Entering His Presence Series

Entering His Presence

Exodus 3:13-14, Matthew 14:22-33

Series: Into His Presence

March 5, 2012

Morning Service

The presence of God has been exampled through a variety of means. Scripture shows that through the history of humanity, God has sought to reveal Himself to us. These are just a few of the many different examples.

God spoke to Moses through the burning bush

God displayed His power through the Ten Plagues and the Exodus event

God led the people of Israel with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire

God showed His presence as a fire that fell on the Temple

Jesus revealed the personal presence of God by coming to earth

The empty tomb proves the presence of God’s divine power

Pentecost shows how the presence of God can change the church

Miracle after miracle, God shows Himself to His people. He calls and waits, watches and beckons for us to follow by walking in His divine presence. Each day God speaks to our wandering hearts and beckons us to return to Him, to return to His divine presence.

Jesus is the direct example of God’s presence with His people. God displayed His presence in an amazingly unique manner, through His name. I want to look at two different passages this morning before we explore a deeper understanding of the presence of God.

13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:13-14

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Matthew 14:22-33

The difficulties of life bring instability

There is nothing more unstable than a small fishing boat caught in a fierce storm. The storm was severe with pounding rain and raging winds. The severity of the storm caused large waves to rock the boat back and forth. The disciples had been on the sea during storms and knew how to handle themselves on the water. The boat was buffeted which means that it was nearly capsized. The situation looked grim because of the instability the disciples were dealing with.

Moses faced his own issues with instability. Moses had become a shepherd for his father-in-law and had developed a comfortable life. The problem is that he was not willing to give up his comfort. Moses was not willing to return to Egypt to face the destiny that God had planned.

The truth of life is often hard to face because life is filled with difficulties. Some are easier to face than others and some are more daunting than others. No matter who you are, you will face challenges and difficulties in life. The issue is not whether we have difficulties but how we handle them.

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% of how we respond to those events. The question is how are you handling the ups and downs of life? The Bible is filled with these kinds of moments of ups and downs.

We struggle with instability on a regular basis. There is financial instability when the costs keep skyrocketing and your pay stays the same. There is an emotional instability that occurs when relationships hit rough waters and things feel like they are coming apart. There is spiritual instability when you begin to seek your way instead of God’s way.