Learning to Appreciate His Presence.
Text: Ps 91
Mt 28:20 Isa 43:2 James 2:20-26
This Morning, I want to speak to you about entering into the very presence of the father. So many times in our hurried lives, we simply mumble a quick prayer over our food, before we drift off to sleep, or rush out the door in the morning. But we really do not spend the quality time with God that he deserves and so much desires. There are 10,080 minutes in a week. How many of those minutes are spent in his presence?
In Ps 91 the Psalmist writes; He who dwells in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.
If you look in the dictionary you will find that dwell means: to Continue, to linger, to reside in.
When you walked in this morning, you probably wondered why this brand new SUV was setting in the sanctuary. You figured it was a raffle of some sort. No it is part of my illustrated Sermon this morning.
In order to spend quality time with the father, we require
Faith, Works, Guidence, and Prayer.
(Walk over to the SUV)
Let’s open the hood and examine the engine. WOW that is one powerful engine.
FAITH:
We can compare this engine to our Faith. If you have ever been in an automotive shop you may have seen engines attached to metal racks and they are running, but not going anywhere. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26)
WORKS:
The next thing this SUV has is a power train which includes the transmission. The power train can be compared to our “WORKS”. A powerful engine is great but without the power train this SUV goes nowhere. So it is with our Christian walk, we have to “put feet to our faith” to make it work (James 2:22).
GUIDANCE: (GET IN THE SUV ON THE DRIVERS SIDE)
The next thing we want to examine is the steering wheel. Without this guidance system you may be moving but not for long before you crash. The guidance system for our Christian walk is the “HOLY SPIRIT” who will teach us all things, pray when we don’t know how,and comfort us when we need it.(Rom 8:26, Jn 14:26)
PRAYER: (GET OUT OF THE SUV)
Now we have determined that this SUV has a powerful engine, A power train to get us moving and a guidance system to keep us on track. Notice we have left out a very important component, Look at those tires they are huge. Holding this entire apparatus up are the tires. Tires then can be compared to our “PRAYER LIFE”. A powerful Engine, a power train, and a guidance system do little good if all four tires are flat. In the life of a Christian if we are Prayer challenged our Christian Walk is going nowhere.
Would you just walk over to your best friend’s house and say hi here is list of things I need you to do for me, then turn and walk out? Most likely you would not. The way you got to be friends was by spending time, talking and listening to them.
How dare we then treat God like that? Rush in, say hi, give him our laundry list and rush out.
Point # 2 preparing the soil.
When a farmer wants to have a productive crop yield, he does not just throw out some seeds without first preparing the soil to accept the seed. So it is with entering into the Presence of the father, we must prepare the soil of our hearts. How do we do that? While we must recognize that methods are not anointed, and what works for one person will not work for another person. However, I want to give you some food for thought and a model this morning that you can massage to meet your own style and schedule.
Things you will need.
1. Find a one year devotional of your favorite translation that will take you through most of the bible in one year.
2. Have your regular study Bible handy.
3. A designated quiet place
4. Music that sets the mood for worship.
Point # 3 Morning person or evening person? Two scenarios.
Morning: Coffee with the Lord.
Now before you say that is irreverent or blasphemy, think about your relationship with the Father. You don’t hesitate to have Coffee with your friends, so why not invite your very best friend JESUS to share an intimate time with you before you rush off for the “Cares of this life” Luke 21: After all he is the one who invented Coffee in the first place.
1. The Starting Point.
Take a deep breath, stop the merry-go-round of your mind and read today’s devotional.
Begin your conversation with the Father.
Start by using the acronym A.C.T.S.L. Using this method will keep you on track, and keep your mind from wondering.
A: ACKNOWLEDGE GOD
Acknowledge God for who he is. Think about the Titles attributed to God.
He is God the Creator (ELOHIM) He is God your provider (Jehovah Jireh) He is God your healer (Jehovah Ropheka) He is the God of peace in the time of storms (Jehovah Shalom) He is the God who Loves you (Jehovah Nissi ) His banner over you is Love.
He is your shepherd (Jehovah Elynon).
Begin a time of praise and worship before him. Put on some quiet music of your favorite type (Praise & worship, Southern Gospel, Hymns)
2. C: CONFESS.
Confess your sins, 1 John (Omission and Co-mission) Confess your strength and weakness.
There are usually 3 types of Sin. (Notice the word SIN; right smack in the middle is I)
• Sins of the Mind
Thought patterns can usher us into his presence or out of his presence. (Pornography)
• Sins of the Body (Drugs, Sex, Alcohol abuse)
• Sins of the Heart (Adultery)
Physically you can separate the mind from the Heart, but on a spiritual plane they are intermingled. You may be thinking I am a Christian I do not have those things in my life. Then how about the little everyday sins, like gossip, little white lies, et al.
3. T: Thanks
Take time to thank him for all of the things he has done for you.
4. S: SUPPLICATION
Supplication is a $10.00 word that means “Ask humbly in prayer” This is the time to get out your prayer list and bring them before the lord.
5. L: LISTEN
Quiet your spirit and just be quiet before the Lord. God can speak to us through a song, a verse, and inspiration or impression. But he is a gentleman he will not intrude.
Evening secessions.
You may find it works better if you tell your family you have made an appointment with God every night after dinner. Keep your appointment
IN SUMMARY
When we begin to dwell in the secret place, and spend quality time with him, the vehicle we used as an illustration above begins to purr and run smoothly.
One last word, dealing with temptations and trials.
No matter how close we try to walk with the father, we all face trials in our life. Just remember that we all deal with trials in different ways. I want you to consider Eggs, Potatoes, and Coffee beans. They all face the same trial (boiling hot water) but they react differently. An egg goes into the trial soft, and comes out of the trial hard. A potato goes into the trial hard and comes out soft and pliable. Coffee beans on the other hand go into the trial and turns it into a sweet smelling flavor and makes something good out of it. May the Lord bless you this week as you purpose in your heart to spend time with him.
Benediction
