Experiencing God's Presence: Faith in the Invisible

 

Summary

In reflecting on the profound nature of our relationship with God, I shared a personal anecdote from my college days, where I mischievously played the hymn "In the Garden" to provoke my music professor. This hymn, often dismissed for its simplicity, encapsulates a deep yearning within every Christian: the desire for a personal, tangible encounter with Jesus. This longing is reminiscent of the disciples' experience on the road to Emmaus, where their hearts burned within them as Jesus revealed Himself through the Scriptures. This narrative highlights the challenge we face as believers: serving a God who is invisible and often feels absent.

The philosopher Anthony Flew's parable of the invisible gardener illustrates the modern struggle with God's perceived absence. Despite the order and beauty of creation, many question the existence of a divine gardener. This skepticism underscores a critical issue within the church: the difficulty of maintaining faith in an unseen God. Yet, the reality of the garden—our world—remains undeniable, pointing to a Creator whose presence is felt even if not seen.

To understand God, we must grapple with the concepts of His infinitude and spirituality. God, as an infinite being, transcends our finite understanding. His presence is not limited by space or time, allowing Him to be with us always, even in our suffering. This omnipresence challenges us to avoid the pitfalls of pantheism, which equates God with creation. Instead, we recognize that while God permeates all things, He remains distinct from them.

The immensity of God means that He is fully present wherever He is. This truth assures us that in our personal fellowship with God, we engage with His entire being. Despite the limitations of our understanding, we trust in the biblical revelation of God's character, which transcends our earthly dimensions. This divine intimacy allows us to walk and talk with Him, affirming our identity as His own.

Key Takeaways:

1. The longing for a personal encounter with Jesus reflects a deep-seated desire within every believer to experience His presence tangibly. This yearning is not superficial but speaks to the core of our faith, where the assurance of being known and loved by Christ brings profound peace. [03:08]

2. The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus illustrates the transformative power of recognizing Jesus in our midst. Even when He seems absent, His presence can ignite our hearts and renew our faith, reminding us that He walks with us through life's journey. [05:27]

3. The challenge of serving an invisible God is a central struggle for Christians, as we often feel His absence. Yet, this very invisibility calls us to a deeper faith, trusting in His presence and promises even when our senses fail to perceive Him. [06:10]

4. Understanding God's infinitude and spirituality requires us to move beyond finite concepts. God's omnipresence assures us that He is with us in every circumstance, providing comfort and strength, especially in times of suffering and uncertainty. [14:56]

5. God's immensity means that He is fully present in every place, offering His undivided attention to each of us. This truth challenges our understanding but invites us into a relationship where we can confidently walk and talk with Him, knowing we are His own. [27:45]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:39] - College Hymnology Class
- [01:39] - Playing "In the Garden"
- [03:08] - Yearning for Jesus' Presence
- [04:04] - Road to Emmaus
- [06:10] - The Invisible God
- [07:03] - Anthony Flew's Parable
- [09:34] - The Reality of the Garden
- [10:39] - Infinite Spirit
- [12:04] - Understanding Infinity
- [14:56] - God's Omnipresence
- [17:22] - Avoiding Pantheism
- [20:52] - Infinite Beings
- [24:06] - The Sin of Idolatry
- [27:45] - God's Immensity

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Luke 24:13-35 (The Road to Emmaus)
2. Psalm 23:4 (God's Presence in the Valley of the Shadow of Death)
3. Acts 17:28 (In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being)

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the reaction of the disciples on the road to Emmaus when they realized they were in the presence of Jesus? How did this encounter transform their understanding? [05:27]

2. How does the parable of the invisible gardener illustrate the modern struggle with perceiving God's presence in the world? [09:34]

3. What does the hymn "In the Garden" symbolize about the personal relationship Christians desire with Jesus? [03:08]

4. How does the sermon describe God's omnipresence and its implications for believers? [14:56]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus reflect the transformative power of recognizing Jesus in our lives? How might this story encourage believers today? [05:27]

2. How does the concept of God's infinitude challenge our understanding of His presence in our lives, especially during times of suffering? [14:56]

3. What are the potential dangers of equating God with creation, as discussed in the sermon, and how can believers avoid falling into the trap of pantheism? [17:22]

4. How does the assurance of God's immensity and His full presence in every place impact a believer's personal relationship with Him? [27:45]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt God's presence in a tangible way. How did that experience impact your faith journey? How can you seek similar encounters in your daily life? [03:08]

2. The disciples' hearts burned within them when Jesus opened the Scriptures to them. How can you cultivate a similar passion for Scripture in your own life? What practical steps can you take this week? [05:27]

3. In moments when God feels absent, how do you remind yourself of His promises and presence? What specific practices or habits can help reinforce your faith during these times? [06:10]

4. How can understanding God's omnipresence provide comfort and strength in your current life circumstances, especially in times of uncertainty or suffering? [14:56]

5. Consider the idea of God's immensity, where He is fully present with you at all times. How does this truth influence your prayer life and daily interactions with God? [27:45]

6. Identify one area in your life where you struggle to see God's presence. What steps can you take to become more aware of His work in that area?

7. How can you help others in your community who may be struggling with the concept of an invisible God? What role can you play in encouraging their faith?

Devotional

Day 1: Yearning for Jesus' Presence
The longing for a personal encounter with Jesus is a profound desire that resides within every believer. This yearning is not merely a superficial wish but speaks to the very core of our faith. It is the assurance of being known and loved by Christ that brings profound peace to our hearts. This desire is akin to the disciples' experience on the road to Emmaus, where their hearts burned within them as Jesus revealed Himself through the Scriptures. Even when Jesus seems absent, His presence can ignite our hearts and renew our faith, reminding us that He walks with us through life's journey. [03:08]

"And they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'" (Luke 24:32, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a moment when you felt distant from God. How can you invite Jesus into your daily routine to experience His presence more tangibly today?


Day 2: Recognizing Jesus in Our Midst
The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus illustrates the transformative power of recognizing Jesus in our midst. Even when He seems absent, His presence can ignite our hearts and renew our faith. This narrative challenges us to remain open to the ways Jesus reveals Himself to us, often in unexpected moments and through the Scriptures. It is a reminder that He walks with us through life's journey, offering guidance and companionship even when we are unaware of His presence. [05:27]

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you felt alone. How might Jesus have been present with you, and how can you become more aware of His presence in similar situations?


Day 3: Trusting in the Invisible God
The challenge of serving an invisible God is a central struggle for Christians, as we often feel His absence. Yet, this very invisibility calls us to a deeper faith, trusting in His presence and promises even when our senses fail to perceive Him. The philosopher Anthony Flew's parable of the invisible gardener illustrates the modern struggle with God's perceived absence. Despite the order and beauty of creation, many question the existence of a divine gardener. This skepticism underscores the difficulty of maintaining faith in an unseen God. [06:10]

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you struggle to trust God. What steps can you take today to deepen your faith in His unseen presence?


Day 4: Embracing God's Omnipresence
Understanding God's infinitude and spirituality requires us to move beyond finite concepts. God's omnipresence assures us that He is with us in every circumstance, providing comfort and strength, especially in times of suffering and uncertainty. His presence is not limited by space or time, allowing Him to be with us always. This truth challenges us to avoid the pitfalls of pantheism, which equates God with creation, and instead recognize that while God permeates all things, He remains distinct from them. [14:56]

"Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:24, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you remind yourself of God's presence in your daily life, especially during challenging times?


Day 5: Walking with God's Immensity
God's immensity means that He is fully present in every place, offering His undivided attention to each of us. This truth challenges our understanding but invites us into a relationship where we can confidently walk and talk with Him, knowing we are His own. Despite the limitations of our understanding, we trust in the biblical revelation of God's character, which transcends our earthly dimensions. This divine intimacy allows us to walk and talk with Him, affirming our identity as His own. [27:45]

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!" (Psalm 139:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper sense of intimacy with God in your daily walk, acknowledging His constant presence and attention?

Quotes

I think that if I could have any experience that would satisfy my soul, it would be just once to have the opportunity to see Jesus, in the flesh, and to walk with Him, to speak with Him alone, and to have Him say to me audibly, “R. C., you are Mine. You belong to Me.” If I could hear our Lord say that to me, everything would be all right. [00:03:21]

The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus illustrates the transformative power of recognizing Jesus in our midst. Even when He seems absent, His presence can ignite our hearts and renew our faith, reminding us that He walks with us through life's journey. [00:04:04]

Every time I read that passage, I can relate to it because I feel that’s what would happen to me. That my heart would feel like it was on fire, like it was going to explode right out of my chest, if I had the opportunity to see Him. But, the biggest problem that we have, I’m convinced, as Christians, the thing that makes our testimony, our commitment so weak, and our obedience so inconsistent is that we have committed ourselves to a God Who is totally invisible. [00:06:01]

We live our Christian life feeling constantly the absence of God, because we can’t see Him. Now, how do we deal with it? How do we deal with the fact that we’re called to serve a God Who does not seem to be present? We can’t see Him. We can’t hear Him. Taste Him, touch Him, or smell Him. [00:06:47]

The famous parable of the philosopher Anthony Flew that where he told the story of these two explorers who were in the deepest part of the rain forest in the interior of Africa. And they were hacking their way through the jungle with machetes and suddenly, in the midst of no-man’s land, a thousand miles from any civilization, they found this garden with all of the plants in the garden arranged meticulously in perfectly symmetrical rows. [00:07:13]

The first explorer said, “Well, there must be a gardener here that’s doing this because you can’t have this kind of order and this kind of, of harmony and symmetry without an intelligence taking care of the garden.” He said, “Let’s wait and see if we can meet the gardener, if the gardener comes back.” [00:07:40]

The skeptical philosopher Flew said, “That’s where modern man finds himself, living in a world where God has died the death of a thousand qualifications. So that, for all practical purposes, there’s no difference between an infinite, eternal, invisible spirit being and no God at all.” Except there’s a garden. And the garden is real. [00:09:51]

What God in His infinite being means is that there’s no place where God’s being isn’t present. That’s good news, isn’t it? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why? For Thou art with me. Jesus says, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” [00:14:40]

The promise of God is not that you won’t suffer. The promise of God is that when you suffer, He will be there. That’s our consolation. That God, in His infinite being, can be with us wherever we are. Now, again, do you think of the philosophical problem? If God is everywhere and is in everything, and there’s no place where He is not, is there anything that He is not? [00:17:00]

If God is everywhere and His being is Infinite, and permeates all things and fills all things, then there is no nook or cranny anywhere in the universe where God is absent. Now, again, the good news there is there’s nowhere that I can go, where I’m going to leave the presence of God. He is with me always. [00:15:55]

When we talk about God’s immensity, we mean this, very briefly, that wherever God is, He is present in His fullness. It’s not like part of God is in a cloud hanging over San Francisco and another part of God is in a cloud hanging over New York City. Or that the nose of God is over Paris and the toes of God is over Alaska. [00:26:32]

But that not only is God infinite, and everywhere, but He is infinitely present in His fullness. So that when you fellowship with God, you fellowship with the whole God, and you fellowship with the whole God, and you fellowship with the whole God, and you can have his undivided attention at the same time that Bill over here is talking intimately to God. [00:27:28]

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Transcript
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