god is closer than you think pt2

Week 2: The Choice
Pastor John Ortberg, who wrote God Is Closer Than You Think, tells of a relative of
his—a young woman and her husband—who bought an older home a few years ago and were
fixing it up.
The husband was going through the attic during one of those fix-up days and found an
old paper bag. Knowing it wasn’t something they had put there—and out of curiosity—he
decided to look inside. There was money in the bag. In fact, it turned out to be thousands and
thousands of dollars!
They looked at the dates on the bills and they were all from many decades ago—that bag
had been up there for ages. There was no way to track who put it there first—if it was a miser’s
savings or left over from some bank heist.
The husband said, “What are ethics of this—what do we do with it?”
John’s relative replied, “Maybe we should call John.”
The husband paused for a moment and said, “No—he’s a pastor. He’ll tell us we have to
give it back.”
Instead, they decided to call a lawyer so they wouldn’t get any ethical advice at all! He
said they could keep it.
They did end up calling John anyway. He also said that they could keep it … as long as
they tithed … to a pastor that they were related to.
[PAUSE]
Here’s the strange thing … somebody put a treasure in the attic and then forgot it was
there.

Just think about all the other owners between then and now, living in that house for years.
Imagine the flood of financial obligations and crises that existed during that time: bills, mortgage
payments, taxes, debt. There were, no doubt, some sleepless nights and anxious moments in that
house about financial concerns.
And the whole time there was a treasure in the house.
Here’s the point:
There was a huge gap between the riches available to those people … and the reality in
which they lived. They never made the effort to go to the attic. They never saw the treasure.
The reality for many people today is that there is a gap between what they are
experiencing in their relationship with God and what they know they could be experiencing.
It is as though they are living and walking around in the house knowing that there is
treasure in the attic—but it is a treasure that they have rarely, if ever, experienced. They know
that there’s something more, but haven’t been willing to visit the attic.
The choice is theirs, but they haven’t made the choice to be with God.
Last week we talked about God’s desire from the beginning of creation to be with
us—and all the different ways he has expressed that. But even with all his desire and effort, he
still leaves it up to you and me to make the choice to be with him.
And remember, God is closer than you think.
Today we’re going to talk about our choice … to go to the attic … to move toward God.
And we’re going to consider what it means to pursue a relationship with him.
Jesus said anyone who makes his way into the kingdom of God is like a man who finds
treasure buried in a field; in his joy he sells everything he owns because this is the one thing he
needs.

This guy didn’t go out treasure seeking. He wasn’t some Indiana Jones or on a hunt for
“national treasure” … it was discovered through the natural course of doing life—of working the
fields. And when he invested in the field he got a lot more in return than just a plot of land.
You see, when we make the choice to be with God, it doesn’t mean that we have to go
and sit on a mountain and learn how to chant; or eat one meal a week; or read our Bibles and
pray twenty-three hours a day … we can learn to be with Jesus through every part of every day.
As Christ-followers, as disciples, there’s a treasure to be found by being with Jesus and it
is worth everything we can invest to spend every day with him. A disciple is someone who seeks
concretely to make each day a chance to be with Jesus, to learn from Jesus …
To become like Jesus.
As we consider what it means to make the choice to be with Jesus every day, I’m going to
cover four aspects of life which illustrate how interwoven this concept can be in the fabric of our
days.
Let’s start with work. How do you work with Jesus?
Did you know that the single largest block of waking time in most of our lives is spent
working? How we work—and the way we approach our work—can actually be a life-or-death
decision for us.
This is very significant. There was a survey done which discovered that outside of
genetics, the single most important predictor of longevity of life was work satisfaction!
[PAUSE]
Now that you know that, are some of you wondering if you’re going to die at any
moment?!

Since work is such an important part of our lives, I think it’s important that we say a bit
about what work is from a biblical perspective.
Over the last few centuries, arising from the Industrial Revolution, we’ve come to equate
work with having a job which in turn yields our paycheck.
The result has been that we have sort of distinguished between those who “work” and
those who “do not work.” In fact, many people—those who are retired, or stay-at-home parents,
or the unemployed—are thought of as not working.
Do you remember in school when you were told, “There’s no such thing as a stupid
question?” Oh yes there is …
Go ask a mom of young children: “Do you work?” THAT’S a stupid question!
We have to reclaim the biblical definition of work because it encompasses far more than
our culture has defined. The biblical perspective is that work is the creation of value as I serve
God, as I care for his creation, and as I seek to benefit the lives of other people.
Work includes our paid employment. And work also includes doing household chores. It
includes study and schoolwork. It includes our volunteer service at church or in the community.
Here’s a simple test you can take right now to evaluate whether or not you are
functioning with a biblical perspective of work. Ask yourself this question:
“If tomorrow, Jesus were to show up while I’m working, looking just like me, would
things go any differently?”
Every day, no matter what work you are doing, equals an opportunity to learn from Jesus
how to do your job as he would. Every day we should be working a little bit better than the day
before. Some days it’s no more than an incremental improvement in our attitude. Other days, it’s
not robbing our employers of the energy, or focus, or time for which they are paying us.

There’s a fundamental statement about work in the Bible which serves as kind of a
recalibrating directive that I try to remember in all that I do. Here it is:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.…
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24)
Rate yourself on a scale of 1–10, with 1 representing “Whatever I do I do as little as
possible when I do it” and 10 representing “I have ‘HWJW” on a bracelet, on my screensaver,
and on posters around my office and home that remind me: “How Would Jesus Work?” Where
are you on the scale?
Here’s a true story—I’m not making this up:
A husband was at home on the couch reading the newspaper. His wife, who was eight
months pregnant, was in the kitchen—on her hands and knees—waxing the kitchen floor.
His mother-in-law walks in and exclaims: “How can you let my daughter do this?”
He peers over his newspaper and replies, “I tried to help. I told her if she’d tie a rag
around her middle, she’d get done twice as fast.”
[PAUSE]
No one ever saw him again!
Dallas Willard writes this about work: We “routinely sacrifice our comfort and pleasure
for the quality of our work, whether it be ax handles, tacos, or the development of a student
we’re teaching … We do the job well because that is what Jesus would like, and we admire and
love him. It is what he would do.”
Here’s a few more questions to ask yourself:
Am I making an idol of my work?
Do I sacrifice time and energy that ought to go to my family, or friendships, or rest, or to
prayer?
How do I treat my coworkers?
If I’m in a position of authority, do I treat those who report to me as Jesus would? Am I
truthful and fair? Do I work for their growth and development?
Do I regularly ask God for help, wisdom, and guidance in my work?
Am I scrupulously honest in my work? Am I careful with expense reports? Do I
reimburse the company for personal use of phone or equipment?
Is my work in line with my sense of how God has gifted and called me? If not, what steps
can I take to move in the right direction? How can I continue to serve with diligence in the
meantime?
Whatever activity may constitute work, how we choose to do it reflects our choice to be
with God or to move away from God.
It’s important to remember that work is one of best learning opportunities most of us
have to discover truth about ourselves. It is an intensive environment which God uses to test and
shape us to become more like Jesus.
When we receive feedback, or performance reviews, and when there’s an honest
assessment of our attitudes and habits it can be very significant—if we’re truly open.
Attitude is huge.
Concerning attitude, how many of you are defensive?
Perhaps you are sitting next to someone who is so defensive they won’t admit it … so
why don’t you just raise your hand for them in a spirit of community?!

Teachability in the workplace is a key attitude which honors Christ. Asking for and
learning from honest feedback in your work is one of the greatest growth opportunities you’ll
ever have.
So tomorrow when you go to your work, take a moment before you start and say:
“Here’s my chance to learn from Jesus how to live in his kingdom.”
Now let’s turn the corner and talk about the opposite of work. Another area where we can
make the choice to be with Jesus is in our …
Recreational activities and leisure time
God did not make you to work all the time.
This may come as a shock to some of the “type A’s” here, but part of God’s will for you
is to rest, relax, create, play, and be renewed.
Each moment of free time that you have equals a chance to be with him.
But we need to be intentional, because the default mode with our time often goes toward
what one sociologist calls an eight-hundred-pound gorilla of leisure: the television. Time
researchers John Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey found that television took almost 40 percent of
American’s free time in 1995—and that was an increase of a third from thirty years earlier!
Robert Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, writes, “Dependence on television for
entertainment is not merely a significant predictor of loss of community; it is the single most
consistent predictor I have discovered.”
Nothing—not low education, not full-time work, not long commutes, not poverty or
financial distress—is more broadly connected with loss of community and relational
disconnection than is dependence on TV for entertainment.

People who rely on TV for entertainment are least likely to volunteer, least likely to stay
in touch with friends, least likely to attend church—and most likely to give another driver the
finger.
Television is surely habit forming and may be mildly addictive. In 1977, the Detroit Free
Press was able to find only five out of one-hundred and twenty families willing to give up TV
for a month in return for five-hundred dollars.
People who do give up TV report experiencing boredom, anxiety, irritation, and
depression. One woman observed: “It was terrible. We did nothing—my husband and I talked.”
So why are we so hooked on it? Does it produce high levels of joy, growth, and meaning?
No.
In fact, in one study, researchers had subjects carry beepers, and when the beeper went
off they’d write what they were doing, and how they felt. Here’s what they discovered: TV
watching was associated with feelings of passivity and lowered alertness. It was rated below
every other leisure activity—even below work!
So why are we devoted to it? In Putnam’s book he quotes British researchers Sue
Bowden and Avner Offer who say that: “Television is the cheapest and least demanding way to
avert boredom.… TV’s dominance in our lives reflects not its sublime pleasures but its minimal
costs.”
So how can you reclaim your recreational and leisure time—and choose to be with Jesus
instead of Hollywood?
Limit how much you watch. We have rule in our house about how much the TV can be
on—decide on a limit.
Limit the number of TVs in your house.
Here’s a shocking factoid: In 1970—6 percent of all sixth graders had TVs in their
bedrooms. But by 1999—77 percent of sixth graders had their own bedroom TV!
Perhaps you would choose to go for a day/weekend/week of no TV. Take it even further
and go on a “media fast.”
As you are reclaiming the time lost to TV, ask yourself: “What are some of the activities
that God uses to breathe life into me? What do I engage in that produces gratitude, joy, and
renewal?”
Some people love to get out into nature—either riding a motorcycle, hiking, or biking.
Others enjoy cooking—so for them reading cookbooks and creating new dishes is their
way of feeling refreshed and renewed.
Maybe your deal is eating—you need to find someone whose deal is cooking and strike
up a spiritual friendship!
Tomorrow you’ll probably have some free time. Before you pick up the remote control,
stop … and say, “Here’s my chance—to be with Jesus, learn how to become like him.”
A third area where we can make the choice to be with Jesus is through our …
Lifestyle choices
We all make choices about the way we’ll spend our time. The way we spend our money.
What our pace of life will be. How much debt we’ll live in. How many commitments we’ll
make. How much pressure we’ll be under—
These have an enormous impact on whether we’re able to get closer to God, or if we are
moving farther away.
The apostle Paul basically said: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” (Romans
12:2)

But what happens is that the world says: “Move faster!”—and so we do!
But when we move faster it cuts us off from prayer. We become more anxious and
increasingly angry … and eventually unable to love.
Media tycoon Robert Maxwell was being picked up at the airport by an employee. But
the employee was late picking him up, so Maxwell fired him. The employee was Maxwell’s own
son.
It’s not just media tycoons who wrestle with this. If Satan can’t make you defy God
outright, he’ll settle for just making you real busy.
John Ortberg tells about a time when he was in Germany for a weekend ministry
assignment. It was a full weekend—he flew out from Chicago on a Friday night and arrived
Saturday afternoon. Here’s how he describes the weekend:
“I arrived Saturday afternoon and did four talks, a question-and-answer session, a couple
of magazine interviews, and a radio broadcast in forty-eight hours. There was still one interview
left to go, so we decided to do that in the car on the way to the airport.
“On the autobahn—where there is no speed limit—we didn’t have much time to catch the
plane. I looked up—and we were driving 230 kilometers—something over 140 miles per
hour—and I’m saying into the tape recorder—
“hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day …
“you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life …
“Next to me the German countryside is an absolute blur out the window. The guy from
Willow with me was in the front seat and he sat there thinking: This is how I’m going to die;
traveling at the speed of sound in Germany, listening to someone drone on in the backseat about
eliminating hurry from my life.”

So what’s the pace of life at which you can live and still be intimately connected to God?
What’s the pace of life at which you will be able to effectively love people and live with joy?
Another lifestyle choice has to do with our stuff. Our world says: “Accumulate more.”
We live in a consumer culture:
—Holidays, which once existed for rest and worship, are now primarily excuses to shop
and consume.
—Malls have replaced churches and town squares as gathering places.
And the rise in consumerism has led to an increase in clutter in our lives. One of the ways
that we can choose to be with God is to clear out the clutter so that we are freer to focus on him.
Go on a forty-day de-clutter campaign in your home. Clean out your closets and donate excess
stuff to charity.
Dr. Paul Pearsall writes, “You may need help with this assignment, because many of my
patients cannot seem to bring themselves to get rid of their stuff. You may require a closet
exorcist experienced in dealing with the demons of closet clutter. A trusted friend can also
prevent the ‘restuffing phenomenon.’ Restuffing happens when in the process of cleaning out
closets and drawers, we somehow are stimulated to acquire more stuff.
“One of my patients said: ‘Until I tried to get rid of all my junk I didn’t need or use, I
didn’t realize how much I didn’t have. I really had to go out shopping.’ This ‘stuff logic’ can
sometimes be blocked by a friend who is better disciplined in simplification.
“Beware of the stuff co-addicts who may see a closet cleaning as a chance to acquire stuff
for themselves from your stuff supply. Such friends are likely to go with you on a restuffing
expedition or even to trade stuff with you.”

Obviously that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to shop. It’s fine to love beauty and enjoy
excellence and fine design—those are good things.
The point is, we each need to come to the place where we can say: “I will need God’s
help to make purchasing decisions wisely.”
Carry that wisdom principle into other areas of life. A job change. Relocation. A new
relationship. Any time you make a major life decision, you need to ask the question: “How will
this impact my ability to follow Christ—as a worker, dad, friend, husband, and so on.
If you are going to make the choice to be with Jesus through your lifestyle choices,
saying yes to Jesus means you are going to have to say no to some other things.
What do you need to say no to?
—Maybe you say no to debt. Perhaps you’ll want to take a financial management course
at your church. Start to make the move from financial pressure to generosity.
—Maybe you say no to certain time commitments. There could be an activity you or the
kids are involved in—and it’s not a bad thing in itself, but it’s contributing to an overall
pace of life for you or your family that is not healthy.
—Maybe it’s a major purchase that could put you under financial pressure that would not
be healthy.
—Maybe it’s a need to honor the Sabbath.
Be sure to have times of rest or vacation with people you love that will be renewing to
you and remind you of God’s goodness. Bring a healthy rhythm to your life’s pace and balance
with your stuff. Make the choice to be with Jesus in your lifestyle choices.
The fourth area where we can make the choice to be with Jesus is in our …
Relationships

Have you ever considered that when you are with other people, you are making the
choice to either be with Jesus in those relationships or to exclude him?
Every day you are interacting with people. Every interaction is a chance to learn from
Jesus how to form a loving heart.
For instance: The moment of greeting is a very important moment. Every culture has
certain expressions or rituals or questions used in greeting that say:
“You are significant. You matter to me.”
The Bible says a lot about greetings. There was a standard greeting in the Old Testament
which was simply “peace.” The Hebrew word is shalom, which means, “I hope you flourish in
God’s good order.”
Now apparently, some people got overly zealous with their greeting and it was anything
but “peace.” In the book of Proverbs there’s a warning not to get super-spiritual in your greeting.
It says, “If a man loudly blesses his neighbor in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.”
Jesus warns of the religious leaders, saying, “They … love to be greeted in the
marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
banquets.” In other words, the act of greeting for these pious folks was all about being sure their
sense of status and importance was propped up. Am I being greeted by the “right people” in the
“right way”? Do important people remember my name? Do they say nice things to me?
Four times when Paul wrote to the churches he instructed them to “greet one another with
a holy kiss.” It was part of their culture.
It sounds kind of weird to me. Though I’m not sure we have a lot to brag about. In our
culture, we’ve become the first in history where the standard greeting is: “Whassssup?”
Here are some ways to make the choice to be with Jesus when you greet someone:
—As you greet them, say a silent prayer asking God to bless them (I would recommend
that you not drop to your knees, clasp your hands, and close your eyes—doing this may actually
keep them from ever choosing to meet you!).
—Consider the gift of a touch. Some people never get touched. A handshake or a hand on
a shoulder can make a huge difference in a person’s life.
Go through the New Testament and see how often Jesus touches people. He especially
touches people who didn’t normally get touched—sinners, lepers, children—and they expressed
authentic joy as a result!
Another facet of choosing to be with Jesus in our relationships is through our friendships.
On March 3, 2000, the Wall Street Journal printed an article called, “Whatever Happened
to Friendship?” In it, Nancy Ann Jeffrey states that we’re living in the midst of what could be
called “the marginalization of friendship.”
“People are saying—‘It’s the one thing I can give up,’ says sociologist Jan Yager.
“They’re diminishing the value of friendship.”
Even though the TV comedy Friends was a hit, the reality is that friendships are
becoming less common. When friendships are formed, they are more short-lived and more
superficial.
A friendless life is not God’s plan for human life. When we make a choice to live with
marginalized friendships—or no friendships—we are choosing to be less “with” Jesus—because
he reveals himself to us through the community of friendship. The Bible says, “A friend loves at
all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Friendship is necessary for spiritual growth. In the book of Proverbs it says: “As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Are you devoting enough time, attention, and energy to cultivating deep spiritual
friendships?
Another kind of relationship where we not only make the choice to be with Jesus, but
cling to him is when we have to deal with difficult people.
You may not believe this, but you need difficult people in your life.
Jesus was very emphatic about this. He said (and I paraphrase), “Love your
enemies—those who are difficult for you to like. If you love only those who love you
back—where’s the goodness in that? Even the mafia does that much. And if you greet only your
brothers, what are you doing more than others? Drug dealers do the same thing.”
The ability to love difficult people is like a litmus test of spiritual growth.
This means—you need difficult people in your life. It is absolutely necessary for your
development. Through those relationships you are drawn more closely to Christ because your
new intention is to treat these people the way Jesus would, and you can’t do that apart from him.
If you’ve got some difficult people in your life—be glad.
If you don’t—we have a list here at the church. We can assign you some.
I want you to think of someone who is difficult for you to love:
Maybe someone at work.
Maybe someone in your family.
Maybe an ex-spouse.
Maybe it varies—a relationship that sometimes goes smoothly, sometimes doesn’t.
Every time you have an encounter with someone who’s difficult for you to love,
remember:
Here’s my chance to learn from Jesus how to live in his kingdom. Here’s my chance to be
with Jesus in the stuff of everyday life.
Every day, woven into the fabric of our activities and relationships, are choices to be with
Jesus or to attempt life on our own.
Every day we face choices to go into the attic where the treasure is, or to go through that
day missing the richness of life found in the choice to be with Jesus.
Moses once prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, so that we may gain a heart of
wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
I pray that God would help us to wake up every morning and say, “Here’s my
opportunity…
To be with Jesus,
To learn from Jesus,
How to become like Jesus.
And treasure this day.”

god is closer than you think pt1

Week 1: The Promise
How many of you would like a closer relationship with God than you have right now?
(me too)
How many of you have ever thought that it seems as though God is distant or removed
from your situation? (me too)
How many of you would be willing to engage in a journey of discovery over the next
forty days that could set you on a course to grow closer to God and recognize his presence? (me
too!)
Over the next six Sundays we are embarking on a spiritual adventure. And I expect that
every single person who authentically engages in this endeavor will discover that …
God Is Closer Than You Think!
For some of us this will mean a course correction in our spiritual journey. Somewhere in
the past we started to spiritually drift away from the vibrant relationship with God that we once
knew.
For others it’s going to be a season of discovery. Maybe you’ve never been close to
God—but you’ve desperately wanted to have a relationship with him.
It could be that your relationship with God is perking along just fine. But because of your
closeness to God there is an inner drive to be even closer—for prayer to be more personal, for a
sharper awareness of his activity in and around you.
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey … the next six weeks are designed to bring us
even closer in our relationship with God.

I’m going to ask you to pray with me as we ask God’s blessing on our spiritual
expedition.
[PRAYER]
A woman at Willow Creek Community Church was telling John Ortberg about her threeand-
a-half-year-old daughter. This woman overheard the little girl talking to her sibling and
going over some ground rules for life.
“Obey God!” she said. “You must obey God! You gotta obey God! I want you to obey
God!”
After a moment’s pause, she said: “I’ll be God.”
I want to give you a chance to put yourself in God’s place for a moment.
Given all the pain and grief it caused him, why did God create the human race?
What’s he after? What’s his purpose in it all? In a sense—what does he want to get out of
it?
I’m going to tip my hand. Let me read you a recent quote from the best Christian
philosopher I know:
“The Bible is all about life ‘with-God.’ It is about how God made this ‘with’ life possible
and will bring it to pass. The unity of the Bible is discovered in the development of life
with God as a reality on earth, centered in the person of Jesus.”
For example, let’s consider the very first relationship God had with any people.
God creates Adam in the garden of Eden.
I think most people picture it this way: Adam lived in the garden—and God lived
someplace else far away called heaven and occasionally came down to earth to visit. But it was
not that way.
You see, the Bible is real clear that God is omnipresent—he isn’t restricted to any
location.
So in the garden of Eden, God and Adam—in a sense—hung out together. When Adam
worked—God was right there.
When Adam named animals, God was right there. The Bible says that “whatever the man
called each living creature—that was its name.”
God would say: “Hey Adam, good name. You’re a good namer.”
When Eve was created, and Adam first saw her—God was right there.
Adam said: “God—nice job on the woman! I had no idea you could do that.”
Adam and God were—among other things—inseparable friends.
What Adam did—he did with God.
Where Adam went—he went with God.
Until Adam and Eve’s fateful decision to disobey God. A day some people call “the fall.”
After the fall, God comes to the garden to walk with Adam in the cool of the day.
Apparently, that was part of their routine together. They’d go for a walk.
But this time, Adam is not there. And God calls out: “Adam—where are you?”
There’s a rustling behind some shrubbery and a timid voice answered God: “I heard you
in the garden, and I was afraid. So I hid.”
God wanted to be with Adam. But Adam didn’t want to be with God.
And God’s heart breaks. But God does not give up.
You see, God’s great desire was to be with Adam. And even though the relationship had
been violated because of Adam and Eve’s choice—because of their sin—God continued to want
that relationship restored. God longed for the intimacy of their walks—of just hanging out
together.
So God worked with Adam’s descendants. And every once in a while one of them would
get it. For example, the Bible says of Enoch: “and Enoch walked with God.”
Later, the Bible says of Noah: “and Noah walked with God.”
God wasn’t being elusive or developing huge hoops for a person to jump through to be
with him. The simple truth of the matter is that most people didn’t want to be with him. Mostly
they hid.
But God kept wanting to be with people.
One day, it’s kind of like God said to the angels: “Now watch this. I’m going to start a
new people—called Israel. I’m going to teach them to be with me, so everyone will want to be
with me.”
And the Bible records a new pattern of relationships with God. Talking about a
grandfather, his son, and his grandson it says that “God was with Abraham. God was with Isaac.
God was with Jacob.”
And in those relationships, God would do surprising things to teach people about what it
meant for them to be with him.
Jacob had a son named Joseph for whom life didn’t work out well for a long time, but the
strangest thing kept happening.
Joseph was sold into slavery, but “the Lord was with Joseph” in slavery.
He was put in prison, but the text says: “but while Joseph was there in the prison, the
Lord was with him.”

Later on, when the people of Israel were led out of Egypt, the text says the Lord was in a
pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night—so the people would know he was with
them.
It’s like God just keeps saying:
• I want to be with you. I want to hang out with you.
• I’ll be with you in the garden.
• I’ll be with you in the flood.
• I’ll be with you in prison, in slavery, in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the Promised
Land—
• I just want to be with you.
Moses came to prize this “life-with-God” so much that once when Israel was in the
wilderness, God told them they could go on to the Promised Land.
“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from
here. How will anyone know that you are pleased … with your people unless you go with
us?’” (Exodus 33:15–16)
In other words: I’d rather live in the wilderness with you than in the Promised Land
without you.
Are you picking up on the great desire of God’s heart? On and on this theme goes, until
finally God wants to be with his people so badly he comes up with a really wild idea.
It’s like God says to the angels: “I can’t stand it anymore. I’m just going to go on down
there my own self.”
And the angels say: “You can’t do that. How are you gonna do that?”
And God says, “Watch this!”
He sneaks down. And in the middle of the night, he is born in a manger. He grows up in a
one-horse town. And then he gets a job pounding nails eight hours a day.
Do you remember the conversation the angel had with Joseph when he informed him
about Mary’s pregnancy? The angel said that Jesus would be called “Immanuel.”
Do you know what that means? It means: “God with us.” In fact, I believe a central theme
of the Bible could be called the “Immanuel Principle.” The Immanuel Principle is God’s
constant desire that we should be in every aspect a dwelling place for him.
At the end of his ministry Jesus confirmed this when he said: “Surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
When you asked Jesus to be your leader and forgiver, God sent his Spirit into your life to
always be with you. Your body really is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Think about it: you can be
Beth-el, the house of God.
It’s like God is saying: “I just want to be with you.”
God’s desire is so central that at the very end of the Bible—when God sets everything
right—the fulfillment of human existence is described in the same terms:
“Now the dwelling of God is with[ human beings], and he will live with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” ( Revelation 21:3)
God’s desire and plan leads all the way to eternity! Now, let’s get specific and talk about
what this means for us today—and this week.
When the Bible says “the Lord was with Joseph,” what exactly did that look like? How
do we experience that?
God can use an infinite variety of ways to express his presence: creation, other people,
Scripture, teaching, art, solitude, world events, even the joy of eating a greggs doughnut!

But the place where we always must record these expressions of his presence is in our minds and
our thoughts and feelings.
My part is to learn to continually focus my attention on God. I think about him, talk to
him, ask for his help, tell him my plans, pour out my heart; I complain about my problems; I give
thanks for what makes me happy.
So this week, start here. When you’re at work and you sense anxiety or worry—think
about the greatness of God. He’s big enough to take care of you through whatever is looming.
Talk to him.
When you’re faced with some kind of temptation—be up-front with him about the
temptation—he already knows what you’re facing. Ask for his help to show you the best route of
escape and then the courage to take it.
If you’re facing problems in your life—pour out your heart to him. He is waiting to hear
from you … let him know from your perspective how difficult or impossible it seems.
If you’re thankful or happy—tell him … and be specific.
Are you getting the idea? If I were going to boil down the practice of all spiritual life in a
single statement from Scripture, it would be this:
“I have set the LORD always before me.” (Psalm 16:8)
When I do that, there are certain thoughts that are characteristic of God that settle into my
soul. When these are present, there is a good chance that they are the result of God’s presence
with me. I want to walk through these signs of God’s presence so you can recognize them when
they come.
Start to set God always before you. One of the indicators of God’s presence is:
1. Reassurance
When God was talking to Joshua, just before Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised
Land, God reassured him of his presence and said:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the LORD
your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Somebody sent me a list of statements that are supposed to be actual quotes from
employee performance evaluations:
—I would not allow this employee to breed.
—This employee is not really so much of a has-been, but more of a definite won’t-be.
—He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle.
—This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
—He doesn’t have ulcers, but he’s a carrier.
—If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he’s the other one.
I mention this because for a lot of people, when they think about God, they think about
him primarily as a kind of divine performance evaluator. If you think about God in this way, you
will find yourself avoiding him in your mind. You won’t talk to him much.
Understand—in the history of the universe, God has never asked anyone to do something
by themselves.
Whatever God calls you to do, he calls you to do in partnership with him. And one of the
ways you will know God is present is when you experience his reassurance.
—Somebody rejects you, but in the midst of the pain the thought occurs to you: I am
loved by God.
—You face a challenge at work—maybe even losing your job—but in the middle of all
that anxiety an idea comes into your mind: I can handle this. This will not destroy me.
—You’re in transition. Facing a big change, not sure how it will work out, suddenly you
have this sense that you’re not alone.
—It hit a man named Paul in prison one day when he realized: “I can do this. I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.”
When those thoughts come into your mind—whether through Scripture that you know,
through a book or tape, through another person—be open to the possibility that this is not a
random occurrence.
This is “God-with-you.” This is the “Immanuel Principle” at work.
A second sign of God’s presence with you is his …
2. Guidance
The psalmist wrote: “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me, even at night my heart
instructs me.” (Psalm 16:7)
Sometimes guidance will come to you:
—You’re in a store, there’s a clerk behind a counter that everyone treats like a machine,
and you get a sudden inclination to look her in the eye, to say an inner prayer of blessing.
—You’re stumped at work and all of a sudden an idea breaks through that is just what
you need.
—You’re feeling distant from your child, all of a sudden an opportunity to build a bridge,
reconnect is just dumped in your lap.
—You’re about to say something stupid/self-promotional/damage-inflicting when a still,
small voice in your head whispers, “Shut … up.”
Remember the Immanuel Principle and be open to the possibility that God is doing what
he said he would do. He is with you. He is reassuring you. He is guiding you.
The third sign of God’s presence with you may not feel like he is “for” you. But it is one
of the greatest expressions of his love and desire to be with you and that is …
3. Conviction
Jesus said that when the Spirit of God is present “he will convict the world of guilt in
regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8)
This is the hardest aspect of God’s presence.
The truth is: my desire for God can be pretty selective. Sometimes, I want God not to be
around.
An example of this is seen in children’s behavior when they’re doing something they
know they shouldn’t do.
two-and-a-halfyear-
old Larissa who was enjoying water in the backyard with “Nana.”
Nana gently counseled her to water the potted flowers, but she had just discovered mud
for the first time by pouring the water on a small patch of dirt. Nana told her not to put water on
the dirt because it makes mud and mud will “get everything dirty.”
Well, mud it was anyway, and the little girl even put the mud into a small tub of water
nearby, calling it “warm chocolate.”
Nana, who had been reading facing away from the action, soon discovered and cleaned
up what to her was a mess. Then Nana returned to her reading, but now she was seated so as to
be facing Larissa.
But the little girl soon resumed her “warm chocolate” routine, saying sweetly: “Don’t
look at me Nana. OK?”
Nana of course agreed (Nana was a little codependent) and continued her reading. Then
Larissa would make black mud, and put some of it in the tub. Then some more.
Three times she said as she continued her work, “Don’t look at me Nana. OK?”
The tender soul of a little child shows how necessary it is to us that we be unobserved in
our wrong. Most of the evil and darkness in our lives requires hiddeness to continue to exist.
The soul that chooses wrong runs from God.
The Scripture writer says that when the face of God will no longer be avoidable, the soul
will cry out in agony “to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of
him who sits on the throne.’” (Revelation 6:16).
You know, it may be that out of all the prayers that are ever spoken, the most common
one, the most quiet one, the one that we least acknowledge making, is simply this:
Don’t look at me, God.
It was the very first one spoken after Adam and Eve’s sin.
God came to walk in the garden, to be with the man and the woman, and asked: “Where
are you?”
“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, so I hid …”
Don’t look at me, God.
A businessman on the road checks into motel room late at night. He knows the kind of
movies that are available to him right there in the room.
No one will know. His wife won’t find out. His kids won’t see. (He knows the drill and
that hotels have a disclaimer, “The name of the movie you watch won’t be on your bill.”) Go
ahead. No one will know.
But first he has to say a little prayer: “Don’t look at me, God.”
[PAUSE]
A mom with an anger problem decides to berate her kids because she’s so frustrated,
because she will get a twisted rush of pleasure from inflicting pain—
But first she has to say a little prayer: “Don’t look at me, God.”
[PAUSE]
• An executive who’s going to pad an expense account
• An employee who is going to deliberately make a coworker look bad
• A Christ-follower who makes financial decisions that will keep him from tithing,
keep him from being the kind of steward he knows God wants him to be
• A student who looks at somebody else’s paper during an exam
• A longtime church attender who relishes the opportunity to pass judgment on
somebody else
• A couple who claims to follow God but refuses to give up sleeping together
• A participant in a bitter divorce who chooses to hang on to resentment and selfrighteousness
First you have to say a little prayer.
You don’t say it out loud, of course.
Probably don’t admit it even to yourself.
But it’s the choice your heart makes:
Don’t look at me, God.
Here’s a key question when you experience the sign of God’s presence through
conviction—will you at that moment stop?
Listen to God’s Spirit.

Be honest with God: “God—the truth is I don’t want you here right now. I want to do
what I want to do. But I’ll stop. I’m willing to surrender. I’d rather let go of my
anger/addiction/pride than let go of you.”
Spiritual growth, in a sense, is simply increasing our capacity to experience the presence
of God.
The fourth sign of God’s presence is…
4. Joy
The Bible says: “You have made me to know the path of life; you will fill me with joy in
your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Rate your joy-capacity on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “Some people actually mistake
me for a mannequin” and 10 being “You have to paint a frown on my face for it to exist.” What’s
your capacity for joy?
[PAUSE]
Jesus said to people who refused to follow him, refused to be with him—it’s like this:
“We played the flute for you—and you wouldn’t dance.”
Sometimes, when God is present with you, you’ll know because a little voice inside your
head will say: “Dance!” —Some of you will be in your car, driving away from the church service, music playing
that makes you happy—you will be singing and dancing and looking like a fool: that will
give you joy.
—Some of you will be driving next to someone who is singing and dancing and looking
like a fool—that will give you joy!
—Others of you will have put in intense effort at work and accomplished something
significant—it’ll be really good. You get a surge of satisfaction and that will give you
joy.
—Or you see a sunset, or a tree in a forest preserve, or the face of a friend you love—that
will give you joy.
—You will feel a rush of gratitude for no reason at all. Just the sheer goodness of being
alive. And you feel joy.
God’s great desire is to be with you! He has expressed it from cover to cover in the pages
of the Bible. He has gone to extreme lengths to be sure you know it. He is showing you signs
through every day of his presence.
This week … experience the reassurance … the guidance … the conviction … the joy of
his presence.
Let’s make a commitment together … that we’ll do everything in
our power to show up for a small group—even if it’s way outside our comfort zone.
That we won’t miss a Sunday if it’s at all within our ability to be here.
That we’ll be faithful to do our reading of the book.
And that we will stretch out our hand to grasp the hand that is reaching down to us from
heaven.
God is playing the flute for you.
You’re at the foot of Jacob’s ladder.
You’re living in “Beth-el,” the house of God.
God is closer than you think.