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The Presence
Philippians 2:1-11
December 24, 2000 am
Throughout the history of mankind there has always been the innate human need to connect with something outside of ourselves. We long so much to relate to the unknowable. Is it any wonder that the Apostle Paul was inspired to speak to the subject of the “Unknown god?” Human nature seems to be fascinated with the unknown and the mysterious.
Who can know God? Who can understand Him? Who can comprehend His ways? God says in Isaiah 55 “My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways.”
What do we know of God? And of what we know of God how do we know it? If we are so sure of who God is and what He means to us then why do so many of us struggle with so many areas of our life?
I propose to you today that God is real. That God came among men by becoming a man. And Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, set the example of how we should live. And by so doing, we can experience the presence of God in our life.
Do you long to know who God is? Do you long to be in the Tent of Meeting just as young Joshua? To be in the presence of God and not want to leave?
May God grant to us the hunger and thirsting for righteousness that we would be filled with His Spirit anew and afresh.
I believe that so many of you here this morning long to know God in a new and fresh way. So what if you have been a Christian for so long. The longer the more child-like your faith should become.
I think probably the greatest problem for Christians is that we forget about our faith. We become self-reliant because we have taken for granted our access to God. I would pray that each of us older Christians would have an Isaiah experience when we least expect it. Isaiah was not expecting God to speak to him in the holy of holies as God chose to do. And what happened left a profound effect on the man and prophet, Isaiah. When we kneel in our holy of holies for the daily routine called devotions, perhaps God would grant His presence in a real and miraculous way. God, do whatever to shake me awake from my slumber.
But I suppose, this is the frustration of the matter: We want God to move on us at the time appointed for Him to move. We love to plan out our programs, and schedule our lives and somehow we expect God to keep within the box. If God hasn’t spoken by twelve noon then God won’t be speaking. I think not.
When I was a teen-ager I had the wonderful opportunity of witnessing God’s presence. It was your typical Sunday evening church service. We went through the formality of singing and offering and preaching. On the last chorus of the closing hymn I heard a shout. And then we began singing the last verse of the song again. What was supposed to be the end of the service actually was the beginning. There were weeping testimonies, more songs, and God’s Spirit filled the place.
Now, what I am saying is that if we ever want to get a real sense of God’s presence we must allow ourselves to become vulnerable and be willing to miss the football game or Andy Rooney. There are some things more important in life than life itself.
I am afraid that a lot of us look at church attendance as a way of punching our time card. “Okay, God, I showed up.” Or we treat our devotion time with God as an obligation rather than a privilege. And we hear the message in one ear and then out the other. I don’t know about you but I am tired of routine and mediocrity.
There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God. My knowledge about God is not the same as knowing God. It’s like watching and observing roller coasters, seeing all the fun, and listening to the screaming but never really understanding what it is to ride a roller coaster.
I want to get with God and know Him more. I want to sense His love in my life and feel his divine presence in every move that I make. What can we do to experience the presence of Christ in our life?
1. Have a teachable spirit. It is so important that I understand that God still wants to teach me in my old age. I am never to old to still be learning. One of the issues that besets us is this seniority issue. When I was in the shop seniority was an issue. Those who started first were given the nod over those who started later. It didn’t mean that they knew more than the rest but that they were there longer. However, those who were there longer had some real humility problems. They hated it when a new guy started and figured out how to do something better than they could. No matter how old I ever get to be I must have a teachable spirit if I am going to be able to experience the presence of God in my life.
2. Have reachable heart. Don’t let your heart become cold towards God. It is easy to sear our conscience to the point of not feeling guilty when we sin. And since I didn’t feel guilty then maybe I really didn’t do wrong. Of course this is faulty thinking. But we have cultivated this kind of thinking because we have learned to base our faith on feelings. We create an on/off switch towards God, with sin, and in our relationships with others. What we must do is allow our heart to be reachable by God’s convicting Holy Spirit so that even the least event will cause us to fall on our knees seeking God’s help.
3. Have a search-able mind. Seek God’s will by stretching your mind with God’s Word. I have heard it said that we are a Christian movement that lacks thinkers. Christianity is full of parrots who have parroted puppets. There is no reason for Christians not to be thinkers. We need to do more than quote scripture but understand what the scripture means. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to stretch our thinking! Be like the Bereans who searched the scriptures to see if what they were being told was scriptural. And when we search the Word and stretch our thinking we will experience the presence of God.
4. Have a workable hand. God wants to grow and multiply that which is truly His. If we are truly committed to God and following after His Spirit then doing our part, no matter how big or how small, should not even be a question. We need to be about the work of the kingdom. This is not to place a guilt trip on anyone but just the facts. Allow God to use you as He sees fit. For so long, I wanted to be in the ministry. I ached with desire to be doing this kind of work. What frustrated me was not my willingness but God’s timing. For years, others in my church and around could see what was inevitably going to happen. However, God had a timing and plan. What needed to happen? I needed to do just as Jesus did: I needed to grow in favor with God and men. I needed to humble myself to the authority of the denomination and I needed to humble my self before God. But in the mean-time I did what I could for the kingdom. Work in the kingdom within God’s time frame and the authority that is over you. Be sincere and willing to do whatever is asked of you.
5. Have a Confident Faith We sing and believe that faith is the victory. We also understand from scripture that without faith no man can please God. Faith is that glorious hope we have in the work of Jesus Christ: 1) His promise of eternal life, 2) His provision for my sin 3) His pursuit of me while I was yet a sinner. My faith must be grounded in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I must truly believe that Jesus died for my sins to set me free from the law of sin and death. My faith needs to be unwavering and confident. “I know whom I have believed in!” Jesus came to earth. His presence was sensed. He died a vicious death for our sins. And now, by our faith in His death and resurrection, we can experience His presence in our lives. Just as Paul wrote of in Colossians- Christ in you.
