Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Preferring His Presence Pt.2

Amen. Let's turn to II Timothy. We're going to continue talking about the presence of the Lord. Those of you who are back in town after a little bit of R&R, I trust that everybody had a good time and rest. A number of people are still out. When you have a three-week summer vacation slot to go in we have a lot of people leave town at one time but the year round school, I think, has definitely been something that's been a blessing for us and it's produced a lot of good fruit. As we've taken these last number of years most of us are now being able to adapt. I think it's been very productive. It does create a couple of different holes at this time when we all have to be gone at one time but other than that I think we've gotten some real good fruit out of it. Those that are away we're just going to continue to believe the Lord will bring everybody home safely, and those of you that haven’t gotten away yet, and are looking forward it, what thou doest, do quickly. School is coming, praise God, starting back July 5th so we'll be back in the saddle. You remember when we were kids and you had all summer vacation three months off? You can become retarded again in three months. So it's great with the year round school that the kids are able to just stay up on their academics and not a whole lot of time to get in trouble, and so it's a blessing.

II Timothy chapter 4, let's go ahead and look at verse 16. You remember of course what's taking place here-the apostle writing in his last epistles knowing that the Lord was going to be taking him home real soon. As he's sharing his heart in verse 7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." You know his heart being revealed to us here is something that I draw a lot of strength from in the great man of God's life. You see how much credit he put upon this race that we were in and that he had no assurance outside of the presence of God and the grace of God of finishing this. He made the comment that just blows my mind where he says, lest having preached to others I myself be cast away. Probably one of the greatest Christians that ever lived and this was a man that was concerned with finishing this course that so many of us take for granted we're going to finish. We need to realize the warfare that's at hand and what it was that gave the apostle this ability to stand and be invincible. When he talks about in verse 8 that there was laid up a crown of righteousness for him and that he says not to be only but unto all of them that love his appearing. We were talking about the coming of the Lord and the fact that he's going to appear to those that love His appearing, and going to appear to those that are looking for him. He's going to appear to those who have prepared for Him the Scripture says those that are able to be adorned in the white robes as chaste virgins without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The preparation for the Lord's coming was the subject we were talking about. And we said that preparation is not going to come through a legalist checklist but individually, partaking of the presence of God, and walking in His presence on a daily basis so that when He appears, I John says, we'll see Him as He is, and we'll be like Him, and every man that has this hope in Him will purify himself then even as He is pure.

So Paul says there was a crown laid up for me and for all those that love His appearing. Then he talks about, in verse 16, the pressures that he had been under and the trials. The course that he had been on was not without opposition. And feeling lonely, as you remember these epistles being written, and he's in the sewers of Rome the Mammartine Prison. You had no clothing and no food unless you had friends that would bring that to you. It wasn't the cushy prison life that's in our nation today. They didn't have prisoners that were demonstrating because they didn't get cable TV, and all of the different courses where they could come out with their degrees in college. This was a rat-infested sewer and the only food you got your friends brought you. And the cloak in all of that dampness was so desired by the apostle as he wrote to bring the cloak to him that he might be warmed, and then most importantly he says, and don't forget the parchments, the Word of God, the letters that would come and strengthen my life. In this time of trial he says, verse 16, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me; I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." People didn't want to identify with him. This could be death. They could find themselves in that same sewer. So many times people that we count on will let us down. But look at this, not withstanding the Lord stood with me. Jesus said I'll never leave you nor forsake you, amen? You know people will fail us that's all there is to it. It's going to be part of life, and we're going to fail others. There are times when we're just going to not be able to gather the courage necessary and we need to be compassionate, and we need to understand what's in man the weakness. But the thing I want to encourage you in this morning is this, regardless of whether men forsake you or not the Lord said I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will not leave you comfortless. Now that comfortless statement is made out of John 14. Turn over there for just a second into John 14 and let me show you something because this is really something that will strengthen your heart and cause you to realize the presence of the Lord is within us and the person of the Holy Spirit who was sent as the Comforter to bring to our remembrance all things that the Lord said.

So the indwelling Holy Spirit is the presence of God. John 14, verse 18 he says, "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live ye shall live also. At that day ye shall now that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and we will [look] manifest ourselves to him." We're talking about the presence of God. How does the presence of God manifest to you and I? In the Old Testament we know that the presence of God, of course, came in the shekinah Glory, that cloud that would appear over the Ark of the Covenant. Many other times that great presence of God would appear as it did on Sinai with the smoke and the billowing of the voice of God, and the lightening, and the thunder. But we read here in John 14 that the presence of God will manifest based upon the keeping of the commandments of God. If you want to know the presence of God, obey His Word. If you obey His Word, He will reveal himself to you. He will reveal himself through His Word. He will reveal himself in answered prayer. He will reveal himself in dreams and visions in a still small voice that's speaking within us; but the thing we have assurance of here in John 14 is this, if we'll keep the commandments of God He will manifest his presence to us. There's nothing like knowing the presence of God is there to bring peace, and strength, and encouragement to our lives.

As you think back on the presence of God, the great Shekinah. There are so many neat passages on the shekinah of God. One of my favorites, and I know that it's something that a lot of you enjoy reading but one of the favorites of course is when God is delivering the children out of Egypt, and they're traveling by that great cloud, and it was a pillar of fire at night, and it was a cloud in the day. Now what's that all about? The cloud of course, they're going through this wilderness through all of the heat, and this cloud that was there. I'm sure it was not only just a visible direction finder but this cloud was that that brought them shade, and not only lead their paths, but also provided for them a solace, and some shade, and some comfort. That pillar of fire by night that not only gave them illumination but possibly warmth, and was able to order their steps in the darkest hours. So we see that God's presence then is discernable as that that is His very present help in trouble. The presence of God is there to be able to strengthen us, and protect us, and comfort us, and it's there as our provision. That very cloud is there that brings water from the rock. That cloud is there and that pillar is there that when the enemies of Pharaoh or the demonic host that come and would war against us, the principalities and powers the Scripture says, that are going to be in conflict with us as we put upon ourselves the armor of God. He's not left us to stand alone. That Shekinah is there the Scripture says that will hold the enemies at bay when you and I prepare to cross our Red Sea. When it looks like Satan's just about to do you in man and there is no way that you're going to escape this trial, God's presence manifests, and Satan is held at bay by the glory of God. Cecil B. DeMille did a good job on that didn't he? You see the Ten Commandments and you see the chariots of Pharaoh trying to come and that pillar of fire that's there man swirling and the horses are reacting to this presence, and can't begin to come down upon God's children as Moses stands and holds that rod up and the waters congeal as the Scripture says, they stand in a heap, and the people of God go across on dry land. As they're crossing those three million strong crossing this Red Sea on dry land that glory cloud is holding the enemy at bay. The presence of God. How does that presence manifest? By obedience. By keeping His commandments.

How did the children of Israel find themselves in that situation? By obeying, by just going where God directed them. You want to know the presence of God? Be where God wants you to be. Have you allowed Him to direct your steps, your paths? Do you have the comfort of your heart right now that I'm where God wants me? All of the circumstances that have occurred in my life up to this very moment they haven't happened by chance. The Lord has ordered my steps. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. I'm not just talking about the good things. I'm talking about the trials, those things that bring pressure on us. It's God working in us to will and to do His good pleasure the Scripture says. So here we are in this place, and if we're here in obedience God is going to fight for us. Do you have any trials that you're facing this morning? God's here to fight for you if you can say, I'm here by obedience man I've kept the commandments of God, it's what's brought me to this place, and there doesn't seem to be any way out. Demons behind, the Red Sea before us, there's nowhere to go, we're sitting ducks. Huey, Louie, and Dewey, the three stooges. We're here and there's no hope for us. God's presence will always make a way of escape. His presence will manifest in the lion’s den in the presence of an angel who will shut the lion’s mouths on your behalf because you were there by obedience.

A lot of people are all bummed out about the decision by the Supreme Court. It's on Christian radio. How's this going to now conflict with the latest law in the state of Virginia that's going to give the moment of silence, the hallowed minute of silence? It reminds me of Maxwell Smart’s cone of silence where nothing gets done. The sacred cone of silence, that moment of silence to where some can speak to Allah and others to Buddha. Our native Indian friends can bring their little totem poles to class. The Hari Krishna's can play their tambourines in silence, and Christians can pray to their God. What a victory's been won. Prayer can now be spoken in public school as though it couldn't before. People can't stop Christians from praying. People can't stop us from practicing the presence of God, from communing with Him in our hearts and our minds whether we want to in silence or verbally articulate our praise and our worship to God. Nobody can stop you from praying. They can kill you if you do but they can't stop you from doing it. That's the heart that Daniel had, and he was willing to come into the presence of God and God's presence through prayer meant more than his very life, and when he honored the presence of God and was obedient that presence manifested and delivered him from the Lion’s den. You want to keep the presence of God out of your life? Look for the easy way out. Look for the carnal way of escape instead of the supernatural, instead of in obedience being willing to put yourself in a situation to where nothing can deliver you but the supernatural power of God. That's when the presence manifests. Now we'll see that it manifests in other areas also. It's going to manifest when we begin to move into the truest realm of worship and praise.

Over the years the last couple of decades-a lot of seminars you could go to all kinds of Charismatic seminars and then from the Charismatic it's actually even gone down into a lot of the fundamentalists, and they have praise and worship workshops, and many of our good fundamentalist friends have really picked up on spontaneous worship and praise, and it's become a big part of their lives. There's power there in worship. It brings the presence of God into focus. We begin to give Him the glory and the honor that's due His name. The Scripture says that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people. You want to bring God on the scene, just begin to worship Him, just begin to thank God for His goodness to you instead of always complaining, and saying, "God where are you?" Why don't you just in the midst of the circumstance you're in this morning just begin to worship Him and say, "Lord I thank you for all you've done in my life praise God." "I thank you I'm an unprofitable servant, everything I have is a blessing of God, I don't deserve any of this, and everything you've done I just want to say thank you, praise God." You want to bring the presence of God into your life? Begin to worship Him. Enter His gates with thanksgiving. Enter His courts with praise.

What are we talking about? We're talking about getting the focus off of ourselves and honoring God through our obedience and through our worship. Once we begin to obey it can bring some adverse circumstances. It can bring Pharaoh's armies down on you. In light of what we were talking about here in some of the Christians in the public schools that are having to face this issue. I've yet to hear on any Christian radio station any of the discussions on the Daniel principle. I have not heard one Christian ever in any of these discussions say, "You know what we need to do? We don't need to try to get an amendment passed, we don't need legislation, let's just tell our kids to go to school throw the windows open and pray like Daniel did. "Now we know that around the Nation there's been the gathering at the flagpoles and some young believers who were obedient. I think up in the Columbine area at that particular school some of those young people were involved in ministry like that. Isn't it interesting the consequences? Now what do we want to do? Because of the Columbine shootings we want to do away with the second amendment. How many of you know that it wasn't the fact that these boys had weapons? How many of you understand that it was the fact that kids were praying that caused this? The guns didn't cause it the prayer did and they want to kill you. Those same demonic powers are out there and they want to kill you. We've heard some of the testimonies, some of the heroic statements that were made by young believers, young men and women who were willing to make their stand for Jesus, and die in the midst of this thing. Are you ready? I want to tell you one thing, you're not going to be able to stand there with a kid holding a gun to your head and him ask you if you're a Christian, and willing to die for your faith if you're not willing to go pray at the flagpole. It starts at the flagpole. It starts with our public proclamation of the glory of God and the presence of God being the treasure of our heart. His presence is seen through obedience.

When Paul speaks here at the end of his course saying everyone else had forsaken me but the Lord stood with me. What's he saying? He's saying I want you to understand something, I'm very thankful for everybody that assisted me in ministry. I'm thankful for Timothy and I'm thankful for Titus, and Apaphrodites. But I want you to know something, what's caused me to finish this course is the awareness that God's standing with me. I never stand alone. The awareness of His presence beloved is what causes the panic to leave your heart when apparently that boat is sinking. The wind and the waves are roaring around us and you begin to question in your own heart-where's the Lord in this thing. And you look and He's sleeping in the back of the boat. And you go and you wake him up and you say, "Lord don't you care that we perish?" What an indictment against the Lord. You want to know something-they were perfectly safe in that boat as long as Jesus was there. They were just as safe when He was asleep as when He was standing on the bow saying, peace be still. What am I saying? You're not only safe when you're aware of God working even though it appears God's asleep you're still safe in His presence. He was there. It didn't appear He was doing anything but His presence is the source of our victory. We don't know the methods that God's going to employ to deliver us but as long as I know I'm on the same boat with Jesus I'm safe and I'm making it to the other side. Do you have that assurance this morning? Do you realize that His presence may not always be discernable? You may not always be aware of what He's doing at the moment but we have the victory because we have the presence.

So this Holy Spirit that dwells within us, are you listening to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you this morning? That's the presence of God. Now one thing we know that the Holy Spirit does or the presence of God does, the Holy Spirit comes to lead us into what? All truth. John 17, thy Word is what? Truth. So we realize that the presence is within the Word. If you're going to know the presence of God you're going to have to go and find out what the will of God is, and how God acts in given circumstances. What the Lord's wanting us to do at this particular juncture in our lives. There has to begin to be a preparation for this presence of God. A cleansing that takes place through the obedience factor.

Turn over to Leviticus for just a second let me show you something in the book of Leviticus that's interesting. Leviticus 22 as it pertains to the presence of God and our preparation for that presence. As we look at the presence, the shekinah of God, we have to understand that it operates within the principles of holiness, obedience, and pursuit. Draw nigh with a true heart and full assurance of faith, the Scripture tells us. What the apostles saying there is you're to draw with confidence knowing that God wants to reveal himself to you, and has made provision through Jesus. So the access to the presence of God has already been paid for. We can come boldly before the throne of God. Boldly to obtain the help in time of need. But that boldness comes through a preparation. Leviticus 22 we see that, "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel and that they profane not my holy name." Don't dirty up those things which have been hallowed unto me for I am the Lord verse 2 says. "Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallowed having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence; I am the LORD. What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he that; The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, [look at this next word it's a good word] unless he wash his flesh with water." Now we know that there was the laver that was in the tabernacle, the laver that they had to come to and wash. That laver of course was a symbol of what? The Word of God, the washing of water by the Word. But what's being spoken of here is this that even though we're priests and even though we have a right to access God's presence, He said as long as there's uncleanness in our life we can't approach the holy things of God. What have we done recently to prepare our lives for the presence of God? Is God wanting to come into this filthy environment that so many times we hold forth? Is God going to just join himself to your daily schedule and agenda or is there preparation that's to be made? The priest didn't just in lieu of their heritage as priests burst into the presence of God. There was an access, there was a washing at the laver. There was an offering that was to be made upon the altar of God.

All of these aspects of cleansing and repentance that were preparatory for entering into the tabernacle of God to where there was the shew bread, and to where there was the altar of incense, the praises, and the prayers of the people ascending to the nostrils of God. How many of us seem to think that we can even just come and pray without preparation? There needs to be times of acknowledging the Majesty of God, and the need of our own lives, and the repentance that's necessary in our hearts in preparation for coming into the presence of God. We take so lightly that presence and seem to think almost that we have a right and not realize that it's the privilege. And that that presence when pursued in proper order will not only provide hope, and peace, strength, and joy, but it's awareness overwhelms us of our own inadequacies and our need of relying on His majesty.

One of the great passages over in Kings, turn over in Kings chapter 8 for just a second. This is the time of the dedication of the temple of Solomon. In chapter 8 look over here at verse 10 they're making preparation in the temple. The Ark of the Lord is of course the place of God's presence. Verse 9 says, "There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD." What a time of refreshing this is. What a manifestation of the presence of God. It says that they couldn't even stand to minister. It's the fact that God said if you look upon me He said my presence, my glory, my majesty it will undo you, you'll die. But to be able to draw on the residual affects of that glory in fact causes strength beyond any imagination. Here they are building a place to honor the name of the Lord and His presence appears. Now think with me for just a second. What is it that we've tried to do by having prayer every night? Have we or have we not in doing this in our own lives-now we know that we're to pray without ceasing. You can pray on the job. You pray on the beltway it doesn't matter, but what have we done by trying to set aside a time of prayer on a daily basis here in our fellowship? The Scripture says when the tabernacle, the temple of God is built that place He says that I've chosen to put my name there. He said if you'll come there in faith I'll meet you at that place. That time of prayer that we've set up is a time when we've said, God, this is a place where we've chosen to meet you. God said if you'll make that kind of a dedication I'll meet you there, my presence will be there.

Do you come into this place expecting that visitation or is it just something that we come half hour early before service because that's just kind of the routine, we've always done it. We come up here every night around 7 o'clock because that's just what we do. It's been going on for x number of years now. Or do we understand that this is the place where God's chosen to put His name, not this building? This place of dedication that we say, I believe that God will manifest, He will appear, He will meet me here. When we begin to approach His presence that way He's going to show himself mighty, His glory will fill the house. Not this room necessarily. We're talking about the real temple. What's the temple of God? Our what? Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. How many of you would like to see the glory cloud just so fill this temple? That in many places we understand that people become undone they fall under the power of God, they fall as though they were dead. Then of course we know that people have mimicked that now. They go to the meetings and they want to fall down or have somebody push them down or whatever, and all that is just acting out what is a biblical principle that really happens. What the glory of God’s presence can do, you want me to tell you what the power of God's presence can do this very glory that's seen right here? It visibly manifested here in chapter 8. They could see it with their eyes. This cloud, they couldn't stand to minister, it would strike people as dumb-whatever else. But it's not always tangible. That glory manifested however one time in the garden of Gethsemane didn't it? They came and they appeared to arrest Jesus and when He stood up before them all of the army that was there to take Him away, the hosts of the temple, and they said, are you He that we seeketh? And He said I am. That great name that came forth on the back-side of the desert from that burning bush when Moses encountered God and wanted to know who it was that was sending him. What strength can I go in? What name will be given to me that I can go and represent you, and he said, I am that I am and that's my name, forever.

When Jesus stood up before those temple guards and said, I am, there's nothing recorded in the Scriptures that talks about a cloud or a pillar or any type of demonstration but we know what happens, don't we? It said the moment He spoke that, it said they all just fell over as though they were smitten dead. Can you imagine the look on their faces? They're the guys with all the weapons. They're the guys that are coming down there to lead to off man, and he's supposed to be the guy now that's going to be arrested, and become subordinate to them. He said you can't take my life I have to lay it down. He said you can't do anything that the Father doesn't give you power to do. Do you believe that Father's watching over your life to that magnitude? When the presence of God is what we're looking for who can be against us? What's anybody going to do to you that God doesn't allow done? You can't hurt me against the will of my Father. Are you He that we seek? I am. They all fall down under the power of God. You see I like that. All of this imitation junk that's been going on for these last couple of decades, what a joke. I got so tired of it when we used to hold our miracle rallies. Some of you were probably there that night. I was so tried of seeing people fake the power of God. We were in one of our miracle rallies, and before I would pray for anybody, because everybody I'd touch would fall down. I though what a bunch of nonsense. So I just lined everybody up in front of the orchestra pit in this big hall that we were meeting in. I put the prayer line right in front of the orchestra pit man, and I said let's see who falls now. I'd rather have one genuine visitation of God then a thousand counterfeits. But I've seen the real power of God. I've known it in my own life. I've been so overwhelmed by that power that I couldn't stand in His presence that as you're there in His presence time is lost. I mean you absolutely don't have any understanding of whether a minute went by or a day.

It's in His presence that there's fullness of joy and at His right hand there's the treasures of God evermore that we can imbibe into our spirit. But how do we acquire these things? There needs to be a setting apart of a place where you can commune with God. There has to be a preparation Priest and King. You know we love, so many of us in this generation to be able to say, we're a generation of Kings and Priests praise God. And that's what the new covenant has made us. But do you understand that Kings and Priests had responsibilities of honoring the Lord? Kings and Priests didn't have the right to set their own mode of worship or their own direction for the nation. They were representatives of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. How many of us are looking for the presence of God to come and bail us out of our own messes that we've set because we've taken control of our own lives? And how many of us are sitting here saying, Lord as a King and Priest I want to represent you properly, let your presence dictate our course. I'm not looking for your presence to come and endorse the course that I'm on, I'm looking for your presence to set the course. I want to see the Shekinah out before me and know that you're leading me into righteousness for your names sake. The glory of the Lord the apostle said, everybody else forsook me, and I thank God for everything they did but the Lord stood with me. Are you convinced this morning that the strength in your life is the presence of God and not those that are around you here holding you up? Oh I'm so thankful for brothers and sisters that counsel me and bring reproof into my life and instruction and I'm so thankful for those that pray, and intercede for me. I'm so thankful for those whose lives I've been able to emulate and following those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promise. All of those are biblical principles and we ought to thank God for every person in here who contributes to our positive Christian walk. But I want to tell you something, your confidence better be in the presence of God. Your confidence better be in knowing that that dwells within you that One who is the representative presence of God. The Holy Spirit’s presence in us that will cause you to stand when everybody else forsakes you.

Look back at chapter 21 of Leviticus we were just over there and we saw the need of the priests preparing themselves. But in chapter 21 there's a comment that's made here leading up-21 verse 22. Let's go up to verse, start at verse 13, we'll just jump in there just to show you what God's looking at in the priesthood. You can read this whole chapter. It's interesting concerning responsibilities of priests and that they're to be a separate people. They can only marry in purity a virgin. A widow or a divorced woman or profane, or a harlot they can't take for a wife, but only a virgin of his own people. So God's jealous here for the purity aspect of the priesthood. He goes down and he says in verse 18 that, "For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach; a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous. Or a man that is broken footed, or brokenhanded, Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or that his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire; he that a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of the God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy." He can eat, he can partake he's part of the priesthood. Whatever these blemishes may be of the consequences of whatever the source, it doesn't say that God won’t minister to him; it says he can’t minister to God. How many of us are content with God ministering to us? He does by His grace, doesn’t He? I mean constantly. We’re walking through this life and God is ministering to us because we’re His children. He’s blessing us, and He’s healing us, and he's providing us with all our food, and he's there to deliver us from our enemies and we are so absolutely content with God ministering to us. O beloved what great, great reward it is to purify ourselves, to be without blemish that we can enter and minister to God. "Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries; for I the LORD do sanctify them." Powerful passage of Scripture. Meditate on that this afternoon and ask yourself the question, am I content with God ministering to me or am I going to do something about preparing myself to minister to God?

Father we thank you for your Word this morning. As it's come forth, as the water to wash us and the presence of God is so available to us by faith that we wouldn't be caught up in all the ministry that you have for us. O what great testimonies of deliverance at the Red Sea. Is there a greater example in all of the Scriptures than the fourth man in the furnace, the presence that comes and delivers us from the fiery trials? Didn't we cast in three men bound and all the fire did was burn the shackles off and purify us? Because of your presence Jesus all the fiery trials of life do nothing but refine us. They don't destroy us because there's a fourth man. Those who are weak, faint, those who don't know your presence are wearied by the footmen, and stand no chance against the horses and chariots. But there's a remnant Lord that will purify their hearts to come into the holy of holies, who when they enter the Lion's dens and the fiery furnaces enter because of integrity, and enter because of obedience, and your presence is there to deliver them, and we expect nothing less. Help us to glorify you Lord in our obedience that you might show yourself mighty. Help us to not settle for priests who are being ministered to but priests that will minister and we'll give you the praise for it in Jesus name amen. Let's stand before the Lord this morning.

As Gary plays for us take just a moment now to being to minister to the Lord His presence. He inhabits the praises of His people. Do you have praise for Him this morning? Do you have something to say you're thankful for? Is there something in your heart right now about how big He is that you just have to speak, "Lord your mercies endure forever? You're great and greatly to be praised Lord. There's none like you. Your name is above every name, and your ways are past knowing. You're our God, you're our Father, you're our friend, and we delight in you, and we just want to thank you for your goodness Lord, and we thank you for the great presence that strengthens us. We stand before you as total debtors Lord. We stand before you dumb, unable to even begin to speak of your majesty and of your goodness. Our hearts are unable to express the thanksgiving Lord. We stand in awe of that love. So all we can say is thank you. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness. Thank you for your promises. Thank you for your presence. Lord even though your presence is sometimes discernable it's not always. If we can't see the cloud or the pillar if there's no angel apparent closing Lion's mouths or a fourth man we have your Word. We have your Word, the more sure word, and your presence is here, and we eat it and we're glad. Your presence is here. We can always open this Word and find you present, and your promises are sure to a thousand generations. We eat it and it becomes the joy and the rejoicing of our hearts. You're ever present. You stand by us and the world has no knowledge of it because you live in us by your Spirit, and you speak to us through your Word. And they can't understand this Word, it's foolishness to them but it's life to us. As you prepare us, Lord, to be that acceptable sanctuary that place where you've chosen to put your name. We run to it and the Scripture says we're safe." Are you through, this morning, trusting in your own strength? Are you through trying to be propped up by friends and others faith? Then let me encourage you to run into the temple of God this morning, and be strong and know His presence.

Let's sing it together. Lord, prepare me. Oh just bless Him as you sing it again. Lord, prepare me. Hallelujah! Offer up that thanksgiving now. Just rejoice in Him and offer up the praise that's due His name. Enter into His presence now in worship, and thanksgiving, and the great majesty of God. Make Him big in your praise. Boast in His greatness this morning. Honor Him as your only source and your only strength and hope of victory. Turn to Him this morning. Hallelujah! Lord, strengthen our hands to worship you. Strengthen our hands to serve you this morning, Lord. Lord, so many, this morning, standing unaware, thinking that somehow it's by their own strength, faith, efforts, character, gifts that they finish this course; but you and your presence alone is what causes that. As the great apostle said, I've finished the course because the Lord has stood with me. So often, when I was too weary to go on, He brought me that secret bread that no man knows anything about, and by His grace gave me the desire to eat of it, to do the will of my Father; and that's our heart’s desire this morning, Father, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "In His presence there's fullness of joy." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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