The Presence Of God

I. Introduction
 The Presence of God is the most important thing in the life of man.
 God intended man to have it always. In the Garden of Eden, God came to visit man every day in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8)
 The Presence of God was lost when man sinned and was chased out of the Garden
 God has been trying to restore His Presence in the life of man ever since
II. The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25)
 It was a sacred chest
 God instructed Moses to built it to house the two tablets containing the ten commandments
 It represented the Presence of God
III. In the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:22)
 During their time in the desert, the Ark was placed in the Tabernacle and carried from one location to another by Priests
 The Tabernacle was a portable/temporary place of worship
 It means ―Tent of Meeting‖
 It was the dwelling place of God while the Israelites were in the wilderness
IV. In the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)
 In the Temple, the Holy of Holies was prepared to receive and house the Ark (1 Kings 6:19); when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark, containing the original tablets of the Ten Commandments, was placed therein (1 Kings 8:6-9). When the priests emerged from the holy place after putting the Ark there, the Temple was filled with a cloud, “for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron. 5:13, 14)
 Only the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year (Hebrews 9:7)
 The Temple was God’s dwelling place when the Israelites got into Canaan (the Promised Land)
V. Jesus’ Ministry
 Jesus embodied the Presence of God
 He was God (John 1) and brought God’s Presence to man.
 His name is Emmanuel – God with us (Matthew 1:23) VI. Today (In our Lives)
 Jesus taught that if anyone obeyed his word, the Father would send him a Helper who will be IN him
15 ―If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17).
 When Jesus died, the curtain of the Temple was torn into two, giving everyone access to the Presence of God
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ―Surely this man was the Son of God!‖ (Mark 15:38)
 We are the Temples of the Holy Spirit, and He dwells in us
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
VII. Conclusion – Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
 God wants to come into our hearts.
 He wants us to have His Presence.