Building God’ s House

The burden for Sunday was very clear. Usually I do not get the morning message (or the evening either, for that matter) until an hour before the service. But from Tuesday of the preceding week I knew that God wanted to emphasize the building of the eternal House of God, which is Christ—Head and Body.

(1/15/2006) In 1948 the Lord gave me three burdens that correspond to the last three feasts of the Lord. The last three feasts are, the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles. The three burdens are, war and vengeance against Satan; reconciliation to God until we are in God’s image in every detail of our personality; and finally the coming of the Father and the Son to dwell in That (Christ) which has been created in us.

The text was John 14:1-24. In this passage the Lord Jesus informs us that God has a house, and in that house are to be many rooms. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal dwelling place of God. We are being made rooms in that great house of God.

The fact that God has created us to be His dwelling place means that we have to be crucified with Christ. Every part of our personality must die, so to speak, and be raised again in Christ if is to be suitable as a habitation of God.

In America we have what are called "fixer-uppers." These are houses that have been allowed to deteriorate. If a person is willing, he or she can buy a fixer-upper for a lesser price than would be true if the house were in excellent condition. Then the new owner can fix up the house according to his or her desires.

So it is with us. We are fixer-uppers. However, in our case the old house has to be demolished and a new one constructed from the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you think of it this way we realize that God’s way of saving us is to crucify us. Flesh and blood cannot possibly enter the Kingdom of God.

God slays us by putting us in situations that are unpleasant, and keeping us there for many years sometimes. Also, He denies us our most intense desires. If we are willing to wait patiently for the Lord, He resurrects the things, circumstances, and relationships that ultimately will bring us love, joy, and peace. They then are our possession for eternity.

To be a genuine Christian is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ at all times. There is no other kind of true Christian. The rest merely are members of the Christian religion.

Does God need a house in which to live and express Himself? Both the Old and New Testaments state clearly that He does. What His temple in Heaven is like we do not know. But we do know that the Lord Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone as well as the Capstone of the new house that God is building. We also are living stones in God’s house if we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as Christ is formed in us.

If we are willing to obey the commands of Christ and His Apostles, Christ will be formed in us. Then the day will arrive when the Persons of Christ and the Father come and dwell in the new room of the eternal habitation of God.

When the eternal Tabernacle of God has been completed it will come down through the new sky and be established forever upon the new earth. This is the Bride of the Lamb, the glorified Christian Church. This is the new Jerusalem. All the creation of God will be governed for eternity from the new Jerusalem. The saints who compose the new Jerusalem will see the very Face of God—an unheard of privilege.

Therefore let us patiently work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are being built as a habitation for the living God. He knows how He wants each room furnished, just as we do when we buy a fixer-upper. This means that we must listen to Jesus day and night so we are able to submit to and cooperate with the changes God desires to make in us.

But think of the blessing we will be to our loved ones and the remainder of the creation when our thoughts, words, and actions reflect the Person, way, will, and eternal purpose of God in Christ! This pure witness of God is true of Christ. This pure witness of Christ is to be true of us. Then—and only then—the world will believe that God has sent Christ and loves His holy ones as He loves Christ.