You speak the truth. Hey! It is the presence of God, his nearness to us in our time of need that allows us to experience his goodness, to know his faithfulness, to accept his sovereign will in all things. For wherein now shall it be known that I have found The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” But let me explain…. The man said, “Listen, I know you’re not a believer, but I want to give you this and encourage you to read it. God WITH US in the mess is what testifies to Who God is. The ten spies who brought back a negative report on the land died in a plague (Num. Misusing God's Name - Exodus 20 5. I am glad you found it, and it ministered to you! ButI’m there now. They want God to give all these good things to them and do all these good things for them without asking anything in return! It was His presence that set them apart from all the other peoples of the earth. These people can’t go forward without you. God’s presence is the very thing that brings value to the promise. So, what does this Scripture have to do with God’s command for us to live justly? If Your Presence does not go with me, do not make me do this business. Upon descending the mountain, Moses discovered that they had made themselves an idol (a golden calf) to worship; consequently, God was sorely displeased with His people. He brings meaning and clarity. Moses had been up on Mt. God’s presence is special Moses valued God’s presence so much that he declared (v 15) “... if your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” Moses had learned a very important lesson in life: going anywhere without God was a bad idea. Even the Scriptures, without the Holy Spirit’s illumination, are just words on paper. How will anyone know You are pleased with us in all of this?” In our financial struggles, I’d ask, “How will anyone know that you are pleased with us unless you give us that job promotion, money, or a publishing contract to get my books published?”. Good Christians, do you debate each week whether or not to go to church? Some days we were a big mess. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” They grew tired of waiting on their God, Yahweh, so they began worshiping another one—the very thing that God had warned them against doing in the first two of the Ten Commandments, which God had just written on tablets of stone and given to Moses up on the mountain. The magician and comedian named Penn Jillette is one-half of the comedy magic duo Penn and Teller. Make no mistake… God is seemingly offering Moses everything to abandon the mission for which God called him in the first place. God is good to give us what we need when we need it. “God, how will they be able to see and know You through all of this mess? If Your presence doesn't go with us Lord we don't want to leave this place Lord we need You near As we go from here To lead us by Your love and grace May Your presence fill us every day May Your Spirit lead the way Lord to You we call Let Your glory fall And may Your presence go with us If we have found favor in Your sight Show us Your ways O Lord Moses was convinced that without God’s presence in his life it was useless for him to attempt anything. “” Stumbled” on this today. And Moses has the boldness, the courage, the audacity to stand up to God and say, “No… If your presence won’t go, not only with me but with all of my people… and all of your people… Then just let me die right here in the wilderness. Sometimes life’s challenges are actually good blessings in disguise. Because… as even this hardened skeptic understands… If Jesus is who we say he is, isn’t our failure to witness nothing less than a failure to love? It’s for Israel’s own good, he tells them. And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here! Do you feel like no one knows your name and even God doesn’t know what’s heaviest on your heart? Years ago, Jillette posted a video on his blog about an experience he had just had after a show in Las Vegas. Hi, Julie and thanks for the reminder of consulting God in all our affairs. That is the awesome mercy and grace of God that we should DAILY praise Him for that even when we get in rebellion God doesn’t give up on us. Oh, dear brothers and sisters, what about our people? Friends, who are your people? When he spoke face to face with the Lord, he said, "...If thy presence go not with me, carry us up not hence" (Exodus 33:15). God bless you. 6. It’s empty! The statement of Moses has long been my hearts cry. Please read it.”. Without the Lord’s presence, life is futile and empty. He, personally, would not be going with them because of their rebellious idolatry. My heart has never broken for lost people. Are we content to receive God’s promises alone, or are we wanting the presence of the One Who gave us the promise? It’s God’s presence that sets us apart–not success in the temporary things of life. Exodus 33:14-15, "And He", that's God, "said", now He's talking to Moses, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest". Because in Hebrew the words “with me” or “with us” in verses … So even when I walk through a dark valley, I sense Your presence and I receive Your protection. His holiness wouldn’t allow it. There’s no evidence that he would have. If you have your Bibles—and you should—look at chapter 33, verse 5: “For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Say to the people of Israel, “You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you”—that is, I would wipe you out because of your sin. Oh, yeah… for context, here’s another important fact about Jillette that you need to know: he is an outspoken atheist. And [eternal life] is more important than that! And you can look back at those chapters and see for yourself… He offers up at least a half-dozen excuses why he shouldn’t be the one to embark on this mission. Well, y’all know this because… many of you were asked or have been asked and you’ll be asked again. We aren’t saying we need your judgment. I don’t want them to just be pretty and poetic and make people feel good for a moment. When God Leads the Way - Exodus 33 Scriptures: Exodus 33 Who are mine?Because if our hearts aren’t breaking at the thought that our people—our family, our friends, the members of our community, the people we work with, the people we go to school with… if ours hearts aren’t breaking—the way Moses’ heart was breaking, the way Paul’s heart was breaking—at the thought that our people might spend eternity separated from God… especially when we had the power within ourselves—the power of the Holy Spirit—to change the course of their lives, by bearing witness to Christ, by telling them about Christ, by introducing them to Christ… If our hearts aren’t breaking at that thought, are we even Christians at all? The Lord promised Joshua that He will never leave him or forsake him. Do we love people enough to do what God is calling us to do to save them? It seems that every other church has learned how to have services, songs and sermons without you anywhere near the place. I just don't! You don’t by any chance have relatives from Chicago, do you? And I think a few of you are even related to pastor who works at 12Stone! The read is awesome..thanks for sharing and stay blessed! And when your heart breaks, the first and most important thing that any of us can do for reaching them with the good news of Jesus Christ is to pray for them. He was saying, “Lord, if you’re not with us, we’re not going to make it. If God does not enter your kitchen, there is something wrong with your kitchen. I desire what I say to have eternal impact. For wherein now shall it be known that I have found The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” If we remain in Him, we will flourish and bear much fruit, but apart from Him we can do nothing. 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I don’t want any part of your plan… if it means that my people Israel are left out of your plan.”. Don't worry, we'll never spam you or give away your information. Kevin asked Trey and all the other pastors to come to his house, that it was an emergency. We know that that was not coincidence. Years ago, I used to wonder how I would be able to testify to our unsaved family members about Who God is and what He’s done in our lives. But because they were a stiff-necked people, He couldn’t go with them; otherwise, He might destroy them on the way. Even though that’s what they deserve. By clicking the link above, you’ll be shopping under our affiliate account at Christianbook.com and each purchase you make we gain a small commission from. He said: If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever—and you think that, uh, well, it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward… how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize them? But… God also won’t go with the Israelites into the Promised Land. Just getting ready for it, it takes time, as many of you know. Finally in Exodus 4:13, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”. Join us as we study Psalm 24 in preparation for our 21-Days of Fasting & Praying in a message titled, "Preparing to Enter God's Presence." What a remarkable love! That’s what Moses did for his people. If only we could be as Christ-like as Moses! Okay, so how could God's presence... how could He say, "My presence will go with you", when God's everywhere? He provided safety, strength and joy. And if we at Toccoa First United Methodist are not about making disciples, and showing people what they must do to be saved, what are we doing here? I’ve never cried as I’ve thought about people I love spending eternity apart from God.”. He intervened on behalf of his people and told God, in so many words, “I will sacrifice everything to save them.” And God responded… God said “yes”… God saved his people. Other Bible translations use the word “abomination.” I don’t know about you, but that word grabs my attention and convicts me! Learn more about our new 16 week devotional book and journal for the family. Then he", Moses, "said to him, "If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here". Would we rather avoid “social awkwardness,” as he calls it, rather than witness to the lost, and to warn them that, apart from knowing Christ, something infinitely worse than a fast-approaching truck is in its way—which is an unredeemed sinner standing before God in Final Judgment—and that time is running out to change their eternal destiny! We weren’t the picture-perfect family. Would you like to get these devotions delivered right to you by email? But truthfully it’s the least favorite part of my job. When we say, Lord we need your fire. We take your privacy seriously! The English translators have added those words in an effort to help us understand what God and Moses mean. We are saying we need your presence, because if we can get in your presence, everything is going to be all right. If Your Presence does not go with me, do not make me do this ministry. Moses desperately wanted God to go with them as they entered the Promised Land. Moses is saying, "If you do not go up with us, LORD, we go without rest; we go without hope; we go without honor and defense; we go without salvation; we go without love." And I’m only sharing it with you because I’m telling you that this problem is someday not going to be a problem any longer. GBY. I'm with you, Moses! Because what I want to say is, “You have this amazing opportunity to help our church fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world… You have an important and necessary role to play… in fact, God is calling you to do this.” But the way it usually comes out of my mouth is, “Hey, would you mind serving on this committee next year. In other words, “Okay, God! He won’t wipe them out after all. Do you wonder if you’ll like the hymns or if the sermon will be too long? Some of you have likely seen them on late-night TV over the years. We love living in Colorado Springs! He talks about his atheism a lot. “That’s not enough, God!” Verse 15: “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”, Now… before I can continue, I have to clear up some confusion. More importantly, God is angry! And he explained that his heart was broken… broken… as he thought about all the lost people all around their churches who needed the gospel… and could they just get on their knees right then and there and pray for them… and pray that they would be used in powerful ways by the Holy Spirit to reach them. Subscribe to our mailing list to get them in your inbox. He would send an angel before them and drive out the enemies. In verse 15 he says If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.ref Moses would rather stay wandering in … God replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Upon hearing this, Moses emphatically stated, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). And Moses is saying, “No. Exodus 33:15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. Even though in response to Moses’ prayer God relented and agreed to go with Israel, He eventually did destroy many because of their sins. That large sum of money in the bank means nothing if God isn’t blessing it. King David, in Psalm 51, almost begs of God to not take His Spirit from him or to let him depart from His presence… If you don’t go with us And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Well… I don’t know what’s happened to me. “How much do you have to hate somebody.” Okay, I get it… the word “hate” is too strong, but don’t you see his point? But notice in verses 1 through 6 of chapter 33, God offers Moses everything else—all the good stuff he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—including military success, peace, prosperity, abundance, land, security, safety, freedom from fear—with no strings attached except one: God said, “You’ll have all this good stuff. Sermon Description. I believe my husband does have some relatives in Chicago, but I’m not 100% sure. He was not going to renege on the promise of giving them the land He swore to their forefathers. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. This is the kind of religion that most people think they want. So that’s what God offers Moses in the verses leading up to today’s scripture… And Moses boldly says, No. 2. Daily Devotion – Jeremiah 24:5-6 – God Turning Bad Into Good, Daily Devotion – When Double Standards Challenge Our Faith, Daily Devotion – Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing. 17, no. Later, when th… We need you. Moses was convinced that without God's presence in his life, it was useless for him to attempt anything. God has wrath because of Israel’s sin; they deserve God’s punishment. Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. And the worst part of Charge Conference for me is something that I’m responsible for… The pastor is the chair of the Lay Leadership, or Nominations, Committee. I wasn’t there then. Those involved in Korah’s rebellion died when the earth swallowed them alive (Num. Moses, the chosen leader of the Israelite people, was on Mount Sinai receiving the law when God told him it was time to go back down the mountain. Moses' heart is always for the people. So I enjoy Your blessings in the middle of enemies all around me. How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? God has just said in verse 14, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And then in verse 15, it seems like Moses doesn’t even hear what God has just said, because he says, “If your presence will not go with me…” To make matters worse, if you have an NIV or NASB or New Living Translation, Moses doesn’t say, “if your presence will not go with me”; he says, “If your presence will not go with us…”.