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Divine Presence

Posted on 11 Jan 2015, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Divine Presence

01/11/2015

Text: Is. 7:14

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Introduction

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 increase divine presence

Main Topic

1. What is Divine presence?

We already established that Divine Presence is Immanuel – God with us
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
That Scripture is basically saying, without Divine presence, you can do nothing.
However, with Divine presence, you can do all things – that is why Phil. 4:13 says – Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Everybody wants the presence of God, but not everybody is willing to pay the price – there is a price to pay. We will talk about the price later.
The presence of God can be upon an individual or upon a group. For example, His presence was with the children of Israel as they left Egypt. His presence is with us here because He said, Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
- In other words, if the presence of God with you, nothing can be against you – whatever comes against you will have to deal with God first.
- It’s like how a hen protects the chicks in danger.
- Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
- Jesus was able to do all that He did because of Divine presence.
- One might say, but Jesus is God – that is true, but He was in the flesh. Therefore He was tempted just like we are tempted in the flesh.
In short, divine presence is God being with you. Without Him you can do absolutely nothing. With Him you can do absolutely everything.

2. Why 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?

Because He is God
- He is the Almighty
- All power, in heaven and on earth, belongs to Him – Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
- There is nothing impossible to God – Luk 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
- For example
- - In Exodus 14 – When He wanted to divide the sea so His children can walk on dry land, He caused an east wind to blow upon the sea and waters parted for them
  - In John 9 – When He wanted to open the eyes of the blind man – He put mud in the man’s eyes and told him to go and wash the mud – the man came back with two brand new eyes
  - In Genesis 21 – He changed the womb of a 90 year old woman to be like that of a 20 year old – for her to be able to carry the promise child and deliver safely
  - In Exodus 16 – when He wanted to feed His children in the wilderness – He caused manna to fall from the sky
  - In 1 Kings 17 – when He wanted to feed His prophet – He commanded the ravens to bring him breakfast and dinner.
- I want a God who can do all this to be with me at all times
- Prayer – Father, because you are my God, let Your presence be with me at all times in Jesus name.
Because He will help you
- Psa 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. Psa 121:2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
- Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
- The Lord sent help to Naaman in the person of the slave girl
- - 2Ki 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2Ki 5:2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 2Ki 5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
  - When Naaman refused to do Elisha’s instruction, the Lord sent help again
  - 2Ki 5:13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 2Ki 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
- The Lord sent help to David and his men when their wives and children were taken captive by the Amalekites
- - 1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 1Sa 30:5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 1Sa 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
  - When they started to pursue, they had no idea where the Amalekites went. But the Lord has prepared help.
  - 1Sa 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 1Sa 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 1Sa 30:13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 1Sa 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 1Sa 30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
  - The Bible recorded that David and his men recovered everything that the Amalekites took from them.
- Psa 30:10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
- There is no area of our lives that we do not need help. Education, Career, Family, Finance, etc.
- Prayer – Father, because you are my Helper, send help to me in Jesus name.
Because He will protect you
- The word used for protect often times, is “shield”. So, the Lord will shield you.
- Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
  Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
  
  Psa 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
  
  Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
- Psa 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
- Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
- In the book of Esther, when Haman plotted to kill all the Jews, the Lord protected (shielded) the Jews by making a Jew the queen of the land.
- Est 3:6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
- The Lord God, who knows all the thoughts of the heart of men even before they think the thought, had already gone ahead of the Jews to shield them.
- - Queen Vashti’s disrespect for the king causing her position to be vacant was part of God’s plan
  - Mordecai’s deed of exposing those that wanted to kill the king was part of God’s plan as well
  - Esther became queen when Vashti’s position was vacant.
  - As a result of Esther being queen, the Jews were delivered from being exterminated.
  - As a result of Mordecai’s deed, a Jew became the second in command to the king.
- Prayer – Father, because You are my Shield, protect me from all attacks of the enemy.To be continued….