01/25/2015

Text: Is. 7:14

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

• The name Immanuel means God with us.  Therefore it is synonymous with “Divine Presence”
• Divine means God
• Presence means with us
• This teaching will answer the following questions
• • What is divine presence?
  • Why divine presence?
  • How to attain divine presence
  • How to lose divine presence
  • How to keep divine presence
  • How to intensify divine presence

• We need Divine presence because we are nothing without Him.  So, if you want to be successful in life, you need divine presence.
• It doesn’t matter what you want to become, with God on your side, you will achieve it in Jesus name.
• So, why divine presence?

1. Because He is God
2. Because He will help you
3. Because He will protect you
   • ============= End of Part 1 =======================
4. Because He will fight on your behalf
5. Because He will counsel you
6. Because He will guide you
7. Because He will deliver you
8. Because He will heal you
9. Because He will favor you
10. Because He will provide your needs
11. Because He will prosper your ways
12. Because He removes fear from you
13. Because He will give you victory
    ============= End of Part 2 =======================

1. Repentance

• Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

2. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior – without Jesus you cannot be in the presence of God

• Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

3. Walk in His ways and in obedience to His Word – holiness is a requirement

• Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

4. Be baptized in the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit is our helper.  He will help you, if you permit Him, to be holy

• Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
• If you are yet to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, you can receive Him today and be baptized.

5. Be determined to be close to Jesus at all cost – determination is your drive.

– Without it, one would remain without the presence of God

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

• The Outer Court
• • Where everybody comes to worship
  • There is an altar there for making sacrifices
  • This is symbolic of the flesh
  • This is symbolic of the asking realm of prayer
• The Holy Place
• • This is where the golden lampstand is
  • The incense altar is also in the Holy place
  • The priest comes into the Holy place to burn incense and light the candlestick
  • The priest can come to the Holy place on a daily basis
  • However, they are not to offer strange incense on the altar (Ex. 30:9)
  • Nadab and Abihu (priests and sons of Levi) offered strange incense before the Lord, fire from the Lord devoured them and they died. (Lev. 10:1-2)
  • The Holy place is symbolic of the seeking realm of prayer
• The Holy of Holies
• • There is a veil that divides the Holy place from the Holy of Holies (Ex. 26:33)
  • The Ark of the Covenant is in the Holy of Holies
  • The presence of God dwells in the Holy of Holies
  • The priest is allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year
  • Before he can enter, he must be clean (offered sin offering, trespass offering, washed himself, his clothes) before entering.
  • This is symbolic of the knocking realm of prayer
  • When Jesus died on the cross, the vail that separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies was rent into two
  • • Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
  • Access to the Holy of Holies (presence of God) is now through Jesus Christ
  • However, the requirement to be clean is still there
  • Holiness is still required to enter the presence of God
  • • Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
    • Luk 1:74  That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, Luk 1:75  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Let’s use Samson as an example of how to lose the divine presence

Samson was a Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-8) –

Num 6:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

Num 6:3  He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

Num 6:5  All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

Num 6:6  All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.

Num 6:7  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.

Num 6:8  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD. 

• A Nazirite
• • He shall separate himself unto the Lord
  • He shall not drink any strong drink
  • No razor shall come upon his head
  • He shall not come near any dead body
  • He shall be holy unto the LORD
• Samson
• • He was born as a Nazirite (Jdg 13:5  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.)
  • In Judges 14 –
  • • Samson wanted a Philistine woman – which he was forbidden to have
    • Samson killed a lion.  Later on, he was passing by the dead body of the lion, and saw a swarm of bees and honey in the dead body.  He took of the honey and ate it.
    • He defiled himself by touching the dead body of an animal
  • In Judges 16 –
  • • He slept with a prostitute
    • He defiled himself again
    • He now met Delilah (another Philistine woman) – who was recruited by his enemy
    • Delilah pestered him until Samson told her that the secret to his strength was in his hair
    • Delilah gave him a hair cut he will never forget
  • After all this, the presence of God left Samson
• So, Samson lost the presence of God by disobedience and sin
• We too can lose the presence of God by disobedience and sin

• Obedience – which is holiness
• • One must obey the Word of God and His instructions
  • He commanded us to study His Word – Josh 1:8
  • He commanded us to pray at all times
  • He commanded us to love our neighbors
• Staying away from sin – righteousness
• • One must stay away from sin
  • Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

• Often times, Jesus will withdraw Himself from the people, go to a quiet place to pray
• We too must withdraw ourselves from our noisy environment, find a quiet place to pray regularly
• In the place of prayer, the presence of God will meet with you
• • Carve out 2-3 hours of your sleeping time between midnight and 5am – when everybody else is sleeping
  • Worship God for a good 30-45 mins
  • Pray in the Spirit for at least 1 hour
  • Then quiet down your spirit
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to touch you
  • Then wait, no movement, no other thoughts
  • The presence of God will touch you.
• Do this regularly and the presence of God will remain with you.  You will know it.
• Study the Word
• Fasting

Divine presence of the Most High God has many benefits, among which we have discussed a few.

• What is divine presence?
• Why divine presence?
• How to attain divine presence
• How to lose divine presence
• How to keep divine presence
• How to intensify divine presence