Vacation
From God?
Man's
concept of deity was typically limited to the concept of local
gods. Each nation was
thought to have their own
god. Consequently, the God of Israel was understood by the
surrounding nations as "just another god" among many gods.
But the God of heaven is
not confined
to earthly places.
Examples
- Judg.
16:23
Dagon
- the god of Philistia
2
Kgs. 1:3 Baalzebub
- the god of Ekron
Abraham
acknowledged God wherever he travelled:
Gen.
12:1-8 Abraham leaves home & erects
alters in Canaan & at
Bethel. He
erected many
alters to God.
Gen.
28:10-17 His grandson, Jacob, en route to
Haran had a vision of a
ladder
going up to heaven - He hadn't
known God was
there.
God
is ever-present
Psm.
139:1-12 God sees in all places - There is
no escaping His presence.
We
can't take a vacation from God. Yet we need to have a time to rest:
Mk.
6:30-44 Jesus & His disciples went to a
desert place to rest - but
the crowds
found them & Jesus fed 5,000
What
if God took a vacation from us - and did not provide for us?
When
we go on vacation - take Him with you - because you are His temple:
Do
we act
- dress
differently
when we are away where no one knows us?
Remember
your influence goes with you where ever you go.
1
Cor. 6:15-ff Our body belongs to God.
Temple
- [naos]
= "A shrine or sanctuary"
Wherever
we go - remember that God dwells within us:
Jn.
14:23-24 "Jesus
answered and said to him
(Judas
- not Iscariot
), 'If anyone loves
Me, he will keep My word, and My
Father will love him, and We will come
to him and make Our
home with him.
(24) He who does not love Me does
not keep
My words, and the word
which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent Me.' "
God
led Israel out of Egypt - His presence seen in the pillars of fire &
cloud:
Ex.
13:21-22 "And
the Lord went before them by
day in a pillar of cloud to lead the
way, and by night in a pillar of fire to
give them light,
so as to go by day
and night. (22) He did not take away
the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar
of fire by night
from before the
people."
Moses
pleaded with God not to depart - but to lead
them to Canaan:
Ex.
33:7-16 If God would not lead them, they
would not go.
Our attitude?
We
need to have this same mind - that we dare not go without Him near.
God
is always not far from each one of us:
Acts
17:24-27 Paul at Athens taught that God is
not confined but yet is
near
Joshua
was given assurance that God would not leave him:
Deut.
31:1-8 "I will never leave you nor forsake
you..."
When
we go on vacation, will we leave Him behind?
Will
we plan ahead to meet with brethren to worship Him?
Mt.
18:19-20 (Jesus)
"Again I say to you that if two
of you agree on earth
concerning
anything that they ask, it will be done
for them
by My Father in heaven. (20)
For where two or three are
gathered
together in
My name,
I
am there in the
midst
of them."
Midst
- [mesos
] = "In the middle." Is
Christ in the center
of our life?
There
is no vacation from God.
INVITATION
Eph.
1:3 Every spiritual blessing is available to
us in
heavenly places in Christ
Eph.
2:7 We can sit together with Him in
heavenly places
How
do we enter into Christ in order to sit in heavenly places?
Gal.
3:26-28 Baptism puts us into
Christ.
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