Adapted from a teaching by Merri Trifiro
Genesis 3:6-10 records the fall.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And 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. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
When man left God and fell away from Him, God did not abandon us. He has many ways of reaching out to us. He comes to us through every available door, through all five senses.
He comes to us through our hearing.
God called out to Abram, His voice was heard and by faith Abram obeyed. Genesis 12:1-3 reads,
“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God speaks and if we listen, we will hear and if we obey He will give us faith. Romans 10:16-18 says,
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
In Genesis 15:7-21 God cuts His covenant promise with Abraham.
“And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
God’s vowed Abraham the Promised Land, the descendants to fill it, and deliverance from the slavery of Egypt when He spoke. If we do not listen, we are missing out on hearing God, knowing Him and His promises.
God comes to us in our sight.
He appeared to Moses in the burning bush Exodus 3:2-6 records the event.
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
God led Moses to deliver His people (and so kept His covenant with Abraham), and He went before them, appearing to them supernaturally, as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day. He was seen night and day. He was visible to them (Exodus 13:17-21).
God now also spoke to Moses, but face to face. Moses could hear and see God. The first part of Exodus 33:11 reads,
“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
Obedience to God’s voice and following Him as He shows Himself to us leads to friendship, spending time with Him as a friend, seeing and hearing, sharing and listening. This is how we become close to God and know Him deeply. Numbers 12:8 describes that kind of kinship.
“With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
God wrote down the law and instructed Moses to read it to the people, that they might turn to God and worship Him only. But the people/Israelites continually rebelled and turned to other gods. We see God through reading His word, we hear Him through reading His word and listening to it being read. We learn from Him and so grow to know Him more.
God comes so that we can touch Him.
Jesus came in the flesh, born as one of us and dwelled among us, appearing as The Way as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 .
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel means God With Us. He was born as flesh and blood, tangible and real. John 20:24-29 says,
“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas had heard that Jesus was alive. When Jesus entered the room, Thomas saw Him, but it was by touching Him that He knew He was real and finally believed Jesus was the Christ.
But most of the Jewish people, having heard, seen and touched Him, and witnessed His many miracles, still did not receive Him, but slandered, scourged, and crucified Him. How many people today have heard His message, seen the evidence, and yet will not touch Him to test if He is real? John 5:43 states,
“I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.”
God comes as a sweet aroma.
The Spirit within us makes us makes us that sweet aroma as He calls to the lost. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says,
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”
He came in Resurrection power to dwell, not only among us but within us, that we would know the truth, living by faith, trusting in, serving Him, worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth as our Lord and coming King. We breathe Him in and breathe out, exuding His very essence, as One anointed with fragrant oil to become a witness and testimony. We are the aroma of Christ to God in order to declare His love, truth, mercy and grace and His offer of salvation and promise of justice!
Jesus comes as our Feast.
He calls us to freely experience Him to taste and to drink and to be fully satisfied.
Psalm 34:8 says,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Isaiah 55:1-2 reads,
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.”
We drink living and eternal water. John 4:14 says,
“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Love Feast. Matthew 26:26-28 tells us to eat and drink from Him.
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Soon comes our long awaited Bridegroom, who carries His Bride to the wedding and His banquet Feast, now, all made one in Him, we will live with Him in His very presence forever.
The Lord comes to us through all five senses so we can completely experience and know Him. We express Him through all five senses so others can experience and know Him too. We are sent onward, to follow Him that we would persevere faithfully, as His body, speaking with His voice (Words of truth), His mind, wisdom, and discernment and with His heart, (The Holy Spirit) that we would do His will. We even share in His suffering so that our garments would be washed white in His Blood and be prepared as His spotless, radiant Bride!
We are called, taught, equipped, nurtured, disciplined, provisioned, anointed and sent to bring His Good News and Call to repentance all who will come, waging war in the Spirit against the enemy of our souls; pushing him back and holding the line until He comes!
Genesis 3:6-10 records the fall.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And 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. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
When man left God and fell away from Him, God did not abandon us. He has many ways of reaching out to us. He comes to us through every available door, through all five senses.
He comes to us through our hearing.
God called out to Abram, His voice was heard and by faith Abram obeyed. Genesis 12:1-3 reads,
“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God speaks and if we listen, we will hear and if we obey He will give us faith. Romans 10:16-18 says,
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
In Genesis 15:7-21 God cuts His covenant promise with Abraham.
“And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
God’s vowed Abraham the Promised Land, the descendants to fill it, and deliverance from the slavery of Egypt when He spoke. If we do not listen, we are missing out on hearing God, knowing Him and His promises.
God comes to us in our sight.
He appeared to Moses in the burning bush Exodus 3:2-6 records the event.
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
God led Moses to deliver His people (and so kept His covenant with Abraham), and He went before them, appearing to them supernaturally, as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day. He was seen night and day. He was visible to them (Exodus 13:17-21).
God now also spoke to Moses, but face to face. Moses could hear and see God. The first part of Exodus 33:11 reads,
“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
Obedience to God’s voice and following Him as He shows Himself to us leads to friendship, spending time with Him as a friend, seeing and hearing, sharing and listening. This is how we become close to God and know Him deeply. Numbers 12:8 describes that kind of kinship.
“With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
God wrote down the law and instructed Moses to read it to the people, that they might turn to God and worship Him only. But the people/Israelites continually rebelled and turned to other gods. We see God through reading His word, we hear Him through reading His word and listening to it being read. We learn from Him and so grow to know Him more.
God comes so that we can touch Him.
Jesus came in the flesh, born as one of us and dwelled among us, appearing as The Way as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 .
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel means God With Us. He was born as flesh and blood, tangible and real. John 20:24-29 says,
“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas had heard that Jesus was alive. When Jesus entered the room, Thomas saw Him, but it was by touching Him that He knew He was real and finally believed Jesus was the Christ.
But most of the Jewish people, having heard, seen and touched Him, and witnessed His many miracles, still did not receive Him, but slandered, scourged, and crucified Him. How many people today have heard His message, seen the evidence, and yet will not touch Him to test if He is real? John 5:43 states,
“I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.”
God comes as a sweet aroma.
The Spirit within us makes us makes us that sweet aroma as He calls to the lost. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says,
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”
He came in Resurrection power to dwell, not only among us but within us, that we would know the truth, living by faith, trusting in, serving Him, worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth as our Lord and coming King. We breathe Him in and breathe out, exuding His very essence, as One anointed with fragrant oil to become a witness and testimony. We are the aroma of Christ to God in order to declare His love, truth, mercy and grace and His offer of salvation and promise of justice!
Jesus comes as our Feast.
He calls us to freely experience Him to taste and to drink and to be fully satisfied.
Psalm 34:8 says,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Isaiah 55:1-2 reads,
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.”
We drink living and eternal water. John 4:14 says,
“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Love Feast. Matthew 26:26-28 tells us to eat and drink from Him.
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Soon comes our long awaited Bridegroom, who carries His Bride to the wedding and His banquet Feast, now, all made one in Him, we will live with Him in His very presence forever.
The Lord comes to us through all five senses so we can completely experience and know Him. We express Him through all five senses so others can experience and know Him too. We are sent onward, to follow Him that we would persevere faithfully, as His body, speaking with His voice (Words of truth), His mind, wisdom, and discernment and with His heart, (The Holy Spirit) that we would do His will. We even share in His suffering so that our garments would be washed white in His Blood and be prepared as His spotless, radiant Bride!
We are called, taught, equipped, nurtured, disciplined, provisioned, anointed and sent to bring His Good News and Call to repentance all who will come, waging war in the Spirit against the enemy of our souls; pushing him back and holding the line until He comes!
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