Israel - People of the Presence

Open with prayer:

For world situations…

For our nation…

For our church/sick/unity…

For the lost…

For forgiveness…

Connection/Tension

Finishing up our series called Third Day People. Been looking at significant third-day moments in the Bible and how the point us to the most important third-day event in history - the resurrection of Jesus - and what it means for us to be third day people today. This morning we’re going to look at the reality of God’s presence with us.

Meditating on a part of Psalm 104:27-30...

Poetic way of describing the experience of not feeling God’s presence...

When we feel like we have God’s presence, everything is well in our soul. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the things that might normally cause us anxiety or fear are drowned out by the experience of wellbeing. Truly, when God feels near, we have courage to face almost any hardship.

But when he feels absent, no amount of good things in our lives can actually give us the peace we crave. The smallest things can bring about full on panic mode.

I think this feeling of God’s absence is a universal experience. But I want to challenge this perception of absence and give you a biblical reason why God is actually always present with and to us at all times. I want you to know that you can not only have the regular experience of his presence but be his presence to others. Today we’re going to look at the first people God called to enjoy his presence - Israel. Now we follow in their steps as People who enjoy his presence AND carry his presence for the sake of others.

Text and Context

You may be familiar with the story of the Exodus. Israel was enslaved in Egypt. God came and delivered them. He led them into the wilderness and had them camp at the foot of Mt. Sinai. There he invites them to enter into a unique relationship with Him - covenant - where the most important feature is that his presence would dwell among them. We can see what it would mean to be this people of the presence.

Exodus 19:5 “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.”

As people of the presence they will enjoy a Privileged relationship with God.

What God is giving them is a new identity and status. They will be treasured - brought close to God’s heart. They will have a unique relationship not enjoyed by others. While it was privileged, it was never intended to be an exclusive. God’s plan in making them a people of the presence was that through them others would come to know his presence also. Privileged relationship. Then...

Exodus 19:5–6 “Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

As people of the presence, they are also going to have a Sacred calling. They are given a divine purpose to be a priestly nation. What is the role of a priest? They facilitate relationship. They stand between heaven and earth, being a vessel to bless people on behalf of God, while bringing the needs of the people to God. As a nation, they would carry God’s presence in a way others could see so that they might come to God as well. To a world longing for God, they would bring his blessing.

People of the presence have a privileged relationship and a sacred calling. Let’s keep reading...

Exodus 19:9–11 “When Moses had told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses: “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”

The most distinguishing feature ofthis covenant is that God would have a Perpetual dwelling among them.

On the third day, God was going to bridge the gap between them and come down. Not temporarily, but permanently. God was literally be in their midst. First here on the mountain, but then later residing above the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle and Temple.

If you have ever tried to figure out what the Bible is all about, here it is. The whole meta-narrative, story-arch of the Bible is God’s quest to be present with the people he has made. This theme runs from Genesis to Revelation. Not now, but Google the phrase “I will be your God, and you will be my people” and you will see it everywhere. What’s the point of the Bible? Jesus. Yes!, but what Jesus is doing is making God’s presence a reality. But I’m getting ahead of myself. We see here that God’s singular purpose is to dwell among his people perpetually.

They have a privileged relationship, a sacred calling, and God’s perpetual dwelling with them, yet we’re going to see that they will lack full access to his presence. We read this next...

Exodus 19:12–15 “You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it.”

This seems a bit of a downer after all the good news of what it means to be people of God’s presence. But a reality still exists. God would make a way for the people to draw near through sacrifices - but not too near. God would dwell in their midst, but he would be behind a veil only the high priest could come behind, and then only once a year. For the blood of bulls and goats could never truly make people ready to stand fully in the presence of a holy God. They only pointed to a greater reality that was coming. And so the history of Israel would be that they were people NEAR the presence, yet there always remained a chasm they couldn’t cross.

Gospel/Response

The good news the Gospel proclaims is that, since we couldn’t come near to God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has crossed the divide to us. At the death of Jesus, the perfect atonement for sin was made, and the Bible tells us that the veil inside the Temple - the place that separated God’s presence from people - was torn in two. The barrier to God’s presence was demolished. The chasm between Creator and creation was bridged.

Now, as a result, the author of the letter of Hebrews encourages us, Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

God’s presence is for everyone. No longer is God’s presence reserved for a few. No longer would it remain at a distance. At the resurrection of Jesus on the third day, God’s presence became available to everyone. That’s why the apostle Paul is so insistent that whether we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free, all of us are now one in Jesus. He’s not saying that we lose our unique distinctions, but that our ethnic, gender, and social distinctions don’t hinder our access to God’s presence.

At the resurrection, Jesus enacted a new covenant. A new “people of the presence” has been formed called the church. The church doesn’t replace Israel; the church is where the story of Israel was always heading. Jesus and the church is the fulfillment of their story. And now as those who are brought into Israel’s story by faith in Jesus, we enjoy their same privileges. Listen to what the apostle Peter writes:

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Sound familiar? He’s totally riffing off of the passage we looked at in Exodus.

Put these all on one slide please

You enjoy a Privileged relationship with God through Jesus. You have a new identity as daughters and sons of God.

You inherit a Sacred calling as priests. You bear God’s presence to serve as a mediator to bring God’s blessing to others. To be an agent of reconciliation between God and humans.

By the Spirit God dwells with you perpetually. This should be our most distinguishing characteristic. We acknowledged that all of us experience moments when feel like God is absent. Often in times of distress we feel that way. But we must realize that this is only our faulty perception. You are a vessel of the HS, and God’s Spirit and presence lives in you. 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” If you are a Christian, it is impossible for God to be absent from you, because he dwells in you forever.

You may be here today or listen online and thinking, “This is what I’ve been looking for. I want to know God. I want to have him in my life.” If that is true, I want to invite you to begin a relationship with him today. Two words in the Bible sum up what we do to begin this relationship:

Repent - Not primarily feeling sorry. More about changing your mind about who Jesus is and then changing your life direction as a result. You believe Jesus is the son of God who died for your sin and rose on the third day, and now you commit to live your life following him instead of yourself.

Believe - Not just believing in the facts about Jesus. You “believe into Jesus”, meaning you yield your life in trusting obedience to him - even if you don’t have everything figured out.

I want to take a moment to lead us in a prayer for anyone who wants to make this decision today...

(Prayer of commitment slide) Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned against you by what I’ve thought, by what I’ve said, and by what I’ve done. [Take a moment to confess anything in particular that is troubling your conscience.] I’m sorry and I turn away from this old way of living. Please forgive me. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins. I receive your forgiveness and give you my life. Fill me, Holy Spirit, so that I can learn to love and follow you for the rest of my days. Amen.

If you prayed that today for the first time, you are now a part of God’s family! Everything I’ve talked about today is true for you. This is only the beginning. I’d love to meet with you and talk about next steps in your new life. (Next steps slide).

Whether you just started following Jesus, or you’ve been following him for decades, you are the people of God’s presence. How can we begin to live in that reality, rather than being controlled by our false perceptions of absence?

First, we need to learn to Cultivate God’s presence. This means taking intentional steps to foster attentiveness to God. That’s much easier said than done in our modern world. From the moment we wake up, until we go to bed, we are bombarded with noise and distraction. If we want to become more aware of God’s presence, we will have to develop new habits. I think the habits that are especially needed in this age are intentional solitude and silence. And fostering these habit can feel awkward at first.

There was a period of time when I was taking up the game of golf. I’ve since learned it was not conducive to my holiness. Have you ever been shown how to hold a golf club? You can’t just grab it and start swinging like you whacking down a tree. There’s a way of locking your fingers and gripping the club. You have to approach the ball the right way. All these things that feel so unnatural, yet if you want to have any chance of hitting the ball far and straight, you have to do it until it become natural.

Solitude and silence will be just like trying to learn golf for a while. It won’t feel natural at first, but with time and practice and patience, these will be habits that will equip you to be a person who can enjoy God’s presence. Try different ways. Maybe sitting outside on your porch will be your thing. Or finding a quiet place in the house. For me, it’s my walks during the week. In fact, this whole message came to me during my walk this week. Jesus has opened the door for you to draw near to God, so cultivate habits that help you enjoy his presence.

But as people of the presence, we don’t only enjoy God’s presence, we Carry God’s presence. We are people who take God’s presence with us wherever we go. That means any moment can be a moment of divine encounter. That means that we carry a kind of presence with us that changes the atmosphere. You can either be a thermostat or a thermometer. A thermometer can only react to temperature; a thermostat can alter it.

Through the power of the Spirit living in you, you can be a non-anxious presence to your family, neighbors, co-workers, and friends. You can be someone who changes the atmosphere at tense family gatherings, at toxic workplaces, and with hurting and hopeless people. You are a living witness of Christ - a priest who bears his blessing. As you learn to cultivate God’s presence, you can become aware in every situation what the Spirit is doing and join him in his work. This is how you extend his powerful presence to others. We’ll learn more about that next week when we look at the Holy Spirit coming upon the church at Pentecost.

Christ is risen. We are living in the “third day” above all third days. If you are in Christ, you are the re-newed people of God. Enjoy his presence, and carry his presence for the sake of the world. Listen to the prophetic ever-after promised in Revelation:

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;”

God is with you. In Jesus, God’s not-yet future promise has become your already reality. Amen.