Experiencing God's Presence: Beyond Theology and Doctrine

Devotional

Day 1: Experiencing God's Presence Over Theological Precision

Knowing God deeply and experiencing His presence is more significant than merely having correct doctrine. The apostle John, despite his profound spiritual journey, made the mistake of worshiping an angel, highlighting that theological accuracy is not the pinnacle of the Christian life. This incident teaches that the essence of the Christian journey is not just about avoiding mistakes or having perfect theology but about being in constant communion with God. Jesus emphasized that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ, not just having theological precision. [02:36]

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV): "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'"

Reflection: In what ways can you prioritize experiencing God's presence over seeking theological correctness in your daily life?

Day 2: Humility as the Pathway to Divine Revelation

God reveals His greatest truths to those with a humble heart, akin to that of a child. This humility is rare among the educated, yet it is essential for receiving spiritual insight and revelation. The humility of heart allows us to receive the deepest revelations from God, as it opens us to His wisdom and understanding. It is not the accumulation of knowledge that brings us closer to God, but the posture of our hearts. [06:40]

James 4:6 (ESV): "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

Reflection: How can you cultivate a childlike humility in your heart to be more open to God's revelations today?

Day 3: Living in the Presence of God

The new covenant offers us the privilege of entering the most holy place, symbolizing a life lived in the presence of God. This is not just about victory over sin but about being continually aware of God's presence, which transforms our lives. The veil that separated us from this presence was torn by Jesus' sacrifice, symbolizing the breaking of our self-will. It is this self-will that often prevents us from experiencing God's presence fully. [16:04]

Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV): "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Reflection: What self-will or personal barriers do you need to surrender to fully experience God's presence in your life?

Day 4: Communicating God's Presence in Every Interaction

In all interactions, whether public or private, we should strive to convey the presence of God. This requires a life of humility and a focus on being more conscious of God than of people. By living a life that reflects God's presence, we can impact others and bring them closer to Him. Our words and actions should be permeated by His presence, leading others to experience His love and grace. [19:37]

Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV): "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

Reflection: How can you intentionally communicate God's presence in your interactions with others today?

Day 5: Embracing the Calmness of Heaven

As we grow in our relationship with God, we can experience the calmness of heaven in our lives, regardless of external circumstances. This is achieved through a life of humility and constant communion with God. By focusing on His presence and allowing it to transform us, we can find peace and tranquility even amidst life's challenges. [21:46]

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV): "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Reflection: What steps can you take to maintain a focus on God's presence and experience His peace in the midst of life's challenges today?

Sermon Summary

In reflecting on Revelation 19:10, we see the apostle John, despite his profound spiritual journey and theological understanding, making the mistake of worshiping an angel. This incident highlights a crucial lesson: theological accuracy, while important, is not the pinnacle of the Christian life. John, who had walked with God for 65 years, was overwhelmed by the presence of God, which led him to this error. This teaches us that knowing God deeply and experiencing His presence is more significant than merely having correct doctrine.

The essence of the Christian journey is not just about avoiding mistakes or having perfect theology but about being in constant communion with God. Jesus emphasized that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ, not just having theological precision. The humility of heart, akin to that of a child, is what allows us to receive the deepest revelations from God. This humility is rare among the educated and intelligent, yet it is essential for true spiritual insight.

The new covenant offers us the privilege of entering the most holy place, symbolizing a life lived in the presence of God. This is not just about victory over sin but about being continually aware of God's presence, which transforms our lives. The veil that separated us from this presence was torn by Jesus' sacrifice, symbolizing the breaking of our self-will. It is this self-will that often prevents us from experiencing God's presence fully.

In our daily lives, whether in personal conversations or public ministry, we should strive to communicate the presence of God. This requires a life of humility and a constant crucifixion of self-will. The goal is to be more conscious of God than of people, allowing His presence to permeate our words and actions. This is the path to true spiritual maturity and the calmness of heaven in our lives.

Key Takeaways

1. will, which is the barrier to experiencing God's presence fully. [16:04]
4. Communicating God's Presence: In all interactions, whether public or private, we should strive to convey the presence of God. This requires a life of humility and a focus on being more conscious of God than of people.

5. The Calmness of Heaven: As we grow in our relationship with God, we can experience the calmness of heaven in our lives, regardless of external circumstances. This is achieved through a life of humility and constant communion with God.

** [16:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - John's Spiritual Journey
[01:12] - Worshiping the Angel
[02:17] - Theological Accuracy vs. Knowing God
[03:38] - Repeated Mistakes and Humility
[05:26] - Revelation vs. Knowledge
[07:25] - Humility and Revelation
[09:24] - Overwhelmed by God's Presence
[11:22] - Looking Unto Jesus
[12:35] - Entering the Most Holy Place
[14:04] - Worship in Spirit
[16:04] - The New Covenant Privilege
[19:02] - Communicating God's Presence
[21:04] - The Calmness of Heaven
[23:03] - Worship and the Samaritan Woman
[26:26] - Hidden Truths and Humility
[29:05] - Producing Disciples Overwhelmed by God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Revelation 19:10
John 17:3
Hebrews 10:19-20

Observation Questions:

What mistake did John make in Revelation 19:10, and what was the angel's response to him? [01:27]
How does John 17:3 define eternal life, and how does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on knowing God over theological accuracy? [04:52]
According to Hebrews 10:19-20, what privilege do believers have under the new covenant, and how is this symbolized? [16:04]

Interpretation Questions:

Why might John, despite his deep spiritual journey, have been overwhelmed to the point of worshiping an angel? What does this suggest about the nature of spiritual experiences? [09:24]
How does the sermon suggest that humility is a gateway to revelation, and why might this be rare among the educated? [06:40]
What does the tearing of the veil symbolize in the context of Hebrews 10:19-20, and how does this relate to the concept of self-will? [16:44]

Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you prioritized theological accuracy over experiencing God's presence. How did that affect your spiritual life, and what might you do differently now? [02:36]
The sermon emphasizes humility as essential for receiving revelation. What practical steps can you take to cultivate humility in your daily life? [06:40]
Consider the concept of self-will as a barrier to experiencing God's presence. Identify an area in your life where self-will is strong. How can you work towards crucifying that self-will? [17:30]
In what ways can you strive to communicate God's presence in your interactions with others, both in public and private settings? [19:37]
The sermon speaks of experiencing the calmness of heaven in our lives. What specific practices or habits can you incorporate to foster a sense of peace and calmness amidst life's challenges? [21:46]
How can you become more conscious of God's presence than of people in your daily activities? What changes might you need to make to achieve this? [19:49]
Reflect on the story of the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus. How does this contrast challenge your understanding of who is open to receiving deep spiritual truths? [23:03]

Sermon Clips

you can be theologically accurate and not make the mistake that john made never worship an angel and yet you may not know god like john did we can glory in a in theological accuracy no i don't do those things i don't believe in infant baptism that's all wrong i don't believe in fake tongues and i don't believe this and i don't i don't worship angels and yet the sense of the presence of god may not be in our life as it was with john [00:02:21]

the greatest thing in the christian life is not theological accuracy that we never make a mistake that we never do anything wrong and if that even after we are corrected uh if you are corrected once then of course we will never do wrong you know we're told that we understand that i've been corrected once on that i'll never do that again i was quite proud you know to say that or think like that [00:03:02]

jesus said in john 17 3 eternal life is to know god and jesus christ to me is senate it's not theological accuracy and john knew god we can say that okay he made a mistake terrible sin to worship a created being is there anything greater sin than that to worship a created being and again to be corrected don't do that i'm a fellow servant of yours [00:04:44]

god has hidden his greatest truths from clever intelligent people and revealed them to babies and you've heard me say that the one thing that babies have all babies which clever intelligent people don't have is humility it's very rare very very rare i mean i'm telling you from 61 years of experience as a believer it's very rare to find a clever intelligent person who's got humility [00:06:16]

one of the great privileges we have in the new covenant it's not just victory over sin to me that's a byproduct victory over sin the main thing about jesus life was what peter said on the day of pentecost when he was talking about jesus he said acts 2 chapter acts chapter 2 24 god raised him from the dead and david says of christ i saw the lord that means i saw the father always in my presence [00:10:00]

and i see one of the great blessings of the new covenant which is spoken of in the book of hebrews is that we can enter into the most holy place and that picture of the old testament tabernacle where the israelites could not go past that veil they could come to the outer court where they sacrificed for sin and the basin of water which symbolized water baptism the cross and water baptism [00:12:31]

and when jesus died that veil was rent and that speaks of the flesh of jesus the veil symbolized the flesh of jesus and you've heard me say the flesh is self-will jesus had a will of his own which he always denied john 6 38 i came from heaven i have a god my father gave me a will but i denied it consistently never did my own will he had his own will but he never did [00:16:31]

the only thing brothers and sisters that prevents you from dwelling in god's presence all the time is your strong self-will and you can see that strong self-will in so many of our relationships particularly as husband and wife at home all the conflicts that arise there or you know expressions that you have you say things to each other which you regret from strong self-will [00:17:52]

and in all of those things we must communicate something of the presence of god through our words that is god's will where our life is constantly in god's presence it doesn't happen overnight but we must work towards it where we are living in the most holy place all the time where we are more conscious of god than a people that even when we speak in the meaning [00:19:36]

come up here and in everything as i read the scriptures i want to hear that word the lord speaks to my heart saying come up here come up here sit with me in the heavenlies and you'll understand my word better you'll understand the things that are happening around you much better your life will be more calm with the calmness of heaven [00:21:18]

i don't want to produce a bunch of people the churches i preach in of theologically accurate people who cross that t's dot their eyes never make a mistake their language is perfect it's all scriptural they can quote a verse for every single thing i'm not interested in that i'm interested in producing in our churches disciples who are overwhelmed with the presence of god who dwell in the most holy place [00:29:10]

and when they it says in acts 4 13 when these clever scholars observed the confidence of peter and john and realized they were uneducated untrained in the seminaries they were amazed and they recognized these guys have been with jesus i say lord that's what i want i don't want to be i don't want to impress people as educated and trained and scholarly i want people to recognize that i've been with jesus [00:30:21]

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Experiencing God's Presence: Beyond Theology and Doctrine

Devotional

Day 1: Experiencing God's Presence Over Theological Precision

Day 2: Humility as the Pathway to Divine Revelation

Day 3: Living in the Presence of God

Day 4: Communicating God's Presence in Every Interaction

Day 5: Embracing the Calmness of Heaven

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Experiencing God's Presence: Beyond Theology and Doctrine

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