In the first day of Creation God spoke and things that didn't exist materialized out of nowhere. We already studied how Scientists have developed the "String Theory" that says that we actually have more than 3 dimensions and that vibrating strings at a sub-microscopic level produce vibrating waves of energy that pull energy from at least 11 different dimensions to produce quarks, protons, atoms and all the particles that constitute the smallest particles of matter.
However atheist Scientists say that the Bible as an impossible premise because unlike with Star Wars movies in real world conditions sound doesn't propagate in the absence of a propagating environment.
In our world, in order to produce sound you need to have an amount of air vibrating. Sound needs a medium through which to travel. Up to recent times Science said that sound couldn't propagate in a vacuum. Sound waves, unlike light, are essentially compression waves and the sound in order to move from one place to other needs molecules to compress and decompress against, hence the wave is transmitted. In a vacuum, there are no molecules, hence no sound. However recent studies show that it is possible for sound to travel from one origin to a destination. A Research Centre of Finland, suggests that sound may be able to leap across a vacuum separating two objects made of piezoelectric crystals. We also don't really know where God was physically when he initiated the Creative process that is recorded in Genesis chapter one.
1. The Heavenly Places
Today I want to talk about these vibrations that produced sound but I would also like to go a little deeper and touch an aspect of human existence that we cannot explain easily and that we mention as "vibrations". I'm sure you know the song "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys and you've listen in popular vocabulary when someone says they had a "bad vibe". We all have an invisible "sixth sense" that is not possible to examine under Scientific eyes and that in Church terminology we call "The spirit" or the "heavenly places".
Ephesians 2:4-9 "4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and MADE US SIT TOGETHER in the HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS"
The only way to sit in these places is to be established in the grace of God. In the same passage above, it emphasizes that we have been saved by grace and not of your works. Through the finished work of Christ, we are seated. If we depend on ourselves, we will never be seated. Seating is to rest in His finished work.
Where are these heavenly places located? The heavenly places are not some sector of celestial geography. They are the centers at and from which Christ is already running His new creation. So Christians right now are "sitting with Him in the heavenly places," whether curled up in a chair at home, sitting behind the wheel, in a wheelchair, in a dentist's chair, or not sitting anywhere in particular. The accent is not on the posture or position—standing, sitting, and learning—but on the quality of life. "Heavenly" designates a life qualified by the Life that God gave us in Christ. This said the heavenly places as any place where the Lordship of Christ is in operation.
2. After sitting in the Heavenly places we can feel God's presence
When we try to measure time or weight or temperature or speed or any of a hundred other things, we normally rely on instrumentation. But we can try to tell the time by using our feelings, such as how hungry or tired we feel, and our senses, such as how light it seems, is crudely inaccurate compared to using an objective measure of a clock but we can tell what time by our feelings.
What if an airline pilot ignored the plane's instrumentation and decided to fly by his gut feeling? Spiritual matters are literally more important than life and death. All of eternity hinges on them. The stakes are far too high to dare rely on your feelings or circumstances to guess spiritual reality.
Sensations like 'feeling' the presence of God are so vague as to be virtually useless as a spiritual gauge. I know that I can "feel" God but many other people that love the Lord cannot have this spiritual sense. To base one's faith on such feelings would be a disaster for anyone. One's faith must be in the integrity of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21 "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit."
Ephesians 1:13 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
2 Corinthians 5:5 "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."
How can I "feel" the presence of God? This is something that happens when we receive His Holy Spirit. Being filled or baptized in the Spirit means that we opened ourselves to His presence and when we have full conscience of God's presence we can suddenly "feel" his presence. This has to be received as a gift from God.
I will call this today a "Good Vibration". When you are filled with His Spirit something unexplainable happens. You know that your life changed and that God is with you. This is the power of faith! There is an invisible way of knowing that God is present or that he is about to act, that a miracle is about to happen or that something dangerous is on our way. We start to receive these feelings that people in the world call "vibes" or "vibrations". The Holy Spirit is not a feeling, He is a person and we can have a sense of his presence! People that don't have God can also have Spiritual feelings.
3. You need to become Spiritual in order to understand these things
1Corinthians 2:14 (Aramaic Bible in English )"For a selfish man does not receive spiritual things, for they are madness to him, and he is not able to know, for they are known by The Spirit. (King James) But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The "Natural man" or the "Selfish man" that Scripture mentions is not talking about being "Christian" or "unbeliever" as many preachers wrongly teach. I can tell you that I know hundreds of so called Christians that are "natural" or "selfish" people.
So how do I become Spiritual?
The answer is very easy; you need to follow the footsteps of Jesus.
Matthew 16:24 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
Step 1 – You must desire to follow Him
Step 2 – You must turn away from your selfish way of life
Step 3 – You must take up your cross (God's will and purpose for your life)
Step 4 – You follow Him
There is a huge difference between believing God and following God. Many people that come to Church believe in God but they don't necessarily follow him.
The path of the cross is the path that Christ followed as detailed in this message and it involves putting GOD FIRST. This could also be thought of as the narrow way that leads to eternal life. This is not a path of ease, and following will require sacrifice and denial; trials and tribulations; suffering reproach; unpopularity; death to self; simplicity of life; patience; self control; righteousness; holiness and godliness. This path is narrow and there is no room for your views, just God's purposes. You may find that once you have decided to truly give your whole heart to God, others may not be willing to go along with you on this path. Some of these may be those that now make a profession of Christ or are very religious. Many will look at this path's rough terrain and prefer the well-beaten broad path of the world instead. There is no room on this narrow path for selfish or worldly things.
4. You need to Learn to Receive
Knowing what is available, how to receive it and what to do with it after you've got it in the natural realm is simple. We are taught that from an early age. When we wanted to eat we just asked for it. However, many of us do not know what is available spiritually, let alone how to receive it or what to do with it after we've received it. Receiving spiritual things is just as easy as receiving things in the natural realm when we know how. We need to learn how to properly receive the gifts that God has prepared for us.
The Word of God, which is God's Will, contains the resources for us to live a life that is more than abundant. We must obtain the keys to receiving the promises of God.
We must find out:
1. What's available – We need to know the Bible and His promises
2. How to receive it – There is a proper way to receive and to remain grateful
3. What to do with it after we've got it – We need to use God's gifts for the benefit of others
We will then be on the road to living a life that is more than abundant. How can we receive God's gifts?
James 1:17 (AMP) Every good gift and every perfect ( free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
God is called "The Father of Light". He is the Creator that said "let there be light". There is no change or variation in God our father, he has amazing gifts for each one of us. We cannot receive these gifts if we ignore him. We need to become Spiritual and put aside our selfish way of life.
1 Peter 4:10 (AMP) As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God's many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favor].
You cannot keep receiving without employing these gifts. The key to receive God's gifts is to understand that we are channels of blessing. We are His messengers! We are not the final recipients of the gifts. If we become selfish and fail to understand that there is something we should do on behalf of others the flow of blessing will stop.
Conclusion
We need to be Thankful to God and towards others.
Walking with God is about learning how to move in is GO(o)D Vibrations! You can go through life ignoring God or failing to receive great blessings that He has in store for you. Every good gift from above comes from the Father of light.
Next week we will learn have part 2 of this message and we will learn that God allows us to keep a good portion of His gifts but we need to give faithfully.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
God is ready to do something special in your life today! He is able to do immeasurably more than what you ask or that you can even imagine! Become the recipient of a GOD vibration. RECEIVE Him in your life today. RECEIVE his love and his power. RECEIVE God's gifts and bless others with the abundance of blessings he is willing to pour down in your life.
