1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:02,400 Amen. Now we're going to read a few 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:08,800 verses from the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 33. 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:25,710 Exodus chapter 33, Exodus 33. 4 00:00:25,950 --> 00:00:31,270 Let's hear the Word of God. I want to read from verse one, 5 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,680 reading of course from the King James Bible. 6 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:47,200 And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart and go up. 7 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:52,480 Hence thou and the people which thou has brought up out of the 8 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:57,240 land of Egypt, unto the land which I swear unto Abraham, to 9 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,720 Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, unto thy seed will I give out. 10 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,920 And I will send an Angel before thee. 11 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,000 And I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the 12 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,880 Hittite, and the Perisite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, unto a 13 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:15,840 land flowing with milk and hanai. 14 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:21,280 For I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou Artest 15 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,400 stiff necked people, lest I consume thee in the way. 16 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:32,480 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and 17 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,360 no man did put on him his ornaments. 18 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,160 For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of 19 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,760 Israel, Ye are a stiff necked people. 20 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:50,040 I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume 21 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,240 thee. Therefore now I put off thine 22 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:58,440 ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. 23 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,560 The children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by 24 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,560 the Mount Horeb. And Moses took the Tabernacle, 25 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:15,720 and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and 26 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,240 called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. 27 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,480 And it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord 28 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,840 went out onto the Tabernacle of the congregation, which was 29 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:33,200 without the camp. And it came to pass, when Moses 30 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:38,960 went out on to the Tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and 31 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:43,440 stood, every man that his tent door, and looked after Moses 32 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:45,840 till he was gone into the Tabernacle. 33 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,040 And they came to pass as Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the 34 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,400 cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the 35 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,640 Tabernacle. And the Lord talked with Moses, 36 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,360 and all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the 37 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,400 Tabernacle door. And all the people rose up and 38 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,440 worshipped every man in his tent door. 39 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:18,480 And the Lord speak unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh 40 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,600 unto his friend. And he turned again into the 41 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:29,000 camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of none, the young man, 42 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,160 departed not out of the Tabernacle. 43 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:41,480 And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, Bring 44 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:47,720 up this people, and thou has not let me know whom thy will send 45 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,800 with me. Yet thou has said, I know thee 46 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,960 by name, and thou has also found grace in my sight. 47 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,120 Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, 48 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:09,000 show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace 49 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:15,560 in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. 50 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:23,080 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give 51 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:28,040 thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy 52 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:32,360 presence go not with me, carry me not up hence. 53 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:38,640 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have 54 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:44,240 found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thy goest with 55 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,800 us? So shall we be separated, I and 56 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,480 thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the 57 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:58,320 earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I 58 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:03,200 will do this thing also, that thou hast spoken, for thou was 59 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:08,600 found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name, Amen. 60 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,440 We know God will stamp with His own approval and blessing this 61 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,560 reading of His own precious word. 62 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:19,440 My text tonight is found in Exodus chapter 33 and the verse 63 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,080 15. And I want to take up the theme 64 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,360 this evening, a prayer for the presence of God. 65 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,960 Now tonight, we stand at the solemn threshold. 66 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,280 The year 2025 is drawing to a close. 67 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,400 In a few hours, it will pass into history, never to be 68 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:42,360 relived or retrieved. 2025 will be gone forever. 69 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:46,440 And during the past year, some of its days were filled with joy 70 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,680 and Thanksgiving. Together we raise the testimony. 71 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:51,320 The Lord has done great things for us. 72 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,720 We're of we're glad. We look back with gratitude and 73 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,280 thankfulness. The Lord has not field us or 74 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,680 forsaken us. Other days, of course, were 75 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:07,400 filled with pain, sorrow, struggles, and many unanswered 76 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,920 questions. In this very hall, prayer was 77 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,840 offered in faith. Some of those prayers were 78 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:17,520 answered quickly. Others were delayed. 79 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,080 Some are unanswered, and the ultimate reason for those 80 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,360 unanswered prayers remains a mystery. 81 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:29,240 No one, only to God. Now, as we prepare to step into 82 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:35,040 2026, I believe it's fitting that we pause not merely to 83 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:40,760 reflect on what has been, but to consider this, how we as a 84 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:46,880 church will go forward in 2026. Not merely what we are going to 85 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:52,360 do in 2026, not merely what way we're going to accomplish what 86 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,920 we want to do, but with whom are we going. 87 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:04,920 You see, Moses prayer in Exodus 3315 meets us precisely at this 88 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,200 moment. Look at verse 15. 89 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,120 Listen to the words. And he said unto him, they 90 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,240 remember he's talking to God face to face in prayer. 91 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:23,760 If thy presence go not with me, carry us not of Hence this is 92 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,880 not the prayer of a man of God who is afraid or terrified of 93 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,880 the future. It's a prayer of a man of God 94 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:36,680 who knows that the presence of God is the most valuable thing 95 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,760 and the most important thing than anything else in the whole 96 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,400 world. The presence of God is more 97 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,520 important than pounds, shillings and pence, more important than 98 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,720 prosperity individually, family, congregationally, more important 99 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,120 than progress. We all want to see success in 100 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:00,080 the work of God, but it's even more important than success, and 101 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:05,320 it's even more important than the promises of God itself. 102 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:11,080 You see, I'll ask this question each week as you've come to the 103 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:16,200 Luther Hall to pray. What do we need to pray for in 104 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,840 2026? What does carried off need as we 105 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:24,840 step into this new year? I believe we need to pray this 106 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,720 prayer. I believe we need to believe 107 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:31,280 this prayer. We need to breathe this prayer, 108 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,440 we need to battle this prayer, we need to say to the Lord, if 109 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:42,120 Thy presence go not with me, carry us, not offence. 110 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:49,480 Literally let this be our prayer for an individual, for our 111 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:53,400 families and for us as a church one. 112 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,520 Think about the provision of this prayer. 113 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,840 You see, to understand the weight of Moses words, we must 114 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,440 understand the context, the setting, the back cloth to the 115 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,200 prayer. The children of Israel have been 116 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:11,200 redeemed from Egypt. They have, of course, by the 117 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,360 power of the shed blood of the lamb. 118 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:14,840 They have crossed the ray of sea. 119 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:18,040 They have left Egypt, they have received the law at Mount Sinai 120 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,920 and God has promised to lead them into the land flowing with 121 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,360 milk and honey. And then Exodus 32 happens. 122 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,880 The unthinkable happens. They build a golden calf. 123 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,320 They break off their covenant relationship with God by 124 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,040 idolatry, immorality, and iniquity. 125 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,960 Listen to chapter 32 and in the verse 24. 126 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,800 And I said unto them, This was Aaron. 127 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,720 Whosoever had any gold, let them break it off. 128 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:53,360 So they gave it me, and then I cast it into the fire, and there 129 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:59,120 came out this calf. It says in verse 25, when Moses 130 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,120 saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked 131 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,360 unto their shame among their enemies. 132 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,480 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the 133 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,600 Lord's side, Let him come unto me. 134 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,920 And all the sons of the Levi gathered themselves together 135 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,280 unto him. Now don't miss this, that's 136 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:24,360 important, right? You see, once they broke off 137 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,880 their covenant relationship, God's righteous anger burned 138 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,840 against them and judgement falls upon them. 139 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,120 I know the Lord doesn't destroy them completely. 140 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:37,920 He declares something very chilling. 141 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:42,440 Look at verse 3, Exodus 33, verse 3. 142 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,840 For I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a 143 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:55,080 stiff necked people, lest I consume thee in the way he says 144 00:10:55,080 --> 00:11:02,920 in verse 16. If you read it, sorry in in the 145 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:15,360 verse, right. OK yes, verse 2. 146 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,040 Sorry I I missed that. And I will send an Angel before 147 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,440 thee. Now this is what I don't want 148 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,680 you to miss. I will not go up. 149 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,840 I will send an Angel before thee. 150 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,240 Now you see, God is still offering guidance. 151 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,880 God is still promising victory. God is still offering them the 152 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,360 land flowing with milk and honey. 153 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:37,640 Verse 3. In other words, he's saying to 154 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:43,440 them, Go ahead, Moses, but one thing you won't have as you go. 155 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,760 You won't have my presence. I will not go up with you. 156 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,280 I'll send an Angel, but I will not go up in the midst of thee. 157 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,080 And that is the greatest threat that the children of Israel ever 158 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,400 faced. Not famine in the wilderness, 159 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,360 not starvation, not Pharaoh in his army, not enemies in the 160 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:07,040 land, not the giants, but the possibility of moving on without 161 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,400 the Lord, the possibility of going forward without the 162 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:14,000 presence of God. She remembered the children of 163 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:19,240 Israel on a journey and God is saying He is not with them, 164 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:21,840 He'll not be present amongst them. 165 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:26,560 And Moses, the man of God, the man of prayer, he, he understood 166 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:28,480 this. This is not a successful 167 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,760 outcome. This is but a disaster without 168 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,360 God. We cannot, we must not go 169 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,760 forward. And that's the background to 170 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,800 this profound prayer. If thy presence go not with us, 171 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:55,560 carry us not of. Hence He did not say Lord give 172 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,480 us the land anyway. He didn't say Lord, help us to 173 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,360 be successful. He didn't say Lord, make our way 174 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,800 prosperous. He didn't say, Lord, keep us 175 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,440 safe and give us the victory over our enemies. 176 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:14,800 No, He's saying this, If thou are not going with us, then 177 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,680 don't let us go at all. You see, that's the heart of a 178 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:23,600 man of God. That is a true Reformed faith. 179 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,200 What a great truth that many modern churches have forgotten 180 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,720 and ignored and forsaken. It's better to stay in the 181 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,800 wilderness than to go into the promised land without the Lord. 182 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,520 And you see, that's something that we fear. 183 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,040 Remember Hosea, and I made reference to this a long time 184 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:48,520 ago in the book of Hosea. In Hosea chapter 5 and verse 11, 185 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:54,800 Hosea the prophet says this. I will go and return to my place 186 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,800 till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face and 187 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,200 their affliction. They will seek me early. 188 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:02,440 I will go and return to my place. 189 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,920 God is saying I'm withdrawing myself, my presence, my power, 190 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,840 everything. I'm withdrawing from you. 191 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:14,880 I fear the withdrawing of God's presence, His presence, His 192 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:21,200 power, His provision, His protection in 2025. 193 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,520 As this year ends and 2026 begins, what will we be 194 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:31,480 satisfied with if we knew and felt and believed and understood 195 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:36,240 God's presence was going to be absent from us in 2026? 196 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,520 What would growing numbers be without the life of God in the 197 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,600 midst? What would the help of God be 198 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:49,200 without holiness? What would activity be without 199 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,040 His divine power and divine hand upon us? 200 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,320 Imagine having prosperity without the presence of God. 201 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:03,680 Imagine having rejoicing without a reverence for who God is, 202 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,600 without the knowledge of Him. You see, I believe Moses was 203 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,080 wise. He knew what was needed. 204 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:13,040 He knew what was essential, the provision of the prayer. 205 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:18,400 If thy presence go not with us, carry us not of. 206 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:25,400 Hence, very quickly think about the principle of Moses prayer. 207 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,280 You see, Moses knew what distinguishes the people of God 208 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,600 for men and women of the world. If you look at verse 16, he 209 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,840 says, For wherein shall it be known that here and I and thy 210 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,760 people have found grace and thy sight? 211 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:44,880 It is not in that thy goest with us. 212 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,520 That's the answer. That's what distinguishes the 213 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,160 people of God from the people of the world. 214 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:52,240 Is it not that thy goest with us? 215 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,840 What God makes God's people distinct in God's people 216 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,400 different. It is not their redemption, it's 217 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,720 not merely their morality, it's not their doctrines, it's not 218 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,440 even their distinct history. It's the presence of the living 219 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,520 God amongst them. You see, what was the 220 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,640 Tabernacle? It was a dwelling place for God. 221 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,240 God dwelt there. That's what made it different. 222 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,320 That's what made the Tabernacle distinct. 223 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,160 And the same with the temple. It mattered because God filled 224 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,840 the house with his own Shekinah glory. 225 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,840 We read, of course, in the Bible that men like Enoch walked with 226 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,480 God. Noah walked with God. 227 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,760 Thousands of others mattered. Why? 228 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,800 Not that they walked with God and that was true, but that God 229 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,920 walked with them. I remember Doctor Douglas 230 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:43,760 speaking one time and the words of Enoch walked with God and he 231 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,000 proved it from the Hebrew, which I not take time to try and do 232 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,760 tonight. But the meaning of those words, 233 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:55,160 Enoch walked with God is this that with God Enoch walked about 234 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:02,680 completely different. The emphasis is on God coming to 235 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,280 Enoch and Enoch making the decision I'm going to walk about 236 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,680 with God. And you see, in the New 237 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:14,200 Covenant, the Church of Jesus Christ matters because Christ 238 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,720 dwells in our hearts by faith. Christ in you, the hope of 239 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,240 glory. That's what the book of 240 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,280 Colossians teaches. When did you remove God's 241 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,000 presence, take his presence away? 242 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,359 What are we left with? We're left with nothing hallowed 243 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:35,600 tradition, empty religion, parlous orthodoxy and ask this 244 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,720 question to us a challenge my heart. 245 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,240 I was thinking about it today as I was sitting in First Alert and 246 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,960 Presbyterian Church, big church, whole 600 people was talking to 247 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,040 your man. I think his name was Blackburn 248 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,800 and he was a former elder there. I was saying, oh, it's a 249 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:54,720 beautiful building and it is I I like old buildings like 250 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,000 architecture, wood and oh, fascinating, never been in it 251 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,800 before. And he says to me, well, well, 252 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,600 how would you fill it? He says, why would there not be 253 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,200 a good crowd come on a Sunday. He says, well, we're down to 25 254 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:15,520 from 40. Are we jealous for the presence 255 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:20,360 of God in carried off FPC? Are we guarding the presence of 256 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:25,000 God or just we maintaining something religious? 257 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:35,600 Go through the motions, not just the provision of the presence of 258 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:42,520 God, but think about the precision of the presence of 259 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,680 God. You see, we believe, of course, 260 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:49,000 that God is omnipresent, and we believe that He is present 261 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,520 everywhere at all times in the fullness of His being. 262 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,920 But Scripture not just speaks of the doctrine of His 263 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,160 omnipresence. Scripture speaks of His 264 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:04,160 covenant, His presence, or His covenantal presence, His 265 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,160 conscious presence. Sometimes you hear me praying 266 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,920 that in the Sunday that the Lord would make His presence real, 267 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:14,200 make his conscious, his continual presence. 268 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:19,480 You see, His continual covenantal conscious presence is 269 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:26,040 His favourable gracious, relational nearness to His 270 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:31,120 people. See, Moses is not afraid that 271 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:33,720 God will cease to exist and cease to be God. 272 00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:39,480 Moses is afraid that God will withdraw His presence, His 273 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,040 guidance, His power, his fellowship. 274 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:47,320 Remember Psalm 27127, verse one, except the Lord build the house, 275 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:48,840 the labour in vain that build it. 276 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:51,480 The word house relates to a family. 277 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,120 This is not emotionalism, not mysticism. 278 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,680 This is really covenant theology. 279 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,120 God's presence means what precisely to us when we talk 280 00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:06,160 about God's presence, it means he is with us, he he indwells us 281 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,120 by his Spirit. It means that he is working. 282 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:12,320 And we we see that in the conviction of sin and the 283 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,480 conversion of souls. He, he, he gauges on our 284 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:20,840 decisions according to his word. He He restrains us in relation 285 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,440 to sin. His blessing is on our labours. 286 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:25,920 The Lord bless thee and keep thee. 287 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,640 The Lord make his face to shine upon thee. 288 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,000 The Lord lift up light of his countenance upon thee. 289 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,280 The Lord give thee peace. We experience His power and 290 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,160 worship. We have a sense that we're 291 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,640 before the Lord, and the Lord has come to meet with us. 292 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:43,160 We have comfort in our suffering and in our pain because we turn 293 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,320 to Him and He's our heavenly Father who will not 'cause us a 294 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:50,520 needless tear. He counsels us according to the 295 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,040 Scriptures. You see, Moses knows what he 296 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:56,600 wants. No, Moses knows that without the 297 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,280 presence of God, every step forward, it would actually be 298 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,920 like taking a step back towards Egypt. 299 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:08,160 The precision of God's presence. Now one final thing, the purpose 300 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,800 of God's presence, let's apply it to ourselves and the 301 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,400 Christian life. Now let's bring this home. 302 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,000 The end of the year 2025. We're thinking of the new year. 303 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,280 What are we thinking of? Well, we're thinking of new 304 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,960 plans, aren't we? New resolutions. 305 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,480 Long do they last? They don't last very long. 306 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,640 Sure they don't. New goals, new opportunities. 307 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,520 None of these are wrong. You know nothing wrong to have a 308 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,920 plan or a goal or or to seek a fresh opportunity. 309 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:47,800 But a year without God's presence is not a blessing. 310 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:55,800 In fact it's it's a curse disguised as an opportunity. 311 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:04,840 2026 we would be enter it with better finances, better health, 312 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:09,360 better circumstances, better numbers, and yet be the poor 313 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:14,120 spiritually. If we don't have the Lord with 314 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:18,560 us, we could really say and should say to the Lord, Lord, if 315 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:22,640 you're not in this house, better if someone shut the door. 316 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,200 Lord, if you're not in my plans, cancel them. 317 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:32,280 Lord, if you're not blessing my way, then stop me in the way 318 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:34,840 because obviously it's not the right way. 319 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:38,840 Lord, if you're not being glorified in my future, then 320 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,600 don't take me there. Lord, if you're not going to 321 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:46,600 help us to build this house, then don't let it happen. 322 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,800 See, remember, except the Lord build the house, the labour in 323 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:54,040 vain that build it. We could take a house to be an 324 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:55,800 individual life. We could take a house to be a 325 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,280 family. We could take a house to be the 326 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,120 House of God. You see, this is a dangerous 327 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,880 prayer and and yet this prayer can't be prayed. 328 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,720 It can't be experienced if we harbour sin. 329 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:15,640 Remember the psalmist said in Psalm 51 and in the verse 11 and 330 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:20,120 his prayer of restoration, he said, this cast me not away from 331 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:24,640 thy presence. Take not thy Holy Spirit from 332 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:26,720 me. And if we're guilty of 333 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:31,360 bitterness, guilty of gossiping, guilty of murmuring, guilty of 334 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:36,120 pride, all of these evil things, these are small sins, I know, 335 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,920 but they quench the Spirit because of withdrawing of God 336 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:46,200 and a withholding of much blessing and much power, we 337 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,960 could apply it to Christ life. We can't preach this without 338 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,960 looking for Christ. Moses interceded for the 339 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:55,680 children of Israel. What did he plead for? 340 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:00,240 He pleaded for God's presence. Jesus Christ today intercedes 341 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,200 for us in heaven. He is God's presence. 342 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:09,200 Remember, He's the exact replica of the Father we read in John's 343 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:13,000 Gospel that was read for us at the Christmas time in John 344 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:19,960 chapter 1 and in the verse 14, that tremendous statement and 345 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,200 the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. 346 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,400 The Word dwelt means tabernacled, and we beheld as 347 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,560 glory. The glory is of the only 348 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,560 begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 349 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:35,440 He says in verse 18, No man has seen God at any time. 350 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,720 The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He 351 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:45,440 hath declared Him. And of course, Christ Himself on 352 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,360 the cross experienced the ultimate withdrawal of the 353 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:50,800 Father's presence. Remember, he cried one of his 354 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,280 cries. My God, my God, why has thy 355 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:58,760 forsaken me? And He was forsaken so that we 356 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,280 would never be ultimately forsaken. 357 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:08,080 Our confidence is in God, and all that God is and all that God 358 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,400 has revealed of Himself. We merely just don't have a grip 359 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,960 on God. But let's think of God's grip on 360 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:17,840 us. Let's think of his hand, the 361 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:22,560 Lord's hand to be upon us. And as the midnight hour 362 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:29,800 approaches, then let this be our united prayer as a church. 363 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:36,560 Let's pray, Lord, we can't and don't want to grow without you. 364 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,440 Is he? Anything less would be us just 365 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,920 going into the new year to go through the motions religiously 366 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,080 again. We need the Lord to bless us. 367 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:53,800 Someone sent me today the Euronic blessing, which I've 368 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,080 been sharing with a number of the folks who are in the 369 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,520 hospital. And of course, it's taken from 370 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:06,760 the words of Numbers chapter 6 and in verse 22, 24. 371 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:08,360 The Lord bless thee and keep thee. 372 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,640 The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto 373 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,440 thee. The Lord lift up his countenance 374 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,480 upon thee and give thee peace. It's not tremendous. 375 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,080 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I 376 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,160 will bless them. Imagine God coming to say to 377 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:27,240 carried off FPC I'm going to bless you now in 2026. 378 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,240 I'll bless you in the past, but I'm going to bless you with an 379 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:34,600 even greater blessing, and we're going to pray. 380 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,920 I want you to pray and believe and breathe and battle for this 381 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:43,920 prayer. Lord, we can't and don't want to 382 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:51,120 grow without your blessing, without your presence with us. 383 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,600 We should pray this as families. Lord, don't bless us apart from 384 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:57,920 you. We should bless this as we 385 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,080 should pray this as individuals. Lord, don't take me anywhere 386 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,520 that Your presence will not keep me. 387 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:08,560 Remember Matthew 28 and 20. Lo, I am with you always, even 388 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,160 unto the end of the age. Hebrews 13 and five. 389 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,600 I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 390 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,200 See better a hard year. I don't know what it's going to 391 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:20,240 bring, but better a hard year with God than a happy 1 without 392 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,040 Him. Better unanswered questions with 393 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,720 God than all the fulfilled dreams that we could think about 394 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:32,040 without Him. My thought was, as we close the 395 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:35,320 year, that's Moses prayer become ours. 396 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,160 Let it become mine, let it become yours. 397 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,000 Let it become yours as a church, let it become yours as a family. 398 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,320 Let it become yours as an individual. 399 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,040 And I say this as I finish. May the God who has been 400 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:54,560 faithful in 2025 go before us into 2026. 401 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:03,040 Walk with us individually as families and as a church. 402 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:10,600 Dwell amongst us in the year to come like it has been in 2025. 403 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:19,720 Think of these words, If thy presence go not with me, carry 404 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:22,920 me not up hands. What do we need most? 405 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,840 What's provision do we need the most? 406 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:33,680 We need the presence of God. What makes us distinct? 407 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,880 What principle stands out? It's the presence of God. 408 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:43,120 What precisely do we need the presence of God? 409 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,520 What do we mean? All that God is, all that God 410 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,320 has revealed of himself. And here's our purpose. 411 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:55,600 Let's apply it to our hearts. May the Lord take these few 412 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,960 thoughts and bless them to us this evening.