HEAVEN TO EARTH CONNECTION-4

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

We are moving through 5 movements that demonstrate what God sees as most important for us in relation to Him. First--GOD WANTS TO WALK WITH MAN. Second--GOD WANTS TO DWELL AMONG US.

And now today, we come to the third movement. Third--GOD HAS DEMONSTRATED HIS PHYSICAL, VISIBLE PRESENCE TO RELATE TO US.

There is an interesting phenomena throughout the Bible. It's what many call the "shekinah" glory--the visible presence of God on the earth. This visible manifestation of God is the very presence of God. It's the majestic presence of God in which He dwells among man. The forms of this visible dwelling place--the shekinah--are many. It could be a brightness, brilliance or splendor. In the Old Testament the Shekinah took the form of light, fire, a cloud, a thick darkness or combination of these in some way. In the New Testament there are new forms altogether!

Let's look at a few of these occurrences. 1. In the Garden--It says there that God caused to dwell the flame.

2. Abrahamic Covenant--God made a "blood covenant" with Abraham. The blood covenant required that the animals being sacrificed be cut in half. Then the two parties making the agreement with one another lock arms and walk together between the animal sacrifices. This covenant means that each covenant participant pledges that he will keep this covenant until one of them dies. In this particular case God walked between the sacrificed animals alone in the form of a smoking furnace and flaming torch. The point was that this was God making this lifetime covenant with Abraham and only by God's death could this covenant be abrogated. God walked in this visible presence of a fiery furnace.

3. Burning Bush--A bush in the desert caught on fire and yet it did not burn up, because God actually dwelt in this burning bush in front of Moses.

4. The Exodus--The children of Israel were led by day by a cloud and led at night by a pillar of fire--both forms of the visible presence of God.

5. Mount Sinai--While Moses was upon on Sinai, the presence of God was demonstrated by thunders, lightnings, a thick cloud and fire.

6. Tabernacle--We saw this yesterday when God orders them to build an altar or tabernacle where God will dwell in the light and the smoke.

Then we come to the most demonstrable form of God's visible presence of all--Jesus--the Son of God. This is best explained in the first few verses of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Remember yesterday I said that God would do most anything to get your attention so that you will want Him to dwell among us. Well, here He did it. He sent Jesus Who was God in bodily form. All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus. This is why we make so much of watching what Jesus says and does and say and do the same.

Later on in the letters written to the local gatherings of followers of Jesus, it is said that we need to be careful to allow the "word of Jesus to dwell among us".

Since in Jesus we find the fullness of the Creator/God, we are able to lift Him up to any culture--Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Moslem and Christian and Jesus is most worthy of being emulated and followed. This is why we spend most of our time personally and sharing with others the importance of doing the toughest thing one can ever attempt to do--to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus. Whatever your cultural background, Jesus is well-worthy of following. You see, if you abide in Jesus and He abides in you, that's a relationship that no religion or religious system can match. As a Buddhist friend of mine once told me, "You know, Jesus trumps everything and everyone else." This is why a most holy man of our generation, the Dalai Lama, said, "I am not worthy to tie Jesus' shoes."

Why? Because He is the ultimate dwelling place of God.