MADE FOR HIS PRESENCE
In our God Is series, we learned that God is omnipresent; He is everywhere at all times. While God is everywhere, He’s also personal and invites us to know Him in a personal relationship. From time to time, believers have said, “I don’t feel God’s presence,” or “How do you experience His presence? God’s presence isn’t a matter of feeling; it’s fact and faith, according to the Bible. The sense of God’s absence is often a lack of living with the awareness of God’s presence. We can feel an absence of God for a variety of reasons: infrequent and distracted prayer, neglecting time in God’s Word, forgetting God throughout our daily activities, only compartmentalizing Him to Sunday church services. And then skipping corporate worship where we can sense and experience God, together. God is slowly ignored day after day if we are not careful to nurture our connection.
The good news is if we get disconnected, God remains available, and the feeling of His absence is only a feeling that can be addressed with faith and a focused pursuit.
This is the heart behind our new series, Experiencing God. Together, we’ll learn a lot of great lessons like what God’s presence is, why His presence is essential to our lives, how to recognize His presence around us, how to cultivate a greater hunger for Him, how to dwell in His presence, and how to be people of His presence in this world.
A Quick Survey of God’s Presence in the Old and New Testament
God’s Presence in the Old Testament
Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 14
Since God is spirit and invisible, the means he uses to reveal his presence will always be inadequate…God makes himself known again and again (Consider Awe & Wonder Series), He just uses ways we have to learn to recognize in and around us.
In Genesis 3:8 we read that God “walked” among Adam and Eve in the garden. This most likely wasn’t meant literally, but an expression of the closeness of fellowship God had with the first couple before the fall of sin. A journey through the Bible reveals that God continued to make Himself known and manifest His presence in a variety of ways, which are called “Theophanies”. A theophany (Greek: theos, meaning "God," and phainein, meaning "to appear") is a temporary, visible, or tangible manifestation of God to humans.
For example, God appeared in a burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3), as an angel of the Lord (Gen. 16; 21; 22; 31; Exo. 3), and appeared and spoke to Abraham through what looked like three ordinary men (angelic beings that looked like men-Genesis 18).
Why these theophanies? Exodus 33:20 says that God cannot be seen and live (Exo. 33:20); therefore, God chose a variety of ways to reveal Himself that harmonize His transcendence and His nearness. God was working His will and purposes, so He manifests His presence and glory as needed.
In Exodus 13 and 14, we see God’s presence and glory manifested in multiple ways for His people.
God successfully delivers the Israelites from slavery (13:17)
God reveals His glory and presence in a cloud and fire (13:21-22)
God provides an angel to go before and behind, as does the cloud and fire (14:19-20; 24)
God manifests His glory in power through weather and nature, by blowing a wind that makes a way through the Red Sea. God even disrupted the wheels of the chariots (14:21-22; 25).
God is actively present, revealing His glory in power, protection, and salvation.
The most prominent theophany of God’s presence in the Old Testament is the glory of God. This has also been called the Shekinah Glory, the dwelling of God’s presence.
Before the tabernacle, God’s glory came upon Mount Sinai, where God gave him the two stone tablets with the 10 commandments (Exodus 19; 24).
A pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
His glory rested on and in the Tabernacle. The fire resting on the tabernacle
Then God’s presence dwelt in the tabernacle, a mobile house for worship and fellowship with God for Moses until they reached the promised land.
The ark functioned as the actual focal point of God’s presence, making it the most sacred object in the tabernacle. God promised Moses, “I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant.” (Exod 25:10–22) This wasn’t merely symbolic; whenever Moses entered the tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the ark’s cover. (Num 7:89).
Then the more permanent place for God to dwell among His people was built: the Temple. His glory came upon the temple and rested there (2 Chronicles 7; 1 Kings 8). God established a place, a building for His presence and glory to dwell among His people. This location was like a landmark where they could seek the face of God and worship Him. But you could never contain an infinite God in a building made by human hands. It was simply a meeting place, but a Holy and sacred place at the same time!
God’s presence in the New Testament
Jesus Christ - Emmanuel, God with us.
God’s presence on earth is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ as God incarnate, who has come to dwell (σκηνόω, skēnoō) upon the earth (John 1:14). Those who have seen Christ have seen God the Father (John 14:9) Austin, B. M. (2014). Divine Presence. In D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Lexham Press.
Hebrews 1:3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.
Colossians 1:19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ.
Colossians 2:9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Jesus was the new temple (Jn 2:21; 1:14; Col 2:9). He was the locus of the tabernacling presence of God. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988).Presence of God, The. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1752). Baker Book House.
Jesus was the fullness of God’s glory, in the flesh, so that we could know Him. But Jesus was also given to redeem and save us from sin and to restore our fellowship with God again.
The Holy Spirit
John 14:15-17 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
The Holy Spirit was present in the Old Testament and acted as God’s presence coming upon people for a variety of purposes. Jesus introduces us to a new dimension of God’s presence. He calls the Holy Spirit the “Parakletos” (John 14:16-17), the comforter, counselor, and Advocate who comes alongside us and dwells in us.
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit dwells in God’s people, identifying and sanctifying them as His children.
Which means…
The Church, the Body of Christ
Now we, the fellowship of believers, the body of Christ, have become the temple of God on earth where God’s presence and glory dwell.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
We experience God’s presence individually and corporately as believers. We also display God’s glory.
1 Peter 2:9…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Application
We are made for God’s presence
I was hanging out with pastors, and one of them said, "You were made for God's presence." Think about the implications of that statement. All of us were created in His image and to be in fellowship with Him, but sin damaged that. But thank God Jesus came to restore this reality.
You were made a new creation and to house and experience the presence of God. Anything less and you're missing out and not who you are truly meant to be. Because we are created in His image, we can connect and communicate with God and even reflect His personal attributes unlike the rest of creation.
Humans possess an intrinsic orientation toward God’s presence. God equips human beings with both the capacity to perceive His presence and glory, and creates us with an innate longing for communion with Him. Christian theologians across centuries have developed the doctrine of spiritual senses, teaching that God has given us faculties attuned to the spiritual realm—senses that enable us to perceive God Himself. Scripture invites this perception throughout: the Psalms call us to “taste and see” God’s goodness, Paul describes enlightened understanding and spiritual perception, and Jesus speaks of His sheep hearing His voice. Humanity was created for God’s glory (Isa 43:7), which means our deepest fulfillment flows from proximity to Him. We aren’t designed as autonomous beings who occasionally encounter God; rather, we’re constituted for personal relationship with Him. Our capacity for His presence, our spiritual senses, and our innate longing all testify that we’re fundamentally oriented toward dwelling in His company. Jason E. Vickers and Thomas H. McCall, Outpouring: A Theological Witness (New York, NY: Cascade Books, 2023).
God has always initiated and pursued fellowship with us
The Bible reveals that God has always initiated and longed to have fellowship with us. Our sin caused the separation of a holy, transcendent, and personal God. The Bible tells the dramatic story of God pursuing us, even when we didn’t pursue Him.
We have direct access to God’s presence through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit
We don’t have to beg God to show up; we don’t experience him through some emotional high we’ve conjured up. The presence of God is the Spirit of God whispering conviction to us when we’ve crossed the line, or the nudge to help someone, or the peace that makes no sense in a challenging season.
The curtain has been torn and God’s Spirit dwells in us. God is available to us, so let us be available to Him.
In the temple there was a veil that separated the Holy of Holies, the earthly dwelling of God’s presence, from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This signified the separation between God and man because of our sin. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies once each year to make atonement for Israel’s sins. Matthew 27:50-51 says, “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”.
The tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus’ death symbolized and affirmed that His sacrifice, the shedding of His blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. Now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time. Now we can approach God anywhere through prayer because Jesus is our mediator, our high priest.
Let’s learn to be people of His presence
Discussion
How did God's presence guide, protect, and provide for Israel?
When you hear the phrase, "You were made for God's presence," what comes to mind?
Pastor Ryan stated that spiritual distance is often caused by our drifting from God rather than God moving away from us. Why do you think believers drift?
What are some distractions in our culture that make it difficult to recognize God's presence?
Which spiritual disciplines help you remain aware of God's presence throughout the week?
Why is gathering with other believers important for maintaining spiritual health?
Can you recall a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit's guidance, conviction, comfort, or peace?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
How can we pray together for you today?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and, when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways, and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!
