A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Today’s Sermon Title
Conditions For Abiding In His Presence
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D.
Please read with me from the book of Psalms, chapter forty-six, and verse ten.
Psalms 46:10; "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Please keep your Bible open as we will be seeing several verses which will teach us the "Conditions For Abiding In His Presence."
(Prayer)
Father in Heaven, help us right now. Bless Your Word to our hearts, convict us of our sins that we may become more like You. Fill us with Thy Spirit, save the lost, and revive the saved. In Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen!
Would you look with me at seven conditions for abiding in His presence today? Are you hungry for God’s presence upon you each and every day. Every hour, and every moment? Is it possible to know God’s presence like this? If I recognize God’s presence, what will it do for me, and to me? Will others know that God’s presence abides with me? Many questions can be asked when we speak of knowing the continual presence of the Almighty. Today, however, I am not as concerned with answering these questions in a direct way, but I believe that you will see the answers to them in our focus on conditions for abiding in His presence.
(1)
Be Pure In Heart
Matthew 5:8; "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
F.B.Meyer said; "Permitted sin encrust the windows of one’s soul with thick layers of grime, obscuring the vision of God."
You had better be pure in heart if you ever expect to know the continuing presence of God. Be honest with Him, He already knows your every deed, thought and desire, so why not be honest when you approach him? Be Pure in Heart if you expect God to reveal Himself to you. If you are exalting yourself to be something that you are not, you are not pure in heart. If you are at the place where you think you are better than others, you are not pure in heart. If you think that God loves you more than a lost sinner, you are not pure in heart. If you get to the place where you think your ministry can’t do without you, you are not pure in heart. When you think that your neighbors are not as righteous as you are, then you my friends are not pure in heart. The Word of God tells us that all are sinners, and that there is none righteous, no not one.
To be pure in heart, you have to be honest with God, and with yourself. Just because you have a higher education, or if you have no education at all does not mean that your heart is pure. Only those who are honest before the Lord will ever be of a pure heart. When we are pure in heart, we don’t need to deceive to do the right things in our lives. Just because you are prosperous in material things does not mean that you are pure in heart, nor just because you live in poverty means that you have a pure heart.. But if you have placed all at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, then is your heart pure in God’s sight. If you want to know the first condition for abiding in His presence, then it must be noted that we first have to be "Pure In Heart."
(2)
Keep His Commandments
1John 2:3; "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
There are many believers today that want to know the abiding presence of God outside of keeping His commandments. Many today claim that because we are not under the law of God, that it has no relevance to us anymore. Listen my friends, While it is true thatJesus fulfilled the law, and that He opened to us a better way, that in itself never does away with God’s commandments. They are set in order forever. In Heaven, God’s laws will continue to work as God set them into existence. In eternity God’s laws will go one unbroken. God’s commandments are God’s laws, and they are given to us that we might have God’s best, not just to bring judgment when they are broken. The judgment comes from our failure to keep God’s commandments, and His law is unchanging and universal to all who have, or ever will be born. Are you keeping God’s commandments? If you are to know the abiding presence of God, then you must keep His commandments. Our verse tells us here that keeping His commandments reassures that "we know Him." Not keeping His commandments is then showing that you do not know Him. How can you expect to abide in His presence unless you know Christ. For Christ is God. Verse 4 of 1 John 2, then tells us that if you say you know Him and do not keep His commandments, that you are a liar, and the truth is not in you. If we are to know the continual abiding presence of God, then we must keep His commandments.
(3)
Continue In The Spirit of Prayer
1Thessalonians 5:17; "Pray without ceasing."
First we saw we must be "Pure In Heart."
Second, we see that we must "Keep His Commandments."
And next we must continue in the spirit of Prayer, if we are to know the abiding presence of God. The Bible tells a great deal about the subject of prayer, and every believer should study the scriptures to know all they can about prayer. It is the greatest work of the child of God to pray. If you do not pray, then you will not win many to Christ. If you do not continue in prayer then you will not be victorious in Christ. Jesus prayer, often all night for the work that the Father sent Him to do. How often do you pray for your work for the Lord. It is no wonder so many Churches are dead today. No Prayer!, Maybe a little, "Now I lay me down to sleep" kind of praying, but no continuing spirit of prayer. We should be so close to the Lord that we pray about everything, about everyone. Prayer should become a constant conversation with the Father, In His Son Jesus Christ. If you are to know that you are "Abiding in his presence" then you must without end continue in the spirit of prayer. "Pray without ceasing," the apostle Paul cries out to the Thessalonian believers as well as to us today. The mightiest power in the world is not the nuclear bombs, but the Bride of Christ in a continual spirit of Prayer. Hey young preacher, do you want to know God’s abiding presence? Then Pray always! What about you dear friends, do you want to abide in His presence? Then pray without ceasing!
(4)
Cultivate The Habits of Speaking Aloud To God.
Matthew 10:32-33; "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
It was said about Billy Sunday by his wife, that often she did not know if Billy was talking to her or to the Lord. The late evangelist Billy Bray was often called crazy because many saw and heard him speaking out loud to the Lord, so they presumed that he was a nut. A religious fanatic, but Billy Bray knew the abiding presence of God, and I will trade that for all of the notions that the world can title me with, how about you? Paul said that we are fools for Christ sake. The world can not understand a person that is abiding in God’s presence.
There are times that we can not speak to God out loud, but what about when you are in your prayer closet? Do you pray out loud to the Father as you kneel at the throne of Grace? Try this, it will change the way that you approach God. This will also let the devil know that you are worshiping the Almighty! And he hates it when we pray!
(5)
Meditate Much Upon The Word of God.
Psalms 1:2; "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalms one starts off with the word "Blessed." This is the same as our English word "Happy." And to be a happy Christian, we must meditate much on the Word of God. Think of the wasted time that is given to the things of the world in our attention. More time is spent on watching movies, or sports than on God’s Word.
There are some people who spend more time on pleasure during a weeks vacation, than they do meditating on the Word of God for a whole year. And then you wonder why the average Christian is so powerless. It is because they do not abide in God’s presence.
Meditation on the Word of God is necessary for abiding in His presence. How can we expect to know the mind of Christ if we do not meditate much on God’s Word. Psalms 119 is a Psalm about God’s Word, and in this the longest chapter in the Bible, we see how important His Word is for us not only in this life, but in the life to come. God’s Word is everlasting, and by it we are going to be judged. Meditate much on The Word if you are to abide in His presence!
(6)
Be Diligent In Christian Work.
Matthew 28:19; "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: "
If you will notice, this goes back to our second point, "Keep His Commandments."
This is a commandment to go and tell everyone about the Lord. To teach them to follow the commands of the Lord. To show their faith in Christ by Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Christian work demands our abiding in His presence if it is to be successful. No one can abide in His presence unless they are diligent in His work. That work is winning the lost to Christ. God is not as concerned with our buildings, as He is with the lost coming to Christ for salvation. God cares more for the lost sheep, than for the Church treasury. Both are needed but sinners being saved is His main purpose for us still being here, and not with Him in Heaven yet. If you expect to abide in God’s presence, then you must be diligent in Christian work. So go and do something for Him. Win some lost soul to Christ today.
(7)
Cultivate The Habits of Recognizing God’s Presence.
Psalms 63:1-2; "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."
You should look for the hand of God in your daily walk with Him. You should recognize God’s working in your midst each day that passes in your life. We must cultivate the habits of recognizing His presence. To cultivate means to break up hard ground, and keep it dressed. To water the crop or garden. To weed out the weeds, and thorns from your heart. Work at knowing His presence is abiding with you. Keep on until you are sure. God is more willing to abide with us than we will ever be to abide with Him. God wants our fellowship. This is why He sent his Son into the world, that fellowship that had been broken by sin could be restored in Jesus Christ. And that fellowship is restored when we know Him. So my friends, if you are to ever know that you are "Abiding In His Presence" then you had better take heed to this message today. Leave out one of the points, and you can not know His abiding presence in your life.
Are you a child of God today? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today? If not come and confess Him right now. Receive Christ as your Saviour today. Do it now! Pray to God; Lord I am lost in sin, and I need salvation through Jesus Christ, Come into my heart and life Lord Jesus. I believe that you died and rose again to save me from my sins.
If you have made a decision to accept Christ as your Saviour, please let us know and we will send you some Bible helps to get you started in your new life in Christ.
Huckaby"s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
Pine Mountain, Ga.31822
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