Christmas Message: "The Best Presence"

By Pastor Denis Beausejour

Texts – Psalm 16:11 & others

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Introduction

Joy in God's Presence: David the Worshiper
Psalm 16, 21, 23, 51 and many others

Understanding God's Omnipresence
Jeremiah 23:24, 1 Kings 8:27, Psalm 139

The Purposes of God's Presence
Amos 9:1-4, Colossians 1:17, John 1:32, Acts 2:2-4

The "Dark Night of the Soul": Where Are You God?
Psalm 42-43

Seeking the Presence of God as a Way of Life
Romans 8:16, Acts 7:51, Ephesians 4:30, 5:18
1 Thessalonians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Conclusion and Prayer

Resources:

1. "Practicing the Presence of God", by Brother Lawrence (1691),Whitaker House, 1982

2. Devotional Classics, edited by Foster and Smith, Harper, 1990

3. Try this approach to prayer that may help you in hearing His voice (a subset of experiencing his presence):

James 4:7-8: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.

A. Submit to God: "Lord I surrender myself, my will, and my thoughts to you now. Not my will, but your will be done. Lord, please quiet my thoughts now.”

1. Forgive anyone God brings to mind. Mk. 11:25: When you stand praying,
if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him . . .

2. Confess any sin God brings to mind. Ps. 66:18: If I had cherished sin in
my heart the Lord would not have listened.

3. Ask to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18)

B. Resist the devil: "I command Satan to leave my presence in the name of
Jesus". Matthew 16:23: Get behind me, Satan!

C. Draw near to God, and ask Him to draw near to you: "Come Holy Spirit"
2 Cor. 3:17: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.
Ps. 141:1: O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me".
Ps. 139:7: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

D. Quietly listen: Dial down, “unplug and empty” yourself of your busy thoughts so that you receive the Lord’s thoughts, “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Wait in silence for a few minutes, and believe that God will speak to you.

James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all. . . . But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.

1. Wait for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit (I Kings 19:12-13), a
thought that gently surfaces, a Scripture passage, a picture that flashes
in your mind, or an impression (a vaguely perceived thought or picture).

2. Remember that you will often feel uncertain whether a thought is from
you or the Lord until it can be confirmed. Jer. 32:8b: Then I knew that it was the word of the Lord. . . . Which suggests that before this point
Jeremiah did not know for sure if what he had was the word of the Lord.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get anything. Sometimes we need a
few tries to learn to dial down and quiet ourselves enough to be sensitive
to the Holy Spirit (Job 33:14 For God does speak — now one way, now
another — though man may not perceive it.)

E. Discern and weigh what you got in waiting and prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – 22: Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat
prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid
every kind of evil. NIV

1. Does it honor Jesus? (1 Corinthians 12:3)
2. Would Jesus do or say that? (1 Corinthians 11:1)
3. Is it in harmony with Scripture? (Isaiah 8:20)
4. Does it build you and your prayer partners up in your faith? (1 Cor 14:3)
5. Consider keeping a log book to remember what he says and does!
(Psalms 105:5, Philippians1:3)

F. Do it! Obey fully, and immediately! – observe, learn, and repeat the cycle!