David Bailey - Talking With God - Class 3 - Finding God In Prayer

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   In our previous study, we saw that faith seeks God and that we can find Him, we can build a relationship with Him. But how do we know that He hears us? How do we know that He will answer and that He does answer our prayers? How do we know that He’s even there? The answer is always the same.

2. 0:34

   It’s faith in God’s Word. Part of the problem that we have, of course, is that we can’t see God, and because we have no physical evidence of Him, we lose our concentration or our consciousness of God in prayer. Our minds even drift to other things, and sometimes we go through with thought on who we’re speaking with.

3. 1:09

   It’s a real problem. If only we could see God. The Bible categorically states that no man has seen God at any time. No humans can see God and live. Paul says that Christ dwells in the light which no man can approach, unto whom no man hath seen nor can see. That’s the Father. The point is, is that Yahweh is so holy, sinful flesh cannot look upon Him and live.

4. 1:49

   There is none like Him. Our relationship with God then cannot be like any other relationship now. God wants us to come to know Him. He says that in His Word. He wants us to come to know Him in another way, to see His character from what He has told us in His Word. He wants us to have an awareness of Him in faith. He wants us in faith to seek His presence. How then do we come before Him?

5. 2:38

   How do we come into His presence? It’s not a feeling that we get apart from emotion. He doesn’t come and warm our hearts. It’s all in faith in His word. I’d like you to come with me to Exodus chapter 29. The Tabernacle helps us to understand how we come into His presence.

6. 3:11

   It’s all there. God teaches us through His law and through the the Tabernacle. He taught the Israelites in Exodus chapter 29, and we read in verse 42, This shall be a continual burnt offering through your generations at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, or the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak there unto thee. And there will I meet with the children of Israel, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory, verse 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. Now notice the strong ideas that come from this God dwells among His covenant people.

7. 4:17

   Secondly, they would worship at the door of the tent of Meeting, which is described as being before Yahweh. And thirdly, God would meet them there to commune with them. Now Paul says the same about us in Second of Corinthians 6 verse 16. You are the temple of the living God. As God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. So He applies the same words and the same ideas to us in the pleasure of God.

8. 4:59

   The Tabernacle was God’s abode among His covenant people. Of course, this is not just any next door neighbour. This was the abode, as it is described, of the power of the Innovins, the Holy One of Israel. How can he be in their midst? Is this actually possible?

9. 5:32

   How could he be there? Well, let’s see. Verse 42 says, and it’s there as the second point on this slide, that they met at the door of the Tabernacle. This door is before Yahweh. It literally means before the face oh Yahweh and it can be translated as in the presence of Yahweh. It has the same idea.

10. 6:13

    Israel was commanded to present themselves 3 * a year before Yahweh. In actual fact, everything to do with the Tabernacle was before Yahweh, even those things that were not just at the door, but through the door in the holy place and in the holiest of all everything. Here’s a, a, a list of the, the things that I could find the door of the tabernacles before Yahweh.

11. 6:43

    So were the priests, the priests garments, the Levites, the people, the brazen altar, the way, and even the offerings. The lampstand within the holy place that’s beyond the door, the altar of incense and the incense are described before Yahweh. The holy place as a whole is described as before Yahweh, and even the manner which was in the ark in the holiest was before Yahweh.

12. 7:11

    Everything about that Tabernacle is described as being in His presence. So then to come before it says concerning the ark, God says, verse 22 There will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat from between the two Caribbean which are which are upon the ark of the testimony of all things which I give thee in the commandment unto the children of Israel.

13. 7:51

    In what way did the Creator, the Sustainer of the Universe, reside among His people, apparently above the mercy seat between the two care of them? Well, we know, brothers and sisters, from Exodus 40, that a glory which was enshrouded with a cloud filled that place. And that that that cloud the Israelites could see, because it was like a column that rose up into heaven, and when it rose up from above, that that holiest place it and moved off. They packed up and they followed that that cloud which at night glowed like fire was real.

14. 8:46

    But was it God himself? It was representative of God. He was not actually his person, but when the people came and worshipped God, they came to that place to worship him. And that’s considered to be before Yahweh. Now prior to the building of the temple, there had been many altars and legitimately used. Samuel built altars apart from the one at the Tabernacle. But God always intended there to be one place where He would be worshipped, where His name would be placed there, and that they would work in Sigma Chronicles 7 verse 12. I have chosen this place for myself, for an House of sacrifice.

15. 9:49

    So did that require all worship to be at the temple? Well, to offer animals the sacrifices, they must go to that one place. But what about prayer?

16. 10:04

    Would they have to go there for prayer? That that’s like saying that prayer could only be at the ecclesial hall. Obviously that’s not right. So how does this all work? Come with me to Solomon’s prayer. But we’re going to take it up and where we did our reading and 1st of Kings and chapter 8.

17. 10:35

    Here’s Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the temple. And here we’re going to learn something very important about the presence of Yahweh. First of Kings eight and and here’s some of Solomon’s examples of people praying in the presence of God in verse 31. If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house.

18. 11:16

    Verse 33 When thy people Israel, be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house. So Solomon refers to those who pray in this house in the temple, but he follows this with five requests that God would hear the prayer of those that were unable to come to the temple. For example, verse 35, when heaven is shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee, if they pray toward this place and confess thy name and turn from their sin when thou afflictest them, so it’s toward this place or this house.

19. 12:22

    So all they needed to do was to pray toward that place. It’s the same in verse 384244 and 48. But notice the further away a person was from the temple, the more definitive Solomon is in his description. Verse 44 If thy people go out to battle against their enemy whithersoever thou sent them, and so pray unto Yahweh, toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name. Notice he’s added the city in which the temple was situated. But look at this when he speaks of Israel, Israelites that have gone into captivity, who if they repent in verse 48, he says, And so return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land which thou gave us unto their fathers.

20. 13:54

    The city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name. The land, the city and the house from the largest to the smallest and the most specific. The further away a person was the large of the area for his or her focus, so that they could come from out towards the most specific. But as always, Jonah and chapter 2 verse one. Then Jonah prayed unto Yahweh his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto Yahweh. And he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I, And thou heardest my voice, for thou hadst cast me into the deep in the midst of the Seas, and the floods compassed me about all Thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I’m cast out of thy sight, yet will I look again toward Thy holy temple.

21. 15:27

    The waters compassed me about even to the soul. The death closed, closed me round about. The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about me forever. Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Yahweh, my God, when my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh, and my prayer came in unto thee into thine holy temple.

22. 16:00

    And so Jonah’s prayer went into that place, and God heard it there. Jonah was not only outside of Israel, he was being tossed about under the ocean.

23. 16:21

    How could he look again towards this holy temple, let alone unto him in that holy house, unless it was in his mind this time? Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God.

24. 16:56

    In the presence of his God, as he did before time, so Daniel embraced the spirit of Solomon’s words, and so he prayed towards that place as a focus for his mind before he’s gone. Now he does it again in Chapter 9. Have a look at this in Daniel 9 and in verse 20, verse 20 and whilst I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Yahweh, my God, for the holy mountain of my God.

25. 17:44

    There is the point brothers and sisters, there was no temple at this time. That was what he was praying for. It had been destroyed. And here is opening the windows towards Jerusalem to a non existent temple. So there’s a lot more involved with what what what what Solomon had said in his prayer unto God.

26. 18:18

    There’s clearly something more going on here. So to pray towards a non existent temple yet be considered to be praying in the presence of Yahweh means that the temple purely was in his mind. The temple is therefore symbolic of something and Solomon indicates that also. So come back with me to 1st of Kings chapter 8, first of Kings chapter 8, and we go to verse 39. I’m sorry, I should have mentioned to put a marker there. Each time that he made a request that God would hear the prayer of people in various situations, that they would pray towards that temple.

27. 19:16

    He says this verse 39 then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place. And he says something like that in verse 3234364345 and 49. He constantly adds that now Solomon didn’t see Yahweh as being literally upon the earth. He was in heaven. And while prayer was to be made towards this place, God was listening in heaven, His dwelling place towards that place.

28. 20:04

    Hear thou that prayer in that place, in heaven, thy dwelling place. Now Solomon says this in his opening words. Come back to verse 27.

29. 20:20

    But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. How much less this house that I have built. Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to hearken unto the cry, and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee today, that thine eyes may be open to ward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou has said My name, shall be there, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this place.

30. 21:16

    See the point. So all prayers are toward. In fact, brothers and sisters, most prayers were toward that place. Most were in a person’s mind toward that place. No one was able apart from the high priest once a year could go into the holiest of all, where God’s presence was symbolically out there between those two Caribbean. And so no one saw that glory.

31. 21:54

    So everyone’s prayers were in faith toward that place, and God in heaven, his ear and his eyes work constantly toward that place. So what does that mean? If it’s a place of faith, a place in the mind, where is this place that we go to? Well, the answer lies in what the Tabernacle represents. The Tabernacle primarily represented God dwelling among His covenant people.

32. 22:37

    In Exodus 25, verse eight, it says there because of this, the Tabernacle represented the people themselves. They were the ones that had to provide all the materials that made-up that Tabernacle, so it represented them.

33. 22:56

    They also supplied the oil, the incense, the priest, the Levites, and all the offerings. They provided everything that went into that place. And it’s the same with us. Because the apostle Paul says this, Ye are the temple of the living God. As God had said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. So we are that temple in which God dwells. Now Paul is citing Leviticus and chapter 26. When he says this, I want you to notice something specific that he says here.

34. 23:38

    And I will set my Tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. So the whole idea of the Tabernacle was that God would dwell among his covenant people without abhorrence.

35. 24:02

    So how can the all glorious, all powerful, absolutely holy power of the universe dwell among humans? How can he do that without abhorrence? Well, a covenant was made, and the blood of the covenant enabled two parties to come together in a covenant relationship. This is why the Ark is called the Ark of the Covenant and the the Caribbean, which grew out of the mercy seat, was above the testimony, the witness of the Covenant. That’s why the Tabernacle itself is called the Tabernacle of Testimony or witness, because central to it was that art containing the witness of the covenant. It’s the covenant that enables two parties to enjoy covenant relationship.

36. 25:32

    So every Israelite praying towards the Oracle as it’s described, or the inner sanctuary, was praying towards the place of the covenant by faith. Now just think about this. It’s only by faith that Israelites knew what was in that holy place. Everything was in their minds. Isaiah 66 verse one. Thus saith Yahweh. The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things have my hand made, and all those things have been saith Yahweh.

37. 26:23

    But to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my Word. There it is again. The Tabernacle represents people, and God wants to dwell in people, the humble and contrite one who trembles at His word. But here’s the point, brothers and sisters.

38. 26:50

    It’s the word of the testimony of the covenant. So says Psalm 105, verse eight. It’s described that way in reality where God could dwell in him without abhorrence because in deep humility he trembled at God’s word in faith and he becomes our representative. Christ is the embodiment of the covenant. He was the covenant of the people as it’s described in Isaiah 42 and 49.

39. 27:44

    And isn’t it interesting that whilst the Tabernacle is symbolic of God’s covenant ecclesia, his covenant people, every single item represents Christ. The linen walls, the altars, the veils, everything. Even those things that were put, placed on those altars, Everything, every single item represents Christ because he’s the one representative human whereby God could dwell or Tabernacle among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of his head and truth, covenant mercy and truth. The Tabernacle was a shadow of Christ, and just as the Tabernacle also taught concepts of God’s plan and His precepts, so Christ is more than a person.

40. 28:56

    He is all of those things. He is the Word made flesh. It’s all there in him, in his Son and, and, and in his Son is where we meet God. He’s the place in him that’s the place in our minds that we can go to, where we know that God is always listening to Him and His focus is on Him, and where is He? For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us, on behalf of us. So we have a place to go to, brothers and sisters, in our prayers.

41. 30:00

    I’ve heard all sorts of suggestions of how we can concentrate it and feel we’re in the presence of God. We’ve got a place, it’s Christ, we’ve got to focus, and it’s by faith. I, I find that personally very, very helpful that our minds can go to that place. Now to come before God is one thing, but how do we become conscious of God’s presence? And it helps us to understand the difference between God’s awareness of us and our awareness of Him. We know that all things are under God’s surveillance. He sees everything.

42. 30:52

    He knows everything at all times, something that’s impossible for us to comprehend. Now look at these things that happen in God’s presence. And I want you to notice these are things that happen before God in that expression. I’m just going to look at one of them and I’ll put up three examples and you can have a look through, but I’m just going to read out the first. Genesis 6, verse 11.

43. 31:25

    The earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. Notice that that which is before God is used in a continuous, all embracing sense.

44. 31:46

    He’s seeing it all the time. Not a Sparrow falls without him knowing. He’s always aware. In each of those examples, God is constantly aware of the matters in His presence, but the same is not true of ours.

45. 32:07

    I’ll read the 1st concerning David and Jonathan and they too made a covenant before Yahweh and David abode in the wood and Jonathan went his to his house. In each of these cases, each person had to bring God into focus.

46. 32:35

    They had to come and think of God and being in his presence to make the covenant. So it’s not a constant awareness, it’s for a specific purpose. It’s the same with our minds, brothers and sisters, isn’t it? With our consciousness of God, we must specifically come before God. We must turn God on, as it were, in our minds. And just as we can turn our minds to focus on God, we can switch him off.

47. 33:17

    It’s true. We can turn our minds off from being conscious of Him. Was David conscious of God during that process of his sin with Bathsheba? Was he conscious of God when when he he attempted to coerce Uriah into going back home to his wife and then sending him off with a letter to Joab with his death sentence?

48. 33:52

    Was it all done in God’s presence? Yes, but only God was aware of it and if David was aware, it would have been in his subconscious and he pushed that aside. So here’s a key to our understanding of being conscious of God. If we can turn God off, that is block our minds from being aware of him. It explains what it means to be and in verse 27 and brother Tim really made the same point or a similar point to that which I wish to consider.

49. 34:38

    He is hold of the prophetess. And she says to Josiah after the discovery of the book of the law in verse 27, Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God in his presence, when thou heard the his word against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, and humblest thyself before me, and is rend thy clothes and weep before me.

50. 35:12

    I even I have heard thee also, because you’ve heard my words, and it caused on you to humble yourself. Why did he do that, Brothers and sisters? All he heard was the Word. He heard it read to him and it caused him to humble himself. What caused that? Well, he understood how God felt.

51. 35:41

    He understood what God thought and how he felt. It moved him. That’s his understanding of God’s presence. He knew how God felt. It’s from the Word by faith. There was no feeling apart from that which that word produced in him.

52. 36:14

    Being conscious of God is not just knowing that God exists and that he’s watching, but is primarily a conscience about His will and his feelings, how God feels because he’s a person, He’s a he’s a reality. It’s not just a doctrine in a book, a textbook. And those feelings are expressed in his word. But it’s all very too easy for us to forget, isn’t it? Brothers and sisters, we, we like David, we can turn them off.

53. 37:04

    And most of the time we’re not conscious of God. We’re talking to each other, we’re doing this or that, and our focus is on the things that we do and we have to specifically remember. But our conscience will only work if we’ve let it affect our conscience.

54. 37:34

    None.