Sunday Re-Cap (14th June 2009)

The Presence of the Living God
By Ps. Abel Phillips

Ex 33:13-15
13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

God wants to give His presence to each and every one of us as we proceed in the highway towards our promise and purpose that God has for each one of us.

Four Aspects of the Presence of God
1. The Common /General Presence – for everyone Act 17:28 the apostle says: In Him we move, live and have our being - Omnipresent.

2. The Relational Presence of God
This relational presence is what all of us should seek for that the reason why Jesus Christ came for 2000 years ago– relational presence of God to be restored. Relational presence is where our impurity is taken away by God not by ourselves

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (Mt 7:21-23; 1 John 1:5-7 & 1 John 3:3-6)


3. The Working Presence of God (Active)
2 Chronicles 20 – King Jehoshaphat and Israel was invaded by the neighbouring nation, and they hear the WORD of the Lord saying: Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

As a result of Jehoshaphat’s obedience and the songs of God’s people, Israel was delivered from the hands of the invaders. That’s the active presence of God; and Israel did not do anything to win that war.

4. THE TRANSCENDENT PRESENCE
The Lord wants us to have the presence that goes beyond the earthly; goes beyond our dimension. God wants to do that for every single one of us, church. Not just for some selected Christians, He wants to do it for everybody.

Peter who denied Jesus before the servant girl, now on the Day of Pentecost was able to preach to thousands with no intimidation because of the change through the Transcending Presence of God.

Without the Presence of the Living God:
Ø WE HAVE NO SUSTAINABILITY – If we allow His presence; He sustains us because He is the author & finisher of our purpose in life. Israel in the desert for 40 years was sustained by God.

Ø WE CAN’T FULLY BE PROTECTED -When people abandoned God’ presence they have no protection and Moses understood that concept. He couldn’t move into the next dimension and everything that God has for him. E.g. Daniel’s friends saved by God from the furnace of fire.

Ø WE CAN’T DISCOVER GOD’S ANSWERS - He wants us to have His presence so that he will help us discover His answer for a situation.

Ø WE LACK GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP - Without His presence, we don’t have companionship that produces peace.

Ø WE CAN’T MAKE THE NECESSARY RE-ADJUSTMENT TO OUR SITUATION - God helped Joshua to re-adjust and win in Ai; which they lost before. We all need to allow God’s presence to make re-adjustment to our situation.