The Pursuit For the Presence of God! Many say they want to walk in God's presence; however we can not walk in His presence fully until we have come to walk in God's prescribed order.
“The Pursuit For The Presence of God”
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1 Chronicles 13:1 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3 "and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
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God had anointed David as king of Israel and it was in David’s heart and the peoples heart to pursue God. The Ark was where the presence of God dwelt. What a noble pursuit! It is time to inquire of God.
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1 Chronicles 13:7 So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets. 9 And when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11 And David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day.
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The ark of God is being moved to the city of David ! The ark is loaded onto a cart not just any cart a new cart! The singing the music of all the beautiful instruments. What a beautiful day, the presence of God is on the way! But… something unexpected happen the new cart being pulled by the oxen was about to dump the ark of the covenant to the ground. Uzza was driving the cart and seeing this event about to unfold reached out his hand to steady the ark. God’s anger being aroused, struck Uzza dead.
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How could something with such great intention and with such a great noble cause turn out so wrong? Have you ever asked God, "Why God why?" "What's going on God? You know I am pursuing your presence." That is what David asked!
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1 Chronicles 13: 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God to me?" 13 So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David , but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.
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David is now asking the right question however he still is not inquiring of God. David with his noble intentions asked the people around him and sought their advice. One of last times the ark was moved, it was moved by the enemies of Israel . They put the ark on a new cart and sent it back to Israel because it was bringing a plague into their land.
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In pursuit of God’s presence, we can not pursue God the way the world does! No matter how noble and wonderful it sounds we must pursue His presence in God’s prescribed order! How is it we pursue God by our own methods and then get mad at God because things are not working out the way we expected?
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Proof positive God was not the problem, where the ark ended up was a blessed placed. When the attempt to bring the presence of God into king David’s city failed, Obed-Edom was blessed because the ark was turned aside into his house. Where the presence of the Lord is there is always blessing. God’s presence is a place of joy, peace, strength, and righteousness.
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1 Chronicles 15:1 David built houses for himself in the City of David ; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.
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Three months later we find king David making preparation for the ark of God to come to his home. People of God, if we want to dwell in the fullness of God’s presence we must prepare our hearts. God no longer dwells in an ark but now has made His people the tabernacle of God! We must prepare our hearts in pursuit of His presence.
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The noble desire to walk in His presence is not enough. Going through some religious rituals is not going to do it. Only following God’s designed order will bring the fullness of joy God’s presence brings.
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Ephesians 5:13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
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If we are going to prepare our hearts we need to awake! Awake to His righteousness, and awake to His divine influence. It is time for the church to arise and understand the will of the Lord. It is time for the church not to be drunk with wine. Not just physical but the wine of self pleasure and pursuits outside the designed plan of God. Is your life filled with dissipation? Dissipation is living and pursuing life and things that have no eternal value. The church is drunk indeed on self pursuit we need to come back to God’s prescribed order! It is time to be filled with the Spirit of God. The command from Ephesians 5:18 is be filled with the Spirit. What a revelation we have been commanded to be filled. Too many Christians are saying “God fill me, God fill me.” Is it ironic God is speaking “Be filled with the Spirit. Your pursuit determines if you are filled. Is our heart beat to do the will of God the Father? It is time for us to prepare our hearts and lay aside that which is getting in the way of the move of God. It may be that our doing is not sinful; what if our doing is not the will of God for us?
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1 Chronicles 15:2 Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever." 3 And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem , to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.
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The world’s way of touching God was to allow the beast to carry the presence of God. God’s way is for God chosen people to carry the ark in to it’s rightful place.
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1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
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We are the chosen, the royal priesthood, special people that belong to God. We are the ones who have been called to declare His praises! The church needs to awaken to the truth we are dead to sin and alive unto God. We have not seen ourselves as the chosen ones or as His own special people. We have looked at things after the flesh; arise and in view of God mercy be the living sacrifice He has called you to be. Be the bearer of His Spirit.
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God has called you to minister before the Lord forever! Self pursuit and pursuit of God can not go hand in hand. You have been chosen, if you truly are in the faith, to minister before the Lord God Almighty forever. Your pursuit determines your destiny.
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1 Chronicles 15:12 He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 "For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order." 14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel . 15 And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.
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When God’s prescribed order of victory is followed there is truly victory over sin! Under the covenant of the Levitical priesthood there was a sanctifying of themselves. Under Christ Priesthood there is a sanctifying that only comes by the way of the cross! There is no other way into His presence.
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Hebrews 10:9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
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Here in this passage is found the truth of sanctification for the believer. It is by the will of God the Father that we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all! God's prescribed order for victory is found exclusively in by faith in the atoning work that Jesus Christ performed at the cross. When one tries to get into God’s presence by any other means then the sanctifying work of Christ Jesus, they have put the presence of God on a cart powered the beast of self works trying to bring in the presence of God. This will not bring us victory and in the end can cause death. Much like Uzza!
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Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
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It is out of order to depend upon ourselves to make ourselves worthy of His presence. It is one Man’s obedience that make us righteous. That would be the obedience of the man Christ Jesus! Surrendering to faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the cross will allow us to be filled with the Spirit and do the works that God has called us to do before the foundation of the world. This is the proper order to come into His presence.
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1 Chronicles 15:25 So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. 26 And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.
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Just as God helped the children of Israel when they came into proper order, God is waiting for us to come into proper order to allow us to walk in the fullness of His presence. However don’t be surprised at opposition to surrendering to God’s prescribed order of victory and walking in the full liberty of His presence.
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1 Chronicles 15:29 And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.
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