and forever.

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It is constantly changing and evolving as we have new experiences and new data that we bring

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into our thought system and causes that awareness to expand.

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In the same way what we have in scripture is not a beginning single statement about God

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that just as the end understanding.

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There is a progression of humanity's awareness about the nature and character of God that

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you can see transpire through the narrative of scripture until it crescendos with the word

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became flesh and dwelt among us.

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And then the author of Hebrews will celebrate the fact that this is the final revelation

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of God.

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Because Jesus is the exact imprint of His nature.

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So if you want to see God most clearly peer into the life of Jesus and listen to His words.

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So we begin with this.

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We begin with the creation story that says that there was a moment in time when there was

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nothing that we see but rather there was chaos.

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There was something like an earth but it was primarily filled with water.

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This is what kind of the first chapter of Genesis describes.

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Now again, it's not a science textbook.

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I'm not trying to make a case scientifically of how the earth was once water and then this

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or that that's for other people with other different amounts of time on their hands than

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myself.

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I am just celebrating what is there in this great poem.

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I don't expect my poetry to teach me neurobiology.

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I expect my poetry to reveal beauty to me in ways that I cannot see it through the study

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of biology.

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And so these two poems are but begins with two poems, chapter one and chapter two.

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And so what we're told is that there was this sense of chaos but it was not separated

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from God because He chose to be there.

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In fact, the word that the poet uses is a fantastic word.

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It is hover, hover.

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And so we see in Genesis chapter one verses one and two, in the beginning God created

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the heavens and the earth.

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The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the

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spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

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Formless and void, darkness over the face of the deep and the spirit hovered over the

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waters.

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And if God is love as John reveals to us, then it means it is

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in love's nature to not be satisfied with just inward awareness but to move outward and to

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extend that love to cover others.

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And at the very beginning before the poet celebrates the bringing forth of humanity at all,

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even in the chaos of that original creation, God was not disconnected.

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He was there and He was hovering.

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And He has and has intent, the creation, first of a place for his creation to dwell and

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that light in.

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And then the creation of his humanity so that he then shares forth his love with us.

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So then we see He's hovering over the face of the earth.

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Now if you were raised in church, you're probably familiar with the story.

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If you weren't, I'm asking you to extend a little moment of trust with me, but you have

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the Google just fact check me after as all I asked, not during.

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But I'm fine with being fact checked.

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But as the story moves on, there is a story in the course.

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We know the tragedy of the story.

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Genesis chapter 3, which I have said before, I've tried to make the case.

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I actually don't think it is a moral tragedy.

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I think that is a relational tragedy that takes place in the garden because,

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that man and the woman are harmed by the deception to not trust the love of God.

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It's as simple as that.

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You can either be nourished by the tree of life, by walking with God in intimacy or bypass

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intimacy for knowledge of the systems so that you can master it.

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This is the choice that they're given.

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And tragically they choose poorly.

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But immediately God begins to chase after them.

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I mean, in simple terms, the point of this sermon is his heart will never stop chasing

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you, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.

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It will never stop chasing after you to reveal his love for you.

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So immediately there's this plan in place to bring them back and it begins with the man

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who's the father of a nation.

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And that nation itself is given at the beginning these magnificent promises of conquest

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and size and wealth and yet what they find themselves in is in bondage and slavery to another

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power in a foreign nation.

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And yet God's heart is for deliverance.

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To chase after them, to set them free so that He could be their God and they could be his

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people.

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So what does he do?

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We talked about a few weeks ago.

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He finds a human being.

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And he speaks to Moses.

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And Moses says, I'm not qualified for the job.

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And this is our first revelation.

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If you're nourished from the tree of the knowledge of good naval, you've got to have mastery.

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Just to know how to reject the bad and embrace the good and work the system.

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But if you're trusting God and walk with Him, He will be your source.

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And Moses learns this.

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He learns that his weakness serves two purposes.

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He allows him to deepen his dependence on the power of God and to recognize his interdependence

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in community.

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Because what Moses can't say, Aaron can't say.

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So once again, we see this revelation of the heart of God.

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He wants to reveal Himself to us, but He doesn't want to do it in isolation.

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He doesn't in the context of community.

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Even in the very beginning, I know I'm kind of ranting here.

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But even in the very beginning, I find it fascinating that you see this refrain.

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It's good.

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It was good.

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It was very good.

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And do you remember the first time the opposite phrase is he used not good?

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In that creation narrative, is anybody recall where the one time it's used of something

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not being good?

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Anybody remember?

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It's because the man was alone.

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And that wasn't good.

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And so he's revealing Himself in community and even with Moses.

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But Moses is what he does as he is ready to lead the people.

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He's brought them out of Egypt and they're wandering through the desert.

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And we're going to pick this story up in Exodus 33 because in order to lead the people,

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he had to first be led Himself.

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He had to be led by God.

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And so he sought radical relational connection with Yahweh and here was the plan.

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We see first the hovering of God over the earth, then we see the dwelling of God in a tent.

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Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside of the camp.

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Far off from the camp and he called it the tent of meeting.

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And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside

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the camp.

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Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up and each would stand

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at his tent door and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.

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When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance

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of the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses.

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And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all

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the people would rise up and worship each at his tent door.

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Unless the Lord used to speak to Moses, what's it say?

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Face to face.

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As a man speaks to his friend.

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When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua, the son of nun, a young man,

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would not depart from the tent.

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Now surely we all know the Almighty sovereign creator cannot be contained in a tent.

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So what does it mean that he chose to manifest his presence and meet with people in a tent?

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It shows us that God condescend to the limits of our understanding.

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He condescends down to the limits of our awareness because the people could understand

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a tent where you met with a friend and spoke face to face.

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So there is an awakening of the awareness of what this God is like.

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He manifests his presence this time in a place of intimacy.

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Again, intimacy is the key.

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This is why it's emphasized.

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It's a way from the people.

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It's a way from the hustle and bustle.

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It's a way from the noise.

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It's outside of the camp where to create this place of intimacy where a man could meet with

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God and speak to him as a man speaks with his friend.

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So we see the presence of God hovering over formless creation.

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Then we see the presence of God in a tent called the tent of meeting.

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And eventually Israel would get a revelation that we can make the tent larger.

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So more of us will fit in it.

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That tent was then called the Tabernacle.

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And we picked the story of that up over in Exodus 40.

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So we have God hovering over the earth.

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Then the dwelling of God in the tent.

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Then the dwelling of God in a Tabernacle.

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Exodus 40, 34th through 38.

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Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

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Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it.

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And the glory of the Lord did what it filled the Tabernacle.

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And they actually experiences as a physical manifestation of smoke saturating all of the

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atmosphere of the Tabernacle.

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Verse 36 throughout all their journeys.

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And they were the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle that people of that Israel

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would set out.

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But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken

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up.

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Why?

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Because the point, I mean, I'd say these wisdom pity things to you.

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And I'm not poo pooing them.

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I agree with the sentiments as far as they're concerned.

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But it actually was not about the journey.

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Nor was it about the sin management.

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It was about remaining in the dwelling of God, remaining in this place of deep, relational

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intimate connection.

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So if he was in the Tabernacle there were going to be in the Tabernacle.

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If he leaves the Tabernacle and lives on, they're packing up their things, including

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the Tabernacle, which that Tabernacle could be moved.

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And they would follow the cloud to where it hovered again.

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Verse 38 for the cloud of the Lord was on the Tabernacle by day.

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And the fire was in it by night.

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And the side of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

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So then let's move forward 300 years later.

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And now they have a land and a kingdom and a king and armies.

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And they fight against enemies and they conquer enemies.

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And they shrink their boundaries.

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And they expand their boundaries.

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Now they're ready for the permanent dwelling of God.

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Not a tent, not a Tabernacle, but now a temple.

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And here's what's interesting.

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The same thing that happened in the tent to meaning that happened again in the Tabernacle,

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now happens in the temple.

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Second Chronicles, chapter 7 verses 1 through 3.

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As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt

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offering and the sacrifices.

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And the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

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And the priest could not enter the house of the Lord, which just like Moses, because the

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glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house.

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When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the

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temple, they bow down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and

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gave thanks to the Lord saying, for He is good and for His steadfast love endures forever.

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The presence of God hovered over unformed creation.

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God was present in the creation.

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Then we see the presence of God in this intimate meeting place called a tent.

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Then we see the presence of God drawing near to the people in this temporary dwelling called

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the Tabernacle.

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And then once again we see the presence of God in this permanent dwelling called the temple.

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However, 285 years after that, one of Israel's most famous prophets will question this.

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And here's what he prophesies.

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As A66 verses one and two, thus says the Lord, do you see what's happening?

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You see the progression, tent, Tabernacle, temple, God acquiescing with His presence as the

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people's awareness of His nature and His heart is increasing over time.

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And now we have this little crescendo with Isaiah.

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And he says, that says the Lord, heaven is my throne.

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And the earth is my footstool.

402
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So now we're gone from tent, Tabernacle, temple to the stratosphere.

403
00:31:23,140 --> 00:31:24,140
Heaven is my home.

404
00:31:24,140 --> 00:31:27,060
Earth is just my footstool.

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What is the house that you will build for me?

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And what is the place of my rest?

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00:31:38,540 --> 00:31:43,020
All these things, my hand has made.

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And so all these things came to be, to clear the Lord.

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But this, this is the one to whom I will look.

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00:31:57,540 --> 00:32:06,020
He who is humble and can try and spirit and tremble at my word.

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00:32:06,020 --> 00:32:10,900
So now we have a hint of a deeper revelation.

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The presence of God hovering over the unformed earth.

413
00:32:15,700 --> 00:32:20,740
The presence of God dwelling in a tent.

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00:32:20,740 --> 00:32:25,660
The presence of God dwelling in a tabernacle.

415
00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:30,500
The presence of God dwelling in a temple.

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00:32:30,500 --> 00:32:34,580
And then Isaiah says, it's not enough.

417
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Why want to dwell with the humble and the contract?

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There is nothing you can build for me.

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But there is one to whom I will look.

420
00:32:48,460 --> 00:32:53,220
So as we track the history of the story, what we learn is that Nebuchadnezzar destroys

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that first temple in 586 BC.

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00:32:58,300 --> 00:33:04,820
And he also takes off with the arc of the covenant.

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00:33:04,820 --> 00:33:13,060
And if you have been taking your Bible seriously and watching all the Indiana Jones movies,

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00:33:13,060 --> 00:33:19,180
then you understand the significance of that lost arc.

425
00:33:19,180 --> 00:33:26,620
Because what it means is not only as the simple destroyed, but the presence has departed.

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The glory of Israel is gone.

427
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Never to be rediscovered in that context, ever again.

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00:33:45,540 --> 00:33:52,860
Then finally in the fullness of time, in around 20 BC, they began King Harry begins to

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00:33:52,860 --> 00:33:59,620
construction on a second temple in Jerusalem that's now occupied by Rome.

430
00:33:59,620 --> 00:34:09,420
And it started in 20 BC and the second temple is built with one significant exception.

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00:34:09,420 --> 00:34:16,740
We have no testimony of the cloud and the fire filling that temple.

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00:34:16,740 --> 00:34:24,180
It's the heart, the arc, is not returned.

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00:34:24,180 --> 00:34:31,860
So there is no symbolic gesture showing that God has chosen to make His dwelling in that

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00:34:31,860 --> 00:34:34,860
second temple.

435
00:34:34,860 --> 00:34:39,380
And in fact it becomes a very different beast altogether.

436
00:34:39,380 --> 00:34:48,780
And in time in 70 AD, that temple is destroyed by the Emperor Tides.

437
00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:54,020
His presence hovered over the uncreated chaos of the earth.

438
00:34:54,020 --> 00:35:00,020
His presence was seen in a tent.

439
00:35:00,020 --> 00:35:04,460
His presence was then seen in a tabernacle.

440
00:35:04,460 --> 00:35:14,660
His presence was then seen in a temple and it was lost until His presence came to earth

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00:35:14,660 --> 00:35:19,900
in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus.

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00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:25,940
There is a day where the presence of God enters that second temple.

443
00:35:25,940 --> 00:35:32,060
And it's when Mary and Joseph carried this infant into the temple.

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00:35:32,060 --> 00:35:45,420
And we have these celebrations from Simeon and Anna because they understand what this means.

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00:35:45,420 --> 00:35:52,900
Hovered over creation in a tent in a tabernacle in a temple in John 14 and the word

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00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:58,540
became a lash and dwelt among us.

447
00:35:58,540 --> 00:36:03,580
And we have seen His glory glorious the only Son from the Father, full of grace and

448
00:36:03,580 --> 00:36:04,580
truth.

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00:36:04,580 --> 00:36:05,580
You know what?

450
00:36:05,580 --> 00:36:08,220
Here's another way it could be said.

451
00:36:08,220 --> 00:36:12,180
But if this phrase isology doesn't work for you, I'm not claiming that it's the way

452
00:36:12,180 --> 00:36:17,260
you have to believe in talk.

453
00:36:17,260 --> 00:36:22,980
One way I've come to read this over the years is that the connection point of heaven and

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00:36:22,980 --> 00:36:29,980
earth was once over a formless void where the Spirit hud.

455
00:36:29,980 --> 00:36:36,260
Then the touching place of heaven and earth was in this place called the tent of meeting

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00:36:36,260 --> 00:36:41,900
where they could see the presence of God come down and meet with humanity and speak with

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00:36:41,900 --> 00:36:47,260
them as a man speaks with his friends.

458
00:36:47,260 --> 00:36:53,740
And then it expands in the meeting place of heaven and earth is a tabernacle that once again

459
00:36:53,740 --> 00:36:57,980
is celebrated with the nine of this presence of God.

460
00:36:57,980 --> 00:37:04,100
And then we track the story and we see the meeting place of heaven and earth is in

461
00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:10,140
a temple that eventually is destroyed.

462
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Now the meeting place where heaven kisses the earth is humanity.

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That is a significance of the incarnation of the Word of God.

464
00:37:28,020 --> 00:37:30,380
Make flesh.

465
00:37:30,380 --> 00:37:36,100
Now we're starting to see you're that tent.

466
00:37:36,100 --> 00:37:43,420
You are that tabernacle. You are that temple and you can walk outside and see an

467
00:37:43,420 --> 00:37:49,580
infinite host of other image bearers that have become the dwelling of God.

468
00:37:49,580 --> 00:37:59,580
My friends, we are not abandoned and regardless of how dark it seems, we are never

469
00:37:59,580 --> 00:38:02,220
away from the presence of God.

470
00:38:02,220 --> 00:38:10,020
What's a Psalmist say, even if you go make your bed in shill, you travel to the furthest

471
00:38:10,020 --> 00:38:12,380
seas.

472
00:38:12,380 --> 00:38:18,060
There he is.

473
00:38:18,060 --> 00:38:22,460
Which I think it's pretty powerful because I think there were some believers that would

474
00:38:22,460 --> 00:38:27,020
assume God's presence is in fact not in shill.

475
00:38:27,020 --> 00:38:31,860
That even in the place of the dead he is there.

476
00:38:31,860 --> 00:38:33,980
But we're not done.

477
00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:38,580
God's plan moves even beyond that.

478
00:38:38,580 --> 00:38:46,220
Dwelling in creation, in attenentenentenable in Jesus and the crescendo revelation, the

479
00:38:46,220 --> 00:38:54,780
presence of God dwelling in us in humanity.

480
00:38:54,780 --> 00:39:03,020
Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what was

481
00:39:03,020 --> 00:39:08,220
lacking in Christ of the afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church of which

482
00:39:08,220 --> 00:39:13,420
I became a minister, according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to

483
00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:18,900
make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations.

484
00:39:18,900 --> 00:39:26,380
But now revealed to his saints to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles,

485
00:39:26,380 --> 00:39:30,500
which means everyone else in the earth other than Israel.

486
00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:33,780
Are the riches of the glory of this mystery?

487
00:39:33,780 --> 00:39:37,380
What is a mystery Paul and glad you ask?

488
00:39:37,380 --> 00:39:44,420
It is Christ in you the hope of glory.

489
00:39:44,420 --> 00:39:50,020
This is the mystery to which we have been invited to look and peer into.

490
00:39:50,020 --> 00:39:54,420
God's dwelling is in us as people.

491
00:39:54,420 --> 00:39:59,940
If we go back and look at the more clear teachings of Jesus, let's just take a couple of

492
00:39:59,940 --> 00:40:03,340
of them that we are going to eventually get to, John 14.

493
00:40:03,340 --> 00:40:07,580
We should be there about 2034.

494
00:40:07,580 --> 00:40:09,940
John 14.

495
00:40:09,940 --> 00:40:12,740
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

496
00:40:12,740 --> 00:40:17,780
God will ask the Father and He will give you another helper to be with you forever, even

497
00:40:17,780 --> 00:40:22,020
the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him, nor knows

498
00:40:22,020 --> 00:40:23,020
him.

499
00:40:23,020 --> 00:40:34,620
You know him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

500
00:40:34,620 --> 00:40:37,060
Get your guilt taken care of.

501
00:40:37,060 --> 00:40:43,580
Recognize that in Christ the principle of sin is destroyed.

502
00:40:43,580 --> 00:40:49,860
Epistle celebrate this truth, but sin management is not your goal.

503
00:40:49,860 --> 00:40:58,660
It's living from a revelation that that God who hovered and you met with people intense

504
00:40:58,660 --> 00:41:04,260
and in tabernacles and in temples and then walked the earth as the incarnated Son of

505
00:41:04,260 --> 00:41:15,380
God has made His dwelling place in you, my friends, that is the mystery.

506
00:41:15,380 --> 00:41:18,580
Again, John 14.23, Jesus answered him.

507
00:41:18,580 --> 00:41:23,780
If anyone loves me, He will keep my word and my Father will love Him.

508
00:41:23,780 --> 00:41:25,100
Look at this.

509
00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:35,020
And we will come to Him and make our home with Him.

510
00:41:35,020 --> 00:41:37,300
What does it mean to be saved?

511
00:41:37,300 --> 00:41:45,420
It means that you are living from a conscious awareness that you are the home of the Almighty.

512
00:41:45,420 --> 00:41:47,740
It is nothing less than that.

513
00:41:47,740 --> 00:41:54,620
If you eradicate all your cussing, all your notties shows on Netflix, all your bad

514
00:41:54,620 --> 00:41:57,740
attitudes and you only address it.

515
00:41:57,740 --> 00:42:07,100
You only dance if it's not sensual, which I have not mastered yet.

516
00:42:07,100 --> 00:42:14,860
And yet you have never awakened to the dignity that you were the dwelling of the Almighty.

517
00:42:14,860 --> 00:42:20,740
Then I might very humbly suggest that you've missed the point.

518
00:42:20,740 --> 00:42:28,220
Because this is what this is all about, this is the invitation.

519
00:42:28,220 --> 00:42:33,940
And then as Christians as we come to a close, that's a trick phrase.

520
00:42:33,940 --> 00:42:40,820
We may or may not be closing, but now you think we are.

521
00:42:40,820 --> 00:42:45,620
That's true of you.

522
00:42:45,620 --> 00:42:52,940
You can, in front of you, look behind you, look to your right, and to your left, because

523
00:42:52,940 --> 00:42:58,700
it's also true of all of these individuals you see.

524
00:42:58,700 --> 00:43:12,300
When you leave here, and you go to Poppa's and obey the Apostle Paul to buffet your flesh.

525
00:43:12,300 --> 00:43:17,540
It's a piece of basicly solid bar that has some pizza on it, so it's okay.

526
00:43:17,540 --> 00:43:24,980
When you're enjoying your food, you're in the holy of Holies.

527
00:43:24,980 --> 00:43:31,100
Do you realize sitting in your restaurant this afternoon, you could easily take off your

528
00:43:31,100 --> 00:43:38,780
shoes because you are walking on holy ground why because containers of the presence will

529
00:43:38,780 --> 00:43:42,460
be all around you.

530
00:43:42,460 --> 00:43:48,020
This is what we're supposed to see, but if we're nervous from the knowledge of the

531
00:43:48,020 --> 00:43:53,860
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then we see categories, some fit in good, some

532
00:43:53,860 --> 00:43:55,020
fit in evil.

533
00:43:55,020 --> 00:44:01,820
Those categories allow us to assess and evaluate people, to judge others, to reward some,

534
00:44:01,820 --> 00:44:03,220
to punish others.

535
00:44:03,220 --> 00:44:10,460
We get to entertain this whole system and we've missed the point of walking together

536
00:44:10,460 --> 00:44:14,860
in the garden, in the presence of God, in the cool of the day.

537
00:44:14,860 --> 00:44:18,420
He reminds us in Matthew 2540.

538
00:44:18,420 --> 00:44:20,140
We won't go into the whole story.

539
00:44:20,140 --> 00:44:24,980
We talk about it here quite a bit, because it's as formed this particular story, Matthew 25,

540
00:44:24,980 --> 00:44:28,180
really speaks to the ethos of this community.

541
00:44:28,180 --> 00:44:30,580
Matthew 2540, and the King will answer them.

542
00:44:30,580 --> 00:44:37,300
Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, my brothers, and the

543
00:44:37,300 --> 00:44:46,580
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

544
00:44:46,580 --> 00:44:50,780
I love it that we can come in here and see these wonderful songs.

545
00:44:50,780 --> 00:44:52,500
I love this worship team.

546
00:44:52,500 --> 00:45:00,940
And when I say that, I don't just mean as a unit and as a concept, I know these people, some

547
00:45:00,940 --> 00:45:10,220
of them have laughed some of my deepest belly laughs with, and some of them I've set with

548
00:45:10,220 --> 00:45:13,220
them and wept.

549
00:45:13,220 --> 00:45:15,820
So I love worship.

550
00:45:15,820 --> 00:45:22,460
I love this, but we can never forget the quickest way to God's presence.

551
00:45:22,460 --> 00:45:32,540
It isn't in songs we sing or in services we attend, but it's when we touch the broken.

552
00:45:32,540 --> 00:45:40,580
That is the most direct access point to the presence of God.

553
00:45:40,580 --> 00:45:45,980
What we do to the least of these, his brothers and sisters.

554
00:45:45,980 --> 00:45:56,140
So as we get ready, the clothes, trick phrase number two, I want us to take this in for

555
00:45:56,140 --> 00:45:58,540
just a moment.

556
00:45:58,540 --> 00:46:03,220
I want you to take a moment to create some spaces we get ready for common communion, to

557
00:46:03,220 --> 00:46:09,580
really hold space to think about what it means that God wants you to be his dwelling, and

558
00:46:09,580 --> 00:46:14,940
he wants you to treat other humans as his dwelling.

559
00:46:14,940 --> 00:46:18,060
Now in order to begin to walk this out, it takes practice.

560
00:46:18,060 --> 00:46:20,980
It's not going to happen because of one sermon or a book.

561
00:46:20,980 --> 00:46:21,980
It takes practice.

562
00:46:21,980 --> 00:46:26,500
We have to return to this over and over again, but I was always praying, I really wanted

563
00:46:26,500 --> 00:46:29,500
to think about two things.

564
00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:34,100
When we talk about being the presence of God, most of us were raised in the systems that

565
00:46:34,100 --> 00:46:38,140
told us, here are the ways you get into God's presence.

566
00:46:38,140 --> 00:46:40,660
You read your Bible, you pray.

567
00:46:40,660 --> 00:46:44,660
Maybe you memorize some scriptures, maybe you go door to door, maybe you don't dance,

568
00:46:44,660 --> 00:46:49,820
you don't custer to, or run around with men and women who do whatever it may be.

569
00:46:49,820 --> 00:46:57,060
And so when they hear that, there is a reaction that's rooted in fear, woundedness, exhaustion,

570
00:46:57,060 --> 00:46:59,140
and being beat up.

571
00:46:59,140 --> 00:47:05,980
I am not saying you have to do X, Y, Z in order to be in the presence of God.

572
00:47:05,980 --> 00:47:09,020
I am saying you're already there.

573
00:47:09,020 --> 00:47:16,020
Our work is not one of achievement or accomplishment, but just awareness of what's already

574
00:47:16,020 --> 00:47:18,780
been achieved and accomplished.

575
00:47:18,780 --> 00:47:20,700
That's where our discipline comes in.

576
00:47:20,700 --> 00:47:27,780
So, it might be that you are in a very active season.

577
00:47:27,780 --> 00:47:32,020
So walking out this revelation is going to look different for you.

578
00:47:32,020 --> 00:47:36,140
Is there times in seasons where you leave and go away and get an isolation?

579
00:47:36,140 --> 00:47:37,140
Sure there are.

580
00:47:37,140 --> 00:47:43,460
But have you ever been in a season where something like that is just a big fat pipe

581
00:47:43,460 --> 00:47:45,460
dream?

582
00:47:45,460 --> 00:47:49,180
Probably we're all in different places here.

583
00:47:49,180 --> 00:47:53,580
So, if you're in a particularly active season, I'm not saying overhaul your life and

584
00:47:53,580 --> 00:47:55,500
start looking like a monk.

585
00:47:55,500 --> 00:48:04,340
What I am saying is it begins by acknowledging the presence of God in the chaos itself.

586
00:48:04,340 --> 00:48:08,620
And I am exhausted taking care of toddlers.

587
00:48:08,620 --> 00:48:14,940
When I'm exhausted because the increased demands at work, when I'm exhausted because there's

588
00:48:14,940 --> 00:48:20,340
tension and miscommunication in my home.

589
00:48:20,340 --> 00:48:25,940
And when if I do get quiet, I know I'm going to fall asleep because I'm exhausted.

590
00:48:25,940 --> 00:48:31,420
Within, become aware how you bring God into that chaos with you.

591
00:48:31,420 --> 00:48:34,620
What am I favorite ways was the discipline I learned or I practiced.

592
00:48:34,620 --> 00:48:38,020
I learned called breath prayers.

593
00:48:38,020 --> 00:48:43,780
It might just be that right now in the season of your life, your devotional looks like

594
00:48:43,780 --> 00:48:47,820
a series of breath prayers that you pray throughout the day.

595
00:48:47,820 --> 00:48:52,540
Now because we're a trinitarian here at Christ's minute church, my illustration will be

596
00:48:52,540 --> 00:48:54,380
a trinity of breath prayers.

597
00:48:54,380 --> 00:48:59,500
But my hope is you eventually begin to cultivate your own.

598
00:48:59,500 --> 00:49:03,420
So here you are in the midst of the craziness and you're exhausted.

599
00:49:03,420 --> 00:49:07,780
But you remember your dignity is a dwelling place of God even you don't feel like it.

600
00:49:07,780 --> 00:49:14,060
So maybe all you've been utter is Jesus Christ have mercy on me.

601
00:49:14,060 --> 00:49:17,660
Oh, I pray that a lot when I'm busy.

602
00:49:17,660 --> 00:49:28,140
In fact, if you say pray for me and I say I will, that used to mostly be lies because I never

603
00:49:28,140 --> 00:49:31,540
really went back and prayed for anybody.

604
00:49:31,540 --> 00:49:39,180
But now it is 100% true because if I'm busy and I'm forgetting, forget and I get to have

605
00:49:39,180 --> 00:49:43,300
a momentary conversation with NAN and she says, already pray for me, you know what I do?

606
00:49:43,300 --> 00:49:51,820
I will go to my truck and I'll say, Lord Jesus for, for NAN May Lord have mercy.

607
00:49:51,820 --> 00:49:57,100
Jesus for my friend Derek, Lord have mercy.

608
00:49:57,100 --> 00:50:02,060
For my friend Rachel, Lord have mercy.

609
00:50:02,060 --> 00:50:05,820
Or maybe you'll pray this risky breath prayer.

610
00:50:05,820 --> 00:50:08,420
You've got your chaos, you're losing your patience.

611
00:50:08,420 --> 00:50:13,900
You don't feel Christian nor really even spiritual.

612
00:50:13,900 --> 00:50:20,380
And you breathe in and you say, Holy Spirit, you're welcome here.

613
00:50:20,380 --> 00:50:27,260
I want to know your intuitive wisdom that's already in my heart.

614
00:50:27,260 --> 00:50:30,940
I don't even have to seek it, but help me be aware of it.

615
00:50:30,940 --> 00:50:37,260
Or maybe you're exhausted and you're heartbroken and the only thing you can amunt master

616
00:50:37,260 --> 00:50:43,980
because your circumstances are insane and because your faith is weak is you just say,

617
00:50:43,980 --> 00:50:52,700
I'm yours.

618
00:50:52,700 --> 00:50:56,820
There's a great story of a saint that blended both extended time in the Lord and breath

619
00:50:56,820 --> 00:50:57,820
prayers.

620
00:50:57,820 --> 00:51:01,100
One of my favorite saints, Saint Francis of his CC.

621
00:51:01,100 --> 00:51:05,220
This was a testimony of one of his brothers that he was traveling with and it came time

622
00:51:05,220 --> 00:51:09,540
for them to go to bed and the brother went to bed and he said, he felt the legality

623
00:51:09,540 --> 00:51:14,260
of it, but he peaked over to see what Francis was doing and Francis was at the side of his

624
00:51:14,260 --> 00:51:23,860
bed kneeling with his arms saying, I got my all, my God, my all.

625
00:51:23,860 --> 00:51:28,300
And the testimony of the brother is the next morning when he woke up, he opened his eyes

626
00:51:28,300 --> 00:51:33,500
and rolled over, looked at Francis's bed and Francis hadn't moved.

627
00:51:33,500 --> 00:51:39,900
He's still there at the side of his bed, eyes closed and as if he's looking at an angel,

628
00:51:39,900 --> 00:51:49,100
just in my God, my all, my God, my all, that may be it and that is fine.

629
00:51:49,100 --> 00:51:53,740
That's what will bring your awareness into the reality that you are the dwelling place of

630
00:51:53,740 --> 00:51:54,740
God.

631
00:51:54,740 --> 00:51:58,620
And I inverted the time, I thought it said 12, but it says 21.

632
00:51:58,620 --> 00:52:06,540
So we will close with this, but if you have time to slow down, you have time to carve

633
00:52:06,540 --> 00:52:08,860
out that space.

634
00:52:08,860 --> 00:52:15,220
I would encourage you, one of the ways that this conviction has grown in me is in praying

635
00:52:15,220 --> 00:52:17,100
the liturgy.

636
00:52:17,100 --> 00:52:21,220
Written prayers are mostly reciting scripture.

637
00:52:21,220 --> 00:52:27,580
So you might consider taking time to slow down, pray the liturgy.

638
00:52:27,580 --> 00:52:29,580
Most of the elders do on Sunday mornings now.

639
00:52:29,580 --> 00:52:37,580
We've got a four-page liturgy that we sit around and we just take terms praying through

640
00:52:37,580 --> 00:52:40,460
the liturgy.

641
00:52:40,460 --> 00:52:42,420
Sit with Jesus.

642
00:52:42,420 --> 00:52:45,140
Be still and listen.

643
00:52:45,140 --> 00:52:50,580
Don't just quickly read scripture, prayerfully read scripture.

644
00:52:50,580 --> 00:52:56,580
Write more walks and practice loving kindness.

645
00:52:56,580 --> 00:53:02,500
For when you do, this is your real offering to Jesus.

646
00:53:02,500 --> 00:53:09,740
If you would open up your tablet, your phone, your Bible, flip over or put it in your