WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-48
TEXT: "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:27)
I. THE GLORY CLOUD
A. People frequently ask me, how did I like Germany? I really don't know because it's beside the point. It is not the town nor the house in which we live. The focal point is the cloud.
B. I would rather live under the Shekinah Glory of God in a small humble dwelling than to live in a luxurious mansion without His glory.
If we live under the abiding (Shekinah) cloud of God, it will make little difference whether we are in the wilderness or in heaven. It is the glory of God which is to make an impact upon us and overshadow our life.
C. "Shekinah" is a Hebrew word used in Jewish theology to refer to a visible manifestation of the presence of God. This particular form of the word is not found in the Bible, forms close to it are. The word means "to dwell," "to abide," "to remain." The term "Shekinah" is used to describe that which abides, whether or not it is visible.
D. It doesn't matter where we may be or under what circumstances we may be living, just as long as the Shekinah Glory of God abides upon us. The condition of the wilderness is immaterial, as we live under the shadow of the Almighty.
E. Live under the impact of God, not under the impact of some problem or some sorrow or some catastrophe. Live under the influence of faith, not wonderful feelings or the lack of them. Our life will be fulfilling and satisfying under the abiding presence of God.
F. We are by nature creatures of sense. The natural man thus limits his findings of truth to such matters as can be appreciated only through sense perception. He must see and feel before he will believe, thus closing the door to the realm of the spirit, where faith moves, discovering truths of higher spiritual value.
G. The faculties which operate in the realm of the natural are God-given. They are intended to function for the comfort of man in his natural realm in the physical world. But these absolutely fail when he tries to user them to discern God in His spiritual relations and manifestations.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)
God has provided faith for this purpose. Through faith we may enter into a new realm where there are spiritual verities and spiritual laws operative.
H. The life of the Christian os supernatural, that is, above the natural.
It is neither entered into or lived by natural means. The process of weaning man from the limitations of the human and introducing him to the life of the spirit and faith is extremely trying to our flesh.
I. There must be this necessary process of adjustment if we are to truly live the spiritual life and fully enter into the possibilities of development that God has provided for us. Let us welcome each stroke which sets us free, and like bold adventurers in faith let us discover and possess the rich prospects in God.
J. God brings us into the wilderness to meet with us. He desires to share His glory with us. There is nothing more meaningful upon the earth than God's approach to us and taking up His residence in us. He desires to manifest Himself to us and to live with us and walk in us.
K. There are times when wonderful feelings and goose bumps will accompany such manifestations of God. But most times there will be no wonderful feelings. Most of the time God will meet with us in the wilderness where the wonderful feelings are absent and no water.
II. PARTING THOUGHTS
A. The secret of our success in this life is God. If our focal point is heaven as a place after our physical death, then we will miss the best thing in life. Here, in this life, God wishes to be with us. That is better than our heaven after death, which is beyond our present location. God is better than a believer's future heaven, any day of the week, any present time, any present place. God will be better than heaven, even after we get there.
B. Some believers live and talk as if their future heaven is better than God. I have never been to heaven. I live here on earth. That is where I will focus my living, instead of attempting to live in the future. I will focus upon the secret of success in the now life, and now God.
