Pastor Dave Ginter
 
I want you to participate in the mystery of God’s Omnipresence. God is present everywhere! There is no place on earth or the sky or the Universe where God is not.
Psalm 139:7-12

7                           Where can I go from your Spirit?
                   Where can I flee from your presence?
8                           If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
                   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9                           If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
                   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10                        even there your hand will guide me,
                   your right hand will hold me fast.
11                        If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
                   and the light become night around me,”
12                        even the darkness will not be dark to you;
                   the night will shine like the day,
                   for darkness is as light to you.

Does this mean God is faster than a speeding bullet; that God gets to wherever I am going ahead of me? No! It isn’t that God has a more efficient mode of transport than I have; it means God simply IS.

In the ancient Near East “gods” were believed to have access to all places in the universe or over which they had limited rule. However, no deities worshipped by Near Eastern cultures were believed to be present everywhere at once. Such an idea was unheard of, even for a “god”.

But the God of the Bible says in Jeremiah 23: 23-24:
23Am I a God who is only in one place?” asks the LORD. “Do they think I cannot see what they are doing? 24Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” asks the LORD.

The Bible describes God as the All Powerful, Eternal God who is Everywhere Present in the heavens and on the earth.

Some of us, like King Solomon of old, have the mistaken impression that church is the primary place where we find God. Solomon,. However, saw things differently. He wrote when dedicating the new worship facility in Jerusalem,

But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built.
(1 Kings 8:27)

Hopefully each Sunday you will discover something new about the mystery of God when we the church gathers in their Worship Center. But no church, ours, or any other church is the only place where God exists.

Solomon let us in on an amazing secret, a mystery that flies in the face of all divinities worshiped in his day. He said that God not only fills the heavens and the earth, heaven and earth are not big enough to contain God!

even the highest heavens cannot contain you

In Psalm 8 the Psalmist announces that,
…the majesty of your name fills the earth!

However, he goes beyond that with the next phrase where God says,
Your glory is higher than the heavens.

Did you get that? God both fills heaven and earth something theologians call God’s immanency, meaning God is close to us. God also though is “…higher than the heavens”. That means if the universe blew up in an instant, God would still exist. Theologians call this aspect of God transcendence, meaning God is above and beyond creation. God is both near to us (immanence) and far away, (transcendence) at the same time. God is everywhere present!

So, since God is everywhere, why did Jesus teach us to pray, as we pray when we worship, “Our Father which art in HEAVEN…”? Why pray to God there? Why not, since Jesus lives in my heart, pray to the God within me? Why not look at my face in the mirror and pray, “O God!”?

In that same prayer, Jesus taught us to say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” You see, from what we observe revealed in Scriptures heaven appears to be a place totally different from our dimension of earth and the universe. It is not of this creation at all. Heaven is the place where God has chosen in some unique way to display all the radiance and brilliance that we call the “Glory of God”. Heaven is not a place where more of God resides than here. It is simply that God has chosen heaven as the place where throughout all eternity his splendor will be on display.

To help us visualize how God can be everywhere present while not being seen everywhere, my professor and mentor, David Needham suggests we think of God’s presence as represented by a great hall similar to this Sanctuary with long tables running the length of each aisle and across the front of the platform. On each table there is piled high a particular kind of rock.  Tons of the rocks are there.

Suddenly, all the lights are turned out plunging our Sanctuary into stark darkness. But in my hand I hold an ultraviolet light. I shine it on one small area of the table. What will you see there? The rocks will literally seem to blaze with blues, greens and yellow and reds and oranges. The colors will virtually dance on the stones, demonstrating that otherwise hidden fantastic beauty within the stone.

Are these particular rocks any different from the rest? No, anyplace I chose to shine that light, the same glory will be seen. You see, it is not in the light; the glory’s in the rocks.

This pictures God’s glory. It is not that our Creator is only present or is more present in heaven. No, God could choose to reveal glory in any nook or cranny of the universe! But for reasons unknown to us, the glory and brilliance of God is forever and always on display in some special amazing way in heaven. Thus, when I pray to my God in Heaven, I am entering into the very glory of God.

But here we are on earth, our lives troubled, our families distressed, our finances, our futures clouded. Where is the glory of God? I need God’s brilliance shinning in my life, my circumstances, my world. Friends, God is as present here as God is present in heaven. Although you do not see the ultraviolet results shinning in the rocks surrounding your life, God’s glory is still there. Furthermore, God invites you to enter the throne room of the Creator.  Bring your requests and petitions into the place where God’s splendor and magnificence is never dimmed!

God is both with you here and hears you in heaven. God is present…everywhere!

But if this is true, that God is everywhere, what am I to make of the many Scripture passages that tell me I can leave God’s presence? How can this be possible? Yet Genesis 4:16 says,
So Cain left the LORD’S presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Or take for example Paul’s terrifying description in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 of what happens to evil people who reject God:
…(God) will come with his mighty angels, 8in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power 10when he comes to receive glory and praise from his holy people…

Away from God’s glorious power? Separated from the Lord? How can this be possible if God is present everywhere? This presents me with double trouble; not only does it appear contradictory to other Scripture but why would God seem so harsh?

To help us better understand these and several other Bible passages all of which indicate that at times God and people part ways, it helps to know that both in the original Hebrew Old Testament and in the original Greek New Testament, the word translated “presence” is literally the word for “face”.

Thus when the Psalmist was praying, “Where can I flee from your presence?” he was not only appreciating the reality that God is present everywhere he goes, he was reveling in the fact that God’s face was turned his way. He had the full attention of the Creator God! He was saying, “God, you are not only here but you are looking my way, giving me your full attention!”

You know how alone you feel on a crowded elevator with people present everywhere? Talk about a great illustration of omnipresence! All eyes face straight ahead, staring at the floor numbers. No one acknowledges your existence. No one cares where you are headed.  You are not alone, and yet you are all alone. You are in the midst of the omnipresence of people. But their faces, you see, are not turned your way!

But we do not worship a God who steps onto the elevator of life with us and then assumes that forward looking posture. When God speaks of being present with us, what God intends for us to understand is far beyond the mere presence of glory. Rather, God wants us to grasp the most wonderful truth imaginable: this all powerful, eternal God wants to have a relationship…with ME! God wants to be our friend! Wow!

Moses understood this truth when God reassured him,
14… I will personally go with you, Moses. I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.
(Exodus 33:14)

You see, it wasn’t just that God would be there, God’s presence mystically with Moses in some psychic connection. No!  God was saying, “Moses, not only will I be wherever you go, my attention will fully focus upon you and your circumstances”.

Moses understood this. He understood it so well that Moses replied to God,
…If you don’t go with us personally,
don’t let us move a step from this place.
(Exodus 33:15)

You see, Moses would not move an inch if he felt God would not move with him. He made it clear to God that he had no intention of going anywhere outside of God’s face, God’s total attention.

That, friends, is what the Bible calls living in the Center of God’s perfect will. To live wherever God calls you to live, to do whatever God calls you to do, to be whatever God calls you to be, to give up whatever God calls you to give up…that is powerfully living in the presence of God.

And it brings up another dimension of the face of God. The first dimension explains God’s face towards me, desiring a relationship with me. It is also dependant upon the second dimension, my facing God. This means I choose to remain in relationship with God.

All who go the way of Cain and leave God’s presence as recorded in Genesis break fellowship with God. All who reject a relationship with Jesus Christ and thus fulfill the terrible vision recorded in 2 Thessalonians, all who walk away from God’s presence and God’s face, have chosen their own destiny. That destiny is the exact opposite of a destiny filled with glorious light. You see, that destiny is what the Bible calls “hell”.

Symbolically, we look at the face of God when we worship, study God’s Word in Sunday School and Small groups or personally reflect upon an aspect of God’s nature like…what it means that God’s face is always towards me.  As we gaze on God, the Bible says we are transformed by God to become more godly, more like the Savior we serve.

In 2 Corinthians we are reminded how Moses’ face was transformed. Moses glowed when he spent time in the very presence of God. But 2 Corinthians reminds us that Moses’ glory also faded. To avoid all Israel seeing the fading glow of God on his face, Moses ingeniously wore a veil. Thus, the dimming radiance wouldn’t be detected.  Whereas the glory of God shining in our lives never needs to diminish. It can go on forever.

2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:6-7 reads,
18And all of us have had that veil removed (WHY???) so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.

Mirrors were often made of bronze. The Corinthian’s were famous for their bronze. But even the best mirrors reflected images imperfectly (some philosophers thus used mirrors as an analogy to describe mortals’ search for their gods). Here, however, Paul contrasts the revelation of Moses with our more glowing experience when we brightly reflect God’s image to others.

Then, in 3:18 he continues, And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

Greeks told many stories of people who became “transformed,” but Greek philosophers spoke of being transformed toward “godhood” by contemplating divine things. Paul’s basis of this image is simply how Moses reflected God’s glory. Right now, those of us under the new covenant of Jesus Christ view God’s glory even more plainly than Moses could.

Then in 4:6, Paul says, 6For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

The Creator spoke light into being in Genesis; God similarly makes the light of glory shine in the hearts of those who see an even clearer view of glory than Moses experienced. That glory is ours today because we believe in Jesus Christ.

Paul continues in 4:7 saying, 7But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.

In Paul’s day, Philosophers were often hailed as strong and unswayed by testing. Paul reminds his readers that for the Christian, this power is from God and God alone.

“Earthen” or “clay” jars, as opposed to bronze ones, were readily discarded. Because clay was always available, such containers were cheap and disposable if they were broken. Paul proclaims a mind-blowing fact; we are those clay, disposable containers—an odd container for such a rich treasure.

Friends, the face of Jesus Christ is always towards us. When we choose to remain facing Him, we are transformed, becoming more and more like Christ in our thoughts and our actions. And that is good news.

Some of us have turned our backs on the very face of God. Are you one of them? You yearn to renew your relationship with your Creator. God has placed this need in your life. Turn around. Face God. Turning around is the Biblical definition of repentance. Repent, turn around, face God. God is already facing you.

Let me close with one more fact, the third dimension of this glowing truth. We become to others the very presence and therefore, the face of God.

Have you heard it said, “You are the finest Christian some people will ever know”? That usually strikes fear in my heart. But I should see it as a tremendous compliment and challenge. Yes, we are to have faith in God. But did you know, God has faith in us as well? God has no other plan to win other than you and I sharing this Good News of Jesus Christ. It is God’s greatest statement of faith in us! God’s compliment that the Creator is counting on us to be the very presence of Christ here on earth.

God has chosen to use our eyes, to reach the world through our feet, to love all cultures through our hands, to meet the needs of a hurting world through our efforts. It begins at every church who takes this challenge seriously. It begins today in YOUR life if you allow God to rule.
 


Comments

Luis Pedro Ruiz
02/05/2010 14:43

Dios simplemente es Dios. Es maravilloso ver como El no esta contenido en el universo, la tierra o las cosas mismas. Es El quien contiene todo y absosultamente todo es sustentado por El. Sin el contenedor quien es quien contiene, nada podría existir, por eso dice la palabra en El vivimos,somos y nos movemos por que El lo es TODO !!!!
Saludos Pastor.

Reply
Pastor Dave
02/05/2010 18:07

Gracias, Luis, por tus comentarios! Nos vemos en la Iglesia!

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