Where is God?

1. God has always desired to be near to His people.

2. In the Old Testament, God desired to dwell with the children of Israel.

1) In Exodus 29:45 God states as much, "And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God."

2) Leviticus 26:12 "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people."

3. In the New Testament as well God promises to dwell with His people.

1) John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

2) Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

4. It is one's poverty of spirit and penitence of heart which causes God to be with the saint.

1) Psalm 34:18 states, "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

2) Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

3) Psalm 145:18 pronounces "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth."

5. God is near the saint.

1. Proverbs 15:29 states, "The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous."

2. We must recognize that it is the sinner's own sins that separate him from God. Isaiah 59:1,2 "Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

3. God does not hear the prayer of the sinner.

1) 1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."

2) Psalm 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"

4. But this doesn't mean that God desires the sinner to be far from Him.

1) God desires the sinner to be near Him through faith and repentance.

2) God has given everything he can so that the sinner can be near Him. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

3) And God doesn't want the sinner to perish. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

5. So long as the sinner remains in his sins, God is far from the sinner.

1. The backslider is one who slacks off on doing God's will.

2. He fails to keep up with God's will for his life and slides back into sin.

3. The parable of the sower describes the backslider in Matthew 13:21-22.

1) The rocky soil – sun and persecutions.

2) The thorny soil – weeds and temptations.

3) The word of God does not continue to abide in these individuals.

4. Hebrews 6:4-8 speaks of those who have backslidden away from God. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned."

5. 2 Peter 2:20-22 also talks about the backslider. "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

6. God has left behind those who have backslidden and they need to catch up to God.

1. The innovator is one who seeks to go ahead of God.

1) 2 John 1:9 (ASV) "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son."

2) But we must not go beyond what is written. 1 Corinthians 4:6 "Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other."

2. The innovator thinks that he can do things better than God.

1) In that regard, he is like the Pharisee who created his own righteousness.

2) Romans 10:2, 3 "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

3) But Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

3. We need our righteousness to come from God, not man.

1) Romans 1:16,17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

2) Philippians 3:8,9 "Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith:"

1. To those who are God's people and are faithful to Him, God will stand next to them.

2. He said to Israel in Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

3. In Romans 8:31 Paul declared, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

4. And in Hebrews 13:5 we read "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

5. So long as we are faithful to God, He will be faithful to us. 1 Corinthians 1:9 states, "God is faithful."

6. And in Revelation 2:10 we read, "…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

1. God does not desire the death of the unrighteous. He says in Ezekiel 18:31,32 "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye."

2. God challenges the sinner saying, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." ( Isaiah 1:18-20).

3. Jesus invites the sinner as well. He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ( Matthew 11:28-30).

4. The church also invites the sinner to repent. Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely."