Our Place of Strength
Enjoying God's Presence • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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We begin today a journey of breaking down the idea that you have a church life (sacred) and a personal life (secular) – and that you move between these lives in your daily walk.
On a Sunday in church you are very much aware of God’s Presence, promises and power.
But during the week, God feels distant because without the “facilities” of church you may struggle in your awareness of God.
This is NOT what abiding in Jesus looks life.
Make no mistake: Attending weekly public services is vital and necessary, Jesus Himself was in the practice of weekly public attendance.
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
BUT in addition to that he went apart repeatedly to talk with and receive help from the Father.
It is interesting to note the circumstances that provided the occasion for our Lord’s going apart for a private worship experience.
God’s Presence Equips us for His Purpose.
God’s Presence Equips us for His Purpose.
Jesus was strongly led by the Spirit to go away into a desert place at the beginning of his earthly ministry.
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
Notice the use of the word “fast”.
Fasting is not starving.
Fasting is a spiritual disciple, a time spent in God’s Presence.
And look at the effects: Jesus has victory after victory after victory over every Satanic attack.
God’s presence is the only place that prepares us for victory over evil.
God’s Presence gives us strength for the Daily struggles of life.
God’s Presence gives us strength for the Daily struggles of life.
Jesus retreated to a place of prayer when the responsibilities of life weighed heavily upon him
35 And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and prayed there for a time.
Jesus found it necessary to go apart to be with God that he might receive strength and guidance and help as he faced both the opportunities and the duties that each day held.
If Jesus needed a prayer retreat in the face of his responsibilities, it follows that we also need to go apart for communion with God.
God’s Presence Gives us guidance when choices need to be made.
God’s Presence Gives us guidance when choices need to be made.
When great choices needed to be made, our Lord made them after serious reflection and communion with the Father God
12 Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God.
13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
We would cry half as many tears as we did if we would only seek God before we made many of our decisions.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
Our lives would be more harmonious with the will of God and we would experience far greater joy in living if we made our life decisions in prayer.
God’s Presence is a retreat when we are weary.
God’s Presence is a retreat when we are weary.
Our Lord experienced a retreat when he was weary and needed rest
30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.
31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)
This is a familier feeling.
Exhustion.
Not sleepyness, not end of a long run tiredness. Exhustion.
Exhust comes from the latin meaning to “empty out”.
Some days we are emptied out.
God’s Presence revives us, comforts us, lifts us, tends to us.
God’s Presence is our place of Strength.
God’s Presence is our place of Strength.
Jesus went apart into a private place for prayer when he desperately needed strength for the impossible task he faced
32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.”
33 And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.
34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”
35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.
36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
God’s Presence is not only a place where we can recieve strength but also the place we can lift up others for strength.
A Christian who knees before God will stand in victory before every enemy.
Conclusion
Conclusion
If we are too busy to draw into a private place to commune with God and let him speak to our minds and hearts, we are entirely too busy.
We all need to arrange our schedules to let God have the place that belongs to him in our lives.
We should spend a time of solitude with God each day, praying and reading his Word.
We all can find time and space for private worship if we set our hearts on it.
Not to do so is to impoverish ourselves, to miss the blessings of God the Father.
communion is gods sacrifice for us to be in his presence.
what are you sacrificing to be in his.