WHERE DO YOU DWELL?
And he said, "There was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father......'" Luke 15:11-18a
Who of us has not been in that far country, far from home? Who of us has not regretted the decisions we made that got us there---wondered if there is a way back to our "father's house?"
When a person dwells in the far country, their inner life is in shambles ... it's living death. We are healed, we are raised from the dead when we come home again, so long as we come home to dwell, to live there with our hearts.
The older brother never left the farm, but he didn't dwell there ... his heart was far away. So he was dead too, and will be dead until he truly comes home to dwell.
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi (which means teacher), where do you dwell?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he dwelt and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. John 1:35-39
"Rabbi, where do you dwell?"
Like many of us these men were on a search. They were in the far country and they were trying to find their way back home. They knew there was a destiny ... a purpose ... for them to fulfill which they hadn't found yet. They came to John the Baptist ... maybe he could show them the way. Then one day John proclaimed,
"Behold, the Lamb of God...."
So these two men follow behind Jesus as he walks. Jesus turns,
"What are you looking for?"… "Teacher, where do you dwell?"… "Come and see."
Of course they meant, "Where are you staying right now?" But when Jesus answered, "Come and see," he meant, "Come and see where I really dwell. If you come and see where I really dwell, you will have found your purpose, you will have found your home." And where was Jesus dwelling?
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord; he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalm 91:1-2
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4
Jesus took these two men to the place where he stayed, served them food, talked with them. But he did much more. He began to give them a glimpse of the home he lived in through all his wanderings: he was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High....
- he was under his Father's eye,
- he was in his Father's house,
- he was in the Father's presence all the time.
"Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
Yet inwardly, Jesus has a dwelling place, a home, a source of rest, a place of refreshment.
They get into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee ... a violent storm comes up ... the boat is tossing like a matchbox swamped by waves. Jesus is asleep. How can he be so calm in a storm? Because he's dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. He's under the shadow of the Father's wings.
Our dwelling place is where our heart is, where our mind is. It's either in the far country or it's in the Father's house. If our heart is on our ambition,
on our lust,
on our fear,
on our fantasies, on our business, our profession, our career,
our riches, even on our children, our mate,
or on our endless complaining,
we're in the far country.
Our heart is home only when it's dwelling in the Father's house ... and for us, it's Jesus ... Jesus himself is the Father's house.
"Come to me all you who labor ... get under my yoke ... abide in me ... live in me."
But to dwell in Jesus, to live in him, we have to leave that far country. When the rich young ruler wanted to know from Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life, to live in God, Jesus said,
"You know the commandments."….. "I keep them," says the man. "You lack one thing," says Jesus. "Sell all that you have and give to the poor and come follow me."
The man was dwelling in his riches ... he was in the far country. He can't dwell in God and dwell in his riches at the same time. So he has to make a violent break from his riches in order to dwell in God.
"Sell what you have ... give to the poor ... follow me ... I am your real home."
So now the Spirit asks each of us,"
"Where do You dwell? Where are you living?"
In the midst of daily work, family life, eating, sleeping, driving, talking, where is your heart?
Is it in the far country or is it in the Father's house?"
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. II Corinthians 5:16-17
...the old has passed away ... they have left the far country. Now they have come home to dwell, to live, to stay, to rest in Jesus.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
The only way you can ever get to know Jesus is to dwell in him. You can know him as an idea, as a casual friend, as an occasional refuge, while you're dwelling in that far country. But you will only truly know Jesus when he is your dwelling place. Either he is your home ... your dwelling place ... or he is nothing to you.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty....
You have to dwell there. And whether or not you dwell there is Your decision. He opens the door, he invites, but you choose whether you're going to leave the far country and dwell in him.
Specifically....
1. To dwell in Jesus, to serve him rather than mammon or any other idol ... to live for him instead of living for mammon.
"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." John 15:7-8
How do his words abide in us? By doing them ... not talking about them ... doing them.
2. To dwell in Jesus is to love him more than any love on earth.
"He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. He who loves his own life more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10)
You dwell where your heart is. "Put your heart in Jesus ... love him ... and you will live in him.
3. To dwell in Jesus is to be at one with his people.
It is impossible to love Jesus and be a lone ranger ... cut off from his people. There is one Body, one Spirit, one Lord.
If I'm committed to Jesus, I'm committed to his Body, his Church, his people. I fit into his Body wherever he puts me.
4 To dwell in Jesus is to feed his sheep.
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes Lord."
"Feed my sheep. Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Leave those 99 and go after that one lost one and bring it back."
Believers that lose touch with those lost sheep lose touch with Jesus. Churches that lose touch with the lost sheep lose touch with Jesus. To dwell in Jesus is;
- to serve him,
- to love him more than any other love,
- to be at one with his people,
- to feed his sheep (go after his lost sheep).
Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi, (which means teacher), where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." John 1:38-39a
They came and saw that Jesus was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High ... Jesus was abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. He had no settled place to lay his head, yet God the Father was literally his home everywhere he went.
Then Jesus began to teach them,
"I will be your home as the Father is My home. I will be your dwelling place, live in me ... even in the midst of trouble and chaos, live in me."
So the invitation comes to us not merely to admire Jesus from that far country, but to come home and dwell in him. Jesus is the secret place of the Most High. When you dwell in him you are dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty ... which means several things:
To dwell in Jesus is to dwell in the presence of God.
- He is the torn veil.
- He is the mercy seat.
- He is the living word.
- He is the shining one who stands amid the lampstands.
To dwell in Jesus is to dwell in the purpose of God.
In him you find your calling, your hope, your meaning. You become a redemptive servant of God on this earth.
- When you speak – God speaks through you.
- What you touch – God touches.
- What you bind on earth – is bound in heaven.
- What you loose on earth – is loosed in heaven.
To dwell in Jesus is to dwell in the provision of God. In him you have all you need.
- He will supply your needs.
- He will provide the bread.
To dwell in Jesus is to dwell in the protection of God.
- If he is in the boat it won't sink. It may toss and pitch, but it won't sink.
- If he is in charge, no demon can destroy.
- If he is on the cross next to you, he will guide you safely even through the door of death into Paradise.
To dwell in Jesus is to dwell in the power of God.
He is our power. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Even when we are very, very weak his grace is sufficient for us. His strength is made perfect in our weakness and power from on high flows out of us.
And a ruler asked him "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'"
And he said, "All these I have observed from my youth." And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23
"You're dwelling in your riches, man. Your riches are the far country. Leave your riches and dwell in me."
Jesus looking at him said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." And Peter said, "Lo, we have left our homes and followed you."
And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no man who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life." Luke 18:24-30
..."Lo, we have left our homes and followed you."
"Yes; and now I am your home. I am your dwelling place."
The Spirit of the Lord is asking each of us, "Where do you dwell? Will you leave the far country and come and dwell in me? I will bring you into the presence of God, into the purpose of God, into the provision of God, into the protection of God, into the power of God."
The door is open now ... come out of the far country.... come home, before it closes.