Upper Room Expansion

14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

BIG IDEA:

We will build space for the mission God has called us to.

1. We need a space…MAKE ROOM

If you want to eat you go to the table

If you want to sleep you go to bed

If you want to shower you go the the bath room

Every family needs a home.

Mechanics have garages

Cooks have kitchens

Stylists have salons

Each of these activities demand a space.

Mission

To SHARE new life in Christ

To GROW as disciples of Christ

To EQUIP for the work of Christ

The tasks and activities that fulfill this mission demand a space

Genesis 1:7 NKJV

7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

In the beginning God created everything.

On day two He made a space, a “firmament” and He called it heaven. We call it sky. He separated the atmospheric waters from the sea so that...

On day three - two verses later He gathered the sea waters together and let dry land appeared.

God would meet with man there, but

Think about it...

Gardens

Alters

Arks

Tabernacles and Temples

All require space.

2. We need a prepared space…MAKE READY

We make the bed

We set the table

We furnish the kitchen

....

A. The Earth

Before Adam was formed God prepared a place. The earth and a garden paradise called Eden. Before Adam took one breath, God spent the better part of six epic days creating the ideal environment for Adam’s fellowship and fulfillment.

As God rules in the invisible, Adam was created to rule as the image of God in the newly created visible realm.

While God does all things well, people often don’t.

Through choices, Adam and Eve, lost the farm, if you will, and what began in perfection devolved and regressed into a troubled world.

But God doesn’t give up and He always has a plan!

He always prepares a place!

But today I want to point out that

- there is still something of God in us all.

- We prepare for spiritual fellowship and connection

By God’s design, while He makes provision, we prepare also

And God put man to work engaging in the natural realm to create spaces that intersect with the invisible realm and purposes of God.

B. Alters

Scripture says, "without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb 9:22)

God required sacrifice and men began building ALTERS...

From Abel’s Alter to Noah’s Boat, God instructed and men built, creating spaces that foreshadowed and modeled that which they couldn’t see.

They sacrificed spotless lambs - before they understood the lamb of God.

C. Noah’s Ark

Noah built an Ark never knowing … about Baptism

Hebrews 11:7 KJV

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

1 Peter 3:20–21 KJV

20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

But he built for his wife and he built for his sons and their wives and all those that would come.

D. Tower of Babel

In the land of Shinar they found that mere ambition, and cooperation is not enough.

The Tower of Babel was intended to reach the heavens and make a name for the people.

The tower of Babel ended in judgement and division.

The purpose must

Come from Him so that it Aligns with

Heavenly Order and

Timing

Jacob was running for his life.

He desperately desired God’s blessing, but was willing to lie, cheat and steal to get it. His motivation was right, but his methods were wrong.

Weary, exhausted, and running out of daylight, he laid his head on a stone, went to sleep and in a dream saw a ladder stretching from Heaven to Earth, with angels ascending and descending. Then God appeared and renewed the covenant.

At Bethel, the Lord reveals His answer to Babel: He will build a way to connect earth and heaven; He will build it in the land; and He will build it through Jacob’s seed (28:13–14) (Peter Leithart)

Jacob rose from that experience, began building alters and said,

Genesis 28:16 NKJV

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

E. Tabernacle

Moses - Temple pattern

David - Gathered

Solomon - Built dedication

The following on the priest is from a Spurgeon sermon titled “A Prepared Place”.

Priest on Day of Atonement:

But there would have been no heaven, in the presence of God, for any man that lives, after sin had once come into the world, if Jesus had not gone there as the high priest

As the high priest of old went up to the blazing throne whereon the shekinah shone, and sprinkled it with blood out of the basin, and then waved the censer to and fro till the thick smoke hid the cherubim, and, for a while resting, spake with God.

Even so, has Christ gone within the veil, and sprinkled his own atoning blood upon his Father’s throne, and then waved aloft the censer full of the incense of his mercy; and now it is safe for us to have access with boldness to the throne of GLORY as well as to the throne of GRACE.

Thus hath he prepared a place for us.

End Quote

F. Upper Room

• Psalm 104 refers to God’s “upper chambers” in His heavenly residence (Psa 104:3, 13).

Yet not all who built did so because of direct command

Some built out of simple Priority and Recognized Need:

The Shunamite Woman and her son (2 Kings 4:8-37)

• A wealthy woman at Shunem provided Elisha with an upper room in which he could stay when he visited (2 Kgs 4:10–11).

2 Kings 4:10–11 NKJV

10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there.

The promise of children

Miracles for the children - “mY HEAD. My head” - Heads are under attack!

• Elijah raised the widow’s son after bringing him up to the upper room (1 Kgs 17:19–23).

The Last Supper and Pentecost

Luke 22:7–13 NKJV

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” 9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?” 10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.” 13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Acts 1:12–14 NKJV

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Acts 2:1–4 NKJV

1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

3. We need a space now…MAKE HASTE

“The king's business requires haste” is a phrase from the Bible, 1 Samuel 21:8, where David asks Ahimelech if he has a spear or sword because he didn't have time to grab his weapons. The priest replies, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here”.

John 14:2 NKJV

2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

4. God calls us to give…MAKE SACRIFICE

David threshing floor of onan

David had sinned in numbering Israel and the angel of the Lord executed a plague upon the people.

But the Lord had mercy and stopped the angel.

1 Chronicles 21:22–24 NKJV

22 Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” 23 But Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all.” 24 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”