People of Presence

People of Presence (2024) (Exodus 33 and 1 Kings 8)

• The people of God entertaining the presence of God verses the church entertaining the people.
• This is biblical church: The people of God entertaining the presence of God verses the church entertaining the people.
• Exodus 33:15 Moses understood how important it was to have the Presence of God be their identity.
• Moses understands that the distinguishing mark must be the presence of the Lord.
  • Not just the miracles, Because the Egyptian magicians could do “miracles,”
• His presence is what is attractional, not our attempts at entertainment.

1 kings 8-1:11

Verses 10-11 This is our goal; This is what the church is supposed to look like. This level of God’s presence.

• And now that the veil in the Temple has been torn and the HS sent, this is even more available to us.
• This is a prophetic vision of what the NT era is supposed to look like.

First, let’s ask why is this important?

• There was the answer for them in their day.
  • So, the other nations would know that God was with Iseral.
• And there is the answer for us in our day.
  • The church today has lost her identity.
• If our focus in on hosting His Presence, then other choices hold no lure.
• We must realign church to be about His Presence.

So now let’s ask the question why did the presence come here in 1 Kings like it did?

• I see two very important factors here as to why the Presence came.

1. Preparation, God was responding to their preparation, praise, worship, and honor.
   • A quick survey of the chapters leading up to this scene shows us their preparation.
   • Solomon did the right thing by building the Temple first before his palace
   • Look at all the preparation that goes into this scene and the scene before this passage.
     • They built the temple, going all out. Nothing spared.
       • So much care was taken that there wasn’t even the sound of a hammer or chisel at the Temple location.
     • It wasn’t Solomon’s adornment of the temple that invited God’s presence, it was the posture of his heart that led him to adorn the temple and sacrifice wildly that invited the presence.
     • All this preparation stands in contrast to cheap easy church. Just show up and watch.

2. The second thing I see here that lead to this level of Presence is Thanksgiving
   1. Look at 1 Kings 8:5 It says they sacrificed so many sheep and cattle that they could not be counted.
   2. He came in response to their preparation, honor, thanksgiving and sacrifice.
   3. Again, in contrast to cheap easy church. Just show up and hope for the best.