March 19th, 2024
James 4:8: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."
This week, I want to share with you what God laid on my heart regarding our access to His presence. As believers, we must know His Word so our prayers, worship, thoughts, and actions align with His heart. It’s not about legalism but understanding the truth about who He is and who we are!
I was listening to a song this week and the lyrics were all about asking God to stay with us, to dwell with us, and to remain. Now listen, I never pick songs apart. I really believe God cares about the attitude of our hearts, but we can’t pray and sing things that don’t align with truth. As the song went on, they were saying repeatedly, “Stay with us God. Please, please stay with us.” The sentiment was okay. It’s good to desire God’s presence, but as I was listening to the song, God spoke to my heart and said, “You can come as close as you want to come.”
That may seem presumptuous, but we never see Jesus praying and begging the Father to be with Him. We see Him live with the understanding that His Father was always with Him. In John 8:29, Jesus said,
“He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
When He raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed,
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”’ (John 11:41-42)
Jesus could have just said, “Lazarus, come out” and his lifeless body would have responded to the authority of the Creator. However, Jesus prayed out loud, first, so that others could hear the way He talked to His Father.
Jesus taught us this pattern of understanding our relationship with God throughout the gospels! He said in John 15:4-7:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
He didn’t say, “Remember to ask God every day to abide with you, or He might run off.” Jesus never prayed and asked the Father to come be with Him. He never taught us to plead for the Father’s presence. In fact, He said that He would ask the Father to send a helper, and that helper would abide with us forever, when we received Him. John 14:15-17 says,
‘“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
The Holy Spirit was sent from heaven on the day of Pentecost and from that time, He has been available for every believer to receive. Jesus said He would be with us forever. It’s a holy responsibility to carry the presence of God and we must understand that!
As we talked about last week, the people of Israel didn’t stay camped in the wilderness begging God’s presence not to leave them. They picked up everything they had and followed God’s glory, as the cloud moved. They had to learn to follow, to dwell, and to abide with Him. God’s glory had the appearance of a mighty consuming fire. It was a glorious storm, so terrifying and holy that the people would even die if they tried to come near unconsecrated (Exodus 19:21-25). However, Moses drew near to the presence of God and remained for 40 days until his face shown with God’s glory.
God’s presence is holy and there was always a particular way the people of God could come near. The priests only entered the Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant dwelt, at certain times, in certain ways. God’s presence is so holy that someone once died for touching the Ark of the Covenant outside of God’s instructions (2 Samuel 6:8-10). Do you know that you are now that temple? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”
We are carriers of God’s glory, by His mercy and grace, and it’s a gift we can never take for granted. Jesus has done for us what we could never have done ourselves. Sin would have separated us, but in Jesus, we have undeserved access to the King. He’s just as holy as He was when His glory blazed on Mt. Sinai. He is just as holy as He was when someone died touching the Ark of the Covenant incorrectly. The angels still cry holy, holy, holy day and night in the throne room of heaven. We cannot lose our reverence, but that awe should drive us closer to Him! Hebrews 10:19-23 says,
“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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
I encourage you to read that again. We have access to the place only the high priest could go. When Jesus said, “it is finished,” the curtain in the temple that kept common people from the holiest place was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-52). Our Father did not withhold the One most precious to Him, so that we could come near. You don’t have to ask God not to leave you, my friends. He promised He wouldn’t. You don’t have to ask God to abide with you. He wants to be with you. When you repent and accept the sacrifice of Jesus, you can receive the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and He will abide with you forever. You are never alone. He’s the Father that runs to His children, the moment they come home! The father in the story of the prodigal son threw a party for his lost son, and then left that party to pursue his bitter older son. (Luke 15:11-21) That story is often called The Prodigal Son, but I believe it’s actual much more about the father than it is about either son.
We can come as near to Him as we want to come. As a child of God, you have access to His presence. You are invited to abide. You can dwell with Jesus in the place where angels cry holy. We are seated with Jesus. Especially, as Easter draws near, I encourage you to pray prayers that reflect that truth! Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 1:8). How close to Him do you want to abide? Do you want to be outside looking in, or do you want to run to your Father? He’s waiting with arms wide open.
This week, I want to share with you what God laid on my heart regarding our access to His presence. As believers, we must know His Word so our prayers, worship, thoughts, and actions align with His heart. It’s not about legalism but understanding the truth about who He is and who we are!
I was listening to a song this week and the lyrics were all about asking God to stay with us, to dwell with us, and to remain. Now listen, I never pick songs apart. I really believe God cares about the attitude of our hearts, but we can’t pray and sing things that don’t align with truth. As the song went on, they were saying repeatedly, “Stay with us God. Please, please stay with us.” The sentiment was okay. It’s good to desire God’s presence, but as I was listening to the song, God spoke to my heart and said, “You can come as close as you want to come.”
That may seem presumptuous, but we never see Jesus praying and begging the Father to be with Him. We see Him live with the understanding that His Father was always with Him. In John 8:29, Jesus said,
“He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
When He raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed,
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”’ (John 11:41-42)
Jesus could have just said, “Lazarus, come out” and his lifeless body would have responded to the authority of the Creator. However, Jesus prayed out loud, first, so that others could hear the way He talked to His Father.
Jesus taught us this pattern of understanding our relationship with God throughout the gospels! He said in John 15:4-7:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
He didn’t say, “Remember to ask God every day to abide with you, or He might run off.” Jesus never prayed and asked the Father to come be with Him. He never taught us to plead for the Father’s presence. In fact, He said that He would ask the Father to send a helper, and that helper would abide with us forever, when we received Him. John 14:15-17 says,
‘“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
The Holy Spirit was sent from heaven on the day of Pentecost and from that time, He has been available for every believer to receive. Jesus said He would be with us forever. It’s a holy responsibility to carry the presence of God and we must understand that!
As we talked about last week, the people of Israel didn’t stay camped in the wilderness begging God’s presence not to leave them. They picked up everything they had and followed God’s glory, as the cloud moved. They had to learn to follow, to dwell, and to abide with Him. God’s glory had the appearance of a mighty consuming fire. It was a glorious storm, so terrifying and holy that the people would even die if they tried to come near unconsecrated (Exodus 19:21-25). However, Moses drew near to the presence of God and remained for 40 days until his face shown with God’s glory.
God’s presence is holy and there was always a particular way the people of God could come near. The priests only entered the Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant dwelt, at certain times, in certain ways. God’s presence is so holy that someone once died for touching the Ark of the Covenant outside of God’s instructions (2 Samuel 6:8-10). Do you know that you are now that temple? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”
We are carriers of God’s glory, by His mercy and grace, and it’s a gift we can never take for granted. Jesus has done for us what we could never have done ourselves. Sin would have separated us, but in Jesus, we have undeserved access to the King. He’s just as holy as He was when His glory blazed on Mt. Sinai. He is just as holy as He was when someone died touching the Ark of the Covenant incorrectly. The angels still cry holy, holy, holy day and night in the throne room of heaven. We cannot lose our reverence, but that awe should drive us closer to Him! Hebrews 10:19-23 says,
“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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
I encourage you to read that again. We have access to the place only the high priest could go. When Jesus said, “it is finished,” the curtain in the temple that kept common people from the holiest place was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-52). Our Father did not withhold the One most precious to Him, so that we could come near. You don’t have to ask God not to leave you, my friends. He promised He wouldn’t. You don’t have to ask God to abide with you. He wants to be with you. When you repent and accept the sacrifice of Jesus, you can receive the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and He will abide with you forever. You are never alone. He’s the Father that runs to His children, the moment they come home! The father in the story of the prodigal son threw a party for his lost son, and then left that party to pursue his bitter older son. (Luke 15:11-21) That story is often called The Prodigal Son, but I believe it’s actual much more about the father than it is about either son.
We can come as near to Him as we want to come. As a child of God, you have access to His presence. You are invited to abide. You can dwell with Jesus in the place where angels cry holy. We are seated with Jesus. Especially, as Easter draws near, I encourage you to pray prayers that reflect that truth! Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 1:8). How close to Him do you want to abide? Do you want to be outside looking in, or do you want to run to your Father? He’s waiting with arms wide open.
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