Simply Supernatural
In the Cool of the Evening
SERIES CONCEPT: LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
To live in the presence of God, we deny the influence of the world and our selfish thoughts.
TO LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD… We are different.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;
—1 Peter 2:9
We live by what we can not see.
The place where we regularly meet with God is the birthplace of Faith.
THE PRESENCE OF GOD – THE PLACE WHERE THE NATURAL MEETS THE SUPERNATURAL
As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!
—Hebrews 12:1-2
His presence unlocks His supernatural power into our natural lives.
Supernatural the transcending the natural responses and the world-imposed responses to this life!
Adam and Eve enjoyed the state of LIVING in God’s presence…
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.
—Genesis 3:8a
Corporate vs. Personal
When the moment of His presence becomes a life of walking in the cool of the evening and not seeking unique corporate moments that inspire, we find a rhythm of our relationship becoming our default and not only our desire.
The phrase “cool of the day” probably does not mean time of day but rather the reference of God revealing Himself to the people.
The phrase literally reads the wind of the day.
The Revealed Presence of God
Some do not see this as a reference to time, and there is nothing in the context to suggest the time of day. Instead, the phrase means God revealing His presence through the wind.
The Bible gives other examples of this happening.
Then He said, Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
—1 Kings 19:11
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said…
—Job 38:1
(Jesus compared the working of the Holy Spirit to the wind).
The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
—John 3:8
WALKING A LIFE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD MEANS ACCEPTING THAT GOD IS PRESENT
The God Who is Present
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
—Psalm 139:5-12
1. A God Who Understands
He understands the power of the natural, grasping at and desiring the power of the supernatural presence of God.
2. THE God of Heaven and Earth
For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
—Joshua 2:11b
The Lord is “God in the heavens above (transcendent) and on the earth beneath (immanent)”
3. A God with a Purpose
God does not come to us needy and wanting, but instead he comes to “revive the spirit of the lowly and the heart of the contrite” (Isa 57:15).
The story of Scripture begins and ends with the presence of God.
From Genesis 1 to Revelation 21, God presents a story of His dwelling amongst us. This story explodes in Revelation, where heaven collides with the earth and Eden has returned and expanded into a new heaven and new earth where all of God’s people enjoy his presence eternally.
Humanity’s mission and the presence of God are inseparable.
God gave man and woman purpose. (Genesis 1:28) They are to do this in Eden, the epicenter of God’s relational presence in creation. As the first couple’s family expands, so too will the garden’s borders and, with it, God’s presence. God’s presence was to spread to the rest of the earth through Adam and Eve’s exercising of the authority they received from walking in His presence (life).
Sin undermines humanity’s mission and the experience of God’s presence.
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
—Genesis 3:6-7
The darkness of this world shelters us from the wind and the light of God’s presence.
Darkness comes when we hide from the presence of God.
And this world is in presence-deprived darkness!
So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
—Genesis 3:8b
BUT God has declared war on this darkness, and he has declared war on His creation being devoid of His presence.
God Declares War On Darkness
For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
—Psalm 33:9
The presence of God presses back the darkness, and it clears out defeat, guilt, bitterness, selfishness, and lies.
And this Light never fails to shine through darkness—Light that darkness could not overcome!
—John 1:5
ADAM AND EVE LOST SIGHT OF THE PRESENCE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, SEARCHING THEM OUT
Before: Genesis 2:25 – “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Spiritual, supernatural state)
After: Genesis 3:7b – At that moment, their eyes were opened…
(Revelation of their natural and flesh state)
Sin and failure don’t reveal the presence of God but the natural side of our brokenness.
Through sin and rebellion, they realized that there was a natural, flesh-based world where God’s presence was distant and the supernatural forgotten.
Paul went through this in reverse. He operated in his natural state until He was blinded to His old ways and then regained his sight, fully understanding God’s presence and his own refreshed purpose. The first thing he wanted to do once he regained his sight was get baptized. (Acts 9)
HOLDING OUR SIGHT
I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.
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