HIS IMMANENCE

We continue with our series of the disciplines that make a Christian shine, talking about the discipline of solitude

To be alone with God, there must a clear understanding that that God is near

The Immanence Of God is the idea that God is present in, close to and involved with creation.

One of the most challenging seasons any of us will face is a season of loneliness.

It can be terrifying to feel disconnected in the world, to sense you are on your own and no one has your back.

How comforting, however is it to know that God is nearby, He is close to you

immanence—the closeness—of Christ.

immanence — The idea that God is present and involved with his creation.

His immanent presence.

The Scripture is filled with references that teach about the closeness, friendship, and companionship of Christ

God is Near to Those Who Call on Him:

Psalm 145:18: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

Deuteronomy 4:7: "For what great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?"

Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

God Dwells Among His People:

Exodus 25:8: "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." (Referring to the Tabernacle, a foreshadowing)

John 14:23: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.'"

1 Corinthians 3:16: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"

Revelation 21:3: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'"

3. God's Presence is Constant and Unfailing:

Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Matthew 28:20: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Jesus's promise)

Hebrews 13:5: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

4. God's Immanence (His Presence Pervading All Things):

Acts 17:27-28: "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being."

Jeremiah 23:23-24: "Am I a God who is only in one place? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord."

5. God Desires Intimacy with His People:

James 4:8: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

John 15:13–15 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

Sometimes we know that God is near us as we go through difficult times.

We really do not understand, for instance, the relationships between time and eternity, nor do we have much of an idea how the God who inhabits eternity discloses himself to us in our finite, space/time history.

We do not know how God can be both personal and sovereign/transcendent; we do not know how the one God can be triune.