February 5: Various Scriptures

God Desires Fellowship with Us

What an amazing revelation! God desires a relationship and fellowship with the humans He created. These are the same humans who rebelled against Him, rejected His authority, and chose to follow the dictates of their fallen hearts. He desired fellowship with us so much that He paid an unbelievable cost to provide a way for us to have fellowship with Him. “…He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:9, ESV, emphasis mine

“that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

1 John 1:3, ESV, emphasis mine

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20, ESV

God’s Dwelling with Us through the Scriptures

• In the Garden of Eden God walked with the humans in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8).
• God met with Abraham at the trees of Mamre.
• The patriarchs built altars to meet with God and worship Him (Genesis 8:20; 12:7-8; 13:4, 18; 22:9; 26:25; 33:20; 35:1, 5, 7).
• Moses met with God at Mt. Sinai, and this is where the children of Israel gathered after the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 3:1, 12; 4:27; 18:5; 19:3, 17; 24:13; 34:29).
• Moses met with God in the tent of meeting before the Tabernacle was built (Exodus 33:7).
• The Tabernacle in the wilderness was placed in the center of the encampment and God’s presence, represented by the cloud and pillar of fire above it, resided with His people.

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.”

Exodus 40:34-38, ESV

• Later, the Temple replaced the Tabernacle as the residence of God’s presence among His people.

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.”

2 Chronicles 7:1-2, ESV

• When Jesus came into the world, we find that “the Word became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, KJV).
• After the sending of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, God has made us His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20).

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17, KJV

• Peter expresses this reality in his first epistle:

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:5, KJV

• Ultimately, God’s presence will be an eternal reality for believers.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

Revelation 21:3, KJV

APPLICATION

We have traced the theme of God’s desire to meet with His people through the Scriptures. God does not want us to spend eternity without Him, cast away from His presence forever. Revival begins with the recognition that we are not as close to the Lord as we once were or desire to be. When we experience a renewed sense of God’s presence in our lives, we begin to enjoy again “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

Acts 3:19-21, ESV

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:3-4, ESV

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9, ESV

God has made it possible for all men to be saved. The only thing holding them back is themselves and their refusal to believe and receive His love, grace, and forgiveness. Pray for those who are in darkness and do not have a knowledge of the truth. Pray that they may open their eyes to the truth. Pray that we will be faithful to share the truth.