Category: Podcast

THE PRESENCE OF GOD

After a quick biblical overview, I have four main points:

1. The privilege we have to enter God’s presence
2. God’s presence brings wonderful blessings
3. The promise of his presence is made only to his covenant people
4. God’s presence is experienced both individually and corporately

 

A Biblical Overview

At the beginning man and woman lived in and enjoyed the presence of God.

Sadly because of disobedience they were cut off from God’s presence.

Like them we too have disobeyed him and were cut off from his presence.

But God had a plan to make it possible for us to come back to Him.

He sent Jesus to die on a cross and take the punishment for our disobedience.

He now offers all people everywhere his forgiveness.

 

Those who receive it have:

 

1. eternal life in his presence when they die
2. access into his presence right now

 

1. The privilege we have to enter God’s presence

 

There’s a sense in which God is always present.

 

He’s omnipresent.

In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17).

That’s true for all mankind – Paul said it when he was preaching to unbelievers.

 

And he’s promised us

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently” say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me? Hebrews 13:5-6

 

But that’s not all. In Hebrews 10:19-22 we’re told that because Jesus died for us:

we can have confidence to enter into God’s presence

and we should draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith

because our conscience is clear.

 

So we don’t need to wait for God to come to us!

He’s already come in the person of Jesus and in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We come to him! Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8)

 

It’s our responsibility. It’s not enough to say, I know God is with me. 

He is, because he’s promised to be. But we need to draw near to him.

 

 

2. God’s presence brings wonderful blessings

 

Old Testament

God worked miracles among his people (Joshua 3:5)

He drove out their enemies (Joshua 3:10) and saved them from their power

(1 Samuel 4:3) Cf. Psalm 9:3.

He assured them that there was no need to fear:

 

Genesis 26:24

Fear not, I am with you

 

Numbers 14:9 

…do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.

 

Deuteronomy 31:6, 8

6. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
7. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

 

1 Chronicles 28:20

Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”

 

Psalm 46:1-2

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea

 

New Testament

 

In the ministry of JESUS (Immanuel, GOD WITH US)

 

He forgave our sins, he calmed our fears, he healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, calmed the storm, walked on water, fed the multitudes, turned water into wine.

 

And after his death this continued through the power of the SPIRIT through the ministry of his disciples. (But this does not mean that they were immune from suffering – persecution, sickness etc.)

 

 

 

3. The promise of his presence is made only to his covenant people

 

Old Testament

 

Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face (presence) to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

 

But  There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:21)

Though Jesus did say, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Matthew 5:44

 

Now two further OT passages:

 

Isaiah 12

1. You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
2. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become

 my salvation.”

3. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
5. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
6. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

 

The passage is addressed to God’s people (v6)

 

Note also:

the use of the singular. This speaks of individual salvation.

But God’s presence is manifest in your midst (v6).

 

Our response should be (v4):

 

Give thanks to the Lord,     

call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

proclaim that his name is exalted

Let this be made known in all the earth (5).

 

Compare the following passage:

 

Zephaniah 3:14-17

14. Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15. The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
16. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.
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.

 

In both these passages it’s clear that:

• The blessings of his presence were for his covenant people
• His presence is experienced both individually and corporately
• The prophets foresaw a future day in which these promises would be fulfilled

 

On this last point, note Joel 2:27-29

 

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

 

But that brings us into the New Testament

because we know that Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost.

So let’s go the Acts 2.

 

Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

 

Again we see that God’s presence is experienced both individually and corporately.

 

Let’s explore this a bit more:

 

 

 

 

4. God’s presence is experienced both individually and corporately

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you (plural) are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

 

Ephesians 2:19-22

19. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20. built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21. in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

 

Conclusion

If we are in covenant relationship with God, his presence is with us

The results of this are many and various blessings

 

We can expect to experience his presence in our individual lives

and when we are gathered together as a church

 

Our response should be to:

 

Draw near to God

Give thanks to the Lord     

call upon his name

make known his deeds among the peoples

proclaim that his name is exalted

 

Gather together regularly with God’s people

Strive to keep in unity

Fulfill our role in the body of Christ

 

The knowledge that he is with us is the antidote to fear

The church has nothing to fear – even if we suffer persecution

YOU have nothing to fear – even if terrible things happen

God is with us in it all

The final fulfilment of the promise of God’s presence is heaven!

Colossians Talk 7. The Means of Spreading the Gospel – how?

Welcome to the final talk in our series, Themes from Colossians.

So far in this series we have considered:

 

• The Supremacy of Christ – who he is (Talk 1)
• Freedom in Christ – what he has done for us (Talks 2&3)
• Living for Christ – what we should do for him (Talks 4&5)

 

Our final theme is:

Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ – what, why, where, how (Talks 6&7)

 

In Talk 6 we considered:

What is the gospel – what?

The purpose of the gospel – why?

The universality of the gospel – where?

 

Today our subject is:

 

The Means of Spreading the Gospel – how?

 

1. There are those who are especially called and gifted to preach the Gospel

 

Ephesians 4:11 Apostles … evangelists

Paul was an obvious example of this:

 

Colossians1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…

 

Colossians 1:28-29

28. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

 

Colossians 4:3-4

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

 

 

1. But we are all called to play our part in the spread of the Gospel

 

How?

 

1. By prayer

 

Colossians 4:2-4

 

2. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
3. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

 

12. Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

 

2. By our behaviour

 

5. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

 

3. By our words

 

6. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

 

4. By making the most of every opportunity
5. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

 

5. By discovering and fulfilling the role God has for us

 

17. Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”

 

6. By hard work and dependence on the Holy Spirit

 

Colossians 1:29

To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Conclusion

 

As we saw last time:

 

We were alienated from God by our attitude and actions.

But God by his grace has provided the basis for reconciliation through the death of his Son

This becomes effective for us when we believe.

God’s ultimate purpose is that we might be presented perfect before him

This good news is to be communicated to everyone – the whole world.

 

And today we have seen that:

 

Some people are especially called to do this, but every Christian must play a part by:

 

Praying for the spread of the gospel

Being wise in our actions in relation to those who don’t yet know Jesus

Kind words and knowing how to answer people’s questions

Making the most of every opportunity

Discovering and fulfilling the role God has for us

Hard work and dependence on the Holy Spirit

 

What are YOU doing to help spread the good news?

Colossians Talk 7. The Means of Spreading the Gospel – how?

Welcome to the final talk in our series, Themes from Colossians.

So far in this series we have considered:

 

• The Supremacy of Christ – who he is (Talk 1)
• Freedom in Christ – what he has done for us (Talks 2&3)
• Living for Christ – what we should do for him (Talks 4&5)

 

Our final theme is:

Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ – what, why, where, how (Talks 6&7)

 

In Talk 6 we considered:

What is the gospel – what?

The purpose of the gospel – why?

The universality of the gospel – where?

 

Today our subject is:

 

The Means of Spreading the Gospel – how?

 

1. There are those who are especially called and gifted to preach the Gospel

 

Ephesians 4:11 Apostles … evangelists

Paul was an obvious example of this:

 

Colossians1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…

 

Colossians 1:28-29

28. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

 

Colossians 4:3-4

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

 

 

1. But we are all called to play our part in the spread of the Gospel

 

How?

 

1. By prayer

 

Colossians 4:2-4

 

2. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
3. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

 

12. Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

 

2. By our behaviour

 

5. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

 

3. By our words

 

6. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

 

4. By making the most of every opportunity
5. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

 

5. By discovering and fulfilling the role God has for us

 

17. Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”

 

6. By hard work and dependence on the Holy Spirit

 

Colossians 1:29

To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Conclusion

 

As we saw last time:

 

We were alienated from God by our attitude and actions.

But God by his grace has provided the basis for reconciliation through the death of his Son

This becomes effective for us when we believe.

God’s ultimate purpose is that we might be presented perfect before him

This good news is to be communicated to everyone – the whole world.

 

And today we have seen that:

 

Some people are especially called to do this, but every Christian must play a part by:

 

Praying for the spread of the gospel

Being wise in our actions in relation to those who don’t yet know Jesus

Kind words and knowing how to answer people’s questions

Making the most of every opportunity

Discovering and fulfilling the role God has for us

Hard work and dependence on the Holy Spirit

 

What are YOU doing to help spread the good news?