His Name is Jesus
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4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
When the set time had fully come…God sent His Son!
God made the most magnificent decision by choosing to come in the person of Jesus!
Out of His love, He chose to make His dwelling among us!
He chose to enter into this crazy world to have relationship with you and I!
Emmanuel - God with us!
So, this morning, as we celebrate God’s coming, it is clear that God has desire to be with His people. God so intimately wants to be with His people, that He put on flesh to dwell among us!
And after Jesus ascended and went back to the Father, He sent His Spirit to dwell in us intimately.
The question that I raise is:
Do we desire to have this same intimacy with God?
Do we desire to have this same intimacy with God?
I was listening to a forum a couple of weeks ago with 5-6 high profile pastors.
What I mean by high profile is that they have a large following of people.
This particular forum was a Q&A forum where people could go up and ask questions.
One of the questions that was asked of them was
“With the platform and pressure that come with it, how do you stay strong and not fall like so many do?”
I actually really loved their answer to the question, even though, and tough to admit, I didn’t know what they were talking about at first.
Their answer basically was “maintain on the secret place.”
Again, I really didn’t know what they were talking about.
But as the continued, and mostly after I researched it, it began to make so much sense.
“The secret place” that they were talking about is the place of intimacy between us and God
Being the fella that I am when I hear things, my mind immediately goes to “great, show me in scripture.”
So, I did some research and want to read to you a bunch of scripture
I am going to start with this first one and then I will end with it. Because I think there is multiple layers...
So, some context here is Jesus is preaching the sermon on the mount. He then says
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
So, my thought has always been that Jesus is basically making the point that we should be boastful about our prayers, that we should be sincere. And, if that means to go into our closet where no one can see us, so be it!
As I read some of these other scriptures, I began to think about this a bit differently...
Let’s look at Moses in Exodus 32 for a second...
So, after Moses had gone up on the mountain and then He comes back down, he sees that under Aaron’s leadership they created a golden calf, which was an idol and a direct disobedience to God...
The people were running wild...
Moses sees this and rebukes the people....
He knows the power and magnitude of God and says He will go back to meet with God to try and atone for their sin…He’s a good leader by the way...
So He goes to the Lord and apologizes for their sin. God says He will punish the people and sends a plague upon them...
We will pick up in:
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Starting here is what I want to hone in on…Listen to Moses passion and desire to meet with God
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
So, Moses has the distinct desire and hunger to be in the presence of God...
To be in the shelter of the Most High!
Do we have this same desire?
In the OT, God tells moses that He can’t be in the full presence of God or it will kill them!
Then the presence and power of God comes, in the form of Jesus to dwell among, to walk with, to heal, to set free, to Love!!
And then....God sends His presence and power to dwell in us!
So, I believe that there is this place in us…where our Spirit is in Communion with the Holy Spirit and we can go and experience intimacy with God...
In this place, this secret, or hidden place, depending on your translation is where we find rest in the presence of God...
So, how do we maintain and stay on track? We find this place...
Now to some scripture...
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.
The prophet Isaiah echos this place...
3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
So Moses has this experience with God, David echos this same or similarly place of intimacy, and the Isaiah proclaims treasures in the secret places....
I am convinced that this place now dwells with in us where the Holy Spirit resides....
James tells us:
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
We should strive to come near to God! He came near to us in the form of Jesus....and He came even nearer to us in the form of the Holy Spirit!
How much of a desire do we have to draw near to Him?
Do we desire to be in this place of intimacy with Him?
Have we experienced this secret, or hidden, place where we can rest and find shelter in the Lord?
Finally, David says:
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Taste and see that the Lord is good!
To taste something, we have to get close!
You can’t taste something from across the room!
You can’t taste something through Facebook, or through a sermon!
To taste, you have to come close!
You have to smell the fragrance!
You have to touch what you are eating!
You have to come near to taste it!
Draw near to God!
Find this secret place where you can dwell with Him and experience Him!
Back to:
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Maybe I’m off, but maybe Jesus is talking about more than just being in a private place....
Maybe He is talking about an intimacy with God....
A place where it is just us and God....
A secret place.
A humble place.
A place of rest
A place of peace
A place of Love
A place of joy
And a place of light!
As we move into the candlelight time, I encourage you to find this place...
When we sing silent night, sing it from a place of intimacy with Him!