John 7:38–39 (NIV) 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
“Have you encountered the God that is here?”
We Value: The Presence of God. Presence:Every time we gather everywhere we go.
Moses: Exodus 33:1–3 (NLT) The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ 2 And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”
Some will be content with the promise without the presence.
"The intended journey OF the Lord is WITH the Lord.”
Exodus 33:15–19 (NIV) Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here….17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..
Presence: 1. His Glory 2. His Goodness
Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.
David bore a similar longing. Psalm 63:1–4 (NIV) 1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 27:4 (NIV) One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
His Presence: A. Every time we gather 1. His presence is at the center of our gatherings. 2. Our bible teaching & preaching is centered around Jesus.
John 5:39 (NLT) “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
3. Our worship is centered around Jesus.
4. Our prayers are centered around Jesus.
B. Everywhere we go.
A life that values presence: 1. Prioritize daily 2. Lean frequently 3. Pray continually 1 Thessalonians 5:17(NLT) Never stop praying. 4. Awareness always
Ministry: Matthew 13:33 (NLT)“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
