Measures of His Presence – July 13, 2019
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, Texas
A lot of people are very uncomfortable about talking about God showing up, His Spirit falling upon us, or the Holy Spirit moving in a meeting, etc. Often, as we get ready to minister to people, we will invite the Holy Spirit to come. The question is, “Why invite God to come when He is already here?” It’s a good question. It makes no sense whatsoever to pray that way unless we understand there are different measures and dimensions of God’s Presence.
Omnipresence | Manifest presence
When He is here, there is always more to come. It’s important to hunger for and invite that increase. Isaiah had a perception of this reality, saying,
Isaiah 6:1-4 – In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
The word “filling” implies that His robe filled the temple, but then continued to fill it. He came, but He kept coming. There is always more!
This is at least a partial list of these measures of His Presence; each one is an increase of the previous:
God first inhabits everything and holds all things together.
- Colossians 1:17 – And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
- He is everywhere, the glue that holds His creation in place.
- Reading about it upgrades to Revelation
- Revelation upgrades to Experience (Encounter)
- Experience upgrades to Demonstration
- Demonstration upgrades to Impartation (Activating)
- Impartation upgrades to Equipping
A second measure of God’s Presence is His indwelling Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have been born again.
He specifically comes to make us His tabernacle.
Just like the earth, the Spirit of the Lord being in the life of every believer does not mean He is manifest in ever believer.
A third measure is seen when believers gather in His name. As He promised, He is “there in their midst.”
- This is where the principle of exponential increase comes into play.
- Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Exponential Synergy
1 Corinthians 13:9 – For we know in part and we prophesy in part…
A fourth measure, or dimension, occurs when God’s people praise Him. He says He “inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalms 22:3).
- He is already in our midst but has chosen to manifest Himself upon us more powerfully in that atmosphere.
A fifth measure is seen when the Temple of Solomon was dedicated. God came so profoundly that priests were incapacitated. 1 Kings 8:10-11)
- 1 Kings 8:10-11 – And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
- No one could even stand, let alone play instruments or sing. They were completely undone at that measure of Presence.
- I mention these five levels, only as principles, in an effort to give a snapshot of how He longs to increase His manifestation upon His people. The day of Pentecost and the gift of the baptism in the Holy Spirit may, in fact, illustrate all of these principles combined as an entire city came under the influence of God’s manifest Presence.
- These various measures of Presence are recorded both in history and in Scripture. Reformation and revival history shows us what’s available. The responsibility for the measure of God’s Presence that we carry lies with us. We always have what we earnestly want.
- We are called into fellowship with God. In this process, He has made it possible for us not only to come to know Him, but also to have Him live inside us and even rest upon us. Everything we could ever want out of life flows from that one privilege. King David understood this concept better than most New Testament believers. He referred to it as the one thing
Psalms 27:4 – One thing I have desired of the Lord,That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
- All of life gets reduced to one thing—how we steward the Presence of God.
- How we make a big deal out of the Presence of the Lord in our life.
- Stewarding the Presence of God, hosting the Presence, is the only way these impossible dreams can be accomplished.
- We cant be too impressed with inferior things.
- We must be impressed with the presence of the Lord.
- God wants us to leave a legacy and a big part of your legacy has to do with what people know you have done/
- MY HISTORY IS HIS STORY
- Doing exploits and the power of testimony
- We must have amazing stories that are passed down for the next generation.
- YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE FAMOUS FOR WHAT YOU DID NOT BELIEVE.
- YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FAMOUS WHAT YOU DID NOT DO.
James 2:18-24 – But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
- pray unceasingly
- give sacrificially
- dream outrageously
- serve whole heartedly
- walk innocently
- believe undoubtingly
- live powerfully
- Laugh loudly
- Confront the impossible
- chart out the uncharted
- make hell back down and run off like the cowardly defeated bunch it is
- astonish somebody, bless somebody impress somebody live like Jesus Christ is actually resurrected from the dead and like that Power is living in you and do not apologize for it.
Hebrews 11:8-11 – By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227.
Hebrews 12:1-2 – Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
One of the mammoth obstacles to Jesus accomplishing His mission was the cross and the shame. He didn’t make as big of a deal out of the shame as He made a big deal out do the glory.
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.