He Is Here, Really!
DSW@UCC1-28-07
Most of us go to church and expect to entertain the presence of people we know. You may have thought to yourself oh, when I see Betty I’ll ask her about the recipe of her meat balls, when I see Phil I’ll talk to him about that Redskins game…
When we come to church we prepare to see people.
But did you come today expecting to entertain the presence of God?
He is here you know.. I mean, Really… He Is Here!
Think for a moment you have gathered in the presence of the one who knows what earth looked like before to was took form. The one who saw the look in Jonah’s face when he was spewed out of that big fish. The hands that held back the waters of the red sea for Moses and the Hebrew children as they escaped form Egypt are in this room that we gather in today.
We are in the presence of greatness today. What have you brought to show your gratitude. To give honor, to offer blessing?
Did you come to stand in awe, did you come to celebrate his glory, ask him a question, tell him thank you, plea for mercy, offer him praise, serve him or did you come to church this morning just expecting to find people.
If you came just expecting to find people then I am here to tell you. Aim a little higher.
In adjusting our scope I’d like for us to…
1. Perceiving His Presence
It has been God’s desire to have his presence dwell with man from the beginning.
Consider this… When God created Adam and Eve it appeared that it was his practice to visit his creation in his literal presence
Gen 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
Think about it God was truly with man… I wonder what he looked like, I wonder what language he spoke… Was his voice deep and booming, or soft and calming.
None the less God was with man in the Garden. Wow... But man sinned and because man sinned he had to remove man from his presence… man and God had to be separated. Because God is holy, he could not be in the presence of sin. And man, because of his disobedience became sin. Man was expelled
from the garden because of the tree of life was accessible if man ate of that tree he would live eternally with sin and could never enjoy the presence of God again. God had a plan to correct that.
Man’s sin grew rampant so man had to destroyed to restore order. He sent the flood and saved one man, his family and a two of every creature he made at creation… Noah.
God again assured man of his presence in the form of a rainbow after the flood.
He spoke verbally to the patriarchs
He presented himself to Moses and the Israelites in the form of a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day.
He instructed Moses to build a tabernacial to house his presence while his people were wandering in the wilderness.
God showed his presence through the many miracles in the old testament. In the New Testament, God walked with man again this time in the form of a human being in the body of Jesus the son of God.
He was born like you and me, he laughed like us, he cried like us, when he stubbed his toe it hurt like when we stub our toe.
He was completely human like us in every way except one… he had no sin. He was God. This gave him the unique ability to be the only human who ever lived who was capable to make restitution for the sin that was first committed by Adam and for every sin we have committed. This could be paid for, by this one who was human but completely sinless.
This is what is meant in 2 Cor. 5:21 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus did die for each man and woman who has sinned (by the way that is every one of us) ro 3:23 tells “all have sinned and fallen short.” We are also told that Jesus is our only hope. John 14:6 says “6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Now the presence of God is in us
1 cor. 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
God lives with in each of us in the form of the Holy Spirit.
It is God’s overwhelming desire to be in our presence. He wants his people to recognize that presence and experience him and share in his glory and blessing. He still wants that today from you and me.
That has not nor will not ever change.
1. Perceiving His Presence
2. Pontificate Prayer
Hagar The Horrible’s Search for God
One of the world’s most loved comic strips is Hagar the Horrible. In one strip we find Hagar kneeling in prayer. "It’s not easy to believe in you God. We never see you. How come you never show yourself? How do we know you even exist…" Next we see
0. a flower springing into life beside Hagar,
0. a volcano erupting in the distance,
0. an eclipse of sun turning the sky black,
0. a star shooting across the stratosphere;
0. a tidal wave rushing over Hagar,
0. lightning flashing,
0. a bush beginning to burn,
0. a stone rolling away from the entrance to a tomb.
Hagar pulls himself from the mud, dripping wet, surrounded by darkness. "OK, OK. I give up! Every time I bring up this subject, all we get is interruptions.
Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made.
Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian.
Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope.
Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.? The Bible speaks much of prayer.
But, sometimes, too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish in the strength of our own wills those things that we desire to have or happen. For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our knees, confess our sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and beg that the will of the Lord be done above our own.
God is sovereign and loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it doesn’t always seem to make the most sense.?
We so often come to the Lord with legitimate requests for healing, conversions, and needs and yet the answers we hope for often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Yet, we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray by faith, trusting God.
We should pray consistently, trusting God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should pray for others, trusting God.
We should pray and when our prayers are answered or are not answered remember this: If we knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn’t change a thing.?
Prayer changes the one praying because in prayer, you are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in quiet supplication we are reaching into the deepest part of ourselves and admitting our needs and failures. In so doing, our hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the presence of God.
James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." ?
I am reminded of another benefit of prayer: peace. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7). ?
I suppose that we can test our prayer life and dependence upon God by the peace or lack of peace in our hearts. In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence peace will surely be our gain.?
Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.
3. Ponder the Personal practice of His Presence
I Sent You A Rowboat
A very religious man was once caught in rising floodwaters. He climbed onto the roof of his house and trusted God to rescue him. A neighbour came by in a canoe and said, "The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll paddle to safety."
"No thanks" replied the religious man. "I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me"
A short time later the police came by in a boat. "The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll take you to safety."
"No thanks" replied the religious man. "I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me"
A little time later a rescue services helicopter hovered overhead, let down a rope ladder and said. "The waters will soon be above your house. Climb the ladder and we’ll fly you to safety."
"No thanks" replied the religious man. "I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me"
All this time the floodwaters continued to rise, until soon they reached above the roof and the religious man drowned. When he arrived at heaven he demanded an audience with God. Ushered into God’s throne room he said, "Lord, why am I here in heaven? I prayed for you to save me, I trusted you to save me from that flood."
"Yes you did my child" replied the Lord. "And I sent you a canoe, a boat and a helicopter. But you never got in."
Have you ever want to be with someone but for some reason you couldn’t maybe you were separated by distance or circumstance kept you from being together.
Do you remember the longing to be with that one you loved?
That is how I imagine God’s desire for us to recognize his presence.
We go day to day and ignore him. Muddle through situation after situation attempting to bring about solutions using our own wisdom, out own reason our own power and all the time he is holding out a helping hand saying Come to me and I will give you rest. My burden is light. Take my yoke upon you.
Even When He’s Silent
The Holocaust is one of the terribly traumatic episodes of modern history, yet it has also yielded some astounding stories of bravery and faith. In France a Jewish family were hidden by some concerned French nationals in the basement of their house. The Jewish family waited and waited for their deliverance. At the end of the war these words were found scribbled on the wall of that basement:
"I believe in the sun even when it does not shine.?
I believe in love even when it is not given. ?
I believe in God even when he is silent."
The Gift of Us
Marjorie Tallcott was married and had one child during the Great Depression. The family managed to scrape their way through, but as Christmas approached one year Marjorie and her husband were disappointed that they would not be able to buy any presents. A week before Christmas they explained to their six year old son, Pete, that there would be no store-bought presents this Christmas. "But I’ll tell you what we can do" said Pete’s father, "we can make pictures of the presents we’d like to give to each other."
That was a busy week. Marjorie and her husband set to work. Christmas Day arrived and the family rose to find their skimpy little tree made magnificent by the picture presents they had adorned it with. There was luxury beyond imagination in those pictures- a black limousine and red speedboat for Dad, a diamond bracelet and fur coat for mum, a camping tent and a swimming pool for Pete.
Then Pete pulled out his present, a crayon drawing of a man, a woman and a child with their arms around each other laughing. Under the picture was just one word: "US".
Years later Marjorie writes that it was the richest, most satisfying Christmas they ever had.
It took a present-less Christmas to remind Marjorie and her family that the greatest gift we can ever offer is ourselves, our presence. This too is the great gift that Christ offers us, not only at Christmas but throughout the year - himself. If he was to draw a gift perhaps it would be just like Pete’s: three people with their arms around each other laughing - human community with Christ at the centre.
Source: Reported in Illustrations Unlimited
We are in the presence of greatness today. What have you brought to show your gratitude. To give honor, to offer blessing?
