Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Why?

Because they were troubled.

they were trouble because Jesus was leaving them, and they could not go where he was going.

What?

Where?

When?

Way?

Introduction

Revelation 21:3–4

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Genesis 3:8 = God walking.

From the beginning, it would appear that it has been God's intention to be with people He created.

Adam, apparently, was familiar with the sound of God walking in the garden.

Since it was an audible sound, there is no need to make this event a spiritual one.God physically walked.

God took up space and time and was subject to gravity in order to make sound.

This is not sacrilege.

This is what the Bible says.

In reality, the fall was an inhibition of God's freedom to "walk" with His people in this manner.

There are other times of "walking.

"Enoch "walked" with God (Genesis 5:22).

Noah was said to have "walked" with God (Genesis 6:9).

"going down" to look at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:5).

"going down" to see Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:21, 33).

Abraham was commanded to "walk" before God blamelessly (Genesis 17:1; and he did-Genesis 24:40).

God walked in the midst of the camp of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:14).

Genesis 48:1515 He (Jacob) blessed Joseph, and said,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

Micah 6:8

8 He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Malachi 2:4–7

4 “Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says the Lord of hosts.

5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

6 “True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.

7 “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

And, in the NT, the idea of "walking" is even more profuse and intimate.

Ephesians 4:1–2

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

1 Thessalonians 2:10–12

10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;

11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,

12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

The point is this: God is not a God a far off, but He is near…near to His people, if they are holy and walk blamelessly before Him.

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

This is testified of in the OT:Ex 29:45; Lev 26:12; Jer 31:1; Ezek 37:27

The most profuse and powerful "walking" among men that God ever did was in Jesus Christ:

John 1:17

John 2:11

11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

This walking took walking among men to an all-new level when He actually became one of them.

What you need to understand is: God wishes to be intimate with His people.

God cannot be intimate with those in unrepentant sin.

God can only "walk" with the blameless.

Now, What does this have to do with John 14:2-3?

Everything!

Let's consider the tabernacle/temple in order to understand what Jesus meant when He spoke of the Father's house etc…

The point of today's message is this:

God's original design was that His children be in His house forever.

That plan will come about.

It cannot be damaged in any way.

To be in the house of God is to see Him.

To see Him is the very point of all existence.

The House of God

John 14:2-3

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

3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

"In my Father's house…"OT = 'bet' (also מִשְׁכָּן = tabernacle)NT = 'oikia'

What is Jesus saying here?

Remember, He is not speaking to men who are unfamiliar with the term: "house of God."

The phrase is used 216x's in the OT and has varied reference.

Earthly tabernacle - Joshua 6:24

Earthly temple - Isaiah 2:2

However, it does not appear to ever refer to a heavenly temple, tabernacle or dwelling place.

"dwelling place" =2 Chronicles 6:38–39

38 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name,

39 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

A place of sitting.

Thus, for Jesus to refer to the dwelling place and house in the same sentence is significant.

Let's review a few things to get a handle on this.

Solomon's Temple was actually a pattern given to him by David, and given to David by God.1 Chronicles 28:19

19 “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.”

Moses was also given a "pattern" for his tabernacle.

Exodus 25:8–98 “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.

9 “According to all that I am going to show you, asthe pattern of the tabernacle (מִשְׁכָּן: cs.

מִשְׁכַּן, sf.

מִשְׁכָּנוֹ; pl.

מִשְׁכָּנוֹת, sf.

מִשְׁכְּנוֹתָיו, מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֵינוּ:—1. dwelling-place, home Nu 16:24;—2.

= tomb Is 22:16;—3.

dwelling-place, homeof Y. Lv 15:31;—4.

= (central) sanctuary (74 × out of 130 ×), tabernacle Ex 25:9.

Holladay, W. L., & Köhler, L. (2000).

A concise Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (p.

219).

Leiden: Brill.) and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.