The Presence of God

[0:00] Welcome and thank you for joining this message by David Entry at Karis Church. In this season of Great Awakening, may God pour out His Spirit through His Word, refreshing! your heart and awakening you to His will.

[0:13] Isaiah 29 verse 13. Isaiah 29 verse 13. Thank you, Jesus.

[0:24] The Bible says that, Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as these people draw near me with their mouth, but their hearts are, but with their mouth and with their lips, they honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me.

[0:53] And their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of man. He said, These people draw near with their mouth.

[1:07] That's a serious thing. So you are approaching God with your mouth. But it says, Their hearts are far from me.

[1:20] Their hearts are what? Far. Yesterday we heard, we spoke about how God helped me to have the right heart towards you.

[1:34] Give me a pure heart. Give me a clean heart. Give me a sanctified heart. That's our prayer yesterday. That God, that my heart will be towards you.

[1:47] When thou said, Seek ye my face, my heart said, Thy face, O Lord, will I seek. Because to enjoy God is a matter of your heart.

[2:03] For with the heart man believes. Psalm 73 verse 1 Psalm 73 verse 1 says, Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

[2:22] Who shall ascend to the holy hill of God? Psalm 24 He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He said that for you to get close to God, God said, It is the pathway to me is the state of your heart.

[2:43] The path. So if your heart is not pure, your way towards God is hindered and is not pure. So in Isaiah chapter 29 verse 13 He said, Draw near to me.

[3:01] So you can draw near with your mouth. Wow, that's an interesting one. You can draw near with your mouth. Just the mouth.

[3:17] The mouth. The mouth. But tonight that will not be your story. Not only tonight, but throughout this season of fasting. How many of you have sinned against God and you felt so bad about it and you were not?

[3:32] You just many times. Somebody said many times. Sometimes you just feel distant because of your... Sometimes it's just space to ask God, create in your clean hands.

[3:47] How many of you have struggled with something before? With disobeying God? You've struggled with obeying God and ended up disobeying God over and over. When those kind of things happen to you, don't come and be asking God for breakthrough.

[4:04] That's the charismatic gospel. When you are struggling with sin, you are asking God for blessings. At the prayer time, you ask him, go, oh God, give me a new job.

[4:15] Don't start like that. Don't start like that because you're actually far from him. So, you have to listen.

[4:26] In Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16, it said, let us come boldly before the throne of grace. The word boldly, the word boldly, the original Greek word translated that boldly.

[4:42] Some other versions say let us, I think, ESVO, which is confidently. Let us come confidently. The Greek word translated boldly, let us approach with confidence.

[4:55] That Greek word translated with confidence or boldly is the same word that is translated, the same word that is used for freedom of speech.

[5:09] Freedom of speech. That word, that the roots, it's eventually became the word that is used for freedom. So, let us come with freedom of speech. speech. But how can you come with freedom of speech if you are illegal or if you are an alien?

[5:30] He said, you were once far, Ephesians chapter 2. You who were, verse 12, you who were once far away as he brought near. before you start throwing things to God about what you want him to do, you have to ask him to draw you closer.

[5:52] And the only way you can get closer to God is, God, create me a clean heart. Yesterday I taught you, how do you get a clean heart? One of it is to pray. Ask God, create me a clean heart.

[6:04] Create me. Sometimes you come to church or you come into a prayer meeting and you shouldn't have much to pray or to say but to ask, have mercy on me, create me a clean heart.

[6:19] Create me a clean heart. I've been disobedient. I've missed you. I've disobeyed you. Create me a clean heart. Anytime you ask God to create you a clean heart, it draws you closer to God because he becomes your target.

[6:35] Because he becomes your target. And God wants to be your target. Hallelujah. The children of Israel, that's what God said about them.

[6:50] God said, Isaiah chapter 29 verse 13 was referring to the children of Israel. It's not Gentiles God was talking about.

[7:03] God was talking to the children of Israel Israel. And he was telling, saying that, talking about the children of Israel, he was saying that, these, wherefore, the Lord said, for as much as these people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips they do honor me.

[7:25] God, I love you. God, I love you. You are just so amazing. God said, with their lips they do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me.

[7:42] And because of that, there was an impediment in their work with God. So, they could not enjoy God, and God's presence, and God's goodness, the way they should.

[7:56] I believe that one unique feature of this season of fasting is drawing closer to God. Sunday, I spoke about some of the benefits of fasting, and one of the benefits of fasting, spiritual benefits, is it deepens your dependence on God.

[8:19] It draws you. Fasting helps you to deepen your dependence on God and in prayer, or it helps you to even get closer to God. it draws you closer to God.

[8:31] Fasting helps you to do that. Moses met God and he was having a discourse with God in Exodus chapter 33.

[8:46] verse 12.

[8:58] verse 12 says, Moses said unto the Lord, see, thou hast said unto me, or thou said unto me, bring up these people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou will send with me, yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

[9:22] Moses said, that's what you said to me, so now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in your sight, show me thy way, that I may know thee.

[9:35] Did you see that? creating me a clean heart, that I may worship you. Show me, if I have found favor in your sight, then show me your way.

[9:49] Some of us, the first thing we would have asked is, give me a job. Give me a breakthrough. When Moses had a chance to speak to God about important things, he didn't say, show me your acts, because in the book of Psalm, I think Psalm 103 verse 7 or so, the Bible says that he showed his acts to the children of Israel, but to Moses, he made known his ways to Moses, but the children of Israel, his acts.

[10:19] So we have the acts of God and the ways of God. You can know the acts of God, but not know God properly. But when you know one of the signs that show that you are getting closer to God, he should begin to know his ways.

[10:33] So circumstances and situations do not bother you as much as your closeness to God is intact. So sometimes you can even go to the cross, be crying and you are happy you are doing that because you are in the ways of God.

[10:49] You are in the path of God. You know his ways. God showed Moses his ways. Moses asked for it. He said, if I have found favor with you, he didn't say kill my enemies.

[11:04] prove to them, let them know you are with me. But Moses said, just show me your ways. So I know how to walk with you. Show me your ways.

[11:15] So Moses prayed and he said to the Lord, that if I found favor with you, 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.

[11:29] Show me your ways that I may know you, and that I may find grace in your sight. Verse 14 says that, and he said, when Moses asked God, show me your way, God said, my presence.

[11:47] Let's all read the verse 14 together. Let's go. Let's say it again. Let's read it. Let's go. Everybody, let's read it. Let's go.

[11:57] my presence shall go with you, and I'll give you one more time. And he said, I see God's presence going with somebody.

[12:13] I see God's presence going with somebody. And God giving somebody rest. The rest you are about to enjoy is as a function of God's presence.

[12:27] he said, Moses said, if I found favor with you, then show me your ways. Show me your ways that I may know you.

[12:40] And God said, my presence will go with you. My presence, my presence. You know, Jesus said, I am the way. The way to God.

[12:52] See, listen to this very carefully. When he said, show me your way, what did God say? I will do. I will be with you. Because he is the way. John 14, 6.

[13:05] You remember? That's why I quoted Isaiah 29, verse 13. That because they walk with God, they have not getting close to him.

[13:18] Their hearts are far. And so God hasn't been, they are not enjoying God's presence the way they should. But Moses said, show me your way and God said, my presence will go with you.

[13:30] When God called Abraham and he said, Abraham, get out of your territory to a place where I will show you. Pastor, according to Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible says that Hebrews 11, 8, Abraham left, went out not knowing where he was going.

[13:50] Why? Because God, if you have God, you have the map. did you get what I said? If he said, by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going but he still went.

[14:08] Why? Because he had the map. He didn't have the location but he had the map because the map is God. The presence of God is the way. the presence of God.

[14:22] When God is with you, you don't lose your way. So, he said, show me your way. He said, I am my way. When God is with you and this season as we enter, as we go further into the fasting, pray that Lord, my heart will be right before you.

[14:43] Give me a clean heart. Give me a pure heart so I can get closer to you. So I will know your ways. Knowing your ways is having his presence. You see, sometimes it's not the challenges that is the problem.

[14:59] It is the lack of his presence. It's the lack of his presence. And I can guarantee you, if you can focus on praying God, I need your presence.

[15:13] I want to be closer to you. Give me a clean heart. Give me a pure heart so I can be closer to you. Sometimes, when you pray to God, your heart desire is to have a pure heart before God, it changes the game because it doesn't matter what others are doing.

[15:31] It's not your problem anymore. It doesn't matter. You do not serve God based on how others are serving you. Even in athletics, I used to be an athlete.

[15:42] In athletics, when you are running, when you are running on the track, say, eight people running, there is a tendency for you to pace your speed based on the people you are running with.

[15:57] But sometimes when you are running, you keep, so when you see the athletes running, especially 100 meters, 200, because that's fast pace, you see, they are going forward, but sometimes they keep looking on the side.

[16:09] When you look towards the side, it helps you to see how the other one who is behind you is closing in, especially when you are ahead of everybody. When you are ahead of everybody and you are in the middle lane, you have to go like this and keep going like this, as you watch forward, so that just in case someone is closing the gap, you tie.

[16:29] So you see, even with athletics, when you are running, your speed can be influenced by the people you are running with. You heard the story of the rabbits and the turtles? Yes.

[16:41] The rabbits speed was based on the turtles. So he knew that I would ask for this turtles I would arrive before him. And he went and sat under a tree, relaxed, because he would never come.

[16:55] And he fell asleep like something happens to you when you are reading your Bible. He fell asleep. When he woke up, turtles has arrived because he was judging his speed by his opponent's speed.

[17:13] And it's common in Christianity and Christian life to see, somebody is breaking their first astray. So you two, okay, I'll break my at 3.30. I'll break my at 3.30, especially husbands and wife.

[17:33] Don't follow your husband. He's older, likely. don't follow your wife.

[17:45] Don't follow her because my wife says she is a weaker vessel. So, but the truth is that sometimes you might even come to the prayer meeting later than you could have because the others will come around that time.

[18:04] But when it comes to pure purity of heart, anytime you are actually desiring a pure heart, you know what? You don't care about any other person because it's really purely between you and God.

[18:17] So that is why all of us to press towards purity of heart towards God. God, give me a clean heart. Give me a pure heart. In this season, as we fast, can you imagine you are fasting with a pure heart?

[18:32] You are fasting with a pure heart. Even if the results would take 10 days to come, like today in our reading, it says that Satan will afflict some of you for 10 days.

[18:46] 10 days. Yeah. Revelation chapter 2 verse 10 and 11. For 10 days. Even if your testimony is supposed to take 10 days, because of the purity of your heart, it can take 3 days.

[19:01] The heart is so pure before God. The heart is so clean. And when I talk about your heart is pure, your heart is sincere. It doesn't mean you are perfect, but your heart is sincere. Your yes is your yes before God.

[19:14] Your no is your no before God. Your heart is sincere. Moses said, let your presence, show me your ways. And God said, my presence will go with you. Then Moses said, if your presence does not go with us, then there's no point in this fasting.

[19:32] Verse 15. And he said unto him, if thy presence go not with me, don't take me anywhere. Don't take me anywhere.

[19:44] There's no point in this fasting. There's no point in the prayer if your presence will not. Because the presence of God is your all sufficient answer.

[19:57] The presence of God. He said, if your presence does not go with me, don't take me. Moses said, if your presence does not go with us, for Gary, for Gary, he said, he said unto him, if your presence go not with me, carry me not out from here.

[20:19] Don't carry me, they go. No, don't carry me from here. If your presence does not go with me, Moses said, don't carry me.

[20:29] And he says that for where we shall it be known here that I and thy people have found favor in your side. Is it not in that thou goeth with us?

[20:40] So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing that thou hast.

[20:52] Moses transacted with God for his presence. And God said, Moses said, if you don't go with me, if your presence is not with us, it's your presence with us, that's the only thing that distinguishes us from all other people.

[21:08] It makes us unique. It's the presence of God. It's not the hand of God, but it's the presence of God. Did you see what I'm talking about? It's not the hand of and the easiest way to secure God's presence is through a clean heart.

[21:22] Desire him and desire that God give me a clean heart. Give me a clean heart. I want to know your ways. Some of us, it's possible that all your Christian life, you've never prayed to know God's ways.

[21:37] God, do this for me. God, help me. God, power. It's a good prayer, but it's a lower version. The highest version is your presence.

[21:48] Create in me a clean in hand. Purify me. Purify my heart.

[22:03] Create in me a clean heart. So glad I fall. We're so glad you joined us for this message by David Entry.

[22:14] We pray the word has inspired and strengthened you. You can connect with David Entry on Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social platforms. And you can listen to more messages on all major streaming platforms and the Karish Church app.

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