The Presence of God

Exodus 33, reading at verse 9. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. Verse 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

And he turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Verse 13. Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with us, with me carry us not up hence. Now we've been reminded much as of the first speaker in view of the life of Moses.

There is something that I am sure Moses enjoyed through his pilgrim pathway, and that was a continual speaking terms with his God. We read here that Moses spoke with God face to face. I enjoyed the thought that the presence, the word presence in the Hebrew word was a word by the name of PANIM, P-A-N-I-M, translated, it's translated face, but it indicates a close encounter with God.

And I couldn't help but think of Moses' life, must have been a close encounter with God, right from the very beginning. Remembering in Exodus chapter 2 there was the call of the bush, and of course Moses had seen many bushes. There was no doubt that he knew all the brushes of that day, but he had never seen a bush that was on fire, and not consumed.

A voice out of the bush, and he heard the voice of God. There was something about Moses. God says he wasn't no man like him.

No man like him other than that he was. So there was something very, very precious about Moses' life. I would like to speak to you for just for a few minutes about something that I have enjoyed, something that I have enjoyed feeding upon and hopefully finding a bit of recovery in my own soul, and that is the presence of God.

I couldn't help but feel that presence in our first speaker. I couldn't help but understand that there's something here. These many people sitting reverently, listening, and listening to the voice of God.

Where can you go again to find something better? There's something that you and I have experienced in life, and that is some probably more than others, but what a thrill it is dear brethren and sisters when you feel and are touched by the presence of God. You know that God is here. You know that the circumstances that prevail around whatever is seeking is none other than God.

Two men fishing. There's no fish here. And when they put the net on the right side of the ship, this is the presence of God.

So God was there. God was in it. Joshua must have sensed the presence of God.

Moses, the great man that he was for God, has died. The book of Deuteronomy closes with the fact that he is gone. The book of Joshua opens with the fact that Joshua now steps on the scene.

And God tells him before he gets hardly five or six verses into his book, God says, I am with thee Joshua. Go, I am with thee. Thy servant, I will be with thee.

Gideon in Judges chapter 6. Judges, yes, Judges chapter 6. Go, though thou be the littlest in the tribe of Benjamin, I am with thee. And so there was something about the voice of God to Gideon, to Joshua, to Joseph, and to many, many more. That assurance, I am with thee, to assure them of the presence, the presence of God.

When is it promised? I would like to suggest three different things in this little topic. When is it promised? Where was it missing? What it will do. When is it promised? Exodus chapter 32 gives us a sad account.

We don't know where this Moses is. What happened to Moses? Let us make gods. So they take the ornaments off of the women, and they fashion a calf.

Let us make gods. We don't know where Moses is. We don't know if we're ever going to see him again.

We're not sure if he's ever coming back. So we have to have something visible. See, the invisible God wasn't good enough.

They needed something visible. What a sad thing it is, dear brethren, when we need something visible. It isn't good enough to be linked with the invisible.

And the invisible God that you and I are linked with, the God that Jacob, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, that invisible God is the one, is all we need. We've been reminded of that very, very clearly. It's God.

And the presence of God, and the power of God to be seen and to be known. When is it promised? Well, Moses knows that they have committed a great sin. Moses and God have a little conversation in Exodus 32.

And God tells Moses, you're the one that brought these people over. And Moses says, no, wait a minute. No, not me.

He says, you're the one that brought these people over to bring us, and you're going to deny them now? God has gotten into a state where He was fed up with them. And there wasn't any desire to lead them any further. Now, wait a minute, Moses says.

If you're not going to lead them, you blot me out. And God begins to, if I can use that expression, to think what the covenant that was made, the covenant that was made, and how that there was the promise to be leading. So, number one, I want to suggest, when there is confession of voiced, when there is the admittance of sin, when there is the admittance of wrong, then there's going to be, there's going to be the appreciation of the presence of God.

A little bit further on in chapter 32, they not only are suggesting about the confession, but there are the clinging ornaments. The clinging ornaments had to be removed. I'm not thinking so much this morning about that which we can hang on our bodies.

The clinging ornaments, that would manifest an exterior beauty. But I'm thinking more so about that which is in our habits. Perhaps a habit of life.

Perhaps something that clings to us. Something that we just seemingly can't get rid of. Something of the flesh that hangs on to us, like glue.

And there's an awareness. There's an awareness that it's dragging us down. There's an awareness that it's keeping me out of touch with the presence of God.

There's an awareness that I can't do what I would like to do without these ornaments, that which clings to us. And I would like to suggest that perhaps maybe there's clinging ornaments to us. A bad conscience.

Perhaps a bad habit. Can we get rid of it? Enjoy the presence of God? Not only the confession. Not only the clinging ornaments to be removed.

But there was a consecration that was challenged. And that consecration that was challenged was also in chapter 32, or was it the beginning of chapter 33? Who is on the Lord's side? So the call goes out. The tribe of Levi steps forth.

Who's on the Lord's side? And because of that challenge, the tribe of Levi comes forward and steps out. Could I say today that maybe unwilling, maybe unable could be replaced with unwilling? Unwilling to be on the Lord's side? Perhaps you hide behind the excuse unable, as we've been reminded. But perhaps maybe it's unwilling.

Where there's a will, there is a way. And so at the beginning of chapter 33, there's the communication. So where is the promise of God? Where is the presence of God felt and known? Where there is a consecration that has been committed.

Where there is communication. I love what verse 9 says of chapter 33. And it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.

What a thrill that must have been. Face to face. It's almost like they're almost so intimate that they realize that the Lord is talking, talking, talking to Moses.

When is it promised? I want to suggest that when these four things line up, the presence of God is promised. Where was it missing? We've been reminded about the Nazarite. And of course, dear Samson, what a man he could have been.

What a man he was. Not many could do what Samson did. But I want to suggest, brethren, what a man he could have been.

A far better man if only he had gotten off, if only he had gotten his focus. One lap of a woman was more powerful than 1,000 Philistines. Remember that, dear brethren.

You dear younger people that we love. You dear younger people that are so precious. The responsibilities fall into your hands.

We are getting older. You notice I didn't say we're old. We're getting older.

One of these days, many here that you see with a hoary head and the speaker will be in yonder cemetery. You dear younger men, what are you doing with your time? What are you doing in those hours that you're pushing the buttons on the games? And I hope that convicts you that I should be studying my Bible. I hope that you're convicted that I should give more time to the reading of the Scriptures.

Where was it missing? In a leader. The presence of God was missing in a leader. A man who could have done exploits for God.

A man who could have had the nation picking out of his hand. But a man who lost his eyes. God used him at the end.

Slew more at his death than at his life. I'm thinking that there are many, many things that hold men from giving their life to God. I have a photograph in my daytimers.

It's a picture of nine men that once labored in the Gospel. Nine men from visiting men Nine Iowa men. There's only two left.

I know God takes care of the assemblies. I know God takes care of the Gospel. I know that.

But where are our young men that have a burden for preaching? No, you can just stay planting the corn. That have a burden for souls. That can't go to work in the daytime, in the morning, without thinking of souls.

It's souls that are on the way to hell, dear brethren. And who's going to tell them if we don't tell them who will? And so, dear brethren, please in the fear of God, take this admonition kindly. If you have some sort of exercise for the Gospel, a little ability.

The best thing that ever happened to me, this speaker, was I moved out of an assembly where there was 100 in fellowship and moved into an assembly where there was 14. It was a culture shock. And I had to get on my feet.

So, where is it promised? Where was it missing, rather? Where was it missing? It was missing in a leader. It was also missing in a lampstand. In Revelation chapter 3, is it? In Laodicea.

Heart lukewarm. Knowing not, thou art cold and wretched and miserable and blind. Oh, they thought that they were walking on red carpet.

They thought that they were enjoying. Well, maybe they were, but they thought they were having God's great approval upon them. They had increased with goods.

And actually come down to say, in need of nothing. The Spirit of God puts the finger on the sore spot. But, thou art poor and miserable and naked.

Where was it missing? Is it missing in our assemblies, brethren? Is it missing when we gather simply unto the name of the Lord Jesus on Lord's Day morning? Do you feel the touch of the promised Savior? Oh, I know that the Savior is promised to be there. But, dear brethren, do we have a sense of it? Is there a touch of it? The Spirit of God. The presence of God.

And what a thrill when you sense the presence of God there. It was also missing in a home. Joseph and Mary they went on a day's journey and they found that he wasn't with them.

I believe it's possible to be in a home where the presence of God is not there. Where there's all kinds of chatter about everything but God. Where husband and wife do not read.

Where husband and wife go their own way. They do their thing. And the presence of God is not sensed as they come together to read.

Was it missing? Yes, it was missing. That took three days to find him. It costs something.

We've been reminded of that. To lose the sense of God and the presence of God can be costly. My final point, what can it do? I really enjoyed the fact of putting some thoughts on what can it do.

Number one, it can bring conviction. And the presence of God does that. It brings conviction to the heart.

In our unsaved days, you and I know what it means to be convicted. Be convicted about eternal matters. And of course, being brought to the Savior.

It brought about conviction. It brings about conviction as believers. And me as a believer, it brings conviction to my heart.

I'd rather have the Spirit of God correct me than men. And the Spirit of God has corrected. And you know what the work of the Spirit of God and the presence of God can do.

It can correct us. The presence of God not only brings conviction, but it brings comfort. And it can bring comfort to the most difficult cases.

That which is so difficult to understand. That unexpected event that come in our pathway. That which knocked at my door.

I didn't expect cancer to come to my door. But it did. And it brought the Spirit of God, the presence of God.

Not only brought conviction, not only did it bring, but it brought comfort. It leads to confession. The presence of God can lead to a full-hearted, unreserved, 100% genuine confession.

Confession to know that my, my, I am wrong. Confession to know that you're right. A confession can be brought about by the presence of God.

It can, it can also, the presence of God can bring me to a realization that I need to obey the commandments. And leading can lead us to obeying commandments. Perhaps maybe commandments that we have, we have never had trouble obeying before.

Not only leading to commandments, but it also can settle controversies. So the presence of God, dear brethren, it's wonderful to appreciate and to know and to be in the very presence of God and to sense that this is actually the work, work of the Spirit of God. It directs in the congregation.

And in the congregation, as we are part of the assemblies, the, without a pastor, without a paid pastor, excuse me, without a paid pastor, there is the Spirit of God, the presence of God that can be known, that can be felt. Marvelous when you just can sit back and rest and enjoy the presence of God on Lord's Day morning. It must have been, it must have been marvelous to sit back and to sense the presence of God in gospel work here at Stout over the many, many years.

I've often thought that Stout is the gospel capital of Iowa. And other men have been raised up of God and leading now in local companies here and there. They've come from Stout.

They've come from Cedar Falls. What a marvelous thing when the presence of God brings a man and brings a woman and squeezes them to the point where they cry out, what must I do to be saved? The presence of God not only directs in the congregation, but the presence of God looks forward to a day when we're going to see the blessed man in the glory. Midst the darkness, brethren, midst the darkness, storm and sorrow, one bright gleam I will see.

Well, we know the blessed morrow. Christ will come for me. He and I together entering those bright courts above He and I together sharing all the Father's love.

The presence of God. Let's enjoy it. Let's seek it.

Where was it missing? What can it do? May we appreciate, even at this conference, a sense of the presence of God.