God’s Desire Is To Dwell With His People Series

Manifest Presence Series

“God’s Desire Is To Dwell With His People”

(Inspired by Don Nori Sr.’s Manifest Presence: You Can Live Within The Veil)

January 7, 2015 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

A Isaiah 4:4-6 (NASB) 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, 5 then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

1 In the ancient past, God protected Israel with a pillar of fire by night/cloud by day while they were in the wilderness.

a The pillar/cloud were both tangible manifestations of the presence of God, Shekinah Glory.

aa The cloud offered them protection from the hot sun by day.

bb The pillar of fire afforded them the protection by piercing the darkness every single night for 40 years.

cc His presence was given to His people for their protection.

b In these last days, I believe God has promised His latter-day church the same protection He afforded His chosen in the wilderness . . . that is His Manifest Presence.

2 Hebrews 1:1-3 (NASB) 1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

a I believe the Lord is about to visit His Temple

Malachi 3:1 (NASB) 1 "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

aa His Temple today is the Born Again believer, Christians, The Church.

bb He will walk among us in a real, tangible, authentic way via His Manifest Presence.

b His Manifest Presence is often misunderstood, dismissed because of a lack of misunderstanding/teaching/fear.

c There are basically two ways to look at the Presence of God.

aa Omnipresence: He’s everywhere whether we can sense Him or not.

Psalm 72:19 (NASB) 19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.

Psalm 139:8 (NASB) 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

Numbers 14:21 (NASB) 21 but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.

(He’s as close as the mention of His name!)

bb Manifest Presence is revealed whenever He makes Himself real to you, personally. (When He makes Himself real to you in your spirit . . . when you know God has spoken to your heart . . . you are experiencing the manifest presence of YHWH.

B Malachi 3:1 (NASB) 1 "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

God will so fill the Church with His Manifest Presence that He will become perceptible to any of our five senses.

1 He manifests in ways we can see . . .

a healing, change, restoration, prophecy.

b manifest: readily perceived by the senses; easily understood or recognized by the mind; obvious.”

aa Anytime God manifests Himself through any of our natural senses, there is always a visible demonstration that He is literally in the midst of His people.

bb In these last days, He wants His church to experience His Manifest Presence.

2 We walk by faith, not by sight per 2 Cor. 5.7, right?(I don’t need to see, feel, touch, taste, hear God, preacher. I walk by faith.)

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—

a God doesn’t chose to reveal Himself to us in order to stimulate/grow our faith, rather He reveals Himself to us in response to our faith.