Great Day to Be Great, Part 5

Amen. Today is a great day to be great in the sight of the Lord. John the Baptist was great in the sight of the Lord. In fact, John the Baptist was the greatest man ever born of a woman, Luke 7 28. And yet those of us who are at least in the kingdom are greater than John the Baptist. That's an amazing statement that our Lord proclaimed in Luke chapter 7. So we are asking ourselves, how can we be assured that each day is a great day? We've been telling you, number one, you must be able to glory in his person, grow in his portrait.

Number two, you must be able to be rejoiced in his providence and rely on his power. And number three, you must embrace his peace and enjoy his presence.

This is where we left off last week. Enjoy his presence. I want you to think about your day every single day and who you love to be with, because who you are with can make or break your day. You ever notice that sometimes you hang out with people that really break your day.

Other times you hang out with those you love to hang out with and they make your day. Well, to enjoy the presence of God is to understand that God's presence makes your day. And we need to be able to enjoy the presence of God. But is it not true that there are more people who endure his presence more than enjoy his presence? We must learn to enjoy what the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 13, verse number five, when he said, make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.

For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. So that we confidently say the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? The psalmist knew the right of Hebrews knew how to enjoy the presence of God. Remember what our Lord said to Abraham way back in Genesis chapter 15, verse number one, after he had defeated the Kings that had come against his nephew, and he might have been fearing for his life.

The Lord, God said to him in Genesis 15, verse number one, after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision saying, do not fear.

Very important. Why? Because the first time the phrase word of the Lord is used is Genesis 15, verse number one.

Also the very first time the phrase do not fear is used in the Bible is Genesis 15, verse number one.

And isn't it interesting that you being fearless depends on the word of the Lord. Amen. All right. So now you're with me this morning. So if you know the word of the Lord, you have nothing to fear. So the word of the Lord came to Abraham and said, do not fear. I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great, or I am your very great reward. Abraham, you're going to be a father of a great nation. I'm going to multiply your seed beyond measure, but what's going to make your day is my presence with you because I am your shield and I am your very great reward.

We need to be able to enjoy the presence of God. Remember the Jesus in John chapter 16, when he was about to be crucified the next day, he says to his men in verse number 32, behold, an hour is coming and has already come for you to be scattered each to his own home and to leave me alone. And yet I am not alone because the father is with me. Even Jesus expressed the fact that even though everybody's going to flee, all my friends are going to be gone. My father is with me. I am not alone because of the presence of my father in heaven.

We need to be able to able to enjoy the presence of God every single day, but many of us don't enjoy it. Instead, we endure the presence of God. Why? Well, the writer of Hebrews tells us that as well in Hebrews chapter four, verse number 13, it says, and there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. In other words, everything that we do is laid bare before the king of glory. Amos chapter nine, Amos chapter nine, God is pronouncing judgment upon Israel.

He takes this shepherd from Tekoa. He becomes a bomb dropped on Israel to pronounce judgment upon them. And they would be taken into Syrian captivity in seven 22 BC. Before that time, Amos would come and proclaim the words of judgment upon this nation by saying these words, though they dig into Sheol from there will my hand take them. And though they ascend to heaven from there, will I bring them down though they hide on the summit of Carmel. I will search them out and take them from there. And though they conceal themselves from my sight and on the floor of the sea from there, I will command the serpent and it will bite them.

And though they go into captivity before their enemies from there, I will command the sword that had slayed them. And I will set my eyes against them for evil and not for good. In other words, no way will these 10 Northern kingdoms ever escape the all seeing presence of God. No matter where they go, they can't hide from God because he is always there to understand God's presence is to revolutionize how it is you live every single day over in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 15, verse number three, these words are spoken.

Proverbs 15 verse number three, the eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good.

The Lord God said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 23, verse number 23, I am a God who is near declares the Lord and not a God far off. Can a man hide himself in hiding places? So I do not see him declares the Lord. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth declares the Lord. In other words, our Lord God is everywhere in terms of his essence. There is no place God is not. And so as we journey through each and every day, we are to enjoy the presence of almighty God. Like the Psalmist who said in Psalm 73, after he realized that God was working in the wicked and that they were going to perish, he said, these words, verse 21.

And when my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant. I was like a beast before you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You have taken hold of my right hand with your counsel. You will guide me and afterward receive me to glory whom have I in heaven, but you and besides you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is a strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you will perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good. I have made the Lord God, my refuge that I may tell of all your works. The Psalmist knew that the nearness of God was his good. The Psalmist knew that he was continually before his God. So the question comes for us, do we enjoy God's presence? Is God's nearness to you your great good each and every day? But because God sees everything, because God knows everything, we can't hide from God. We can't hide our thoughts from God. We can't hide our words from God.

We can't hide our actions from God. And because we can't, so many times we endure his presence because we don't want him to see. And sometimes, sometimes we want to escape his presence. Could it be that we can even believe we can escape the presence of God? Jonah thought he could. He was a prophet of God. And over in the book of Jonah, these words are spoken by this man or by the Lord as he explains to us what happens in the life of Jonah. It says, the word of the Lord came to Jonah. Chapter one, verse number one, the son of Amittai saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city and cry against it for their wickedness has come up before me.

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Can you imagine a prophet believing that somehow he can flee the presence of the Lord? So he went down to Joppa, found a ship, which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Twice it says in verse two, that Jonah wanted to flee the presence of the Lord. This was a prophet of the living God. God says, I want you to go to Nineveh.

I want you to preach to them. They need to hear the word of the Lord. And chapter four tells us why Jonah would escape the presence of the Lord. Chapter four, verse number one, but a great displeased Jonah, because Nineveh repented and he became angry.

He prayed to the Lord and said, please, Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to for stall this, I fled to Tarshish for, I knew that you are gracious and compassionate. God's throat, anger and abundant and loving kindness and one who relents concerning calamity. I know that when people call upon your name, they will repent. And I didn't want this evil people to repent. So I fled the presence of the Lord. In chapter one, verse number two, it says he went down to Joppa and he paid the fare to flee the presence of the Lord.

Listen, whenever you seek to escape the presence of the Lord, you always pay the fare. But when you enjoy the presence of the Lord, he pays the fare. On top of that, he went 2000 miles in the opposite direction. Nineveh was just 500 miles away, but he went 2000 miles the other way. And it became a long, hard journey. Why? Because when you seek to flee the presence of the Lord, it is a much harder journey than if you enjoy the presence of the Lord. And some of you are experiencing that hard, long journey, because somehow the back recesses of your mind, you think that you're escaping the presence of the Lord.

And some of you are even paying the fare. You're financially broke because you've paid so much of the fare trying to escape the presence of the Lord. We need to be those who enjoy his presence. Even with Jonah, at the end of his book named after him, it ends in such a unique and strange way because we never know what happens with Jonah. Because he did not enjoy the presence of the Lord. To have a great day, you got to enjoy his presence, not just embrace his peace, but enjoy his presence. To understand that God's presence is everything you need.

So let me show you how you can enjoy God's presence every single day. If you're going to have a great day, and it is a great day to be great because God gave us this day. We serve a great God and we can be great in the sight of the Lord because we are the least in the kingdom of God. We had that privilege. We had that position of being kingdom citizens. There is no excuse for us to have a bad day. We must always seek to have a great day. To have a great day, you must enjoy his presence. Simply because number one, he always, always supports you in your service.

He always supports you in your service. You never serve God alone. You always serve in the presence of the living God. Listen to what God says to Joshua in Joshua chapter one.

Before that, let me take you back to Deuteronomy 31. Deuteronomy 31, because Moses is giving his last words to Israel. He's not going into the promised land, but Joshua is going to lead them there. It says in verse number 31, so Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, I am 120 years old today. This was his birthday. I am no longer able to come and go. And the Lord has said to me, you should not cross this Jordan. It is the Lord, your God, who will cross ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them.

Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you. Just as the Lord has spoken, the Lord will do to them, just as he did to Sihon and Og, the Kings of the Emirates and to their land. And when he destroyed them, the Lord will deliver them up before you. And you shall do to them, according to all the commandments, which I've commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them. For the Lord, your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, be strong and courageous for you shall go with this people into the land, which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them.

And you should give it to them as an inheritance. The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. So Moses, in his last words, helps Israel, the nation, Joshua, the leader of the nation know that they should be strong and courageous because there's no need to be afraid because the Lord goes before them. The Lord goes with them into this new and promised land. So when you come to Joshua chapter one, Moses is dead. It says, now it came about after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of none, Moses, servant saying, Moses, my servant is dead.

Now, therefore, rise cross this Jordan, you and all this people to the land, which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Now note this. That's one thing to hear. You need to be strong and courageous. It's one thing to hear. You need not be afraid. It's one thing to hear the Lord is with you while Moses is still alive. But now Moses is dead. And now Joshua is left leading a whole group of Jewish people who at one time wanted to kill Moses, who by God's standards was the greatest leader Israel ever had.

So Joshua knows he will not be the greatest leader Israel ever had at best. He'll be second best. And yet if Israel wanted to kill the greatest leader Israel ever had, what does he think they will do to him once he takes up the reins to lead? So God comes to Joshua, tells him my servant is dead. Now Joshua knows that Moses is dead. They buried him. He says this verse three, every place in which the soul of your foot treads, I have given it to you. Just as I spoke to Moses from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites.

And as far as the great sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you be strong and courageous for you shall give this people possession of the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do according to all the law, which Moses, my servant commanded you to not turn from it to the right or to the left set.

You may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on a day and night. So you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go. Everything about Joshua's leadership, Joshua's service for the Lord God of Israel was based on the presence of God in his life.

And God wanted him to make sure that he understood he needed to meditate on the law day and night so that he would understand all that God had commanded him to do, but do not be afraid because I am with you wherever you go. You see so many times we don't understand the presence of God because we're not in the business of serving God. That's why the Lord said in Matthew 28, 19, 20, go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy spirit, teaching them to obey all the things I've commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, the promise of his presence is associated with your serving God by going and making disciples. And so many times we don't experience God's presence in our lives because we're not doing what God has commanded us to do. Remember Gideon book of judges, Gideon in the book of judges, it says this in judges chapter six, verse 11. Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the yoke that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abizarite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, the Lord is with you, O valiant warrior. Or in other words, the best translation is the Lord is with you. The Lord who is the valiant warrior. It wasn't that Gideon was a valiant warrior. It was that the Lord God of Israel, the angel of the Lord was the valiant warrior. He says, the Lord is with you. Then Gideon said to him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us trying to understand why they were oppressed by the Midianite people?

And where all his miracles, which our fathers told us about saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian. Where have you been? How come you're not with us as you were with our forefathers? The Lord looked at him and said, go in this, your strength. What strength? That the Lord is present with you. The one who was the mighty valiant warrior. He says, and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you? He said to him, Oh Lord, how shall I deliver Israel?

Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh and I am the youngest in my father's house. But the Lord said to him, surely I will be with you and you should defeat Midian as one man. Again, the Lord God always supports those who are involved in the service of God always. And the way we enjoy his presence is to be engaged in the service of the King. Because at no greater time, no better time do we experience his delivering power, his greatness among us than when we serve our King. And so we enjoy the presence of God simply because he supports us in our service.

Number two, he comforts us amidst our crisis. He comforts us amidst our crisis. That's why we enjoy the presence of God. Remember over in Acts 18, over in Acts 18, when Paul knew that those were trying to kill him in Corinth, it says in verse nine, do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent. The Lord says, for I am with you and no man will attack you in order to harm you. For I have many people in this city. Again, do not be afraid. You have no need to be afraid because Paul, I am with you.

I will protect you. I will watch over you. You can enjoy my presence in your service because I will comfort you amidst your crisis, no matter how great the crisis might be. That's why over in Psalm 23, it says in verse number four, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. So in the midst of my crisis, it's the presence of God that comforts me. That's why over in Psalm 139, Psalm 139, the Lord says, where can I, or the psalmist says, where can I go from your spirit or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there, your hand will lead me and your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, surely the darkness will overwhelm me and the light around me will be night. Even the darkness is not dark to you and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are like to you. The psalmist knew that in God's presence, there's no need to fear.

Psalm 46. In Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change. And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at a swelling pride, there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high. God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar.

The kingdoms tottered. He raised his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come behold the works of the Lord who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the cherries with fire. She's striving. Know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. No matter what the trouble, no matter what the anguish, no matter what the crisis, it's God who comforts us amidst our crisis.

He is the God of all comfort, as Paul says in second Corinthians chapter one, the God of all comfort who comforts us in all of our tribulations.

And the way he does that is because he is ever present with us. He knows everything. So we enjoy the presence of God because he supports us in all of our service. He strengthens us in all of our service. He comforts us in all our crises. Number three, he strengthens us amidst our suffering.

He strengthens us amidst our suffering. The Bible says in Psalm 16 verse number eight, I have set the Lord continually before me because he is at my right hand.

I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will dwell securely for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy one to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand, there are pleasures forever more. Peter says over in first Peter chapter five, these words, first Peter five, verse number eight, be sober, be on the alert.

Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, but resist him. Firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Peter says, you have no worries. Even though Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Don't worry after you've suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, he will strengthen you. He will settle you. He will satisfy you. He will take care of everything you need. That's why we enjoy his presence because he supports us in our service. He comforts us in our crisis. He strengthens us in our suffering and he alleviates all my anxiety. He alleviates all my anxiety. Psalm 119, Psalm 119 verses, or verse 151, 150 and 151. Those who follow after wickedness draw near. They are far from your law.

You are near O Lord. And all your commandments are truth. Psalm says, those who are wicked, those who are against me, they draw near. But even though they draw near, Lord, you are near to me. And because you are near to me, you alleviate my anxiety. Isaiah chapter 41, Isaiah 41 verse number 10, do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Do not be afraid. Do not be anxious.

Chapter 43 verse number one. But now, thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, do not fear for I have redeemed you. I've called you by name. You're mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord, your God, the holy one of Israel. I am your savior. There is no one who can alleviate your anxiety than the ever-present God who is with you.

Let me give you an example of that in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 16. Go back with me in your Bible to Genesis chapter 16. And in Genesis chapter 16, we have a story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Remember, it had been a long time since the promise of God came to Abraham and Sarah, but they would have a child. And this seed would begin the multiplication process of a Jewish nation. But that had been a long time. They had no son. So Sarah had this idea that she could have her handmaid Hagar go into her husband.

She would conceive, bear a child, and that would be the promise seed. She had an idea that somehow she could orchestrate the plan of God for her family. I know that none of you ladies are like that. But Sarah was. And she got tired of waiting on God. She was really tired of waiting for God's plan to come to fruition. She was getting older, not getting younger. And so she wanted to hurry the process along. So she had the novel idea, which was a legal way of doing it in Jewish history, that the handmaid could go into the husband, bear a child, and that child would be the right to the inheritance.

But that was not God's plan. So Sarah conjured up this idea only to realize that after that idea came to fruition and the son, excuse me, Hagar was pregnant, she became bitter towards Hagar. It was her idea, by the way. But she became bitter and angry toward Hagar and wanted her out of the house, wanted her gone. Sarah said to Abraham in verse five of chapter 16, May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight.

May the Lord judge between you and me. But Abraham said to Sarah, behold, your maid is in your power. Do to her what is good in your sight. So Sarah treated her harshly and she fled from her presence. Hagar could not exist in the house of Abraham and Sarah. Verse seven, now the angel of the Lord found her by the spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to shir. He said, Hagar, Sarah's maid, where have you come from and where are you going? And remember, this is the angel of the Lord.

This is the pre incarnate Christ. This is a Christophany. This is Christ appearing in the form of an angel to Sarah. This is the Lord. He says, where are you going? She says, I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress, Sarah. And the angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority. What? You've got to be kidding me. She mistreated me. She hated me. She despised me. She kicked me out of the house. Now you want me to go back? Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, I will greatly multiply your descendants said they will be too many to count.

The angel of the Lord said to her further, behold, you are with child and you will bear a son and you shall call his name ish my L, which means God hears God hears because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand will be against him. He will live to the east of all his brothers. Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her. You are a God who sees L Rowey, the God who sees for, she said, have I even remained alive here after seeing him?

She knows she's seen the living God. She knows that it's amazing that she has seen the living God and yet she is still alive. Therefore, the well was called beer. La Haroi behold, it is between Katish and the red bell. Hollow Roy is the well of the living one who sees me. How could God see her unless God was present with her? And so therefore she called on the name of the Lord who sees. So Hagar bore Abram, a son and Abraham called the name of a son whom Hagar bore ish my L. Why did God, why did Abram call the son ish my L unless Abram knew for certain that Hagar had an encounter with the presence of the living God?

That's why he called the son ish my L. Here was a woman who had all kinds of anxiety. Where was she going to go? She was kicked out of her house. She had done what was commended her by Sarah. She had done the will of her mistress, but then Sarah became so embittered against her, so angry at her, she made her leave their house. She was pregnant. Where would she go? What would she do? Who would take her in? She had no idea, but the Lord knew. The Lord saw because the Lord was present there with her.

And the angel of the Lord came to her and alleviated all of her anxiety. But only, only when she submitted to the commands of the Lord. Amidst her anxiety, God made her go back to the place where she would become even more anxious, but the presence of God would be with her. She was assured of that. And so we need to enjoy God's presence because he does alleviate our anxiety. Do not anxiously look about you for I am with you. Do not be afraid of the waters that come over you. I am with you. Over and over again, it's the presence of God that is a dominating feature in all the people of God who live without fear of what man can do to them because they know of God being with them.

We enjoy the presence of God when we know he supports us in our service, comforts us in our crisis, strengthens us in our suffering, alleviates us amidst our anxiety. Also, because he takes us through temptation. He takes us through temptation. First Corinthians 10, 13 says, there is no temptation so great that is not common to man.

In other words, every temptation that comes your way is a temptation that's a common temptation. Whatever trial comes your way, whatever temptation comes your way, it's not that you are standing all alone on an island and nobody's experienced what you're experiencing. Paul makes it very clear. It's a common temptation. And with that common temptation, always God provides a route of escape. He always does. Because he takes you through those trying times. He takes you through those temptations, but never takes you through them without being with you in the midst of them.

On top of that, we know that God's presence is that which persuades us to pray. The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. Psalm 145, verse number 18. The Lord is near to all who call upon him and all who call upon him in truth. Knowing that it persuades me to pray because it causes me to experience and enjoy the presence of God in my life. On top of that, the presence of God always prompts me to purity because I know that he's ever with me. He's always there watching, seeing.

That's why in first Corinthians 6, 19, Paul tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us. He lives in us. Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Bible tells us the book of Colossians, the first chapter.

So we begin to understand that God's presence always prompts me to purity because he's always there. I enjoy his presence. Moses, Moses is one who enjoyed the presence of God. So much so that he said to the Lord God of Israel, we will not leave this place unless your presence goes with us. I'm not leaving. In fact, turn back with me if you would to Exodus chapter 33. Exodus chapter 33. God had told Moses he was done with Israel. In fact, he said, you know what? We're going to kill him and start all over again because they had worshiped the golden calf while Moses was on top of Mount Sinai receiving the commandments of God.

And God says, I'm done. This is an obstinate people. This is a rebellious people. This is a defiant people. I am done. He said in verse one, chapter 33, the Lord spoke to Moses, depart, go up from here. You and the people whom you have brought up and the land of from the land of Egypt to the land, which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saying to your descendants, I will give it. I will send an angel before you. And I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the parasite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, for I will not go up in your midst because you are an obstinate people and I might destroy you on the way. I'm not going with you guys. I'm going to send my angel before you because if I go with you, you are so obstinate. I will kill you. Well, what a devastating thing. Look what it says in verse four. When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning and none of them put on his ornaments for the Lord had said to Moses, say to the sons of Israel, you are an obstinate people.

Should I go up in your midst for one moment? I will destroy you. I don't want to be around you anymore. Well, what a reaction God had to the nation of Israel because they had turned against the Lord God. God says, I'm done.

And Moses would intercede on behalf of the nation. By the way, this is why Moses was the greatest leader in Israel's history because he interceded on behalf of Israel, the nation to God. He pleaded with God. Verse 12. Then Moses said to the Lord, see, you say to me, bring up this people, but you yourself have not let me know whom you will sit with me.

Moreover, you have said, I have known you by name and you have also found favor in my sight. Now, therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know your ways that I may know you.

So I may find favor in your sight. Consider too, that this nation is your people. He said, my presence shall go with you and I will give you rest. Then he said to him, if your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. Moses says, if you're not going to go with us, let us stay right here because we're not moving without you. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in your sight? I, in your people, is it not by your going with us so that we, I and your people may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth.

What a powerful statement, Lord, your presence is what distinguishes us from every other nation on the earth. You being with us, you guiding us, you leading us. We enjoying you being with us is what's going to make us unique and distinguished among all the nations of the world. It is the presence of God that uniquely distinguishes you from everybody else. That's why we enjoy the presence of God. This nation, this nation was directly disobedient to the commands of God. They had a divided devotion to God.

They had a displaced dependence upon God and they had a determined defiance against God because they worshipped in a way that took them back to Egypt. God says, I'm done.

For Moses, he would intercede. Lord, we can't leave this place. We appreciate the angelic ministry, but having an angel go before us, that's not enough. We need the presence of God to go before us because if you're not going to go before us, we're not leaving here. We're staying right here. And God says, I'll go.

And Moses said, it's your presence that distinguishes us from everybody else. That's why I said, Lord, teach me your ways. Oh Lord, I want to know you because Moses was one who enjoyed the presence of God. You want to have a great day. You got to hang around great people. Hanging around good people is not good enough. Hanging around sinful people is bad. You want to have a great day. You hang with and around the greatest people in the world. And there's nobody greater than our God. None. And when you know that he is with you to guide you, to comfort you amidst your crisis, to support you in whatever service you're engaged in, to alleviate all your anxiety, to prompt you to pray, to prompt you to pray and to persuade you to live a pure and holy life, you can enjoy his presence and have a great day.

We pray with you. Father, we thank you for this day, a day that you've given to us to study your word, to examine you in light of that word. We pray, Father, for every one of us today that we truly would enjoy the presence of God. You are with us. You're ever present. There's no place you are not. You fill both heaven and earth. And yet there are many times, Lord, where we feel far from you. But it's not because you moved. It's because we have sought to escape the presence of God. Our prayer, Lord, is that you would go before us this day, as you have promised you would, and that everyone in this room would enjoy your presence, not just this day, but every day.

They might experience the greatness of their God in Jesus' name. Amen.