Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Preferring His Presence Pt.3

Good opportunity this afternoon to prepare yourself to minister to the Lord and not just have Him ministering to us. I trust that message got into your hearts and that we can really understand that is the highest calling we can have—that preparation of ministry and worship. It brings us the strength, the peace of God that passes understanding. When you’re able to just enter in freely to the presence of God like in a worship service such as we just had and you’re at peace there and it brings that refreshing, then it really causes us to understand what that presence is all about.

Let’s turn to the book of Judges and we’re going to continue a little bit with our study on the presence of God and the benefits of entering into that praise. What is it that happens at a time like this evening when you’re in worship and the Scripture says that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, and as we’re worshiping He comes into our midst showing Himself mighty? What’s really happening inside you at a time like that? In Judges chapter 6, one of the familiar stories gives us a little bit of insight into that. Remember the oppression that the nation Israel was under? It was because of their sins that God was allowing the Midianites to affect their lives through bondage and through many of the different oppressions that were put on them. In the midst of all this, remember what put them into it—their sin. So what is it that’s going to bring us out? A lot of times people think, "What will bring us out of our sin is repentance." No, repentance is what begins to set you on the course of deliverance; but repentance doesn’t always deliver you. You’re going to find out that what delivers you is God coming back into the camp—the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord doesn’t always manifest instantly—I’m talking about tangible, discernible, manifest presence—at the moment of repentance. There are many times when we set course in our repentance, but that God will allow chastening or circumstances to continue before there is the discernible deliverance. It doesn’t mean He’s not there; however, we’re still not aware of His manifest presence in our life. Gideon experienced that.

In the sixth chapter of Judges, we find that the Scripture—in making reference to Israel and His desire to restore them—we find down in verse 12 it says, "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." We’ll take just a second. We all remember the story of Gideon and how he was anything but a warrior. This was an individual who, of course, was intimidated by the circumstances, fearful of the Midianites, concerned with his own hide, and crying out unto the Lord for deliverance; because verse 6 says, "And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord." Think about that for just a second. We find them here at this moment crying out. What does that phrase remind you of? Does it remind you a little bit of what was going on in Egypt when they were in the bondage there and under the whip of Pharaoh and they cried out to the Lord? It’s really encouraging to know that when our hearts are—I’m not talking about the first sign of adversity and we say, "Oh God, can you make life easier?" I’m talking about a people that are in bondage, broken, understanding that they’ve—as a people—rejected God, and the consequences of that rejection are on them. Because of that brokenness, they begin to cry, and God’s always faithful to come and deliver. Where are you tonight? Have you found yourself under burdens and the pressures and some of these different things to where you finally realize, "I have really put myself into a situation to where I’ve kept the presence of God from working in my life? Father, deliver us. Our sin has put us in this thing; our lack of honoring You has brought this on us. Whatever it takes, Father, to come out to Your glory, let it manifest." When that kind of a heart cries to God, you’re going to see deliverance begin to manifest itself.

They’re crying out and verse 7 says, "And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, That the Lord sent..." Not to start, an angel—that’s going to follow—a prophet, someone that would bring the Word of the Lord and bring an understanding of the sin that’s brought them into the dilemma. The Lord sent a prophet in answer to their prayers, and said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice." A couple of things were happening here. They were either in bondage many times because they would put too much credibility in the gods of their worth, and they would worship for their own gain—whether it was the privileges. Remember who these gods were. These were the gods that they prayed to that were being projected as gods of plenty, gods that would send great harvest and bounty and all of these different things that these pagan gods represented. He said, "Don’t be influenced by the world’s prosperity. But you go to those gods and they promote the industry, and they promote the lascivious living, and all of that type of a lifestyle. You gather unto them, and I’m going to have to judge you if you do that." He’s speaking here also of a fear because many of these gods were warrior gods—the gods of the mountains, you remember, and they were supposedly stronger than the gods of the valleys. There was always the debate as to whom the great strong god was. The Lord says, "They’re all gods that have been hewn out of men’s hands, and they’re dumb and they’re deaf. There’s only one living God and it’s your Father. Why would you fear these other gods? I’m bringing you into a land. They’re trying to intimidate you. If I’m for you; if My presence is for you, nobody can be against you." He said, "Why are you afraid of these gods?" You say, "The score says that they’ve whipped up on everybody they’ve come up against." But the Lord’s saying, "They’ve not come against My covenant. If I’m for you, nobody can be against you."

The Scripture says in verse 11, "And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, [it was on Oprah’s show] that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites." Remember that they were raiding the different villages, and they would wait. They would allow them, almost like slave labor, to harvest the wheat and they would thresh it and they would put all the grain that was there. Then they would come in and raid and take all of the bounty to themselves. Gideon is sitting here and he’s trying to get some of the grain put aside—knowing that these raiding parties were going to be coming, trying to hide it; and fearful of anything being done in the light. "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee." Now here’s a guy hiding out, and the spirit of God by the angel of the Lord appears and all of the circumstances are going to change in a moment. Get a hold of that. Your life circumstances will change in a moment with a visitation of God—the presence of the Lord. What keeps us going in faith is this: because these things are momentary, they’re instantaneous, you never know at what moment God is going to appear on the scene. That’s exciting. Whenever we’re moving in obedience to the Lord, we never know at what time He’s going to show Himself and peer over our shoulder and drive the enemies out from before us. The one thing that we do know is this: His Word is sure to a thousand generations. He said He’d never leave us nor forsake us. He said, "If I’m for you, nobody can be against you." He said, "There’s no weapon formed against us that can prosper." So we go into battle with that kind of an assurance, and we wait for that momentary visitation.

What is it that’s obvious to you in the Scriptures? God seems to delight in holding out to the very end, doesn’t He? What is this thing with God always waiting until the last minute? Have you ever tried to figure that out? Wouldn’t you really like to see the Lord come on the scene on the first step? What do you think the reasoning of our Father is in this? He wants us to grow, doesn’t He? He wants us, from all of the circumstances, to understand "How did I get in this situation? Am I at this time relying too much on my own strength? Are we giving too much credibility to the false gods?" It’s always a teaching, learning process in our lives, and God’s going to always let you complete the course. You don’t learn anything if you just get a token A in the beginning of the class. There has to be a process of proving ourselves. That’s what our lives are all about.

Here’s Gideon, the children of Israel, and the Lord appears to him. This is really kind of neat. "And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us [what’s with all the problems]?" "If we’re Your people, how come we’re getting the tar beat out of us in a way that is without debate? Every time they show up, the enemy apparently wins. If You’re for us, why is all this on us?" "And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." We’ve just come through a number of months here of instruction and a number of months back on the areas of divine healing. We’ve talked about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We’ve talked about the coming of the Lord, and the purification process—the holiness—that God expects of us prior to His coming. We heard a lot of stories about some of the past and—whether they be Biblical testimonies or some of our own personal testimonies—the great power of God. Yet this is not a unique question that Gideon is asking. Every person who has ever heard of the great deliverance of Israel; every believer who has read and seen the miraculous visitation of God on Mt. Carmel as the prophet stands and says, "Let the God that’s alive answer by fire," the great showdown on Carmel when all of the gods subordinated themselves. You read and study the deliverances that we talked about this morning of the Hebrew children and Daniel from the lion’s den. We come into the New Covenant and we see the great power of the Lord being transferred to the church. We understand the power of Peter’s ministry and his shadow falling upon the sick and them recovering, of Paul being able to speak. We see blind eyes opening and deaf ears, and the lame leaping as a hart, the dead being raised. Then we look at our own circumstances and we say, "God, if Your promises are real, why is that missing in our generation?" I want to tell you something: it has been missed in every generation until somebody would believe God for it. There’s a time when we have to understand that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is available right now for you and I to reach out and appropriate Him by faith; and that that presence that delivers, that presence that is immutable, that presence that is omnipotent is promised to you and me here this evening. There’s no reason why any one of us is to walk without it.

So, where is the presence tonight as it pertains to your daily walk? Is it that God is withholding it? Is it that He’s not able? Are we going to make the judgments that Gideon made, "We’ve heard all of these testimonies, but where are the miracles that we’ve heard about?" I want to tell you where they are: they’re right there within reach of your faith. They’re right there to be appropriated when you understand the love of God and His mercy. When you begin to understand the full course of what we’ve been called to do and your world, then, grows a little bit larger—your world view becomes the kingdom of God, and not your own personal blessings. When we stop seeking God for our own personal gain and we begin to seek the presence of God for His glory universal, where people can see that God is surely moving among us; when there’s an answer to the mockery of our day to when people stand and say, "Where is the sign of His coming? We’ve heard that He’s coming back. Where’s the indication? I’ve heard this all of my life and things haven’t changed." Things have changed. There’s a bride that’s being purified; there’s a church that’s holy and longing for and loving His appearing; there are a people that are being groomed to live in the miraculous.

Verse 14 says, "And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" Every major incident in our lives can be traced back to a visitation like this. We haven’t all had the privilege of Jesus appearing to us like Paul did on the road to Damascus. What a great thing that would be. How many of you would like to have something like that happen to you? Would you? I would; that would be cool. Just think about it. Here he is—we all know the story—he’s persecuting the church, and the presence of God—that shekinah glory that we were talking about this morning—manifests itself, the brightness of God’s presence. It knocks him off the beast and he’s lying there in the dust. He speaks and He says, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" "Who art thou, Lord?" "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (Acts 9:4-5) As the Lord begins to manifest Himself to the soon-to-be apostle, some thought it thundered. They weren’t clear on what was taking place. In the visitations of God, there are people who hear a lot of noise, but not any direction. "Go in this thy might… have not I sent thee?"

When have you heard the voice of God? When was the course made true? It could have been twenty years ago. I want you to understand something: you can still live off the assurance of that visitation, because what God has spoken to you will not return void. People get sidetracked by time: "Well, the Lord spoke and it hasn’t happened yet." I can remember when I was a young man and some things that God spoke to me, and I expected that it was going to happen in the next week. Twenty-five years later, the thing is still unfolding and the Word of the Lord being sure is still continuing to manifest itself. What has God spoken to you? Have you ever heard the voice of God? If you have, it will change your life. If you’ve ever had a real encounter with the living God, it will change your course. "Go in this thy might...have not I sent thee?"

I was dealing with some of the pastors just recently along some lines very similar to this. One of the fellowships has been having some trouble. That’s where I’ve been during all of the time prior to these meetings, both morning and night, dealing with some of these situations in some of the other fellowships. It always gets exciting when you’re having meetings for meetings between the meetings. It’s an interesting thing, the ability to be able to—and this is one of the things that I just really have always thanked the Lord for—that ability to be able to take and assimilate information from all kinds of directions simultaneously. I think it’s something that Father allows us to do, because you can’t ever—when it has to do with people’s lives and the kingdom—you can’t ever set one aside and say, "I’ll get to that later. I can only do this particular thing right now." There are times when you have to deal with many things at one time because they all have to do with kingdom issues, and His grace, His mercy, is sufficient. You find yourself in situations—whether it’s in Africa and things aren’t going the way that you had hoped they would go at this particular moment. Whether it’s ministries that are going forth in India and doors were apparently open, and then now they are closed and you begin to move into another course. Established ministries for periods of time and yet the enemy is opposing and you begin to have doubts. You doubt whether God has really sent you, and whether He’s moving in your midst. Men that have to contend with, "I don’t even know if God has called me. What am I doing out here?" Do you know our pastors go through those kinds of trials and ordeals in their lives?

I was sharing with some of the guys. I said, "In some of the areas that you’re sharing, I can’t relate to that. But the one thing I can relate to and the one thing that I’m so thankful for is this: as it pertains to the ministry here and what we’re doing at this juncture—I’m not going to go back into the whole testimony of how we got here. When you have a "road to Damascus" experience, when you have a "burning bush" experience, it really carries you through a lot of the dry times; because you know you were sent. You can’t doubt it. It was supernatural, based upon the miraculous." That’s what I’m trying to share with you this morning. Those things can’t be demanded or necessarily orchestrated by your desires. But can I share something with you? That visitation is available to you in direct proportion to God’s call on your life. Some here this evening need a visitation from God. You need to know that you’ve been sent.

When I’m talking about "being sent," I’m not talking about being sent to Africa, or being sent to India. I’m talking about being sent into the world to represent the kingdom of God; really understanding that we’ve been separated for the purpose of ministering in the kingdom of God; that there is an ordination by Jesus Himself, not of man, but an ordination of Jesus. "I have ordained you to go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit remain." Do you know the call of God on your life this evening? Have you experienced the visitation? Has your new birth been more than just a philosophical belief in the gospel? Has the power of the gospel really manifest? Has it gone off inside of you and you know that you’re a new creation and old things have passed away and that God has brought you out that He might bring you in to this life of sanctification? Or are you going just based upon what other people have said. "It appears to me to be something that can be believed out of the Scriptures." This Word is alive; it’s powerful.

Regeneration is not a philosophy; it’s a transformation. To be regenerated means to be renewed, to be re-created, to be infused with the life of God; no less than when that first man Adam was made and God then breathed into his nostrils and he became a living soul. Christianity is not a creed. Unless there has been something supernatural—a visitation of God in your life, the presence that changes you—then you can’t have the boldness of a Moses or a Gideon. You’re not able to stand against all of the world’s wiles and their philosophies, because you’re still part of them. You identify with them. The flesh is so easily swayed into that course because that’s what is real to you. Gideon is having this kind of a visitation and He says, "Look, you are to understand something: you are to go in the power of this thy might—I have sent you." The road to Damascus experiences, the burning bush experiences really lend some assurance, but we’re not all going to have that so don’t misunderstand. Not every one of us is going to have that great instantaneous euphoria.

I remember back when I was born again and the transformation in my own life. It was one of those things where, literally, the next morning the grass was greener, the sky was bluer, the birds sang better—it was great. I can still remember pulling up alongside the road there at Fresno State and walking across this one big practice field and just knowing that I was a child of God. "Last night I was a sinner, bound for a devil’s hell; and today I’m free from sin and Satan’s power and all of the demonic oppressions, and I’m a new creature!" That’s exciting! Then, following that—I’m talking about just days later—in one of the worship services just praising God and just like Gideon had experienced, the prophet of God in that service came and sought me out, just as this man was sought out by the angel of the Lord, and began to prophecy of God’s hand upon my life and what He was going to send us to do. I had a spirit like Gideon thinking, "There’s no way! Lord, you’ve got the wrong person. How can I do this?" Like Moses I said, "I can’t speak. The one thing I can’t do is get up in front of people. I’ll be happy to meet them all after church and fight them, but I can’t talk to them." The Lord says, "Go in this, the power of your might. Have not I sent you?" The prophet speaks and you say, "Lord, how can this be?" Then in the following service God fills me with the Holy Spirit. No, that’s not true. There was a teaching on the Holy Spirit and I can remember now the course of this. I remember going down to the front and praying and seeking God. I can remember—for I don’t know how long it was, it was well over an hour—just praising God and crying out to God for the baptism in the Holy Spirit; and never received the infilling. I totally destroyed a sport coat. I sweated through that thing and you could just wring it out—I just wrung it out and threw it away—trying to seek this presence and this power, and didn’t receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. In the next service a man came in. I was down there at a regular altar call. Traditional Pentecost, you know, somebody telling you, "Hang on, brother;" and somebody else telling you, "Turn loose, brother." You’re trying to hang on and turn loose at the same time, and seeking God, and just desiring the baptism, the presence of God.

The next service, a man taught on the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He went through the Scriptures in such a systematic way. I can remember that morning going down to the altar and just systematically understanding at that time the illumination of the fact that this was a gift of the Lord Jesus unto us, and that it was the token of His presence and the seal of the regeneration. By faith I can remember just reaching out and saying, "I believe that’s for me," and began to be filled with the spirit of God as He came forth as rivers of living water and began to pray in other tongues. Then I began to understand a little more and have a little more confidence in those prophecies that had gone forth just prior to that. I’m not going in my own strength; I’m going in the strength of this: that He sent me. Now He’s infilled me with His spirit that says, "I’ve given you power to be witnesses unto me." You can see the course of God and you understand that He’s working these things by His good pleasure. "Go in this thy might… have not I sent thee?" There isn’t anything we can do without His presence. If He sent you, He will always be present with you. He said, "Go, and I will confirm the words that you speak with signs following." He sent them, and then the Scripture says, "He went with them." "Go in this thy might… have not I sent thee?" His presence will always be there if you’ve gone in obedience to His word.

Let me move on here. I had eight points I wanted to deal with tonight and I’m almost through the first one. Let’s get going. The Scripture is speaking to us here and the Lord being with us, then, based upon the full scope as I said, to where we don’t have that tunnel vision and the world—the world that we’re to minister in—is much bigger than self. When we get our eyes on the kingdom and the eternal plans, God’s presence can begin to manifest. "And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house." (Judges 6:15) How many of you feel that way at times? If you don’t have that kind of a spirit, you’re not a candidate for the presence of God. Every great man of God knew who he was without the presence of God. "Who am I and who is my house?" David said. Didn’t the Lord say, "When you were small in your own eyes I could use you?" If God’s presence isn’t tangible, if you’re not aware of the presence of God then maybe you’re too big in your own eyes. Maybe you’ve begun to think a little more highly of yourself than you ought. Maybe you’re drawing a little too much on your forty years experience as a Christian, and not realizing that every day starts all over again of our need for His presence—to where we can say, "Lord, I’m only a child. I can’t speak." The great prophet Jeremiah. "Lord, I don’t know how to go out or come in." The wise man of Israel. What are you in your own eyes? What are you believing God for? "Who am I," Gideon said. "How in the world are you going to deliver the people through me? Poor family, and I’m the least." Wasn’t that Paul’s evaluation of himself—the chief of sinners, the least of all apostles? Paul never saw himself as the greatest apostle; he saw himself as the least of the apostles. When he was small in his own eyes, when he understood who he really was as a persecutor of the church and one who shed the blood of martyrs, he never saw himself as anything but a debtor. The presence of God was available to him in a way unparalleled, to bring us the great revelations that we hold in our presence tonight.

"Who am I?" The Lord basically answers in verse 16 and says, "You’re nobody, but I’ll be with you." The issue isn’t "who are you;" the issue is "who am I?" Do you want to know the presence of God? Settle the issue once and forever. It’s not who you are; it’s who He is. When He says, "I’ll be with you," that settles this thing. If you’re there representing the kingdom, you’re there for no other reason but to glorify God, He will manifest Himself.

"Show me a sign," he says. "Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee." The messenger said, "I’ll wait until you come back." Gideon went and prepared. "And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord [Verse 21] put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said [Verse 22] Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die." Do you want to know something? When you encounter God, it will undo you.

We’re going to go to Exodus, hopefully, in the study and talk about the glory of the Lord passing by, and Moses’ statement, "Lord, if I’ve found favor in your sight, show me your glory." Isn’t that an interesting statement that Moses would make in the midst of this journey that he was on? God had already appeared to him in the burning bush. He’d already known the anointing and the power of God with all of the miracles of Egypt. Here’s a guy saying, "Lord I really need some confirmation that you’re with me." How many of you would settle for one of the little confirmations that Moses had? You say, "I’d take any one of them." Do you understand that these great men of God, they had their doubts; they were discouraged; they were fearful? The thing that we all have to come to grips with is this: none of us are a Moses. We don’t need the experiences Moses had because we’re not going to be doing the things Moses did. But for the little, bitty thing God has called you to, maybe He’ll give you a glimpse—Hey! Look at that! [a quick sweeping motion with his hand]. That will get you through your whole life. One word. One visitation. I’m here to tell you tonight that one word from this book that jumps off of the pages into your spirit will carry you for a lifetime when you "Go in this, the power of your might: that I have sent you." Has God spoken to you or not? If He has, then go in the power of that. That one admonition will take you for a lifetime. You don’t have to have a visitation every day, every week, every month, every year; but He’s promised that He’s always present. He’s present in His omnipresent state. He’s present in His covenant state that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Take it to the bank; He’s with you tonight. It may not feel like it, but He’s with you tonight. Doesn’t feel like it? He’s with you tonight. Things are looking bad? He’s with you tonight. "I’ll never leave you nor forsake you." That’s a done deal.

Thank God for these manifestations. Most of us have more than one in a lifetime, but we despise so many of them. What about the times when you’re up here in prayer and all of a sudden that peace and assurance comes over you and you go, "Thank you, Lord." Do you despise the presence of God? That’s a visitation. Did you know that most of the world has never known that visitation and that presence? Do we despise it? "Oh, it wasn’t fire coming out of a rock; it wasn’t a vision; it wasn’t an audible voice; it wasn’t a bright light that knocked me out of my Mustang." (You know, use a horse—we’ll keep it Biblical.) Trying to put ourselves in a position where we’re saying, "God, it’s not spectacular enough. This is me." But God always visits His children and keeps us on course. Have you seen the face of the Lord? It won’t kill you.

Do you want to know what the presence of God does if you’ve had a real visitation? Look what he named that place. "And Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah shalom." We all know what shalom means, right? Nice Jewish greeting. If you’ve ever been to Israel, you hear "Shalom." "Shalom." "Shalom." "Shalom." "Shalom." [Acts out two people greeting each other with "Shalom."] Kind of like the Orientals. [Acts out individuals taking turns bowing to each other.] Who is going to get the last one in? The shalom aspect of the peace of God. The presence will always bring that peace. Peace is not just tranquility. Peace is wholeness. Peace in its truest sense means that it brings tranquility, but it’s wholeness; it’s an assurance that things are right with God. That’s what the visitation always brings. Ask yourself the question tonight, "Do I have that peace? Do I feel that things are right with God?" If not, then it’s time to come before the altar again. It’s time to begin to break up the fallow ground and seek the Lord. The Scripture says when you do that He’ll rain righteousness upon us. But His presence is there for you and I to have. What does His presence do? It strengthens you. That’s point one, out of eight. I could have said that just to start with, huh? The presence of God brings strength to us beyond our own natural ability. We see ourselves and that we can do nothing; and that’s a good place to be in. The enemy will try to discourage you with it: "Who are you? You’re the least among your people, and your people are the least in the country." God chooses us.

Chronicles says it this way—look over at 1 Chronicles 16. We’re talking about the presence of God, and in 1 Chronicles 16, verse 27 it says, "Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." So in this first point we understand that the presence of God brings with it glory, honor, strength, and gladness. Get them in your notes: glory, honor, strength, gladness. It’s a way that we can examine our lives and our situations. "Am I comfortable that God’s presence is here? Am I in the presence of God?" What that presence brings, the awareness of that presence, is that it brings with us strength to honor His name.

[end of side one] …our rights are. The glory, not only in the glory of manifesting His presence or His power, but the glory that has to do with the honor being declared; the doxa, or the doxology that we all know about; that declaration of His majesty and His goodness. Are you quick to be able to honor God in adverse circumstances? It’s an indicator of His presence. Are you jealous for His glory and honor in the circumstances and don’t take it to yourself?

What about this gladness? I was talking to you about sharing with some of the men the other day. I said, "Look, guys, you have to realize I know it can get to the place where it’s discouraging sometimes, but the issue is not ‘How do men perceive me?’ and ‘Has the ministry grown to a place that gives me credibility of being a real man of God?’ None of that is the issue. We need to understand something: this ministry that you and I are called to has nothing to do with us and how people perceive us and how successful we are in the eyes of men. It can become discouraging when you’re like a Noah that preaches for one hundred years without a convert. But what you can’t lose sight of is this: this gladness aspect. The privilege of proclaiming His gospel. The privilege of being able to be called and serve. There’s a gladness that His presence brings us." I’m just happy that I’m called. I’m happy that I’m part of the family. I am glad in a world of pitiful people, because God has revealed His glory to me. An unprofitable servant I am.

The second thing is that the presence of God always brings us rest. What were the circumstances that we talked about of that sinking ship? Turn over to Exodus 33. I’m not going to get into the real specifics of this because I want to save it for another part of our study. In Exodus 33. In the adverse circumstances in the ship, you remember, in the storm, what was Jesus doing? He was sleeping in the back of the boat, wasn’t He? Do you believe that Jesus being asleep in the back of that boat was aware of the presence of God? We all know He is God. We also know that in His earthly ministry He was walking in reliance, faith, trust, separate from His own personal deity. He was relying upon faith in Father when He said, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit," "Father, I believe that when I pray Thou hearest me." As God, Jesus had the ability to speak creatively. He is the one that spoke the worlds into existence. Why would He need to be praying to Father when everything that existed He declared? He was showing you and I what a dependence upon Father was capable of doing. The Bible says that His body was raised from the dead by the power of God. So He lived a life of dependence, a life of an awareness of the presence of God, that when He spoke the Father heard Him; that He was with Him always. Because of that, there was a real rest that came upon Him, a peace. As a young boy to sit among doctors of theology and speak the truth to them. He knew the truth. He was the Truth, the Living Word.

The truth makes you free to be at rest. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody. We’re not obligated to go prove the existence of God. We’re not all called to be apologists. I don’t personally believe anybody is called to be an apologist—but anyway. I think that’s a ministry that man has invented. I don’t see "apostle, prophet, apologist, pastor, teacher." I do see the Biblical mandate to always be ready to give an answer of the hope that’s in us. I understand studying to show ourselves "approved unto God; a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I understand all that. But I don’t see that ministry of apologist. I don’t see a need for it: of trying to explain God to everybody and prove His existence and win them over intellectually.

As I was coming down the road the other day listening to one of the Christian talk show things, this one pastor was talking about how you reach people. As he teaches them all of these concepts on marriage and child rearing, He said, "After weeks and weeks many times people are sitting in the congregation saying, ‘You know, I think He’s getting that from the Bible.’ They hear this and it sounds so good and it seems to ring true and they’re trying it and it’s working and it builds a confidence in the Word of God. Eventually they’ll say, ‘Maybe I’ll go read the Bible for myself.’ Then they begin to now have a confidence in the Bible because it worked in this counseling and now the Bible has become truth to them." That’s not how the Word becomes truth from a Biblical perspective. The gospel is the power of God to salvation. It carries its own life; and when it’s heard, it’s able to germinate within the spirit of a man. A man who calls it foolishness, a lie, will instantaneously be assaulted by the presence of God and know that that Word is truth. There are man’s methods, and there are God’s methods. We have peace; we have rest when we know that God sent us.

Exodus 33 down at verse 13, Moses is saying, "If I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight." That’s a powerful verse. We’re going to deal with it in detail at a later date, hopefully. What a powerful verse that is. "If I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight." In other words, "If I have found grace, knowing You will bring more grace." People think grace is the end of it, "God’s grace is working in me and so now there’s nothing left to be done." Grace will always bring you into a greater knowledge and revelation of God and who He is, and who you are and how much you need Him—which is the continual revelation of that grace. The more He works in You and the greater things He does through you, the more you know you need Him. The Lord speaks to Moses and He says as He did to Gideon, "Just rest in this: My presence will go with you. I’ll give you rest." Moses wanted to approach this thing analytically. He wanted to understand and God is saying to him, "It’s beyond your comprehension. Just rest in this: I’m going to go with you. You don’t have to understand what the way is or how I’m going to do it. Rest in this: I will be present." For a man like Moses, with the experiences that he’s had already in the visitation of God, it brings a comfort. It begins to bring a peace of God’s ability to provide. We all know that along the line Moses finally lost this assurance. Moses forgot whom he was when he went to the rock. Instead of speaking to it, he smote it and said, "You rebels, must we fetch water for you?" God said, "Because you refused to sanctify Me among the people—you made yourself the "Bigshot," you made yourself the provider—I’m not letting you go into the Promised Land." God’s presence and power in our lives is always for His glory. Don’t you take any of it to yourselves. Don’t you think for a moment you can go smite the rock and get water any time you want it. Don’t put yourself forth as the mouthpiece of God without having been sent, and speaking accurately the words that He sent you to speak. He didn’t say to smite the rock; He said to speak to it. It cost Moses the Promised Land, this lack of sanctifying the presence of God. Moving outside of the rest and letting the frustrations of the people mount up in him to where he was frustrated and lost that rest. How about just standing before the people and doing what God said to do, "I know things are bad, but let me just share with you what God said. God sent me out here to speak to this rock. He’s going to provide for us water." How simple that would have been? Yet how many times do we choose the difficult instead of the simple of just obeying and saying what God said, and trusting in His presence? Why do we have to try to do something dramatic instead of simple? "I can’t do anything. I have no answer for you. I have no way to provide for you, but God said speak and He’ll provide." You see, God provided for the people in spite of Moses. He does it today in spite of His pastors and in spite of His evangelists. God’s people will always be cared for. It’s very important for us to be able to walk into that rest and know that that rest is always the consequence of the presence.

We’ll finish with that for this evening and pick it up in the next session. Father, we do thank You for the Word. As a people we ask that we would be able to identify with Gideon tonight. It seems like the enemy is always raiding our camp—principalities, powers, the flesh. It seems that there are always these raids that are coming down. We’ve heard the teaching on sanctification, holiness, the miraculous, and we always seem to be coming up short. What can we do, Father? What can we do? We don’t want to doubt like Gideon and say, "Where are you, God? Didn’t you make these promises?" But we do need You. We want to experience Your visitation. Lord, give us the spirit tonight of Gideon that says, "I’m of the least of the least. How can I do anything?" "Go in this: I’ve sent you."

Can you rest in His promise that He would never leave you nor forsake you? Can you rest in the promise that if He’s for you nobody can be against you? Will you let that become the preeminent thought process tonight? It’ll bring you rest. It will make you a candidate for strength as God’s power begins to manifest. It will remove the meekness that was in Gideon to where you’ll go and begin to cut down the idols that the nation was whoring with. You’ll speak boldly against the world; it’s system, the great whore of the religious system of the day. And God will sustain you. We’ll see that what’s happening in our lives right now goes far beyond our own little personal lives, and that we’re a people living in the last days, a remnant that’s used to glorify God when a whore is rising to preeminence. There’s a chaste virgin that’s heralding the greatness of her lover, the Bridegroom, and You’re looking for a people who will faithfully stand in this day and make that proclamation. If we’re willing, You’ll give us strength. Your grace, Your grace, will bring glory and honor and strength and gladness. Make it real, Father, in Jesus’ name.

Let’s stand before the Lord tonight. As Gary plays for us and we realize the hour that we’re in, we hear the news media and it’s almost more of the same. The Supreme Court has made this decision and the foolishness of the weight of the stories that are on the front pages: "Is God Allowed In School?"/"Will Elian Go Home?" We’re here as God’s mouthpiece. We’re here as epistles read of men. We are the representatives of the kingdom of the living God. We need power to carry this thing out. It’s not going to be power that’s gained by anything you do but obey. "I’m going to spend more time studying and praying, and I’m going to grab the horns of the altar." No. "Lord, here am I. Send me." "Who can I send?" "Lord, here am I." "Do you understand what I’m asking you? Do you understand what volunteering for this task is about? You can’t get tired in two weeks and go home. There are no unions. There is no retirement plan. You’re going to be hated and despised. People are going to say all manner of evil against you for My name’s sake. They’ll kill you and think they’re doing service to God." "Lord, send me. Lord, send me because in Your presence there is peace and there’s joy and there’s honor and there’s gladness and there’s strength. I’m safer with You on the front lines than I am hiding in the stuff where an arrow by chance can take me out. A thousand can fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it won’t come nigh me, Lord, in Your presence. And should it, the arrow was sent by You and I gladly receive it. Here am I, Lord. Send me."

As we sing this together, just rejoice in all the good things the Lord has done, and in His presence. Let Him bring joy to you tonight, and peace. He’s not through with you yet. The course is not finished. He’s going to strengthen and honor you as you honor Him. There’s some good stuff for us if we’ll trust in His presence.

Let’s sing it together. "In thy presence, fullness of joy…" We worship You, Lord. Just worship Him. Just thank Him for His presence tonight, the Word of the Lord that has come to you and strengthened you, that Word that has come and opened your eyes tonight to the working of the spirit in your life. As the eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro and He’s looking for someone that He can show Himself mighty in their behalf. Is there a heart that’s purified as we spoke this morning, someone that wants to minister to the Lord instead of have the Lord minister to them? He’s looking for someone that He can show Himself mighty. The old statement still stands true: the world has yet to see what God can do through a man other than Jesus that is totally yielded to Him. Is that presence sufficient? I think in Moses’ life, we see that it is. He didn’t even need to eat and drink, forty days and forty nights. There’s no indication that anything that naturally sustains man took place in his life—the eating, the drinking, and the sleeping. God’s presence was all in all. How quickly do we run from the presence to fill ourselves with these nonessentials? Help us to trust in the real strength, Father—Your Presence. Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "Go in this thy strength." Hallelujah. Go in peace. God’s love go with you.

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