Scripture Psalm 148:1-14
Stand outside sanctuary
and speak without being seen:
“How would it be if a preached for the next 30 minutes like
this?” Go several different places showing different views of proximity and
Closeness. Finally, “What if I could get inside your brain and communicate
directly to you where you are?
Let me check your brain power
Show slide for 1 second:
GODISNOWHERE
What if I
could pick random people to help me read the scripture? (Pick my family)
Ps 148:1-14
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest
heavens and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and
they were created.
6 He set them in place for ever and
ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.
7Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and
clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying
birds,
11 kings of the earth and all
nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and maidens, old
men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of
the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth
and the heavens.
14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all
his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord!
God is near / God is far
When
we see God as only near – we make God small: Jer 23:23-24 “Am I only a God nearby, and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I
cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?” God is not SOMEWHERE
SOMETIMES – God is EVERYWHERE ALWAYS!
God is: OMNIPRESENT The
prefix omni- comes from the Latin meaning “all.” So, to say that God
is omnipresent is to say that God is present everywhere. God's presence is
continuous throughout all of creation, though it may not be revealed in the
same way at the same time to people everywhere. At times, He may be actively
present in a situation, while He may not reveal that He is present in another
circumstance in some other area. God is not only everywhere – but God is here
Josh 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be
strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord
your God will be with you wherever you go.
Why does God seem close one moment and distant the next?
In a dramatic
display of God's power, the prophet Elijah witnessed God's nearness. He
challenged the prophets of Baal to climb Mount Carmel for a contest: his God
against theirs. After these false prophets spent most of the day pleading for
their god to accept their sacrifice, Elijah prayed to the one true God.
Immediately "the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the
wood, the stones and the soil . . ." (1 Kings 18:38). Amazed by God's
response, the people put the prophets of Baal to death.
When wicked
Queen Jezebel heard what had happened to her prophets, she sent Elijah a
message: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this
time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them" (19:2).
As a result, "Elijah was
afraid and ran for his life" (v. 3).
Did Elijah think God would not,
or could not, help him?
What about
Peter? Matt 16:17-18
Jesus said, "Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And
I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Vs 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block
to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
NEAR than FAR Proximity VS Presence PIANO – play the
piano
Distance and
separation were marks of the old covenant. When God appeared to His Moses, He
said, "Do not come near; take your
sandals off your feet";1 and
when He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai to His own chosen people, one of the
first commands was, "You shall set
limits for the people all around." In
the sacred worship of the tabernacle and the temple, the thought of distance
was always prominent.
SIX TEMPLE SLIDES: Court of the Gentiles – Court of the Women – Court of the
Israelites/Men – Court of the priests – Holy Place – Holy of Holies.
When Jesus came,
things changed. The word "Go" was replaced with "Come";
Matt 11:28 Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matt 19:14 Let
the little children come to me
John 7:37-38 If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Ephesians 2:11-13
Therefore, remember that formerly you
who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who
call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the
hands of men)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ,
excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the
promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you
who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of
God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with
Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is
joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you
too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his
Spirit.
3
slides:
1 GODISNOWHERE
2 GOD IS NO WHERE
3 GOD IS NOW HERE
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is
in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought
at a price.
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and
he with me.
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