Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Hungering for His Presence

Theme: Praying for the Sunday Morning Service

Series: Girding up the Church

I love the heart of the psalmist who wrote “I rejoice with those who said unto me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”

(Psalm 122:1) This is the heart expression of Christians who share the Apostle Paul’s revelations of Christ and His work in the children of God.

We read about his heart and of his prayer in Ephesians 3:14-20, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:14-20) Pray!

I would propose to you that the Sunday morning service is meant to be a time when the children of God can see the Lord do a powerful work among His people.

It should be the desire of all who attend the Sunday morning worship service to see God do a great work among those who live in Norton County Kansas because Jesus Christ was obedient unto death and gave His life for the lost in our area as well as sinners all over the world.

I am fully convinced just as the Lord God looked upon the Israelites in Egypt and saw their misery because of their slave drivers, (Exodus 3:7) He can look down from heaven and see those who are in this world now and their misery as they are in slavery to the bondage of the flesh, the world, and the lies of the devil.

Just as God sent Moses to do a great work in Egypt, in His mercy He can do a work in Norton to cause sinners to cry out to God, that He might send the Great Deliverer, the Holy Spirit of Christ to set them free from the bondage of sin.

It is my constant prayer that God would do a work in Norton and make CrossRoads Church a literal spiritual hospital.

That is, a place where God is doing the powerful work of spiritual heart surgery, taking away hearts of stone and putting in hearts of flesh, where He is putting His Spirit in them moving born again Christians to keep His decrees and follow His laws.

(Ezekiel 36:26,27) I pray we are church where believers in Christ are crying out “Jesus teach me to pray” and exercising Spiritual gifts out of sacrificial love.

Just how can this come about?

Just how can we be like the Apostle Paul who was in constant prayer for the Church of Christ?

We read one of his intercessory prayers for the Body of Christ in Colossians 1:9-12, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

(Colossians 1:9-12)

“The Lord among us”

The Sunday morning service that is going to touch lives and cause people to say, “The Lord was among us” has Christians who are hungry for the presence of God.

There is a phrase in the Old Testament that shares God’s heart.

We read that phrase in several passages, one of them being Exodus 25:8, "Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.”

(Exodus 25:8) At least two other times the Lord God expresses His desire to dwell among His people.

(Exodus 29:46; Numbers 5:3)

The term “I will dwell among them” gives a truth that God longs to be so present with His children to receive petitions and give them His response.

He longs to anoint all that is being done to enable worshipers to be aware of His presence.

All through Biblical history the Lord God has granted different dispensations so mankind can prove their love for Him as they congregate to seek His presence and enjoy His work alongside others who love Him and are hungry to witness Him manifesting Himself in very revealing ways.

There is a truth of Scripture presented in what theologians call “The Shekinah Glory of God.”

This doctrine found throughout the Word of God is like the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit being the key source for attaining the perfect will of God, yet the word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture.

The word “Shekinah” (skina) although not occurring in the Bible is a transliteration of a Hebrew (skn) active verb meaning “The One who dwells” or “that which dwells.”

In noun form (miskan) it means dwelling place.

In rabbinic literature this word signifies God’s presence.

(The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

In Exodus 40:34 we read that, “…the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

“Glory” (kabod) is a masculine singular noun meaning surrounded with which [God] appears.

(Genenius Hebrew-Chaldee) Throughout the Old Testament the glory of God is the transcendent God making His presence and nearness visible to His people.

The Aramaic Targum translates “Yahweh” (Lord) or “God” as Shekinah (skina) giving us this translation of our key text for this division of today’s message, “And they shall make before Me a sanctuary and I shall cause My Shekinah to dwell among them.”

The term “The Shekinah Glory of God” is described in other phrases such as “Presence of God” or “The Glory of God” or “Glory of the Lord or “The Dwelling Place.”

In the Old Testament we read of spiritual leaders who did as commanded of the Lord.

Then God made His presence known to everyone there.

In Exodus 40:1-38 we read that so familiar truth that is throughout the Word of God, “as the Lord commanded.”

After the obedience of Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons, “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

(Exodus 40:10) The symbol of the Lord’s presence was a cloud.

This cloud contained fire at night.

The Bible says this was “in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.”

(Exodus 40:38)

In 1 Kings chapters 7 and 8 we read of Solomon and the priest making all the proper preparation.

After the ark of the Lord’s covenant was put in the “Most Holy Place” the “priest withdrew,” the “glory of the Lord filled His temple.”

(1 Kings 8:11) The Bible says “the whole assembly of Israel was standing there…” (1 Kings 8:14) The response to God’s presence was a message delivered by King Solomon.

A prayer of dedication and a full consecration of the temple was made.

(1 Kings 8:15-66) One of the key purposes of worship in spirit and truth is that God will do a work in us.

In the closing of Solomon’s message just before the Dedication of the Temple we read what our hearts should be like and to whom we are to look to accomplish a great work in us. 1 Kings 8:57-61 says, “May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us.

May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations He gave our fathers.

And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.

But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands..." (1 Kings 8:57-61)

After King Solomon had finished dedicating the Temple of the Lord, he had his own special “Shekinah” or presence of the Lord to enjoy.

In this second appearance the Lord told Solomon, "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever.

My eyes and my heart will always be there.

(1 Kings 9:3) “Consecrated” (qudas) is an active verb giving us the application that God by the anointing of His Holy Spirit sets things and people apart for Himself and for His purposes.

In this second visit, God is giving His response to the prayer of dedication of Solomon for the temple.

God gives Solomon a powerful truth, Solomon and his sons may enjoy or lose God’s anointing, which is determined by their willingness to observe the decrees and commandments of the Lord.

(1 Kings 9:4-9)

The radiance of the Shekinah is most revealed were there is and hunger for the Word of God and a desire to do the will of the Lord.

T.B. Berakoth writes, “The Shekinah resists the proud, rebellious, sinful and the lazy.”

It took hard work and planning for Moses, Solomon, the Priests, Aaron and his sons to make the proper preparation so they could enjoy the presence of the Lord in their corporate services.

Although worship is set in a different (is this the right word? dispensation) today, it is those who allow the Holy Spirit of Christ to destroy rebellion, cleanse out sin and overcome laziness who will enjoy the presence of God in their corporate worship services.

It must be understood that the temple, like our places of corporate worship, are only symbols of God’s presence, only He can make His presence known “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.”

(1 Kings 8:60)

Submitted to the Word of God

Church services that have the presence of God among them in a way that has life changing experiences has Christians who work hard in preparation and have submitted to the Word of God.

This Body of Christ also knows in whom God has made His presence known today.

John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.”

John 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The word “dwelling” (skenoo) means to dwell as in tents so as to be transient.

Another form of this word “dwelling” (skenoma) gives the application of literally an encampment, the temple as God’s residence, the body as the dwelling place of the soul…”

The blessing we have in Jesus Christ being God in the flesh is God making His presence known among mankind.

The Holy Spirit gave Paul this revelation and it is passed on to us, “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,” (Colossians 1:19) He also writes, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…” (Colossians 2:9) The word “Deity” (theotetos) is a strong word used only here in the New Testament calling Christ the essence of God.

Paul affirms that Christ is fully God and truly man.

Under the law, the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim, in a cloud which covered the mercy-seat; but now God’s presence dwells in the person of Christ, who is made up of flesh and bone so that He may declare the fullness of God.

Christians are not to look to anyone or anything else to enjoy God’s presence in their lives and in their corporate worship services.

They need to only seek Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, and strength and they will enjoy the presence of God.

Mark Lowry was given a wonderful truth worth grasping concerning the presence of God being among us in Christ.

This revelation is powerfully presented in the song, “Mary Did You Know.”

In that wonderful song we read this stanza, “Mary did you know when you kissed your baby, you kissed the face of God.”

Enjoy God’s presence by true worship

Christians are to seek God’s presence through Jesus Christ only and not demand a certain performance from Him.

They are to enjoy God’s presence by true worship.

John 4:23-24 says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

(John 4:23)

This powerful teaching of Christ came about as He spoke with a Samaritan woman who was concerned about where she was to worship the One True God.

Jesus had informed her of the type of worshipers God was looking for.

Therefore, as we desire to be aware of God’s presence in our Sunday morning worship service, our focus must be on Jesus Christ and not on the style of worship or the beauty of the facilities in which we have the opportunity to congregate.

Just as Jesus was articulating to the Samaritan woman that her worship must not focus on external rituals alone, but must be connected with God’s Spirit, so Christians must be connected by seeking worship in spirit and truth.