Building A Dwelling Place For God Series

A Walk that is Worthy

Part 7

“Building a Dwelling Place for God”

Text Eph 2:19-22

Intro:

This morning once again we are going to continue on with our series in Ephesians entitled “A Walk that is Worthy” The title of my message specifically is “Build a Dwelling Place for God”

Illus:

A vicar was retiring after 25 years in the parish. As he came to clear out his bedroom he found a small bowl with 5 eggs and £1,000 pounds in. Baffled he called his wife and said: Darling, what is this little basket under the bed with five eggs and £1,000 in. "Oh " she said " I must confess that everytime you preach a bad sermon I put an egg in the basket" Secretly the vicar was pleased: "Not bad five bad sermons in 25 years" he thought: "And what about the £1,000?" "Well every time I get a dozen, I sell them!"

We are looking at the kind of walk that God expects from us. We have spoken in great detail about the grace of God, what that is, and just what that means to us. Is there any way that we can live up to the incredible opportunity that has been afforded to us?

I believe in our text this morning a blueprint has been laid out very clearly for us. In our text Paul says that we are being built together to become a dwelling for God. What would the dwelling place of God look like? I want to look at four things this morning that characterize the dwelling place of God.

1) Proper Foundation v20

“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets”

Illus:

Several years ago we decided it was time to try and build a home. What we never figured on was just how much it was going to cost us. The final bill was %30 more than we ever planned in the beginning. We got ourselves into trouble because we ran out of money before we completed the house, about beyond the point of no return. We did not sit down and count the cost.

If we are to build a proper dwelling place for God, we must first count the cost.

Luke 14:25-35

Are we willing to follow all the way through with what we begin? For one day we are going to be called upon to finish the course. The question then is how do we count the cost? We do this by building upon the proper foundation…here Paul declares that foundation as the Apostles and the Prophets.

But what does that mean.

Let me propose to you a thought.

John 4:23-24

Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan Woman at the well.

She poses Jesus a question concerning the correct way in which we are to worship God.

Jesus responds “…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Building a proper foundation in our lives is this deliberate process of worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Lets break this down:

Worship: proskuneoô From G4314 and probably a derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):—worship.

Prostrate oneself in homage..do reverence to, adore

This is worship.

Matthew Henry the Commentator says:

“It concerns us to be right, not only in the object of our worship, but in the manner of it;”

As Pentecostal evangelicals we love the spirit side of worship…being moved by our emotions without ritual or form.

But in so doing sometimes we make the ends justify the means. We say…we can do this because we feel so good in doing it. Our worship of God must still be based upon His truth. This foundation of the Apostles and the prophets can mean several things

1) Two the first century reader in Ephesus Paul was going after the concept of bringing the Jews and Gentiles together in one place of worship. The doctrine was put forward by the Prophets and embraced by the Apostles.

2) For us today this foundation applies, but the foundation that was laid for us by the Prophets and Apostles is also a foundation of truth.

It is a line in the sand for us to know what the focus of our worship should be.

Illus

Despite the "Do Not Touch" signs, a museum was having no success in keeping patrons from touching--and soiling--priceless furniture and art. But the problem evaporated overnight when a clever museum employee replaced the signs with ones that read: "Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!"