The Book of Genesis is called the book of beginnings. It’s here we find out the ‘whats,’ ‘whys’ and ‘wherefores’ of man’s existence. It’s interesting to know that before God made living creatures, He made a place for them to live first. He made the sea first then the fish to swim in it. He made soil then plants to grow in it. He made the firmament for the stars before He made the planets that He placed there. He made Eden for man to live in before He made man. When you take the fish out of water it malfunctions. When you take a plant out the soil it malfunctions and when you take a star out of its place it becomes a meteor. Take a man out of Eden and he kills someone.
No one has ever found Eden for it was not so much a place but an environment. Man was created to live in God’s presence and when he is outside of His presence he malfunctions. In a previous message we looked at how King David said that there was one thing he desired more than anything else, and that was to live in God’s presence every day of his life.
“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord. And to meditate in His temple.” Psalm 27:4
He desired to be in God’s house every day. This was not so much a place but an environment. He wanted to be in God’s presence every day of his life. Sadly, David drifted away from this place later on in life when he’d became famous and pride crept in. Here we have ‘Bathsheba Gate’. He had fallen from God’s presence and wasn’t tender hearted towards Him anymore. When he was out of God’s presence he killed a man – Bathsheba’s husband. If it wasn’t for the confrontation of a Prophet, he would have continued on this way without even thinking he had done wrong. Unfortunately, the repercussions of this act went on and on with the rape of his daughter and the eventual death of his son Absalom. Praise the Lord he came back to God, but it took a while. He may have lived in Jerusalem but was far from God. We too can be a Christian yet leave Jesus behind along the way. His parents Joseph and Mary had Jesus in their care but lost him while in Jerusalem and didn’t find Him again until 3 days later. Guess where He was? He was in His Father’s House.
“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Luke 2:41-49
The other day we had a puppy stray onto our property and found out through Facebook where he came from. We noticed that he had often gone missing. When we rang the owners they weren’t even aware that the puppy had gone? How sad wais that? They didn’t deserve to have a dog because they didn’t value it. A puppy is precious and needs to be looked after just like a young child. The presence of God must be valued as well otherwise you can lose it. Its precious. Have you noticed if it’s gone? Have you ever had the presence of God in your life?
God’s Spirit has been poured out on all flesh for the purpose of glorifying Jesus. It doesn’t just say that it has been poured only on Christian flesh but all flesh.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
We look around us today and see so much sin. God says His Spirit is on all flesh but people still need to receive Jesus as their own personal Saviour. You don’t need to go to Jerusalem to find God, He is everywhere now. There is so much killing, for man is outside of his environment. He is outside the presence. He is malfunctioning. Even Christians can have Jesus in the house yet not be in the presence. How can this be for Christians? We have looked at the story of Martha and Mary. They were both sisters and are also like sisters in the Lord. They were both in the house. Jesus was in the house but they both had different mindsets.
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
One sister was sitting at the feet of Jesus drinking in His beauty, grace and power while the other was overheating in the kitchen. One was enjoying the presence and the other was malfunctioning.
How could this happen? It’s important to understand. Jesus said to Martha that there was just one thing missing. That one thing was the thing hat Mary had discovered. That one thing was the beauty of Jesus. Mary had found the wow factor. “Hey stop everything here. Do you know who we have in the house?” “Do you know who we are dealing with”? Mary knew it and gave Him worship, fear and awe. Jesus was more than just a teacher or a buddy to her. He was the Lord. A major problem today is that we do not have respect for those in authority. We lack the need to give honour where honour is due and even Christians can feel the same towards God. There is often no fear of God. We say that if we sin God will forgive us and He does, but there are always repercussions. There is also the fact that our children are watching us and often end up doing the same. Absalom copied what his father David did and also killed a man. We are designed for God’s presence and we work best in that place. We think and act better when we are in it. It says that the Lord has an anointing on Him and when we get close to Him it rubs off. Moses feared God and valued the presence. So much so that he said he didn’t want to go into to Canaan if the presence of God wasn’t with them.
“Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?” Exodus 33:15-16
He said that he didn’t want the thing he had longed for if he didn’t have the presence of God with it. Do we feel that way? Many Christians have a covetous spirit and are prepared to get stuff and don’t care about the presence. It says that Israel got what they wanted in the wilderness but ended up with leanness in their souls. I have read somewhere that they interviewed folk who were prepared to kill someone for one million $$ as long as they didn’t get caught. How far from the presence of God is that? The further from the presence the more we are prepared to kill. We may not kill literally but we can kill with our words as well.
Esau lost his birthright for a portion of meat. He was a descendant of Abraham but ended up living far from Jerusalem and God’s house because of sin. Christians can be like Esau and sell the presence of God for the world. They can lust after money. I have seen many Christians shift to another place for more money and end up far from a Church and not really care as long as they can get the bucks.
Moses had lots of problems. Especially the fact that he had to lead 3 million Israelite’s who were worshipping a golden calf along with his cousin Aaron. God offered him a place of safety near him. Moses wanted to see God’s glory. No one under the old covenant could see the face of God and live.
“And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. “ Exodus 33:21
How blessed are we for we are offered a place near the Lord and we can see the face of God.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37
Martha was invited into Jesus’ presence but she just didn’t get it for she was too busy. She could have come and sat at His feet too that night and just sent out for fish and chips. Jesus would have rather she did that and come and be blessed. Let me tell you, that you can get as close to God as you want too. Nothing is able to stop you, except you.
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
The Devil knows this principle so he tries and gets us to stop ourselves from entering in by whispering thoughts in our heads like “You are unworthy to approach God, you have sinned,” and feelings of guilt. He also sends distractions and people our way as well. We have to say no to him. Mary said ‘no’ to Martha and didn’t buckle under the peer pressure.
In the parable of the sower and the seed we see that the cares of this life can keep us from Gods presence. We are all invited into His Kingdom and we can come in through Jesus. We are all citizens in Christ but there are different places in His Kingdom. We are all His Children but there are promotions. Look at the parable of the talents.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, a each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30.
Also look how David started off as a shepherd boy and ended up in the palace as a musician and later as a king. Because King Saul didn’t appreciate the presence of God Saul was demoted.
In the Parable of the sower and the seed we see that some received 30 fold while others 60 and 100 fold. This life is all about training for reigning. God sees what you are doing with the little He gives you and then gives more. I believe what you achieve spiritually in this life is taken into the next.
Jesus doesn’t force us to do anything. He would like us to discover and value what we find. Mary chose that better thing. She chose the presence. Joshua told Israel to choose this day whom you will serve.
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14
We are all in the same house as Christians but how are we treating Jesus? Do we value the Presence? Is the King of Kings just a buddy or is He the Lord of Glory? Are we sitting at His feet or just busy, busy? Do we see His worth or are we malfunctioning in our work for Him? The choice is ours to come into a place near Him.