The God Who is There!

Discovering How to Sense the Presence of the Invisible God

John 14:18-21

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

22 August, 2010   AM

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

I.       Introduction (Job 23:8,9)

 

A.     The deepest question on anybodies’ heart is not “will I be rich?”, “who will I marry?”, or “what will the weather be tomorrow?”

B.     It is, Are we alone? Is there a God, and does He even care about us?

C.     Only a fool decides that there is no God (Psalm 14:1) - that everything is a serious of accidents – that chance is king, and that all we have to live for is ourselves!

D.     Job struggles to sense the presence of God: When Job was in the deepest, darkest moments of his anguish, he looks around to find God and says in chapter 23:8,9,

 

1.      Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;

2.      And backward, but I cannot perceive him;

3.      I look  on the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him;

4.      He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.

5.      Job needed God right then. He needed to know that God is there, but he couldn’t sense Him; couldn’t see Him; couldn’t hold Him… and that made it tough!

6.      It doesn’t matter how successful, or even how desperate you may be in life, you always need God, and you need to know that He is there, and that He is at work!

 

E.      David rests in God’s presence! It was about 1,000 years later, when King David was able to confidently write in Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me

F.      There is strength in having God’s presence that Job was seeking, that David rested in!

G.     We need that power of His presence

 

1.      It drove demons crazy – AMEN!

2.      It calmed the fearful disciples in the upper room when He appeared after the resurrection

3.      It encouraged Paul to press on at great risk to his life for souls

4.      It enabled Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt by faith without a fight!

5.      We need that kind of strength again!

 

H.     It is easy to feel like He is not there! But oh the blessing of knowing and sensing that God, the Creator of all things is really, and truly, and powerfully present in the midst of your life!

 

II.    Message - WHERE is God? If He IS There, WHERE is He?

 

A.     There is so much evidence for God being there!

 

1.      He is not a figment of a deluded mind like Richard Dawkins thinks! ALL the facts scream that the God of the Bible is THERE!

2.      God talks a lot about Him being there for us. As a matter of fact, if He wasn’t around, everything would just fly apart (Col 1:16,17)!

3.      So, what are the basic evidences that God exists?

 

a.       The complexity of Creation is one big proof – proves there is a Designer (Psalm 19:1,2)

b.      The Laws of Nature – they should be random, but they all work together as if designed. Everything is winding DOWN, not up like evolution teaches! Everything started RIGHT and is now falling apart! All

c.       Animal Instincts and Moral Consciousness cannot be explained without a Designer

 

1)      What makes an ant work so hard without training courses

2)      What causes a caterpillar to spin a cocoon, not knowing it will become a butterfly?

3)      What causes all men everywhere to worship something bigger than themselves?

 

d.      The Bible, and all its prophecy – proves it had a Designer

 

1)      40 authors, spanning 2,000 years, across 3 continents – one theme – the redemption of all mankind by an innocent Lamb!

2)      Hundreds of Prophecies pointing to the birthplace, the miracles, the crucifixion, the resurrection of ONE MAN – the Messiah

3)      Hundreds of prophecies about the nation of Israel going into captivity, and then coming out of captivity exactly 70 years later

4)      It is a supernaturally designed Book, written by someone outside of time!

 

e.       And best of all, Jesus Christ Himself – He thoroughly proved that God is there!
Jesus said, “If you have seen ME, you have seen the Father!”

 

4.      To reject all that evidence, you have to be thoroughly educated and brainwashed so that you don’t just see what any child can see around them – that God is there!

 

B.     He is the INVISIBLE God, but that does not mean He is not there!

 

1.      God has NEVER been seen (John 1:18), never been held, never been analyzed – yet He is there

2.      That’s because, God is a spirit – not flesh like you and me, or like an image ot an IDOL (John 4:24; 1Tim 1:17) – yet He is there!

3.      Even though He is invisible, many people throughout history have lived as if they have seen him (Heb 11:27) – that’s where we need to get today!

                                                                                                                     

C.     He is FAR from some people this morning! For some of you, you will NEVER know Him, or sense His presence! Why? because He stays away from the following kinds of people:

 

1.      The proud (Psalm 138:6) – every time you are proud and stubborn, God backs away from you! Just memorize this fact! He is nowhere near the proud, haughty, stubborn, self-righteous person

2.      The wicked (Proverbs 15:29). You watch what you watch on TV or have a look at the filth on your internet and don’t expect God to be anywhere near around you when you need Him!

3.      The lost (Eph 2:12,13) – the unsaved! Terrifying thought! All eternity, you will cry out for God, but He will not come! Jesus said “ye must be born again!”

4.      God is far from all of these, BUT not too far (Acts 17:27)! Praise God!

 

D.     The Promise of God’s Presence

 

1.      There is no place that God isn’t! God is absolutely everywhere (Psalm 139:7-10).

 

a.       Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

b.      If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

c.       If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

d.      If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

e.       In other words, God is THERE…

 

1)      At your workplace, amongst the crowds and busy schedules

2)      When you are alone

3)      When you have lost everything

4)      God’s been there all along!

 

2.      It is the promise of His Name – Emmanuel (Mt 1:23) – God WITH us! He is HERE!!!

3.      To the Believer, God PROMISES not only to be WITH you, but to NEVER leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5)!

 

a.       Do you understand what it means to NOT forsake?

b.      It means to never, ever give up on, or abandon, or lose you! PERIOD!

c.       That is the promise of God’s presence with you!

 

E.      The PLACES of His Presence – I just want to expose WHERE God has been hiding in your life!

 

1.      He is with you when you are in the middle of God’s will (Acts 18:9,10)

2.      He is with us when we live godly (Ps 14:5) – forget the X-generation, the Y-generation. I want to be part of the generation of the righteous, because that is where GOD is!

3.      He is with us when we go soul-winning (Mt 28:19,20) and press out into the front lines of spiritual endeavours

4.      But thank God He is also with us…

 

a.       In every valley (Psalm 23:4; Isa 43:1,2)

b.      When things go wrong (Psalm 46:1, 11)

c.       When you are sinking and doomed to fail (Mark 4:35-40)

d.      When we are weak (Heb 4:15)

e.       Whether you feel it or not, He is the God who is THERE! Just like “air” – you may not feel a breeze at the moment, but air is still very much there!

 

III. Application – How to KNOW God is There

 

A.     Be Still (Psalm 46:10)

                                                                 

1.      Quit talking so much, and having the radio constantly on, and the TV. Just Listen when you pray

2.      Look hard at what you are going through – God IS there, if you would just ask god to open your eyes to His presence, and especially His purpose

3.      Let God lead you. Just sit back and trust God to know what he is doing

4.      Let Him back Close to You (Rev 3:20; James 4:8) – He wants to be near all of us!

 

a.       Some of you have forgotten what it is like to walk with Him and talk with Him, and let Him comfort you (John 14:18)

b.      Some of you have NEVER experienced the presence of God in your life and heart

 

B.     Be Low - Humble yourself – the hardest job (Ps 138:6)! Quiet down the angry hurt of your heart, and let God stand in for you! You will sense His presence as he works on your behalf!

 

1.      Remember all the Scriptures that warn us of God’s resisting the proud, and being far from stubbornness?

2.      Crucify your pride as fast as you can so that you can enjoy the presence of God!!!

 

C.     Believe His Promises (John 14:18-21) – start living again by faith in His word!

D.     Begin to Praise Him (Psalm 22:3) – He does not draw near to angry, frustrated people who get upset because they don’t get their way! But rather to those who love Him and are thankful for everything! Who have learned in whatsoever state that they are to be content, and thankful! GOD shows up in their heart!

E.      Be Faithful in a Bible Preaching Church (Matthew 18:20; Heb 10:25)

                                                                                 

1.      You may not think being in church matters, but Jesus said He is HERE when we meet!

2.      He is NOT at the football match, or down at the Pub, or in the Disco. He is at church with His people!

3.      Amongst believers – not when we seek to always be alone (Mt 18:20; Heb 10:25), or set ourselves above everyone else. It is amazing to know that He goes with believers (Ex 33:14)

 

a.       Thomas MISSED the actual presence of Jesus the first Sunday that he rose from the grave because of depression and unbelief kept him away!

b.      But the next Sunday, when Jesus showed up to His disciples again, this time Thomas was there, and the presence of Jesus Christ changed Thomas’ life!!!

 

4.      So,

 

a.       Don’t miss a meeting – I don’t understand Christians who have been saved from hell, and are headed to heaven not wanting to be in every meeting!

b.      Don’t miss a word preached! That’s why we don’t have a circus or a zoo here – the main reason why we come to church is to hear from God and sense His presence!!!

c.       Don’t miss an opportunity to serve the Lord in some ministry

 

5.      Why? Because those who put the Lord first and serve Him gladly, actually enjoy the blessed and precious presence of the Lord God of heaven (John 14:21-23)

 

IV.  Conclusion

 

A.     Do you know Him? Do you even realise just how much you need Him?

B.     It doesn’t matter how successful, or even how desperate you may be in life, you always need God, and you need to know that He is there, and that He is at work!

C.     Job struggled to sense the presence of God

D.     David rested in God’s presence! “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me

E.      We need that power of His presence

 

1.      It drove demons crazy – AMEN!

2.      It calmed the fearful disciples in the upper room when He appeared after the resurrection

3.      It encouraged Paul to press on at great risk to his life for souls

4.      It enabled Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt by faith without a fight!

5.      We need that kind of strength again!

 

F.      It is too easy to feel like He is not there! But oh the blessing of knowing and sensing that God, the Creator of all things is really, and truly, and powerfully present in the midst of your life!

 

1.      I can’t live without it

2.      It is more than just knowing God is there… it is knowing and sensing He is HERE! With Me! In my trial, in my victory!

3.      To live without His presence is to live without air! You just won’t last!

 

G.     Unless you get born again, you will never ever experience the presence of God (John 3:3)

H.     Unless you seriously desire His presence you will live and die alone!

I.        Pray

 

1.      God! We always are waiting for you to prove yourself

2.      Yet you have already proven yourself, over and over, and still people ignore you

3.      Help every one in this room to hunger to walk with you, and sense your presence

4.      To know and I mean REALLY KNOW that you are there, and that you are our strength and our song. You are our very lives!

5.      May we start to know you as the God who is THERE! Who always has been there, and always will be there!

6.      May we greatly trust you and follow you, no matter where you lead!