Key points
- 1
1God commanded the tabernacle (mishkan) to be built and placed at the center of Israel's camp so that His people could always see His desire to dwell with them.
“We're talking about a God who needs nothing or no one”
- 2
2The Hebrew word mishkan — translated 'tabernacle' in English — means 'to dwell, rest, or live with,' revealing that God's goal was never a building but a relationship.
- 3
3God's pattern of coming to walk with humanity began in the Garden of Eden, where He came down every evening simply to be with Adam and Eve.
“he wants them to recognize that they moved. He didn't move, they moved”
- 4
4When Jesus became human, John deliberately uses the mishkan language — 'the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us' — connecting the incarnation to the entire tabernacle story.
- 5
5Through the Holy Spirit, God no longer just dwells with His people or among them — He dwells in them, making His presence even more intimate than a flesh-and-blood Jesus walking beside them.
“You know how bad God wants to be with you? So much so that he didn't wanna just be in the center of camp anymore. He didn't wanna just be with you. Now if you put your faith and trust in Jesus, he's in you”
“From cover to cover, this story is about a God that we can't even begin to describe or understand who wants to be with us more than we wanna be with him”
- 6
6The camp of Israel was arranged in the shape of a cross — 1,500 years before the crucifixion — pointing to the only way God could ultimately mishkan with humanity forever.
“if you feel far from me, it's not because I moved, you moved. Because I desire to be with you more than you desire to be with me”
- 7
7Revelation completes the arc: God's home will be among His people forever, and He will mishkan — tabernacle — with them for eternity.
A story from life
Pastor Pat's nightly practice of asking where he lived out and witnessed truth, goodness, and beauty
Application
Pastor Pat's call to action is deeply personal: Jesus is asking each one of us, right now, 'Where are you?' If you feel distant from God, the sermon's message is clear — He never moved. He has been pursuing you from the garden to the cross to this very moment, longing not just to be near you but to live in you through His Spirit. For those who have never trusted Jesus, the invitation is open: receive the free gift He paid for. For everyone else, the daily practice is to stop and ask yourself each night, 'Where did I see truth, goodness, and beauty today?' — and to let every mention of the tabernacle or temple remind you that the God who cannot even be fully described in words has made you His dwelling place.
