Power of Presence
Living In Power • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Living in Power
Living in Power
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We continue our series looking at the life of a believer who has submitted themselves to the Holy Spirit, is walking in the Spirit, and is living in the power that comes only through the Holy Spirit.
We want to see God do great things in Abilene and He is! First, He is transforming you and me and allowing us to experience Him. Then, we share the testimony of His goodness with the world around us.
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To live the life God has called us to, we must live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, we are going to look at the Power of Presence
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
God’s Presence:
We Encounter God’s Presence
Moses did not know God in a personal way (For us today, the world will be represented by Moses)
God provided an opportunity for Moses to encounter Him through a burning bush. (You and I will be represented by the bush)
Let’s consider the bush for a moment.
The bush was a common wilderness shrub, without any real significance (in ourselves, we have nothing to offer a dying world)
The fire of God’s presence took something ordinary, and made it extraordinary (When the fire of God’s presence saturates us, He makes us extraordinary)
His presence changed the bush’s significance because it was saturated by the fire (We cannot be satisfied with being near others who have the fire of God’s presence, we must choose to be saturated by His presence so when the world experiences us, they are experiencing the fire of God.)
If the fire left the bush, the next person to walk by it would not know it was any different from all the other bushes. (We must remain in His presence)
It was the presence of God in the bush that drew Moses to it. (It is not our programs or our events that will attract those lost in sin. It is the transformative power of God’s presence in our life that will draw them in to experience the fire for themselves.
Where God’s presence is manifest is holy ground.
Our lives are supposed to be holy ground where God’s presence has complete reign over us.
His presence is meant to be experienced.
Some try to simply get close to the fire. Close enough to feel warm, but not close enough to burn.
11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
God gave His presence to the children of Israel in the mountain with Moses and in the tabernacle.
Joshua wanted to be as close to God’s presence as he could. This is the passion we should have to encounter the presence of God.
The greatest thing that could happen took place when Jesus died on the cross.
The veil that kept you and me out of the manifest presence of God was torn and you and I can now experience His presence in our lives.
We Experience God’s Presence
Experiencing God’s manifest presence is so much more than just “Experience Times” at church.
God is calling us to pursue Him in true relationship.
In the same way the fire saturated every part of the bush, God wants to be present in every area of our lives.
As we have been discussing on Thursdays, our flesh and spirit are at war with each other.
We need to surrender ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit so He can show us the areas of our life that we are holding back.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
There is freedom where the presence of the Holy Spirit is made manifest.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
His presence brings healing
The power of presence is His presence in us and His presence through us for the world.
He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Though we walk through the valley, we are not alone.
Greater is He in us than he in the world.
We Emit God’s Presence
You were Moses in encounter, now you are the burning bush.
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Christ IN you, the hope of glory
His presence in you is power for living, it is also the testimony of Him in you for the world.
The world does not see Emmanuel except through you!
While all of creation is proclaiming His glory, His presence is revealed in your presence.
Everyone, in every place, has a Christian who should be burning bright for God.
Do we choose to burn. Do we choose show the world this amazing God we serve.
There is a cost. We only shine as we have allowed Him to shine in and through us.
Encounter God in each other
Experience God in real life
Emit His presence to your community
Pray for those who do not know God.
