SERIES! Many Mansions, P2: The Home We Look Towards

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  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.  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.” (John 14:1-3, NASB)

So Jesus is our home.

A universal statement of individual promise; Jesus affords each and every one of us our own home within Him– a home that embraces every part of who you specifically are.

Now, I know there may still be a few who are bummed out that we’re not talking about real, heavenly real estate on the seaside or up in the mountains with a veranda and a floor plan that would make Pinterest boards jealous. 

Here’s the thing: I can understand how that’s a disappointment, but I’m here to tell you that the alternative is better than you can ever understand on this side of eternity. And that’s because it is God’s original design for us. Before any of that existed, there was a plan. Before the fall, God’s original intention for creation was communion. He wanted to meet with Adam and Eve, and over time, the rest of humanity. He wanted a meeting place.

In fact, it’s still His intention, even now on Earth, that we’d all be together in communion. 

“You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” (Ephesians 2:19-22, MSG)

The whole objective for everything God has done since the fall is to begin a union that will only become more perfect and permanent after everything is said and done in Heaven. You see, we are born into an invitation to salvation. From there, we are purposed to be a part of the Body of Christ: the Church. That’s the temple that Paul is speaking about in Ephesians 2. It’s a temple– a home– that God is building. He’s using the early Church and the prophets as the foundation and He’s using us, the modern Church as the stones that comprise the rest of the temple, generation by generation. And all of those people, prophets, apostles, disciples, and servants, from the lowly church janitors to spiritual greats like Billy Graham and Charles Spurgeon, are all held together by the cornerstone: Jesus. 

I want you to see this picture: this temple, more grand and beautiful than any cathedral or palace, is made up of humanity. And by becoming a follower of Jesus, you agree to become a part of that temple. But it’s not just an empty building or some stuffy place of worship. No, this temple that we are all building is something far more close and intimate than that: It’s a home. 

We have built a house in which God is quite at home.

And here’s where it all turns on its head: Jesus tells us that in His Father’s house there are many dwelling places. But if it’s our destiny to be God’s home on this side of eternity, then why would he choose to separate and compartmentalize us in the after? 

He doesn’t.

You see, in this life, we all work together to make God a home on earth, but when this earth passes away, the roles reverse. In Heaven, we get to come home to the Lord. In Heaven, God becomes the home in which there are many places for us to dwell in perfect communion. 

See? I told you our key verse for this series had many layers! If you’re still scratching your head, then here’s the gist for this week: we always talk about the Church as a body with Jesus Christ as the head. We always talk about the Church as the Bride of Christ that is preparing itself to be whisked away by Jesus, the Bridegroom. And these things are true, but in John 14, Jesus is giving us another way to describe the indescribably beautiful love story that will only be truly realized when we stand before God in Heaven. He’s showing us that to love God is to gain. To love the Lord is to not fear death, but to see it as going home.

Because even while we are here and pursuing our purpose, even while we are toiling away and trying to be the best little brick possible in the Lord’s home on earth, Jesus is preparing a place for us to rest in. He is preparing a place for you to dwell in and come to the full realization of the Lord’s desire for communion with you.

Here and now, take ownership of the fact that you are a part of God’s home on earth, and that there is already a home in Heaven with your name on it that is made entirely of the Lord Himself.