God's Presence with His People

The climax and key to Matthew’s gospel lies in the promise of Matthew 28:20, the final verse of his account. It’s the promise of I AM - very God, begotten, not created - to be present, to be near, to be imminent! I want us to explore that promise together and to see three things in connection with it:

to whom it applies (the Place of the Promise)

how it’s possible (the Power for the Promise)

how it shapes our mission (the Purpose of the Promise)

The Promise of His Presence

The theme of God’s presence is central to Matthew’s gospel. Matthew begins his gospel by describing the birth of the one who, in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Is 7:14), would be born of the virgin and given the name Immanuel. And, as if to underline the relevance of that name to his narrative, Matthew explains the meaning of it: God with us!

Then, in the closing verse of his gospel, Matthew features the words of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Mt 28:20).

God with us.... and surely I am with you always - bookends to Matthew’s account, which lead us to one its key themes: the presence of God.

Now, let’s be clear what we mean when we refer to the presence of God. Our God is an omnipresent God, transcending all spatial limitations, present in the fullness of his being throughout heaven and earth, near to all men and women.

This is what the Psalmist expresses in Psalm 139:7-8:

Psalm 139:7–8 NIV

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

This, though, is not what the promise of Matthew 28:20 is about. This isn’t about God being with you as you mow your lawn or as you walk the aisles of your local supermarket, true as that may be. It isn’t about God being with the man on the Clapham omnibus, as he looks out and appreciates some marvel of God’s creation.

And surely is the way the NIV translates the Greek word ἰδού. That’s a bit weak. Perhaps you will have lo or behold. It means “Look! Surprise!” Jesus is about to tell them something which is an incredible surprise - I am with you always!

There’s a great difference between being in the general presence of someone and having a close, personal encounter with them. The Lord promises the latter: a personal, close quarters encounter with the living God. It’s the sort of intimate relationship with God that is only available in the context of a covenant for the protection of God’s holiness. And whenever God shows up in a covenant context, it’s always surprising!

When God met Abraham, he appeared as a smoking oven, a furnace moving through the air and passing between the pieces of the dead animals that Abraham had cut up. When he appeared to Moses and the people of Israel, he was a consuming fire on top of Mount Sinai. When he entered Solomon’s temple, he came down in a glory cloud so powerful, majestic and great that nobody could enter the building. You see, it’s one thing to experience God in a general sense, but quite another to be with him, to meet him personally. Whenever God shows up, in the deeply personal, intimate context of a covenant relationship, it’s surprising!

And never more so than when God showed up in the person of his Son, Immanuel.

You’ll recall how Moses asked to see the face of God when he was on Mount Sinai and God said, “No, but I’ll show you my back.” Moses would speak to God with such intimacy that it was as if the two were talking ‘face to face’. But he couldn’t actually see the face of God and live. It would have killed him.

But John says:

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Brothers and sisters, we have seen the full radiance of God's glory through the gospel; we’ve seen it in the face of Christ! The same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has, through the gospel, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6).

What would Moses be saying if he were here now? The very thing he was denied - sight of the glory of God - is available to us through Christ. That’s the meaning of the promise; it’s the essence of the New Covenant.

The Place of the Promise

Now, some of you may be thinking, ok, if Jesus was still here bodily, if we could see him as the disciples saw him in his resurrection glory, that would be an incredible surprise. But how and where is this promise fulfilled today?

The answer lies in the words of the promise: I will be with YOU always. And our original language experts help us to see that this is the plural, collective you. In English “you” can refer to one person or to many, it can be singular and plural. But in Matthew 28:20, the promise is to a group, to a plural you.

Of course, we can have a personal encounter with God through his Word. More than that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know we’ve received the indwelling Spirit and so have God’s presence with us at all times.

But I think Matthew 28:20 is about something even more precious. This was a promise made to a group, to be enjoyed by them collectively!

The “you” comprised initially those disciples who had assembled in Galilee at the mountain of Jesus’ choosing to worship him. In a similar way, centuries earlier, Israel had assembled at another mountain, Sinai, designated by God in his early communications with Moses as the place to which Israel would come to worship him.

We need to note the typology, which Matthew intends us to see. As the nation of Israel camped around Sinai, God came to them; the Almighty descended to the top of the mountain and entered into covenant with them, promising them his continuing presence and his voice. And as the disciples gathered at the mountain in Galilee, Immanuel came to them and made his New Covenant promise: I am with you always.

For Israel, Sinai became a symbol of the covenant promise of God’s presence with them. And later in their history, with the establishment of the temple of God in Jerusalem, Mount Zion assumed the same significance. Those great covenant mountains were the places God chose to become present with the people of his choice.

Now the disciples had been gathered together in another mountain-centred fellowship, under the authority of the Son of God to worship, to keep his commands, and to enjoy the blessing of his presence.

And since the promise was given till the end of the age, it’s clear that it wasn’t just for the eleven to enjoy, but for those who would come after them to be built together on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone, to become a holy temple in the Lord, a house in which God lives by his Spirit!

The place of the promise, then, where it is fulfilled today, is among the community of God’s chosen people, his holy nation, his special possession. It’s a promise which I believe we enjoy when we gather together in our churches.

Haven’t we been called into this mountain-centred fellowship? The writer of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 12:22–24 NIV

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Yes, we’ve been called together into a mountain-centred community to enjoy the most intimate experience of God’s presence until the end of the age. What a privilege!

But how is the promise fulfilled? How do we see the glory of God evidencing his presence with us when we come together? Paul gives us the answer:

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The answer is in YOU, my brothers and sisters. That is where I will see the evidence of God’s presence with his chosen people - in the faces of my brothers and sisters in the Lord, who are being transformed with ever-increasing glory into the likeness of the one they love and serve!

What does that mean for our collective gatherings? What can we expect from them in light of the Lord’s promise?

Matthew frequently points forward to the closing scene of his gospel by drawing our focus to the Lord Jesus on a mountain with a crowd gathered around him. Matthew wanted us to see what the presence of God meant to the community that was physically gathered around the Lord then and what it would mean for the people of God throughout the new covenant age.

What did it mean for Immanuel to be present? Let’s just take one day of his life by way of example.

In Matthew 5, we have one of those scenes which points us forward to Matthew 28; we have the Lord on a mountain, the crowds gathered and taking their seat around him and, it says, he began to teach them (Mt 5:1-2). This was the Sermon on the Mount, the teaching for life in the community of God’s people. And we read that when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Mt 7:28-29).

Then in chapter 8, he descends the mountain and the crowds follow Jesus and he heals a man with leprosy, Peter’s mother-in-law, the centurion’s servant and many others. The centurion recognises his authority to heal: just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority (Mt 8:8–9).

As evening approaches, Jesus gives orders to his disciples to cross the lake and, as he sleeps, a furious storm whips up and waves sweep over the boat. “Lord, save us” cry the disciples. And we see Jesus authority over the winds and the waves, as he makes it completely calm. “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Mt 8:27).

Immanuel was God with them to teach, to heal, to answer prayer, to calm the storms, to bring peace, to turn doubts into worship! And that’s just one day! With them to feed, as in the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000 (the latter, again, on a mountain). With them to rebuke and correct, as on the Mount of Olives. With them to reveal his glory, as on the mountain of transfiguration.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. When we meet together as God’s people, under the authority of his Son, we avail ourselves of his promise to teach us, heal us, calm our storms, answer our prayers, feeds us, reveal his glory to us! We should go away from our collective times knowing that we’ve received these things and they will have been communicated to us through the lives, through the faces of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

This is why our collecting gatherings are so important: because the promise of God’s special presence, the most intimate encounter we can have with him, is only fully enjoyed in that context.

Your brothers see parts of the Lord you will never know or love unless you know and love them, unless you’re taught by them, unless you pray with them... Your sisters see things in him you’ll never see, you’ll never know, because of who they are, because of what they’ve been through, because of their experiences. In a sense, because of where they’re standing.

Jesus says, “Behold! I am with you in the community of God’s people. That’s where you’re going to really find me fully.” Doesn’t that distinguish our collective gatherings? Doesn’t that elevate my regard for my brother, my sister? Let that be an encouragement to you not to forsake the gatherings of God’s people, brothers and sisters, because that is the Place of the Promise.

The Power for the Promise

Do we come to our church gatherings with an expectation of meeting the Lord, of encountering his presence? How confident are we that he will deliver on his promise?

We can and should have absolute confidence in the promises of the new covenant because of the proclamation of Matthew 28:18. This is where we find the power for the promise of his presence. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

What are we to understand about the sphere of the Lord’s authority, heaven and earth, and why was authority given to him?

First, heaven and earth represents the sphere of God’s creative influence, the full extent of creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:16). Second, it is the realm which God inhabits, which he fills with his presence: “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD (Je 23:24). Then, it represents his jurisdiction, the extent of his kingship, the place of his rule.

Isaiah 66:1 NIV

1 This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?

As Creator of and King over the heavens and the earth, God has always intended there to be an integrity and harmony between the two. Indeed, the mystery of his will, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment, is to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ (Eph 1:9-10). That’s the reason God has reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross (Col 1:20). The culmination of all this, heaven coming down to the earth (Rev 21), is still a future prospect. We do not yet see the fullness of the harmony God intends nor do we see the extent of Christ’s kingly authority.

Yet he has already ascended the throne - Matthew 28:18 is confirmation of that. And there is already a place where we see God’s purposed unity between heaven and earth in effect, even now - where we appreciate his creative might, where we delight in the intimacy of his presence and exalt his kingship and rule. It’s an awesome place, a place Jacob described as none other than the house of God… the gate of heaven (Ge 28:17). It’s a kingdom where, even today, God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10).

Some historians believe that the phrase “heaven and earth” had become synonymous with the Jerusalem temple in the second temple period and it’s possible Matthew intended the phrase “in heaven and on earth” to be understood as a reference to the house of God, the temple, the place of God’s presence and rule among his covenant people.

Certainly, God has invested his Son with universal authority but, for now, we see that authority expressed in churches of God that form the house of God. Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house (Heb 3:6) and the faithfulness of the Son is precisely the reason that the Father has given him the throne.

One of the major themes of Matthew’s gospel is the contrast between Sonship of the Lord Jesus and the sonship of Israel, God’s old covenant people. Matthew intends for his readers to see Jesus standing in the place of Israel, of whom God said “Israel is my firstborn son.... Let my son go, so he may worship me.”

Just as Israel, God’s son, was delivered from Egypt, baptised in the Red Sea and led into the wilderness of Sinai, so Jesus, the unique Son of God was called out of Egypt, baptised in the Jordan, and led into the wilderness to be tested by the Father and tempted by the evil one.

Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

In each case, the test was to prove the heart. But where Israel failed the test, the true Son of God succeeded. In a life of perfect filial devotion and humble obedience which led him all the way to Calvary he loved the Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength. And because of that, we see God’s validation and vindication of his Sonship in the power of resurrection.

Because of his perfect Sonship, Jesus has received his promised inheritance - an eternal throne. And on the basis of that same perfect Sonship, he extends to us an eternal promise - the promise of his presence.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That proclamation, given in the context of resurrection, reminds us of his cross and of the cry “it is finished”. His obedience is finished and perfect, and we need it. His suffering is finished, and we need it to cover all our sins. The promise of God’s presence is secured by his performance, not ours. He has established the new covenant for his people. It is finished.

The Purpose of the Promise

Because the work is finished, the mission begins. And the thrust of our mission is to make disciples. The Lord Jesus defined what he meant by that in three participles: going, baptising and teaching defines the process of making disciples.

But I want to draw your attention to the “all nations” perspective of the Lord’s commission. Often, when the little phrase “all nations” appears in the OT, it is linked to the vision of the end of the age, when God restores his people on Zion, his holy mountain. But the Gentiles are included in the visions. They are invited to come and share in the covenant blessings of Israel. A couple of examples from Isaiah:

Isaiah 2:1–3 NIV

1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 25:6–8 NIV

6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

It’s a wonderful vision isn’t it? Zion is seen as the place to which all nations will come. A mountain-centred fellowship in which men and women of every tribe and tongue and ethnicity will see God, and will eat and drink, and will not die. They’ll be taught by him, fed by him, healed by him; on that mountain even death itself will be removed.

Do you see how that shapes our understanding of the mission? The disciples have been gathered to a mountain and, in the wording of the commission, Matthew directs our thoughts to the culmination of God’s purposes in the millennial kingdom and beyond - the gathering of all nations to the mountain of his choice.

When we come to apply our commission, so often we concern ourselves with thoughts of where and when and how we will go to all nations. Our going, our action becomes all important and we fail to rest in the finished work of the exalted Son.

There is a going in the commission, but it seems to me that it’s only incidental to the central command to make disciples. And it’s interesting that Matthew leaves the disciples on the mountain of commission; he doesn’t describe the break up of the mountain fellowship at the close of his narrative.

The impression we’re left with is that making disciples is chiefly a work of gathering. That is the primary focus! And so, we only go so far as is necessary to gather, to bring others to the mountain.

Brothers and sisters, we are to gather indiscriminately to the place of God’s name. That is the place where men and women will experience the presence of God: in and through the lives of his people, who are being transformed with ever-increasing glory into the likeness of his Son.

And so, in summing up:

we have a promise for always/all the day, the promise of his presence. Let’s have proper regard in our own hearts for the place of the promise.

we have a proclamation of all authority. Let’s rest in the power of the one who has secured the promise for us.

we have a commission to all nations. Let’s take every opportunity to gather others to the mountain, to the place of promise.

For from him and through and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Rom 11:36).

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