Found in His Presence

Immune to His Presence

Coming into the start of the third year for Remnant Church I look back and see all the Lord has done as we await His promises to come. One of the early warnings for us given as a word of exhortation was for us to never grow calloused to the presence of the Lord. This is to say, that each time we encounter His presence it should be as it was the first time we encountered His presence as a congregation. This remains with us as we continue to remain in His presence while we await His promises.

The word religious has been twisted in a manner that we are afraid to say we are religious. In its base concept it means we are given in devotion to an ultimate deity who for us is God.

Then there is legalism which professes a “religious” posture in which our devotion is given to a system, set of rules, and even liturgy that appears to be to God but is in fact honoring man made constructs and calling them God.

In the latter we are immune to God’s presence and given to a measure of work to appease systems, rules, and constructs that ultimately serve man, where in the former we are found tender hearted, sensitive to the presence of the Lord working out of love and devotion to the Lord. The Holy Spirit guides the work, and leads us to growing the Kingdom according to His will.

Legalistic religion will never substitute an intimate relationship in the presence of the Lord.

Forged on the Threshing Floor

1 Chronicles 15:1–3 ESV

David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever. And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.

When we last encountered David

Angry

Afraid

Does not Relent

Prepares his house

Establishes a place for the presence

Corrects what needs to be corrected

in the threshing we are made aware of areas that need to be purified

make the correction and do not dwell on it the Lord will continue to make a way

Only the Levites may carry it

David commands the Levites and Priest;

1 Chronicles 15:12–13 ESV

and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.”

command goes forth to consecrate as they are readying themselves to receive to themselves the presence

That threshing has led David to the following;

Consecrate the house, elders, leaders, priest

Prepare a space to restore

Commit to the work

Daily we must ignite the altar on which we lift up the incense of our worship to the Lord. That when we are found in His presence we will never depart.

Offering an Incense in the Presence

Moses told about building and altar in which incense will be burnt as he approaches the presence of the Lord

Command if you want to meet with me you will burn this incense daily

Exodus 30:7–8 ESV

And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.

The priests are instructed to raise up an unceasing incense

When he rises ensure it is established when he beds down it is rekindled.

From generation to generation… this is why we are here.

In every way possible we are not to depart from His presence.

v. 9 no unauthorized offerings

Encounter in His Presence

Some want to wield His presence as if it were a toy… others play with the thought of His presence.

Exodus 25:22 ESV

There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

His presence today is more accessible than ever before

His people are more devoid of His presence than ever before

Some want to hear His voice and know His will but are unwilling to go through the threshing much less stay in His presence long enough to know what His desire is.

Postured for His Presence

Continual Consecration

Exodus 29:43–46 ESV

There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Lord is doing a work in the house of the Lord as His glory consecrates and sanctifies the space

We present ourselves with hearts postured for repentance

We are set apart for His glory

This cleansing He does for His temple and for His people “I am the Lord their God, who brough them out of Egypt

“That I might dwell among them

this is what He desires to do in us

Prepare a Place in Your Heart

1 Chronicles 16:1–4 ESV

And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.

Lift Him up

Invoke His name

Thank Him

Praise Him

Commit to Carrying His Presence

1 Chronicles 15:15 ESV

And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

We must commit to carry His presnce

We must commit to stay on the threshing floor

In the encounter we must commit to doing His will above our own.

The days of playing house with the church have come to an end we can no longer play legalistic religiosity nor can our posture be one of passive relationship

In the encounter we must be willing to go through the threshing, and to doing to His will.

I want an intimate relationship with Him