Communion With God

Genesis 15 and the Promise of Communion With God

Please take up your Bibles and turn to the book of Genesis in Chapter 15 going to read the first six verses of Genesis 15 Brethren this is God's holy and infallible Word. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield.

Your.

Exceedingly great reward. But Abram said Lord God, what will you give me seeing? I go childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. Then Abram said look you have given me no offspring. Indeed one born in my house is my heir.

And behold the word of the Lord came to him saying this one shall not be your heir. But one who will come from your own body Shall be your heir. Then he brought him outside and said look now toward heaven.

And count the stars if you are able to number them. And he said to him so shall your descendants be. And He believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. And the Lord be pleased with our study of his holy word, please pray with me now the Lord.

Nothing rivals communion with you. We were created for this very purpose. You have redeemed us for this end. Glorification all the glories of Heaven will be the perfect realization that we have communion with God.

Communion with you by virtue of our union with Christ. Impress this simple yet almost fathomless depth of significance of What it means to be in communion with God and we ask this in Jesus name. Amen, please be seated the title of the message today is communion with God and That phrase is going to be uttered dozens of times within the message.

So I hope if if one thing Stays with you today. It will be this notion of communion with God. Today I would like to answer four questions. This will form the structure of my message and this will help you as we're going along.

First What is communion with God? What is communion with God. Second How is communion with God broken? How is communion with God broken. Third how? and by whom is Communion with God restored. And finally what is required from you?

John Owen’s Definition of Communion With God

What is? communion with God. The preeminent English speaking and writing theologian has to be John Owen and He gives us a very Helpful workable definition that will help us consider the subject of communion with God.

Owen says our communion with God consisted in his communication of himself Unto us with our Returnal unto him of that which he requireth and accepteth. Flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have in him.

Communion with God is God giving himself to his people. This is only accomplished by virtue of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. If there be no union with the Lord Jesus Christ, there can be no communion with God.

The basis and Foundation of communion with God is this union with Christ? By God's grace Believers have been united unto him. Married to him who is the lover of your soul. He is your covenant King. And as in all unions There are mutual there is a mutual communication.

God gives himself to his people and they give themselves to him. He accepts our love Trust and obedience and faithfulness. These are pleasing in his sight in this most glorious of all unions. This where our maker is our husband he looks for and longs for the returns of Love.

I want you to look at the text that we started with today. This is an unusual message for me. And that is more of a topical message not a exposition. I Want you to see something and it's very important and it is going to be found throughout All that we consider today look again at the second half of verse 1 it says Do not be afraid Abram.

I.

Am your shield.

Your.

Exceedingly great reward that statement your exceedingly great reward. The greatest gift that God would give to Abraham or to any man would be himself. We love the benefits of being reconciled to God we love the forgiveness of sins.

Every pagan who doesn't believe in God wants to avoid the consequences of his sin. Everyone when posed with the question, do you love heaven or want to go to heaven or would you like to go to hell? Everyone would said if there is such a thing.

I'd like to go to heaven. Everybody believes those things. But few see the greatest treasure of this life in the life to come. Far exceeding without a rival is communion with God. Communion with God is the greatest gift the greatest reward that a person can enjoy and in fact It is the essence of our created state in Adam and we were created for this thing.

We have been redeemed for this thing. Glorification will be the full realization of this thing face-to-face communion with God. We're going to survey very briefly some important characters in Scripture.

And I'd like you not to turn with me to any of these but just to pay attention. First I want to consider Adam the first man. God formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a Living being that's found in Genesis 2 and it's it's an amazing thing children.

I want you to imagine That God was like a sculptor of clay. The dust of the ground and that word Adam means earth or dirt or clay and and he scoops up the dust of the ground and He builds the form of Adam but Adam is not animated and is not alive until God breathes into his nostrils and The clay sculpture is animated with life and in this Communication of himself to Adam God creates Adam and breathes life into him and Adam is now.

Made.

To have fellowship and communion with God. A few verses before that in Genesis 1. Certainly in controversial, but I believe an intra-trinitarian Discussion. Let us make man in our image. According to our likeness.

In theology, we call this the imago de the image of God. Man is distinguished from all of the other creatures. He was created for communion with God. That's what we were created for is communion with God.

And man in his created estate was Made to walk with God. It seems that God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day. And after Adam sinned a great breach enters in a breach with God.

The fellowship with God is broken. Walking with God is is different. And they don't want to draw near to God they're hiding in the bushes and the trees because of sin. Genesis 3 says they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

And Adam and his wife created for communion with God Hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees Of the garden. I've often wondered why the unbeliever Wants nothing to do with God or his worship for me as a believer.

It's inconceivable that I could draw a breath without God. But what the answer is here in the pages of Scripture our new fallen nature in Adam Causes us to flee from the presence of God. We don't want to be in the presence of God because we don't like his holiness.

Communion with God is no longer our highest aspiration. Communion with God is.

Uncomfortable.

Because of sin.

And that.

Startling narrative. The Lord calls out to Adam Whom he made from the dust of the ground and and breathed the supernatural life into him. He cries out and he asks him a rhetorical question because God knew where he was.

He says Adam, where are you? And all the scripture all the guys who are in favorable relationship With the Lord say here I am. Your servant is wait you Lord here. I am speak to me. Adam says oh the consequences of sin.

I heard your voice in the garden. And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. The Lord says have you eaten from the tree. And notice immediately Adams? Abdication of responsibility husbands.

Don't abdicate your responsibility. You love and cherish and protect and provide for your wife. Don't blame her for your problems. You're responsible. The man said the woman whom you gave to be with me.

She gave me of the tree and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman. What is this that you have done? And the woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate. If communion with God is the great ideal of our Primitive integrity in creation, then it follows that Satan doesn't want that for us and he enters in and he deceives and.

The woman.

Falls, but the greater fault was Adam himself. Into sin later in the chapter. It introduces something there's a promise. It's very big about Jesus and Genesis 3 15. You're all familiar with that. But there's something I want to make much of because it helps us transition into the next person and I'd like to consider.

It says in verse 21 also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. Adam has he's the dominionist over creation. He's the vice-regent of God. He is the one charged with managing the created order.

He's hiding from his maker in the bushes. The one who is created to commune with he hides from him. And God doesn't leave him in that state. He goes and rescues him and Clothes him with skins and children.

I don't know if you know this but Adam and Eve had a very warm and loving relationship with the animals of the garden and outside the garden. This is the first sacrifice for sin. God is going to kill the animals.

He's going to let out the blood. That there might be remission of sins. That there might be a covering for the guilt and shame of Adam and Eve. This premise leads us to the second person. I like us to consider today.

And that person is Abel. The rest of these are gonna go a bit quicker. Abel said in Genesis 4 we learn about Abel. That Abel is the second born son of Adam and Eve. Eve is longing for salvation. Hoping maybe Cain or even Abel would be the one who would be the Redeemer to save her and Adam from sin.

It says in verse 2 that Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a tiller of the ground. In the process of time it came to pass. That Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. It makes sense.

He works in the fields. He's a farmer. It makes sense that he would bring the fruit of the earth. But I believe that Abel and Cain were instructed by Adam. He recounted to them the story of his corruption and falling into sin and the need of a blood sacrifice.

So Abel takes on this responsibility. I'm going to be the keeper of sheep. And I don't believe it's just for lamb chops and wool. That Abel does this I believe the primary motivation. Is that he could make an acceptable offering for his sins and he could dwell in the presence of God with unbridled communion.

Abel brought the firstborn of his flock.

And the fat.

And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. But he did not respect Cain and his offering. We know how the tragic story ends. Cain would kill His brother Abel brethren at Abel In a very profound way sought the highest human end he longed for communion with God.

The story continues with a great figure Enoch. Enoch lived 65 years and begot Methuselah. That name should be familiar to you for a very old person. After he begot Methuselah Enoch walked with God 300 years.

And had sons and daughters. Now what's interesting here is I don't know why the structure of that sentence is that way. It could be just genealogy. But it sounds like something happened in the life of Enoch that transformed him around the time of the birth of Methuselah.

And that he would walk with God and communion with God in his presence for 300 years. And children this part is very exciting. And it says and Enoch walked with God and that didn't mean that he just Was casually interested in the Lord.

It says in Amos can two walk together unless they be agreed. Amos, excuse me Enoch Loved to be in the presence of God. Enoch's compelling life story is one of union with Christ communion with God. Hebrews 11 5 it said by faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found.

Enoch doesn't die. He's just taken up. God had taken him it says in Hebrews. For before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to him must believe that he is that he is a rewarder of those who Diligently seek him.

Enoch's walking with God is his communion with God. Because of his great love and desire for God God plucked him out of his earthly existence. And translated him to the heavenly realm. That he might have an even greater communion an eternal face-to-face communion with God.

Want to pause here because I want you to think about something as we continue. What are the what's the great compulsion of your life? Why are you getting out of bed in the morning? Is it the accumulation of wealth?

It's the building of your family. There's a lot of good things or maybe neutral things that could. Do you wake up every day longing for communion with God? These great saints it would seem that the preeminent thing of their life was communion with God.

All the other blessings and benefits came after that. I think that what we'd like from God is for him to Give us what we want. It's a natural man's Approach to God everybody wants to be healthy and wealthy.

The pagans want that. Do we desire the giver more than the gift? Enoch loved the giver more than the gifts more than the benefits. Compelling figure is Noah. I'm not gonna do every person in the Bible.

Don't be alarmed. Genesis chapter 6. Just want this simple idea to keep hitting us. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man Perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Read the story of Noah.

Noah is a preacher of righteousness and he's out by himself. Preaching righteousness and on a hundred-year arc building project. He is.

Maligned.

Made fun of. He is spat upon. No one respects Noah. But Noah walks with God. Noah's listening to one voice. He's listening to the voice of God. And he's walking in that righteousness. Well now our central figure at least in terms of our text Abraham.

Genesis 12 it says that Abraham was called. He was the Lord. Asks him to go out of his country. From his family and from his father's house to a land that I will show you.

The.

Lord appeared to Abram and said to your descendants. I will give this land. And we think about Abraham we think about extraordinary wealth and the giving of land and the future posterity, but. But we fail to appreciate the gift the biggest gift.

Is God made it possible for Abraham to commune with him? What's lost in the land promises the descendants? More numerous than the stars of the heavens that we read about is the greatest reward. It's as if God is saying to Abraham.

I am your God. Commune with me. I am your exceedingly great reward. This is the greatest gift given to Abraham and in fact the covenant promises to Abraham are entirely based on communion with God. The promise of a people a nation for the purpose of communing with God.

Abraham's natural descendants are the ones who are entrusted with this communion in the old covenant. They were given a place in Canaan that they might commune with God there. It's just not to make Abraham rich.

It's so that Abraham would be the father of the faithful and all of his descent see the covenant promises is the communion with God that Abraham enjoys is going to be given to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

And all who follow after him in this pattern of faith and believing in God and trusting him and having it accounted to them as righteousness. Abraham communes with God. So he's promised the descendant according to the flesh.

Jesus Christ the promised seed who comes to save. Brethren, why does Jesus come to save? That man might commune with God. Say we the biggest thing.

The the most.

Foundational thing to the gospel the most foundational thing to us as the created ones in the image of God the Foundation of all of this is lost on us because we think about all the benefits. I Would like to not go to hell.

I'm so thankful for Jesus. But does our soul love the one who slays the dragon and and enables us to be set free from His grip. It's a very different thing. No one wants to go to hell but how many Want none but Christ.

Abraham would be an example for The Gentiles in faith. It's Jesus. The Lord says to him in Genesis 17 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be blameless and I will make my covenant between me and you and Will multiply you exceedingly my covenant is with you.

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you in their generations For an everlasting covenant To be God to you and to your descendants after you. God is so communing with Abraham that He consults with him and tells him about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

And the Lord said Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? We read the scriptures and God is Contemplating in this very way. And in the scripture saying I need probably need to tell Abraham the one whom I am in Communion with what I'm about to do in the destruction and judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham.

Commune with God and loved him so much that he was willing to offer his son Isaac the long-promised heir.

And.

God says because you have not withheld your son Isaac the promised one. I know That you love me. I. Because you obeyed my voice. Want you to listen to this because we we hear the story and we miss the simplest phrase.

I'm going to combine Isaac Jacob and Joseph and this one for the purpose of illustration. And I want you to focus again on the idea of communion with God. Listen, this is from Genesis 39.

Now.

Joseph had been taken down to Egypt and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh captain of the guard an Egyptian Brought bought him from the Ishmaelites. Who had taken him there? Verse 2. The Lord was with Joseph.

We read over that. And we want to get on to the part where God makes him the prime minister of Egypt. God makes him the prime minister of Egypt and makes him the salvation of his family who sells him into slavery is because The Lord was with Joseph.

The Lord communed with Joseph. We want to go on to the secrets to his success. This is what we need to give more attention to think about how you would blow past that statement. The Lord was with Joseph Jacob when he blessed Joseph and his son says this this is all about Covenant communion with God.

God before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac walked. The God who fed me all my life long to this day. The angel who has redeemed me from evil. Bless the lads. Referring to Joseph's sons. Let my name be named upon them the name that represents communion with God.

I want that to go on into perpetuity. And my grandsons and the name of my father's that continues Abraham and Isaac and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. The blessing was asking God to Commune with his people with his descendants.

Moses and the Tabernacle of Meeting

I've only got one scripture. I'd like to turn with you having term when we please turn to Exodus chapter 33. Thank you for your patience. But when communion with God is your all-in-all we can sit here all day.

Do this. Genesis Exodus 33. These words are utterly astounding. Again, the singular thought is communion with God for us. The Lord said to Moses depart and go up from here you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt to the land which I Swore to Abraham Isaac and Jacob saying to your descendants.

I will give it. It's not just to make him rich so that he might commune with them. And I will send my angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. For I will not go up in your midst Lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff-necked people. The the idea of communion with God is in jeopardy because of their sin.

Verse 5 says for the Lord said to Moses say to the children of Israel You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore take off your ornaments that I know what to do.

So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.

So it was when Moses went out of the tabernacle that all the people rose and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass when Moses entered the tabernacle that the pillar of cloud descended and Stood at the door of the tabernacle and here it is and the Lord talked with Moses.

All the people saw the pillar of cloud Standing at the tabernacle door and all the people rose and worshipped each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend.

Skipping down to verse 12 Moses said to the Lord see you say to me bring up this people. But you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said I know you by name and you have also found grace in my sight.

I want you to pay very close attention to this. Now therefore I pray if I found grace in your sight. Show me your way. That I may know you and I might find grace in your sight. And consider that this nation is your people.

Moses Likes the idea of deliverance from Egypt. He likes the idea of the forgiveness of sins and the sacrificial system being put in place. But it seems that the key thing for Moses is that he would know God.

This is the treasure of Moses. And he says to him if your presence does not go with us. Do not bring us up from here. If there be no communion with you we can't go up free from here. For how then will be known That your people and I have found grace in your sight.

Except you go with us. Something very interesting. I'm not gonna have you turn there in Psalm 103. In verse 7 I Love Psalm 103 and I did I forgot about this. It says he made known his ways to Moses. His acts to the children of Israel.

I think there's a distinction being made. Everybody wants salvation. Everybody wants blessing, but how many want to know me God says? Moses wanted to know God's ways. Communion with God drives Moses to know God more intimately longing To see his glory.

Union With Christ, the Incarnation, and the Church

Well, I'm gonna skip David because of time and wrap us up here in our definition from John Owen this communion with God is only Possible by virtue of union with Christ but but I sincerely have to ask the question of the people of God whom I know and love and Those of you who are guests today.

Is communion with God the priority. The great people of the faith as Zach prayed about the list of people in Hebrews 11, they're all characterized by this. This is the thing communion with God. Is that true for you.

Christ has come in the incarnation. And if you know anything about this subject of communion with God the only possible way that sinful man Can be reconciled to a holy God is through a mediator and we have a perfect mediator.

Who is Christ Jesus the Lord. He is both God and man in one person. His high priestly prayer in John 17. He said I do not pray for these alone. But for those who will believe in me through their word that they all may be one.

With us.

The forgiveness of sins.

That the.

Reconciling to God is brought to its teleological end. That the people of God might be one with God. That's the purpose of all of this. Created for it Redeemed for it died for it. Salvation is for it.

Glorification is for this end. So we possess it now. Why do we not esteem and treasure this notion of communion with God? He says and as you father are in me think of the perfection of that union between the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit that they Also may be one in.

Us.

Communion with God first. 24 father I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am that they may behold your glory. Back in John 14. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him.

Listen. It's everywhere in the scripture and we will come to him and make our home with him. Maybe your life feels a little disordered. Maybe you feel something's not right. It may be that you don't have communion with God or if you are a Christian who has communion with God.

Maybe you've neglected this entirely. That would be source of a lot of strife. I believe in your life. About the church. You're no longer strangers and fellow citizens and members of the household of God built on the Apostles and prophets.

Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together. Grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you are also being built together for what a Dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

This is the end of it all. Created for it redeemed for it. It's what heaven is. Is communion in the presence of God our glorified state the perfection of our communion with God. Last text we started in Genesis.

We hit a lot of other places is Revelation 21 and this will be our conclusion the future. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.

Then I John saw the Holy City our call to worship was you have come to Mount Zion. We started today with that. John sees the Holy City the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying behold the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them and he shall be.

They shall be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. This is one of the grandest and loftiest ideas and all of the scripture. And if you be in Christ, this is your present possession.

Repentance, Treasureing the Giver, and the Lord’s Supper

A couple words of application will close here if You have no desire for communion with God. I'd have to say you're still in your sins and you're hiding in the trees. You don't even know it. You don't want to be in the presence of God because of his holiness and your unrighteousness and you.

Subconsciously, you don't even know it. You were created for communion with him and the breach of sin has broken and if you don't have that today. Come out of the trees. The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are at work and drawing sinners out of the trees.

That they might commune with him if you're a Christian you need to repent today because you have Really wanted the gifts more than the giver all the things that we care about. My wife gives me many blessings and good gifts, but I'd better love her for her.

Most.

Is that right? We better love God for who he is all of this stuff of salvation is that we could have unbroken fellowship with him. We need to repent of our hard-heartedness in our transactional way. We're like a Wicked nephew who only calls his uncle when he wants money.

May God help us to esteem communion with him and may we as a church Go out into the streets and share the good news. That Jesus likes to take profane sinners. And to clean them up and wash them and make them a resplendent beautiful full of glory bride.

Was laughing recently one of my kids was talking about a teenage awkward phase. I Thought that was funny. Parents don't ever notice the awkward teenage phase of their kids because they love them so much.

The church, maybe it has it's in an awkward phase. It doesn't look very righteous and pure but but God loves us so much and Christ loves us so much. He sees past that and sees a glorious unspotted wrinkle-free glorious bride glorious church.

Because he loves us so much. Let us continue our communion with God with The Lord's Supper in just a moment, please pray with me. Oh Lord. This is the chief business of man. We were created for this you redeem us for this help us to come out of the trees and Find in you a welcoming Savior.

Well willing to forgive and to restore. Oh Lord help us to long for this communion with you like these saints of old. And we ask that we would possess this in an ever-increasing way until The day it is perfected in glory and we ask all these things In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.