'Someone' Is There
The presence of God makes religion invulnerable to critical attack and gives believers strength and conviction.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound reality of God's presence in the lives of believers, illustrating how faith brings a tangible sense of encountering a real Person. He highlights that the Scriptures reflect this intimate relationship, where biblical figures conversed with God, experiencing His presence in a way that filled them with wonder. This conviction of God's presence was a source of strength for the early Christian church, enabling them to withstand criticism and doubt. Tozer asserts that true worship of the present God fortifies believers against the challenges posed by unbelief. Ultimately, the awareness of 'Someone' being there transforms religion into a powerful, invulnerable experience.
Text
Wherever faith has proved itself to be real, it has inevitably had upon it a sense of the "present" God. The holy Scriptures possess in marked degree this feeling of actual encounter with a real Person. The men and women of the Bible talked with God. They spoke to Him and heard Him speak in words they could understand. With Him they held person-to-person converse, and a sense of shining reality is upon their words and deeds. This sense of "Someone there" filled the members of the early Christian church with abiding wonder. The solemn delight which those early disciples knew sprang straight from the conviction that there was One in the midst of them-they were in the very Presence of God!
This sense of "Someone" there makes religion invulnerable to critical attack.
It secures the mind against collapse under the battering of the enemy. Those who worship the God who is present may ignore the objection of unbelieving men!
Sermon Outline
- The Reality of God's Presence
- The Early Christian Church Experienced God's Presence
- The Security of God's Presence
- Religion is invulnerable to critical attack when God is present
- Those who worship God can ignore unbelieving men's objections
Key Quotes
“The holy Scriptures possess in marked degree this feeling of actual encounter with a real Person.” — A.W. Tozer
“This sense of 'Someone there' filled the members of the early Christian church with abiding wonder.” — A.W. Tozer
“Those who worship the God who is present may ignore the objection of unbelieving men!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- You can experience God's presence by reading the Bible and interacting with Him in prayer and worship.
- A living relationship with God is invulnerable to critical attack, while a religion can be shaken by objections from unbelieving men.
- You can know that God is real by reading the Bible and seeing how the men and women of the Bible interacted with Him.