Sermon: “Into His Presence”
By Steven D. Niswonger
Scripture Reference: Psalm 84:1-5, 10
David was a man who recognized the value of being in the presence of God. He stated that his “heart and [his] flesh cry out for the living God.” David longed to be in the presence of the Almighty, but was never allowed to be because that was the right and role of the priest alone. Instead, he had to settle for being in the courts of the Lord. Still his heart cried out for a touch, for just a moment in the presence of God. David dwelt in the house of the Lord, but could never know the presence of God. He longed to get past the outer courts and into the Holy of Holies…but he was never allowed.
Today we know and believe in the power of God’s salvation. We know that God honors the prayer of repentance. We know that God washes away our sin in baptism. We know that God fills us with the Holy Ghost when we seek after Him with a pure heart. These things are necessary. These things are valuable. But these are a means to an end. That end is a communion with God and a life lived in His presence. That is what God intends for us.
The Old Testament Temple was full of symbols that would foreshadow God’s plan of salvation and His plan for our life after salvation. The outer court of the Temple was the place of sacrifice and purification. When entering in through the gates of the Temple, the first thing you would come to was the Brazen Altar. The Altar was a place of reflection, a place of recognition, and a place of sorrow. This was the place of repentance. Repentance takes reflection and recognition so that we can see our need for God’s salvation. It is only when we see ourselves as sinners that we see how truly powerless we are to change our situation. After this recognition, sorrow comes at the realization of our trespass against God. This Godly sorrow leads us to repentance. We come to the Altar…the place of death…and we die to our old way of life.
After the Altar, there was the Laver. The Laver was a large pool of water. This was the place of cleansing. After the sacrifice at the Altar, the priests would be filthy and would need to be cleansed before entering into the presence of God. They would completely immerse themselves in the Laver, cleansing them of all the filth in which they were covered. The Laver represents baptism. This is the place of cleansing and preparation. Repentance shows us that we are filthy and makes us want to be clean; baptism cleanses us of the sins that we have committed. It was only after the priest had experience the Altar and the Laver that he was allowed to enter into the presence of God…the Holy of Holies.
Only once a year was the priest allowed into the presence of God. He had served day after day, longed day after day, and was allowed one day in the presence of God. The death of Jesus and His offering of blood unleashed the presence of God in this world. Now, He manifests Himself in the Holy Ghost and has made Himself available to all who would seek. The gift of salvation…repentance, baptism, the infilling of the Holy Ghost…gives us unlimited access to the Throne of God.
What have we done with this gift? David was happy to sit in the courts of God, outside of God’s presence, because that is all he was allowed to have. Too many today, even the saved, are happy with David’s experience. But even David’s heart and flesh cried out for something more…something that he could not have, but is available to each of us. We can do what David could not. We can get past the Altar, past the Laver, past the ceremony of religion, and into the very presence of God. He waits for us to cry out for Him, to yearn for Him. He waits for the day that we will learn to live in His presence and will push through every obstacle to reach Him.
Are you ready to enter into His presence?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
There’s No Christ Without the Cross
Matthew 26:36-46 (KJV)
36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
The time had come for Jesus to fulfill that for which He came into the world. The cross was just before Him. He was sorrowful and heavy in spirit so He went to Gethsemane with some of His disciples to pray. The prospect of facing the cross was terrifying. Jesus prayed for another way, if possible. But He prayed for God’s will whatever may come. Of course, Jesus knew there was no other way. This plan had been put in motion from the foundation of the world. Gethsemane means “oil press”. Jesus won the battle in the press.
Sometimes we think that the purpose of prayer is so we can escape whatever bad that we might be facing in life. Perhaps we need to go through the oil press so that we can stand firm in our faith no matter what comes our way. The Christian life isn’t about ease and pleasure. It’s about denying the flesh and standing firm in God’s will. The cross was all about denying the flesh. Jesus wouldn’t be who He was without the cross. He couldn’t be the savior without the cross. Is it any wonder that the cross is a universal Christian symbol?
The disciples slept through Jesus’ most trying hours. There may be things you face where it seems you are alone. Be strong. God will see you through your most trying times. Though it is comforting to have brothers and sisters in Christ to help us pray and give us words of encouragement, we must face the cross with God as our only help.
Let’s see what Matthew chapter 16 tells us about the cross in our lives.
Matthew 16:21-26 (KJV)
21From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
When Jesus told the disciples how He would suffer Peter said “Be it far from thee, Lord:…” But Jesus rebuked Satan. Sometimes Satan works through people to discourage us. He wants to sidetrack us from God’s will. As I said earlier, the cross is about denial of self. Jesus denied Himself when He took up the cross. Then He told us that we need to deny ourselves and take up the cross.
The following is from Barnes notes on the NT:
“When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. Thus, Christ carried his, until he fainted from fatigue and exhaustion. The cross was an instrument of death. To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment. So “to carry the cross” is a figurative expression, denoting that we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. “
There is no Christ without the Cross! It’s a place of self denial. It’s a place of death.
But the place of death led to the place of life. Whosoever will save his life will lose it and whosoever will lose his life for Christ’s sake will find it. When we fall on our knees at the cross, thank God, we can find life.
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
The time had come for Jesus to fulfill that for which He came into the world. The cross was just before Him. He was sorrowful and heavy in spirit so He went to Gethsemane with some of His disciples to pray. The prospect of facing the cross was terrifying. Jesus prayed for another way, if possible. But He prayed for God’s will whatever may come. Of course, Jesus knew there was no other way. This plan had been put in motion from the foundation of the world. Gethsemane means “oil press”. Jesus won the battle in the press.
Sometimes we think that the purpose of prayer is so we can escape whatever bad that we might be facing in life. Perhaps we need to go through the oil press so that we can stand firm in our faith no matter what comes our way. The Christian life isn’t about ease and pleasure. It’s about denying the flesh and standing firm in God’s will. The cross was all about denying the flesh. Jesus wouldn’t be who He was without the cross. He couldn’t be the savior without the cross. Is it any wonder that the cross is a universal Christian symbol?
The disciples slept through Jesus’ most trying hours. There may be things you face where it seems you are alone. Be strong. God will see you through your most trying times. Though it is comforting to have brothers and sisters in Christ to help us pray and give us words of encouragement, we must face the cross with God as our only help.
Let’s see what Matthew chapter 16 tells us about the cross in our lives.
Matthew 16:21-26 (KJV)
21From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
When Jesus told the disciples how He would suffer Peter said “Be it far from thee, Lord:…” But Jesus rebuked Satan. Sometimes Satan works through people to discourage us. He wants to sidetrack us from God’s will. As I said earlier, the cross is about denial of self. Jesus denied Himself when He took up the cross. Then He told us that we need to deny ourselves and take up the cross.
The following is from Barnes notes on the NT:
“When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. Thus, Christ carried his, until he fainted from fatigue and exhaustion. The cross was an instrument of death. To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment. So “to carry the cross” is a figurative expression, denoting that we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. “
There is no Christ without the Cross! It’s a place of self denial. It’s a place of death.
But the place of death led to the place of life. Whosoever will save his life will lose it and whosoever will lose his life for Christ’s sake will find it. When we fall on our knees at the cross, thank God, we can find life.
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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