God's Presence

INTRODUCTION:

NIAGARA FALLS. A BREATHTAKING PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FLOCK TO. SEVERAL WAYS TO VIEW THE FALLS: 1. DINNER AT SKYLON TOWEER OVERLOOKING. BEAUTIFUL. 2. HELICOPTER TOUR THAT WILL GET YOU AN EVEN BETTER VIEW. 3. BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE FALLS YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN FROM YOUR TOWER, AND STEP OFF THE HELICOPTER AND ONTO THE MAID OF THE MIST. FERRY RIDE. GIVE YOU A PONCHO AND UMBRELLA, BECAUSE YOU WILL GET DRENCHED. THE FIRST TWO OPTIONS ARE VIEWS, THE LAST IS A FULL ON EXPERIENCE, IMMERSING YOU INTO THE PRESENCE OF THE FALLS.

POINT: THE STRUGGLE WE ALL HAVE, IS THAT FOR MOST OF US WE VIEW GOD, AND DO NOT EXPERIENCE GOD. WE SIT IN THE TOWER OF OUR QUIET TIMES, BIBLE READING PLANS AND STUDIES, GAINING A VIEW OF GOD, BUT WE STOP SHORT OF EXPERIENCING HIM. PSALM 15 IS AN INVITATION TO STOP VIEWING GOD, AND TO STEP INTO THE MAID OF THE MIST AND EXPERIENCE GOD- TO GET DRENCHED IN AND BY HIS PRESENCE.

CONNECTING TO THE AUDIENCE: A.W. TOZER SPOKE TO THIS. IN FACT, ONE MIGHT ARGUE HIS LIFE’S MESSAGE WAS ROOTED IN PSALM 15- TO PLEAD WITH THE BELIEVER TO EXPERIENCE GOD. “A tragic breakdown in evangelical circles is how we have used doctrine as a substitute for spiritual experience. Spiritual experience should be the outgrowth of doctrine. But we make doctrine terminal. And if we can recite the creed and know the notes in our study Bible, we think we are all set. But a lot of people stop right there and never go on to experience God…To me, an evangelical is somebody who not only believes the credo of the Christian but also experiences the God of the Christian. And there ought to be prophets in the day in which we live who are declaring that God can be experienced. That we can know God. That we don’t have to make God a logical deduction from premises. That we can experience God as we can experience our children”- A.W. Tozer, The Fire of God’s Presence, pages 54-55.

TOZER ILLUSTRATION OF MISSING HIS PREACHING APPOINTMENT BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. TO TOZER, EXPERIENCING GOD’S PRESENCE MEANT EVERYTHING!

WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU AND I: GOD’S PRESENCE IS EVERYTHING! IT IS THE BELIEVERS LOGO, DISTINGUISHING US FROM EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE ELSE, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THIS LOGO IS LIVING AND ACTIVE AND LORD OVER ALL! THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS WHAT DELIVERED ISRAEL FROM EGYPT, OPENED UP THE RED SEA, LEAD THEM IN THE WILDERNESS AND BROUGHT DOWN THE WALLS OF JERICHO. THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS WHAT MOSES SAID HE COULD NOT DO WITHOUT, WHAT DAVID SAID HE COULD NOT ESCAPE AND WHAT CAUSED ISAIAH TO SAY WOE IS ME! WHAT JESUS LONGED FOR ON THE CROSS WHEN HE SAID MY GOD…IT’S EVERYTHING. IS IT EVERYTHING TO YOU?

WHAT EXACTLY DOES THIS LOOK LIKE, AND HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD?

THE INVITATION- VERSE 1

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: OUR PSALM IS CALLED AN ENTRANCE LITURGY. WHAT THE PEOPLE OF GOD WOULD SING AS THEY PREPARED TO WORSHIP GOD. AND WHAT THEY SANG HAD EVERYTHING TO DO EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

EXPLANATION: TENT AND HOLY HILL DESCRIBE THE TABERNACLE AND THE PLACE OF MEETING, A PLACE WHICH WOULD LATER HOUSE THE TEMPLE. BOTH THE TABERNACLE AND TEMPLE HAVE THE SAME THING IN COMMON- THE PRESENCE OF GOD. ONE SCHOLAR SAID THAT THE TABERNACLE WAS THE PLACE WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH, GOD AND MAN, COLLIDED. DAVID IS INVITING US TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION: EXODUS 33:7-11. “TENT” CONJURES UP MOSES AND THE TENT OF MEETING. MOSES WOULD GO HERE TO MEET WITH GOD. MAKE IMAGINATIVE. AND AS HE WOULD GO WORD WOULD GET OUT AMONG THE CAMP WHAT HE WAS UP TO, AND PEOPLE WOULD STAND OUT IN FRONT OF THEIR TENTS AND WATCH. THEY WOULDN’T DARE GO WITH HIM INTO THE TENT. AND THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAYS THEY WOULD WORSHIP AS MOSES WOULD MEET WITH GOD, AND GOD WOULD TALK TO MOSES FACE TO FACE AS A MAN TALKS WITH HIS FRIEND. THEY WOULD BEG HIM TO PUT A VEIL OVER HIS FACE BECAUSE THE PRESENCE OF GOD WAS THAT BRIGHT. AND THIS PLACE THAT THEY MET WAS THE TENT OF MEETING. AND DAVID IS INVITING US TO GO THERE.

APPLICATION. SOME OF YOU ARE CONFUSED. NO TENT OF MEETING OR TABERNACLE. ARE YOU SAYING I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY FOR THIS? NO! I CORINTHIANS 6- OUR BODIES ARE THE TEMPLE. WE ALL HAVE THE PRESENCE, BUT WE DON’T ALL EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE.

HARLEY ILLUSTRATION: MAKE FUNNY. I HAVE A DOG, I JUST DON’T EXPERIENCE THE DOG.

APPLICATION: YOU HAVE GOD, BUT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING GOD? YOU HAVE A QUIET TIME, BUT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING GOD? YOU HAVE A BIBLE READING PLAN, BUT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING GOD? YOU HAVE A PRAYER TIME, BUT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING GOD?

VERTICAL PURITY- VERSE 2

EXPLANATION. I REMEMBER MEDITATING ON THIS PASSAGE (QUOTE SOME OF IT) ON A WALK IN NYC ONE DAY, AND IT HIT ME, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD, AND HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD. ONE SCHOLAR SAYS IT’S ABOUT THE ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD- VERTICAL PURITY AND HORIZONTAL PURITY. CENTRAL IDEA: GOD’S PRESENCE DEMANDS PURITY (VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL). NOW IS THIS WORKS SALVATION? ABSOLUTELY NOT. DW- GRACE IS OPPOSED TO EARNING, NOT EFFORT. PUT OFF/PUT ON. TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES, MOSES. HERE’S "ALL” YOU HAVE TO DO TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD- WALK BLAMELESSLY (WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH), DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND SPEAK TRUTH IN YOUR HEART. IN OTHER WORDS, GOD’S PRESENCE, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, REQUIRES OBEDIENCE TO A STANDARD.

ILLUSTRATION: 1988. RITZ CARLTON, ATLANTA, RESTAURANT. WHOOPI GOLDBERG NEAR THE HEIGHT OF HER FAME AND FORTUNE. TRIED TO DO DINNER THERE. ONE PROBLEM, SHE CAME WITH JEANS, SANDALS AND A T-SHIRT. DENIED ENTRANCE. COULD NOT EXPERIENCE THE RESTAURANT BECAUSE SHE FAILED TO MEET THE STANDARD.

MARRIAGE ANALOGY. IF I’M RUDE TO MY WIFE, I MAY HAVE HER, BUT I WON’T EXPERIENCE WHAT’S CALLED ONENESS. SHE MAY NOT LEAVE, BUT NO ONENESS.

APPLICATION: I THINK THE LESSON HERE IS THE PSALMIST IS PRESENTING US AN INCREDIBLE LESSON IN CONQUERING SIN- THE MOTIVATION IS NOT CONQUERING SIN, BUT CRAVING THE PRESENCE OF GOD. CRAVE GOD, CRUSH SIN. THAT’S THE MOTIVATION- DO I WANT GOD, MORE THAN I WANT MY SIN?

BUT…IN THE END THIS DEVASTATING, BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER LIVE UP TO THIS...

HORIZONTAL PURITY- 3-4

EXPLANATION: HE NOW MOVES FROM VERTICAL TO HORIZONTAL PURITY FOR THE REST OF THE PASSAGE. HE SAYS THINGS LIKE WHO DOES NOT SLANDER- HEBREW WORD USED TO WALK ON A PERSONS GARMENT AND SOIL IT. WHEN WE SLANDER WE WALK ON A PERSONS NAME AND SOIL IT. TO TAKE UP A REPROACH MEANS TO GOSSIP. HE THEN TALKS ABOUT A PERSON WHO DOES JUSTICE BY NOT PUTTING OUT A BRIBE. 33-50% INTEREST RATES. WE DON’T TAKE ADVANTAGED OF THE DOWNTRODDEN AND MARGINALIZED, WE DO RIGHT BY THEM. ALL OF THESE AND MORE HAVE TO DO WITH HORIZONTAL OR RELATIONAL PURITY. “Israel’s Lord refuses to isolate God’s relationship with you from your relationship with your neighbor”- Nancy Declaisse-Walford, NICOT. Matthew 5- leave your gift at the altar. I Peter 3- get off your knees.

ILLUSTRATION OF MAN WHO CAME TO MY DAD AND SAID, ‘I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR WIFE.’ TO WHICH MY DAD CALMLY SAID, ‘I THINK YOU NEED TO REPHRASE THAT…YOU DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY WIFE, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ME’. DAD WAS SAYING THAT A PROBLEM WITH ONE IS A PROBLEM WITH HIM. EXACTLY THE POINT HERE. WHEN WE ARE ESTRANGED FROM GOD’S KIDS WE ARE ESTRANGED FROM GOD.

APPLICATION: WE NEED THIS WORD TODAY. WE ARE MORE ESTRANGED FROM EACH OTHER THAN EVER. POLITICALLY. RACIALLY. DENOMINATIONALLY. CAN’T EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD. WHAT IF IN OUR WAITING FOR REVIVAL GOD IS WAITING ON US TO GET RIGHT WITH ONE ANOTHER.

GOSPEL CONCLUSION:

NONE OF US CAN LIVE UP TO THIS. CENTRAL IDEA RESTATED. NO ONE MEASURES UP. BUT THERE’S HOPE.

TEMPLE KNOWN FOR TWO THINGS- THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND THE DEATH OF ANIMALS. THIS INVITATION IS BEING GIVEN AGAINST THE SOUNDTRACK OF SCREAMING LAMBS…SO THAT THEY COULD ENTER IN! THEY COULD ENTER IN BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE OF ANIMALS.

POINT AND WE CAN ENTER IN AND EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN SPITE OF ALL OUR SIN BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE OF THE ULTIMATE LAMB, JESUS.

KORIE AND BEARS ILLUSTRATION.