The Word Works!: GOD LIVES IN US I

But what does it really mean for God to live in a man? King Solomon made such a profound statement: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (1 Kings 8:27). Another translation renders it this way: “Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn't large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I've built” (MSG). Cosmos actually stands for the universe, with regards to the whole of space and everything in it, including the earth, the planets and the stars. And the Bible says the cosmos isn’t enough to give God a breathing room? As the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh’s heart became hardened so he pursued them. The Egyptians gave chase and caught up with them where they had made camp by the sea – all Pharaoh's horse-drawn chariots and their riders, all his foot soldiers there at Pi Hahiroth opposite Baal Zephon.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them – Egyptians! Coming at them! They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. Moses said to the people: “Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you're never going to see them again. God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” While they wasted time God said to Moses, “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving.” Moses would have thought: “God, you see there’s such great ocean and you’re ordering me to tell your children to keep moving?” The Lord said to him again, “Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.” Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back.

He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split. The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud. The Egyptians said, “Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!” God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.” Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh's army that had chased after Israel into the sea.

Not one of them survived. But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and His servant Moses (Exodus 14). I know most of us are familiar with this story, but there’s a reason I chipped it in at this point. There’s nothing like, “I already know about this story,” or “I’ve read it several times.” You see, whenever we read the Scripture, there’s a fresh revelation we receive from the Spirit of God. The Scripture is not always the same when we study it. Moses lifted up his rod, stretched his hand over the sea and something amazing transpired!

The Word says that a terrific east wind divided the sea. But the question is, “Where from this wind?” The perfect place to get the answer to this question is from the Word: “And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea” (Exodus 15:8). A blast from God’s nostrils divided the mighty red sea? Papa God is big! The Psalmist reveals a part of Him “…the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger. Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angel, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.

The brilliance of his presence broke through the clouds, raining down hail and burning coals. The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High gave a mighty shout. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at your command, O LORD, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare” (Psalm 18:7-15, NLT). The earth is the resting place for God’s feet (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49). I’m not saying this to scare you. God really loves us, and wouldn’t want to do anything to harm us. If David had such a revelation of God, then it was absolutely one of the secrets to his boldness. Read through the psalms and you’ll see some of the remarkable statements he made. I love one of his confessions: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

“When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (Psalm 27:1-3). Do you think he said this because he had to say it? He had the audacity to make such a confession because he had a revelation knowledge of God. This is why he could confront Goliath of Gath and defeat him, even when the whole army of Israel feared him greatly. Before David confronted Goliath, Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armour. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armour. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, “I can't even move with all this stuff on me. I'm not used to this.” And he took it all off. Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.

As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one look down on him and sneered – a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed. The Philistine ridiculed David. “Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” And he cursed him by his gods. “Come on,” said the Philistine. “I'll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.” David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel.

“And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God – He's handing you to us on a platter!” That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. He reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt. That's how David beat the Philistine – with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David! (1 Samuel 17). Here was a fully armoured giant coming to fight David. David said, “I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies…” What was so special about this man? He had such a strong faith in God. No wonder the Lord testified of him, saying, “…I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart…” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

Ah, what a joy, for God to make such statement about a man. Let’s take a look at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the princes, prefects, governors, advisers, counsellors, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. When all these officials had arrived and were standing before the image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king's command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. “But there are some Jews – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They have defied your Majesty by refusing to serve your gods or to worship the gold statue you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought before him.

When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. What god will be able to rescue you from my power then?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully clothed. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in! So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell down into the roaring flames. But suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes,” they said, “we did indeed, Your Majesty.”

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire. They aren't even hurt by the flames! And the fourth looks like a Son of God!” Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the princes, prefects, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke! Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king's command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God

“Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be crushed into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this! Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego declared that they did not need to defend themselves before Nebuchadnezzar. When Jesus was delivered to Pilate, he told Jesus that he had power to pardon Him and the power to crucify Him. But Jesus said, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:11). Hallelujah! You’ve got to learn to be bold in God no matter what – that’s what I call stubborn faith! The faith that remains unperturbed no matter the circumstances.

Nebuchadnezzar saw four men in the fire instead of three, and he testified that the fourth person looked like the Son of God. The Bible declares: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus is God! (See also John 10:30; John 14:9). He was the One with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Listen, if Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not burn because the Son of God was with them, how much more you that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit indwells? People can always complain about life, but not you.