PROTECTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

SERMON STARTER

 

          Have you ever had an actual God Moment in your life? It was a time when He touched your heart and you touched His Heart. You might have wanted the God moment to last a long time, but the glow of that moment gradually faded. These God Moments are the real Gold we have in this life. Once His Shield is protecting you, nothing the enemy can hurl against you will succeed.

          The actual Gold in this life is currently $1,450 an ounce. For most of us it goes in one hand and out in another. Physical Gold is temporal and can be lost in an instant. However the Gold of God's Presence can last a lifetime, unless we decide to trade it for worthless bronze

          We are robbed of God's Presence today because of our deliberate sin and compromise. We keep up our outward appearances with busyness and looking good on the outside. The Gold of Relationship with God is replaced with the bronze of Ritual. We serve God on autopilot instead of real love. Bronze replaces gold.

          Rehoboam fell from owning the riches of his father Solomon to bribing the Egyptians with the riches inherited from his father, Solomon. The dynasty of David went from Gold to Bronze in just five years. 2 Chronicles 12:14. . .

 

14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

 

The lack of a personal relationship with God is a sure way to go from gold to bronze.    Pastor Phil   <><<

 

August 04, 2019 - Sheepfold Ministries

Pastor Phil Roland

 

PROTECTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

TRADING GOLD FOR BRONZE

1 Kings 8:10,11;  14:22-30;  10:16-17

 

“Protecting the Presence of God in your life is to be of the utmost priority.  Never allow anything: distractions, interruptions, bitterness, spiritual or physical pain to interfere with that priority.”                                 Pastor Phil  <><<

 

1 Kings 8:10,11 - THE GLORY OF THE LORD

1 Kings 15:22-30 - FIVE YEARS LATER

1 Kings 10:16,17 - WHAT WAS LOST = 200 Lg. Shields / 300 Sm.

300 Small shields = $33,600,000 - 200 large shields = $26,200,000

 

Large Shields= 15 Pounds = $336,000 / w/Gold at $1400 oz.

Small Shields = 5 Pounds = $112,000 each

 

GOLD = Pure - Doesn’t oxidize - Worth Great Value - $60 million today

BRONZE = Alloy of Zinc and Copper - Worth Much Less

Worldly Substitute - Looks good on the Outside/ False Inside - $1.28 lb.

 

Revelation 3:17-19
17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

 

Jereboam is King of the Northern Kingdom, Israel

Rehoboam is King of the Southern Kingdom, Judah

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

I. WORSHIP AND PRAYER ARE OUR TREASURES - Isaiah 45:3

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places. . .”

A. God Encounters are the Gold of our lives

          1. A God Encounter can happen in a church, but not always

          2. It can happen when your heart is tuned to Him

          3. This may happen in a secret place, known to you and God

          4. You may be talking to Him, singing to Him or simply listening

      B. People Encounters may be Gold on occasion

          1. You may sense God's Presence in contacts with people

          2. God Moments can happen anytime, anywhere

 

PROTECTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, cont. p. 2

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

II. THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR SHIELD - 2 Samuel 22:3

 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.

A. The Lord is my Gold Shield of His Presence around me - Ps. 91:11

        11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

               1. His shield protects from Satan's fiery darts -

                        "Thus says the Word of the Lord. . ."   "It is written. . ."

               2. His shield protects us from calamities           

          B. His shield is our glory and our strength - Psalm 3:3

                    3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up

              my head.

               1. David understood that personally

               2. Willful, deliberate sin leaves us w/o the Lord's shield

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

III. THE GOLD OF HOLINESS - Prov. 2:7

“He holds victory in store for the upright,

      he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. . .”

A. Two key words: Upright and Blameless

               1. Upright as Seen in the eyes of God and Man

               2. Blameless within the integrity of your own heart

          B. Holiness is Separateness

               1. Holiness is different from the world - Personal Purity

               2. Holiness is cleaving to the things of God

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

IV. THE GOLD OF THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD - Genesis 15:1

“After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.”

A. Gold in the God-Encounter of his Presence

               1. We tend to hoard this gold

               2. This gold is meant to be spent in self-less giving to others

          B. Great Protection in the Gold of His Presence

                1. Being loved by Him and loving Him in return

                2. We are enfolded in His Loving Presence

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

V. GOD’S FAVOR IS OUR SHIELD - Psalm 5:20

 “For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;

  you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

A. Seeking God's Favor is primary

               1. His Favor is our mantle. . .our covering

               2. There is Provision and Needs are met

 

PROTECTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, cont. p. 3

 

          B. Brass is seeking Him for Stuff

               1. Temporal Material is secondary

               2. His Smile / Favor is primary

 

In Protecting the Presence of God in our Lives. . .

VI. TRADING BRONZE FOR GOLD IS GOD’S PROMISE -

Isaiah 60:17

 “Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,  and silver in place of iron. . .”

A. God Promises a future day when the Curse is lifted

               1. God will reverse the Curse

               2. The wealth of this world will be used in God's service

          B. The glory of Solomon's Time will return

               1. A greater than Solomon will rule in the future

               2. Jesus Christ will rule the world from Jerusalem 1,000 years

               4. It's time to stop compromising and trading gold for brass

               5. Protect His Presence in You

 

 

                     

NO MORE TRADING GOLD FOR BRONZE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROTECTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

1 Kings 8:10-11 (NKJV)
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 14:22-30 (NKJV)
22 Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.
24 And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
25 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.
26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.
27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king's house.
28 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

1 Kings 10:16-17 (NKJV)
16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.