Presence of God

Growing In Spiritual Wisdom

The Presence of God – Growing In Spiritual Wisdom

It is life in fellowship with God. The Presence Of Is a continuous awares of God with us, dwelling with Him and flowing in His anointing.

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,NIV

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the [a]Lord appeared to him and said,“I am [b]God Almighty; Walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me]. 2 “I will establish My covenant (everlasting promise) between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly [through your descendants].” 3 Then Abram fell on his face [in worship], and God spoke with him, saying,AMP

God’s initiative in encountering people. Words used in Scripture to communicate the presence of God usually the “face” of God.

Old Testament During the patriarchal period God used a variety of means of revelation to communicate with the people (Gen. 15:1; 32:24–30).

These are often described as theophanies(the manifestation of God in symbolic form), appearances of God to humanity. Moses had a close relationship with God. He encountered God in the burning bush and knew God “face to face” (Deut. 34:10).

The presence of God was also closely related to the tabernacle, the place for encountering God in worship. The tabernacle was the place of the Lord’s name or glory, a manifestation of God’s presence and activity in the world (Exod. 40:34, 38). The cloud and fire symbolized the presence of God leading on the journey to Canaan.

Perhaps the primary tangible symbol of God’s presence with the people was the ark of the covenant, the container for the tablet of the law and the seat of God’s throne. It led the people in the journey to Canaan and into battle (Josh. 3:1–6). The ark was associated with the sanctuary and eventually came to rest in the temple, the place of the presence of God. Here Isaiah had a powerful vision of the holy God (Isa. 6).

God also manifested Himself in other ways: in fire (1 Kings 18) and in a still small voice (1 Kings 19), both to Elijah. The Psalms speak of God’s presence with the worshiping community (Ps. 139) and of the apparent absence of this present God (Ps. 13). In either case, God is still addressed. Ezekiel spoke of the exile in terms of the glory (presence) of God leaving ancient Israel but then returning at the end of the exile in Babylon (Ezek. 43:1–5). Much of the OT discussion of the presence of God centers on the fact that God is utterly free to be where God wills but constantly chooses to be with His people to give them life.

New Testament manifestations of the presence of God is in Jesus Christ, Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23; John 1:14; Heb. 1:1–3). This presence did not end with the death of Christ. The risen Christ appeared to the disciples (John 21:1–14) and to Paul. Through the apostles, Paul, and the disciples, Christ’s work continued (Acts 1:8; 26:12–18). The Holy Spirit is an important manifestation of the presence of God and continues the redemptive work of God. The return of Christ will bring permanence to the presence of God with His people.

The church is called to be a manifestation of God’s presence. That community is fed by the presence of God found in communion between worshiper and God.

He Is I AM and He Is All You Need! He Is With You. Exodus 3:14 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

He is the Living God, The Almighty, Everlasting God who give supernational guidance to anyone who would obey His Word.

The Presence of God Comes With Divine purpose( not worldly purpose and vanity; Expedia.. you were made to decide where to go; we were made to find you where to go) many Spiritual Gifts. One these gifts is Spiritual Wisdom

Wisdom:

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— 3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, 13 who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, 14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, 15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, 17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a] 18 Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

God’s word and God’s wisdom

Closely connected with such concepts of the divine Word was the concept of the divine Wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified as being with God in the beginning:

‘Then I was the craftsman at his side.

I was filled with delight day after day,

rejoicing always in his presence,

rejoicing in his whole world

and delighting in mankind.’ (Proverbs 8:30-31

It is this same wisdom personified who stands at street corners and in noisy thoroughfares, offering men and women the saving truth of God as the most precious thing in life, but who is often ignored or rejected with tragic results.

In the first-century world of John’s day, in both Jewish and Greek philosophical traditions, the Word, considered as logos, had as much to do with mind, thought, reason and the rational principle which ran through the whole creation, as with the spoken word. I have given more detail in a section at the end of this chapter.

However, for John, the Old Testament background is much more decisive with its emphasis on the word of the Lord in creation and in revelation, as later verses show (1:3, 4, 10, 18)

Wisdom Is….

I Corinthians 1:23-25

23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Godly Wisdom

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (NAC 1Co): 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

The concluding exhortation of 3:18–23, marked by three commands, rounds out the discussion begun in 1:18. Once again, Paul quotes Scripture (Job 5:13; Ps 94:11) and inverts previous statements in order to drive home the point. In 1:18–25, for example, the message of the cross is “foolishness” to the unbelieving world, but in 3:19, the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God’s sight. The way to become truly wise is to become a “fool,” which is to embrace the cross not only as the object of faith but as a value system, a way of thinking and behaving.

Wisdom Of The Age

The opposite, the wisdom of this age, enshrined in “boasting in men” (3:21), should be completely discarded.

The rhetorical crescendo of 3:18–23 is analogous to the climactic crescendo of Rom 8:38–39. There is no reason to boast in men because all things belong to them in Christ, who belongs to God. Paul’s declaration, “All things are yours!”, followed by “whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, etc.” is the exact opposite of the rhetorical caricature of 1:12, “I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas.” The Corinthians do not belong to these men; these men belong to them, that is, the church, and all belong to Christ, who belongs to God. This supports the key point of 3:5–17, that Paul and Apollos are servants of the church who labor under their master. The boasting language recalls 1:26–31. Boasting has its place but only in the Lord.

Conclusion:

I Corinthians 1:18-31

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[b

Pray for the Presence of God! Glorify God and come into His Presence with holy fear.