God's Dwelling Place

Isaiah 66 1 through 2 thus saith the Lord the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool where is the house that you built unto me and where is the place of my rest for all those things happen my handmaid and all those things have been sayeth the Lord but to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and tremble if at my word I want to preach for the next little bit of time from this subject went back and forth on the title and all I could come up with is God's dwelling place God's dwelling place to all of our guests we're so glad you're here to all of you that have driven so far lately we're honored at you and we're glad the spirit of the Living God is in this place today if you're gonna help me preach you may be seated this morning everybody say it with me God's dwelling place

when I read this passage of Scripture it causes me to question or I love the question that is proposed by mere mortals to mere mortals by an immortal God as he observed them trying to build a house for him he's speaking to people who thought they had figured out what pleased God he's speaking to people who thought they could impress God with lavish but with lavishing edifices and fancy trappings and the god of the universe asked with just a slight I'll say a slight trace of sarcasm how do you propose to build a dwelling place for the one whose throne is the heavens and whose footstool is the earth how do you propose to build per say a ranch for the one who owns the cattle on a Thousand Hills how do you think that you can build an edifice to box in an omnipresent God do you think that I'm drawn to your goldleaf structures or your silver goblets or your marble pillars or your velvet trappings and if you could hear the heartbeat of the Almighty God on this Independence weekend it would be this you've got it all wrong God was saying you know these gold nuggets that you mind and melted and formed in the candlesticks well I created them in the first place you know that marble that you hewed out of a mountain and cut and finished to make such a beautiful flooring for me I created that before you were even born I appreciate and this is you know my way of saying it and I believe it would be the way that God would what would kind of deliver the message today I appreciate your efforts but just let me remind you you can't build me a house because I already own everything however the Lord says there's one thing I'm drawn to there's one thing that gets my attention it gets my eyes it draws me to look in a certain direction there is one habitation that I desire to dwell in there's one thing that will draw me faster than anything else in the world and that's a broken and a contrite spirit we can't build anything elaborate enough to entice the presence of God I hate to inform you this beautiful edifice in God's eyes does not give us a special cart of favoritism that I'm going to still more because they built this edifice the way they built it no sir no ma'am that does not get us the favor of God but let me tell you when we become broken before God God runs to feel the house when we can't become good enough to impress a holy God he's drawn hear me this morning God's drone to your failures he's drone to your mistakes we can't get it good enough together to draw the attention of the Almighty God but hear me on this Sunday God is drawn to your brokenness I need to understand this morning that God does not revel in my abilities but he revels in my brokenness

David cried out to God in Psalms 31 12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mine I'm like a broken vessel anybody ever felt that way ever anybody ever felt like a broken vessel David said I had it all together I was anointed king setup up my brothers my life was good I had won victories I had slain the great giant even more dangerous Giants and things were going well for me but to my surprise instead of taking the throne I suddenly found myself hiding in caves running for my life persuaded by my own father-in-law who claimed to love me like his own pursue let me say like that pursued by my own father-in-law who claimed to love me like his own son that would be saw David would tell us and we can all find a point of resignation in this instead of finding himself reigning he found himself running instead of finding himself ruling he was just trying to stay alive instead of being in the palace he was in the poorhouse he would say to us yesterday I thought I had it all together but today I've heard I have been forgotten by God and now I'm nothing more than a broken vessel but in the midst of his trouble David knew where to go David would say in some 32 and seven thou art my hiding place thou shalt preserve me from trouble thou shalt compass' me about with songs of deliverance Selah when David realized that he was as that when David realized that when he as weak God became strong on his behalf and he would pin these words in Psalms 34 18 the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and save as such as be of a contrite spirit what a tremendous revelation today when I am broken that's when God is nearer to me than he's ever been before when I'm in the middle of the trial of my life that's when God encompasses me when I'm in the valley of the shadow of death that's when God is with me when I'm in the furnace of affliction that's when God appears and stands by my side when I'm in the come on somebody up when I'm in the lion's being that's when God swoops down and in the middle of the lion's den he could shut the mouth of every lion when I'm broken that's when God that's when God shows us that you have been designed to be his dwelling place hello our text today reveals us to us exactly to whom God is thrown to those of a contrite spirit or a stricken or a smitten someone

somebody once said that there are two things that make us pray discipline or disaster there's two things gonna make you pray discipline every day or disaster I must be very honest with you the only way I know how to be more often than not it's the disaster that brings us to our knees instead of discipline it's disasters it's the doctor's report you didn't expect again it's the transmission that went out that you didn't plan on it was the wreck you didn't plan on it was this you didn't forecast it was this or that or this the list could go on and on as long as things are going well it's easy to forget about God I've said as long as the bank accounts full it's easy to forget about God as long as the job is steady and the job is secure it's easy to forget about God we get a little too self-reliant we get a little too self-confident we begin to take God for granted to treat him more like like a spare time if I need him he's always there come on I'm trying to help somebody this morning but it's in times of disaster God is our only hope I have no other alternative God's not a plan B God's the only play and it's the plan a without him we do nothing it's God I said it in Sunday school it's in him we breathe here we have our Pete you think you can do this by yourself you're gonna wake up to a cold reality one day but I'm forced by my brokenness to call out to the Living God he took my failures that I call out to God and he comes running that's what God's drawn to cut that drawn to perfection I hate to tell you that God's not drawn to yourself righteousness he's not drawn to that but he's drawn to brokenness he's drawn to those things that you would deem that would disqualify you but I've stepped to this platform this morning to tell you it that you're if you're in the middle of disaster in your life you're a prime candidate for an indwelling of the presence of the Almighty God God it's not drawn to your wellness but to your sickness Matthew 9 12 but when Jesus heard he said unto them they that behold need not a physician but they that are sick God is drawn to your sickness not to your wellness God is not impressed but I'm not having it all together he came to minister to those that are sick and spirit and broken in heart aren't you thankful we have a God that's drawn to us he's not drawn by our wholeness he's drawn by her brokenness

sons 51 16 and 17 one of my most favorite scriptures in all of the Bible for thou dot desirous not sacrifice else would I give it now delight is not in the burnt offerings the sacrifices of God look at that a broken and a contrite heart O God thou will not despise David had a view into the future into the dispensation of grace I believe we're burnt offerings would no longer be required and he realized that that was what God was really looking for God was looking for a broken heart but he couldn't mean but David had to get honest before God I live about this principle and live by this rule it does not matter what you've done if you're honest we can work through anything doesn't matter what you I believe God's a little bit like that when you hit your knees at an old fashioned altar when you prepend before God when you confess your sins you're broken that heart is broken that contrite Nissa comes upon you God says there they are I've been waiting on that I've been waiting on them to do that God's draw to the broken and contrite but it's when we say you know what I don't have a problem I don't have a struggle I'm not addicted I got it all together I you know what I don't need any help I don't need to go see a counselor I don't need to worship I don't need to pray I don't need to work on my marriage I don't need I don't I can do it all by myself and that's what God says oh you're not you're wrong today I want to help you but you got to first start helping yourself by allowing that heart to be broken allowing that spirit to be broken and when brokenness is involved God begins to pour what I believe the scripture that oil that balm of Gilead into the wounds that balm begins to flow into places that you cannot get by yourself that caught the reserve for God and his habitation of his presence God's not drone to your strength sir but he's drawn to your weaknesses I don't care how me I don't care how much you can benchpress I don't care how cut in your physique is God's not drawn by your strengths he's drawn to you by your weaknesses

second Corinthians 12 7 through 10 at least and lest I should be exalted above measure this is Paul talking through the abundance of the revelations let me just paraphrase that for you yes God shows me things yes God has given me the word for the New Testament church Paul's riding on this but he said unless I get exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations though God speaking to me I can't let it get to my head though God's blessing me I can't let it get to my head there was given me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buff at me lest I should be exalted above measure for this thing somebody say this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from he wanted to get rid of it he wanted it removed and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I take pleasure I take somebody say pleasure I take pleasure in infirmities I take pleasure in reproaches I take pleasure in necessities I take pleasure in persecutions I take pleasure in de-stresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak then I strong Paul said brother Dodd I pray for God to make me strong until I realized that as long as I'm strong his strength can never be made complete in my life Paul said I cursed the infirmity until I realized that it was keeping me closer God some of you God you're asking God to do this and God to do that God if you love me God if you did and God said I've got you where you are because he's keeping you close to me what I want out of this I want into that I want that and God's sake just take a timeout I realize I have you where I want you because it's keeping you closer Paul could speak to us today and say I hated the thorn God why didn't you take it huh I wrote two-thirds of the New Testament god I oughta have a little favor God if you love me you'd take this thorn out of my flesh I gave my life to the cause of Christ I've been faithful take this thorn out no Paul this thorns gonna teach you something about my grace this storms gonna teach you something about how I work and how I operate and how my mind and my thoughts your thoughts are not my thoughts Paul your desires are not my desire but hear me we often ask God to deliver us from the thorn the furnace the trial the brokenness the disaster but what we may not realize is that the disaster is what's keeping us close to God because you have nowhere else to go where do I go when the storms of life are raging who do I run to we used to sing I go to the rock I know that he's able I go to the rock sometimes things come our way some things we have to go through that we have no understanding we cannot comprehend the death of a child we cannot come from me we cannot comprehend an abusive relationship when it was a you didn't deserve it but you had to go through you can't understand being rejected as a child you have know that the abuse of a child all of the things that we want to ask God why and we have your answers and we go through this thing called life wondering what's so much pain it's the trial that's breaking us so that God can bless us as long as I'm comfortable as long as I'm content as long as I'm safe in the nest God cannot do what he really wants to do with my life long as I can pay the bills everything's okay long as I've got gas in the tank everything's okay

but listen I've never seen this in Scripture jo-jo 1 1 through 3 there was a man in the land of us whose name was Joe and that man everybody say was perfect and upright so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east and I know this is gonna gonna be a shock to most a man that was so complete and had it all together he even loved God this may be controversial but just bear with me for a few minutes brother Smith I believe he loved God but didn't need God if I were to ask every one of you in this room right now did you love God oh I love him but do you need him do you need him because what somebody do you oh yeah I love that oh there I love them but job and job 29 18 through 25 listen then I said I shall die in my nest read those words not allowed but just with me I shall die in my nest and I shall multiply my days as thus and my route was spread out by the waters and the dew lay all night upon my branch my glory was fresh in me and my bow was renewed in my hand unto me a men gave ear and waited and kept silence at my counsel after my words they spake not again and my speech dropped upon them and they waited for me as for the rain and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain if I laughed on them they believed it not and the light of my countenance they cast down I chose out their way and sat chief and dwelt as a king in the army as one that comforted the mourners job said this and I'm paraphrasing I had it all together I plan to die safely right here in the nest that I have built for myself after many days I have finally arrived he didn't need anybody else he had it complete he had his own place to dwell but then job would say in job 16 and 12 I was at ease but he had broken me a son he has also taken me by my neck and shaking me to pieces and set me up for his mark we don't have any record of God speaking to job our job speaking to God before the disaster but afterwards God job got to know God in a way he had

never known him before in job sums up the experience this way in job 42:5 y'all listen at this I have heard of thee by hearing of the ear but now my eyes see what's that mean to me pastor you walk in here week after week musicians come you walk in this house a week after week and you hear about God you hear about what he can do you hear about what his power is able to do but only when it goes beyond hearing to see that you understand just how powerful our God really is and how inadequate we are

your life and I'm coming to a quick close your life maybe put well together today you may have planned in your 401 K would tell you a story of just tremendous success you got it all together you plan for the future you're living out your dreams you've got it all together but I feel like I'm talking to more people in this room that you're broken this morning things haven't gone like you really planned there's been some there's been some bumps in the roads there's been some losses there's been some trips to a cemetery way earlier than you ever plan there's been some diagnosis as you never dreamed would come out of a doctor's mouth and it's this morning that you feel broken it's this morning you feel smitten but I just come with a word to tell you that the dwelling place of the almighty is in your broken it's in your smitten heart and it's where he wants you to come this morning to a place of prayer to a place that you surrender everything to him stand to your feet and allow Him to be closer than he's ever been before last week you ministered to us brother Smith being in certain seasons and phases that you preached about I didn't know what God was doing I felt rejected I felt I felt denied but I can tell you in that season after that initial I realize now what I didn't know then it was God just getting me closer to him it was God bringing me close but it was through the brokenness it was through the smiting of my heart it was through the crushing of my pride that God would speak and draw me close it would be where God would draw me and I would discover the dwelling place of God it's not found necessarily in the nest it's not found in big bank accounts it's not found it's the successes of this life it's not saying there's anything against it and I hope we all know that money puts grease on the wheel and you can go a whole lot further and this thing called life but when you take your final breath it's not how much you blade up here is how much you've laid up there it's what you've deposited there it's how close have you got to God they're in it walk with God and was not for God the story of job is one of the greatest of all times but a fresh revelation came to me one o'clock this morning and then again at seven ish Jobe had it all together Jobe loved God but he didn't need God but it was when he was broken it was when he had funerals for his children it was when the camels and and all the donkeys and all the houses and all the barns and all the possessions it was when all that was gone he realized you know what I needed and you know what God did God dwelled in the brokenness God dwelled in the loss God dwelled in what job could not do and that's when you read the end of the story although both touch I know you read the end of the story brother Jones God blessed him double I said God blessed him double I fell it brother Paul you preached on the double portion this morning what if God's trying to draw you close to bless you double what if God's drawing your close in the midst of the brokenness to let you know it's not what you need this matters it's who you need that matters it's the who not for what

I'm asking you I'm making an appeal I know this is very different but if you feel comfortable and you feel lad I just like to invite you to come to this front to step out of your seat or if you feel comfortable at nighttime there's no pressure I'm not gonna lay hands on you I'm most a distance today but what I do feel is the words gonna go where I can't the words going to go into your dilemmas God's gonna begin to reveal himself to you God's going to dwell in the midst of the brokenness and the contract is to do and I'm gonna pray and they're gonna say oh I feel I've ever felt it this morning I feel the brokenness of many of you I feel the pain you went through 2019 and 2020 there's just the last year for some of you have been living Hills living nightmares but today you're going to pause you're going to pause and understand could it be that God's trying to bring you close to remind you I dwell in certain places and I don't dwell in certain places but a candidate for his presence his brokenness and contrite nurse

lift your hands father in the name of Jesus God can me in the relationship this morning God can put the broken pieces back together God can take the brokenness and create a wholeness God can renew the love God can renew the passion God can set in motion a masterpiece a masterpiece God's going behind the scenes and working where people can't see right now God's going beyond behind