Day 38: Ephesians Epilogue Episodes: God Dwells With His People

Scripture Readings: Genesis 2:8-15, Exodus 25:8-9, John 1:14, Ephesians 2:19-22, Revelation 21:1-3

God's greatest desire has always been to dwell with His redeemed people. From the opening pages of Scripture to its final chapter, God has always desired to dwell with His people. What began in the Garden of Eden continued through the tabernacle, the temple, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Paul reveals in Ephesians that believers are now God's dwelling place, being built together into a holy temple where His Spirit lives. The story of the Bible is ultimately the story of God's presence.

Reflection: How does knowing that God's presence is with His people, not confined to a building, change the way you think about your faith?

Transcript

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Hello, everyone. Welcome to our third episode in the Ephesians epilogue episodes. Today our theme is God dwells with his people, and we are going to be referencing several passages, so bear with me. The first one is Genesis chapter 2, verses 8 through 15. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Delium and Onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gion, it is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Now from Exodus chapter twenty five, verses eight and nine. And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst, exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and all of its furniture, so you shall make it. John chapter one, verse fourteen, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. You'll remember from Ephesians chapter two verses nineteen through twenty two. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Lastly, we have from Revelation chapter twenty-one, verses one through three. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Amen. That is the word of God. From the opening pages of Scripture to its final chapter, God has always desired to dwell with his people. What began in the Garden of Eden continued through the tabernacle, the temple, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Paul reveals in Ephesians that believers are now God's dwelling place, being built together into a holy temple where his spirit lives. The story of the Bible is ultimately the story of God's presence. God's greatest desire has always been to dwell with his redeemed people. Let's dig deeper. One of the most beautiful themes in the Bible isn't immediately obvious until you begin tracing it from beginning to end. It's the theme of God dwelling with his people. The Bible is not simply the story of humanity trying to find God. It is the story of God continually moving toward humanity. Let's walk through that. In Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. While we often picture it as simply a beautiful garden, many scholars recognize Eden as the Bible's first sanctuary, a place where heaven and earth overlapped and where humanity enjoyed God's unhindered presence. There was no temple, no sacrifices, no priests, no veil separating God and people. God walked with humanity in perfect fellowship. But sin changed everything. Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden. The relationship wasn't destroyed, but access to God's holy presence was broken. From that moment on, the Bible begins answering one great question. How will a holy God dwell with sinful people again? After rescuing Israel from Egypt, God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, not because he needed a house, but because he desired to be near his covenant people. Every detail of the tabernacle pointed to both God's holiness and his mercy. The altar reminded Israel that sin required atonement. The laver symbolized cleansing. The lampstand represented God's light. The bread of the presence reminded them of his provision. The ark represented his throne. And the veil reminded everyone that sin still separated humanity from God's presence. Later came Solomon's temple. It became the center of Israel's worship. Yet even Solomon confessed that the heavens could not contain God. The temple was never the destination. It pointed to someone greater. Then John writes one of the most astonishing sentences in the New Testament. The Greek word for dwelt literally means pitched his tent or tabernacled among us. John is telling us that Jesus is the true tabernacle. God's presence is no longer found primarily in a building. It is found in a person. When people met Jesus, they encountered God Himself. Now return to Ephesus. Every believer there lived under the shadow of the magnificent temple of Artemis. It dominated the skyline. People believed that what was there, I'm sorry, people believed that was where a God lived. Paul says something almost unbelievable. You are God's temple, not individually, together. Notice how often God or Paul uses words like together, joined together, and household. Christianity was never meant to be merely personal. God is building a people, not simply saving isolated individuals. Every believer is like a living stone. Christ is the cornerstone that aligns and holds the entire building together. The Holy Spirit dwells within his church. That means when the church gathers in homes, schools, coffee shops, or sanctuaries, we are experiencing the fulfillment of a story that began in Eden. Finally, Revelation shows us where history is headed. John doesn't see another temple. In fact, later in Revelation, he tells us there is no temple in the New Jerusalem because God Himself and the Lamb are its temple. The separation caused by sin is finally gone. God dwells fully with his people forever. Ephesians sits beautifully in the middle of that story. Because of Christ, we already experience God's presence through his spirit while we eagerly await the day when we will dwell with him face to face. The Bible begins in a garden where God walked with his people. It ends in a city where God dwells with his people forever. And through Jesus, we are invited into that story today. God's greatest desire has always been to dwell with his redeemed people. As we leave today, let's reflect on this question. How does knowing that God's presence is with his people, not confined to a building, change the way you think about your faith? Love you.