Walking with God # 8
We’re going to continue our teaching of the series that I’ve entitled “Walking with God.” Last week we talked about “Those Who Will Benefit from Walking in The Presence of God.” Those who walk in the presence of God have certain characteristics about them, certain virtues about their character. And those virtues came about because they had been with God; they have walked in His presence and His glory.
I) One of the characteristics that they have in their lives is the boldness to enter into the thrown room of God.
A) (Hebrews 10:19) says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.”
1) Those that enter into the presence of God on a regular basis have the boldness to do so. They know that because of the blood of Jesus Christ we now have access to the throne of God.
a) Not only do we have access to God’s throne, but also we have received a request from Him to come.
b) (Hebrews 4:16) says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.”
(i) That’s not a request from Paul, but all scripture is given under the inspiration of God. It is God’s request that we would come boldly unto the throne of grace.
B) Another characteristic that is found in someone who spends time in God’s presence is that of PRAYER and PRAISE.
1) Prayer and praise not only get you into the presence of God, but it is also something that will get you out of the circumstances your in. And it will turn your situation around.
a) People that walk in God’s presence know the power of PRAYER and PRAISE.
2) It helped Jehoshaphat win the victory over his enemy. 1st he had God’s Word on the subject. When the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir came against Jehoshaphat, the Lord said that He would give them the victory.
a) When Jehoshaphat and his men went out to battle, he put the praisers in front of his army that they would praise the Lord and the beauty of his holiness.
(i) When they did that God gave them total victory. They didn’t gain the victory in their own ability, but when they began to praise the Lord, the Lord began to move.
3) Paul and Silas did something very similar. When they were thrown into prison they began to praise the Lord; and the Lord began to move and they were freed from their bondage.
a) Praise gains you access to the throne of God and it begins to turn your situation around.
b) It brings God on the scene. The Bible says, “God inhabits the praises of his people.”
4) Thanksgiving is another quality that is found in the lives of people who regularly spend time in God’s presence.
a) (Psalms 100:4) says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.”
b) In (Philippians 4:6) it says that through prayer and thanksgiving the peace of God will fill your heart and mind.
C) We can receive so many of God’s benefits and promises and blessings by being in His presence, but there is a flip side to the coin.
1) If we run from God’s presence we can receive the opposite of what we want or need.
2) I guess the classic example of someone running from the presence of God is JONAH.
3) Let’s take a look at it and turn with me to JONAH 1:1-3.
a) JONAH, as a prophet of God, should have known better than to run from the presence of the Lord.
b) He should have been aware that staying in the Will of God and in the presence of God is where the benefits are found.
(i) But, like all of us do from time to time, JONAH decided he had a better plan. Instead of obeying God and staying under God’s protection, he took off in another direction.
(ii) It’s dangerous when you get out of God’s, umbrella of protection.
(iii) Don’t ever move out of the secret place of the Most High. When you run from God you open the door to problems.
4) Look at JONAH 1:4.
a) When you run from God you’ll experience the opposite of all the benefits that we’ve been talking about in this series.
b) Instead of provision, you’ll experience lack. Instead of peace, you’ll experience fear. Instead of health, you’ll receive everything the enemy tries to put on you.
c) Living and walking in the presence of God has many benefits.
II) Obviously, in this series we’ve been talking about all the good things that come out of spending time in the presence of God, but really it’s about more than just that.
A) Really it’s about restoration; restoring us to the condition that mankind was in before Adam’s fall.
1) As we’ve seen, before the Fall, man was equipped to fellowship with God with perfect ease.
a) Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day, and enjoy His company.
b) According to (Psalms 8:5) God made man just a little Lord than himself and had CROWN HIM WITH GLORY and honor.
c) In other words, man was literally CLOTHED in the Glory of God.
2) That explains why Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked until they had sinned. Their rebellion and fall caused that covering of glory to be removed.
a) When that happened, 2 things became evident to Adam and Eve.
b) 1st, they saw they were naked and needed to cover themselves.
3) Turn with me to Genesis 3:7.
a) 2nd, they were no longer able to walk and talk with God with the intimacy they had before.
b) Look at Genesis 3:8.
c) Without this covering of glory, there was no way they could stand in the pure holiness of God’s presence and they knew it.
4) From that moment on the Bible is essentially an unfolding story of God’s plan to restore to man the coat of glory he had lost.
a) Why was this so important to God?
(i) It might seem hard for us to comprehend but without this covering and cloak of glory there was no fellowship with God and God values are fellowship.
(ii) He missed that level of intimacy he had enjoyed with Adam.
b) That’s just an amazing truth. God desires our company so much that he was willing to send His Son to restore us to fellowship with Him.
(i) Jesus entrance into this earth was all part of God’s master plan to restore man to fellowship with Himself.
B) So you might be wondering what I mean when I said, “Regaining This Cloak of Glory.”
1) What has to be done to regain it? And when do we regain it?
2) The answer is really twofold. 1st we progressively regain the former glory as we spend time in the presence of God.
a) Spending time in God’s presence transforms us into His image.
b) Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 3:18.
(i) When we spend time in the presence of God there is a transformation-taking place. We are being transformed more and more into his image.
3) Turn with me to Romans 12:2.
a) We know that transformation comes as we renew our minds to the Word of God.
b) According to (JOHN 1:14) that Jesus who is full glory is the WORD.
(i) You’re being transformed into the image and glory of God by spending time with the Lord in the WORD.
4) Turn to Romans 8:28-29.
a) The part that I wanted you to see is found right in the middle of verse 29 it says, “He (God) also did predestinated (or foreordained us) to be conformed (which means changed into the same) to the image of His Son.”
b) We already quoted to you (JOHN 1:14) which says that Jesus God’s son is already full of glory.
(i) It’s God’s plan for us to be transformed into the image of his son full of glory.
(ii) The more time we spend with God the more we’re going to be transformed into his image.
C) A moment ago I said the answer to the question “When do we regain this coat of glory” is twofold.
1) We already covered the 1st and that is in part by spending time in His presence.
2) The 2nd part of this restoration (restoration of glory) will not occur until heaven.
a) This restoration of all that Adam had and maybe even more will take place the moment we are instantly transformed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
b) Turn to 1st Corinthians 15:51-53.
3) This day is not far off, but look at what JOHN said about the Rapture in 1 JOHN 3:1-2.
4) Until then, you and I have the privilege of fellowshipping with God on a daily basis. And as you do you and I are being transformed from glory to glory until the day He appears.
W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, February 22nd, 1998