Gen 3(8) They heard the * sound of the LORD God * walking in the garden in the * cool of the day, …and the man and his wife hid themselves from the * presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. *Sound- kōle- voice, sound, noise *Walking- hä·lak'- to go, walk, come *Cool- rü'·akh -wind, breath, mind, spirit *Presence- pä-nēm- to be “before” or to the “face” of something (I. E. before the face of God) Pä·nä' is the Root of Pä-nēm to turn towards or away from

Premise: Presence is the reality of experiencing God as a real person, whose voice can be heard, whose movement is recognizable, and by the breath of His Spirit, His face can seen. We have the ability, through our free will, to turn towards or away from His face,(presence) which in turn effects and determines the relationship we have with Him. How we purposely respond to the influence of His presence will transform the quality and direction of our lives. To hide or not to hide.

Lev.10(1-3) Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective fire pans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be *honored.’” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent *kä·vad' from the root kä·vōde = I don't share my GLORY They had taken fire from another source, rather than the fire God had kindled.

**Context: The tabernacle has been completed. The congregation of Israel had gathered for the opening ceremonies. Lev 9:(23-24) And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. 24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Lev 10:(8 -9) The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations. They approached His presence with their personal cultural familiarity. It was at this point Nadab and Abihu offered their strange fire.

Application for "Presence" Today The Goal is never to create a system of activities that attempt to create or manipulate His presence. Our responsibility is to be aware of His “present” Presence and respond to it as a glorious realm outside our normal. Today we don’t have fear of being consumed with fire if we get it wrong, but we will forfeit the benefits of experiencing His Glory. The Bible declares that God inhabits the praise of His people, not our programs.

Exodus 33(13-22) Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?” 17 The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19a And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. 20b “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 22b I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

1. I have come to understand that there is a manifested presence. The Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is giving us an invitation and opportunity to communicate with them in ways that are not possible outside the present manifestation of “The Now presence.” 2. I must have God’s presence for my journey of faith because it opens up a portal for "His presence" to manifest "His reality" through me to the world. 3. I believe the intention of God’s manifested presence is to reveal His Glory, His personified Goodness, which can be, understood only through Jesus Christ. 4. The Transformational Convergence of the manifest Presence is our responsibility because God’s Sovereignty has created us to live in the tension of our free will and the consequences of those decisions. (Adam & Eve chose to hide.) 5. I perceive God’s manifest presence to be what we call conviction. His manifested “presence” protects us from the enemy’s deceptions. (“Lead us not into trials but deliver us from evil.”)

Jude 1(24-25) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.