WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.419 This week, I felt the Lord drop this word in 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:07.240 my heart right after I had preached the message 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.900 on the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:15.859 And as I have been, because I have been continuing 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:21.199 to meditate, to chew the cud on the unity of 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.359 the Trinity and what that means for my life. 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:27.620 And as I've been doing that, he brought me back 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:33.399 to Philippians. chapter 4. And when I read this, 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.679 you're going to be like, oh, here she goes again. 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.840 I've got to rejoice. I've got to give thanks. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.700 We're actually not going to focus on that part 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:46.259 of it, but what we need is context for what I 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:50.020 do feel the Lord is speaking. And so verse 4 00:00:50.020 --> 00:00:56.750 begins it, rejoice in the Lord. In fact, I was 00:00:56.750 --> 00:00:58.590 going around singing the song. How many of you 00:00:58.590 --> 00:01:01.149 know the song? Rejoice in the Lord. We can get 00:01:01.149 --> 00:01:04.790 a round going here. Okay, good job. That's it. 00:01:07.409 --> 00:01:09.530 That would be kind of fun. You could practice 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:11.409 it in our small groups and then have all our 00:01:11.409 --> 00:01:14.569 small groups up here going in rounds. Rejoice 00:01:14.569 --> 00:01:19.150 in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice. 00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:23.730 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord 00:01:23.730 --> 00:01:27.700 is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:31.939 in every situation, by prayer and petition, with 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:36.480 thanksgiving, present your request to God. And 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:40.719 the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:44.140 It doesn't make sense that you would have peace 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:48.680 in your situation, right? It transcends all human 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:52.540 understanding, will guard your hearts and your 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:58.159 minds in Christ Jesus. So we get, we're supposed 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:03.400 to rejoice and give thanks. And sometimes that's 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:08.560 hard to do. But here's what the Lord just jumped 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:11.889 out at me in the spirit. And I believe that it's 00:02:11.889 --> 00:02:20.810 a word for you. The Lord is near. That one little 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:27.169 sentence changes everything. The Lord is near. 00:02:28.750 --> 00:02:32.990 And I think when we find ourselves having difficulty 00:02:32.990 --> 00:02:37.650 rejoicing and giving thanks, when anxiety begins 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:41.849 to rise in our hearts, what I'm seeing from this 00:02:41.849 --> 00:02:45.270 is that we have forgotten something. The Lord 00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:51.530 is near. And so this morning, now, here's a little 00:02:51.530 --> 00:02:55.889 bit of Bible interpretation. Because you can, 00:02:56.129 --> 00:02:59.669 if you have the version, like on my app, I have 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:02.289 my Bible versions, right? And I can click on 00:03:02.289 --> 00:03:04.810 it and it will give me all the definitions of 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:09.150 the words, of the original word. And you have 00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:12.229 to be careful in that because you could choose 00:03:12.229 --> 00:03:16.590 whichever one gives you the goosebumps. And so 00:03:16.590 --> 00:03:19.030 this is why we have to know context, we have 00:03:19.030 --> 00:03:22.210 to know history and all, and verbiage and grammar 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:25.580 and all that fun stuff. But as I was studying 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:29.360 this, I was like, Lord, all of my points are 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:32.520 just right out of this word right here. I felt 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:36.680 like God was speaking through them. And so today, 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:39.020 that's exactly what we're going to do. We are 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:47.159 going to look at what the word near means. You 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:51.379 say, well, this seems very obvious. Something 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:56.620 is near, it's near. If it's far, it's far. We're 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.319 going to go a little deeper than that today. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.659 Because I think what happens is we become very 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:06.659 preoccupied with our problems, our situations. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:13.020 And suddenly the presence that is known to us 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:17.980 is the presence of our problems. And that becomes 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:22.660 more real to us. Than the presence of the living 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:28.120 God. Who should be near to us. And so here we 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.160 go. Ready? This is something that the disciples. 00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:35.930 It's a beautiful picture, and I love preaching 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:39.709 the road to Emmaus. It's such an amazing passage 00:04:39.709 --> 00:04:43.509 of after the death and resurrection, the disciples 00:04:43.509 --> 00:04:46.269 are on the road that day, Resurrection Sunday, 00:04:46.569 --> 00:04:51.910 and they're discouraged, and they're disillusioned 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:56.029 because our king has died. So they're going home, 00:04:56.089 --> 00:04:59.610 and Jesus appears on the road, and they're so 00:04:59.610 --> 00:05:04.269 preoccupied with their problem. Everything we've 00:05:04.269 --> 00:05:07.649 lived for for years has fallen into disarray 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:11.009 and scattered. And that's all that they can see. 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:14.930 And when Jesus appears and begins not just walking 00:05:14.930 --> 00:05:18.589 with them, but unfolding scripture to them, they 00:05:18.589 --> 00:05:23.680 do not recognize the Lord is near. And it's not 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:27.459 until they're seated at the table and, oh, wait 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:29.939 a minute. We've been here before with this person. 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:34.220 We've sat around a table before with a person. 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:38.379 The Lord is near. He's at our table. And their 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.240 eyes are opened. And they go and they back to 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:45.779 Jerusalem to tell of Jesus. What happened? They 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:48.220 were preoccupied with their problems and didn't 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:52.060 know Jesus is near. And so when we look at this 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:55.079 sentence, this little sentence will change everything 00:05:55.079 --> 00:06:01.399 for us. The Lord is near. The Father, the Son, 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:08.160 the Holy Spirit is near to you. So do not be 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:11.920 anxious about anything, but just begin to lay 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.379 your request at his feet. And so what does it 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:18.629 mean that the Lord is near? Here's definition 00:06:18.629 --> 00:06:23.129 number one. I just about like went into revival 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:26.189 reading this one because I'm a very work -oriented 00:06:26.189 --> 00:06:29.730 person. But the very first definition of nearness 00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:35.529 is a Sabbath day walk. How many of you have heard 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:40.529 that phrase? It's used in Acts once to describe 00:06:40.529 --> 00:06:43.589 the distance from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:50.149 A Sabbath's walk distance. It is a term that 00:06:50.149 --> 00:06:56.029 is used within the Jewish people that describes 00:06:56.029 --> 00:07:00.850 how far on the Sabbath day they can journey. 00:07:02.009 --> 00:07:08.209 So Darla lives in Decatur, and she drives over 00:07:08.209 --> 00:07:13.500 every Sunday. That's a 45 -minute drive. And 00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:18.279 she's here every week, except when it's icy and 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:23.399 snowy. She would not have been able to come to 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:27.980 church here on the Sabbath because she is more 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:31.699 than a Sabbath's walk distance from this church. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:36.740 So on the Sabbath, it was intended to keep them 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:44.279 close to home to be at rest on the Sabbath. The 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:52.240 Lord is a Sabbath day walk from you. And so often 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:55.860 in our difficulty, we're striving in our own 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:59.800 strength, in our own understanding to make something 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:04.420 happen in life. And we sang it this morning, 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:08.160 didn't we? I'm just going to sit here. I'm just 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.220 going to worship. That's all I'm going to do. 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:14.689 I'm going to worship. I'm going to be still. 00:08:15.790 --> 00:08:21.310 Out of the place of rest. Now, here's a verse 00:08:21.310 --> 00:08:24.790 in Joshua chapter 3. This is one of the passages 00:08:24.790 --> 00:08:30.410 in which they get the Sabbath's day's walk. And 00:08:30.410 --> 00:08:36.269 the distance is about 2 ,000 cubits. Anybody 00:08:36.269 --> 00:08:39.570 out the top of your head know what that is? Anybody? 00:08:40.669 --> 00:08:45.129 Far? No looking up. I had to look it up. It's 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:48.669 just over half a mile. So you could not travel 00:08:48.669 --> 00:08:53.529 further than half a mile on the Sabbath. And 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:56.789 so we get this from Joshua chapter 3 verse 4. 00:08:57.169 --> 00:09:01.450 Now Moses had died. Joshua's leading the Israelites. 00:09:01.769 --> 00:09:06.730 And they come to the Jordan River. And what is 00:09:06.730 --> 00:09:11.139 on the other side of the Jordan River? The promised 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:16.159 land. They've got to cross this river to get 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.559 over to the promised land. And so in chapter 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:23.840 3 of Joshua, they're receiving instruction. When 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:27.980 you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:32.059 God. The Ark of the Covenant was the presence 00:09:32.059 --> 00:09:36.519 of God for Israel. And they followed it all through 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:40.919 the wilderness, right? When you see the ark of 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:44.720 the Lord your God and the Levitical priests carrying 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:50.799 it, you are to move out from your positions and 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:53.759 follow it. That was their sign to get up and 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:59.360 go. Then you will know which way to go since 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:02.620 you have never been this way before. but keep 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:07.399 a distance of about 2 ,000 cubits between you 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:12.340 and the ark. Now catch this phrase, do not go 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:20.519 near it. This was not a distance given so they 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:23.799 would be close to the ark. It was a distance 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:29.860 given to separate them from the ark. Think about 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:34.779 it. A million people. And if they were all crowding 00:10:34.779 --> 00:10:38.120 around it, would they even be able to see it? 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:41.320 No. So they had to create distance so all of 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.279 the community could see the ark when it was moving 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:48.659 with the priest. I think this is an amazing idea, 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:51.200 though, because in the Old Testament we have 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:55.220 this directive. Keep a distance of half a mile. 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:59.629 And this is a circumference all around. A radius, 00:10:59.730 --> 00:11:04.730 a half a mile, all the way around. You wouldn't, 00:11:04.730 --> 00:11:08.330 you, I mean, in a lot of ways, some of them wouldn't, 00:11:08.330 --> 00:11:10.750 even in that half mile, wouldn't be able to see 00:11:10.750 --> 00:11:15.009 the ark. They just know, oh, all of those people 00:11:15.009 --> 00:11:17.090 are getting up and going. I guess it's time to 00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:23.970 get up and go. And here's the power of the new 00:11:23.970 --> 00:11:31.159 covenant. Jesus says on the cross, it is finished. 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:37.080 And in the moment he says it is finished, the 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:44.120 veil before the holy of holies is torn. And the 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:48.879 invitation is given. No longer do you need to 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:54.710 keep a distance of half a mile. Come on in. Get 00:11:54.710 --> 00:11:59.049 up close. Get into the Holy of Holies. The Lord 00:11:59.049 --> 00:12:04.629 is near to you. The Lord is near to you. Praise 00:12:04.629 --> 00:12:08.690 the Lord. And so we have passages like Psalm 00:12:08.690 --> 00:12:17.049 62 verse 5. Yes, my soul find rest in God. My 00:12:17.049 --> 00:12:21.860 hope comes from Him. Truly, he is my rock and 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:27.240 my salvation. He is my fortress. I will not be 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:33.320 shaken. Why? Because the Lord is near. My salvation 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:38.320 and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock, 00:12:38.419 --> 00:12:42.080 my refuge. Trust in him. I think this is a good 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.899 phrase because it goes right along with our Philippians 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:51.980 phrase. Trust him at all times. You people, you 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:57.580 people trust him. Pour out your hearts to him 00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:04.539 for God is our refuge. He is near to you. Psalm 00:13:04.539 --> 00:13:07.899 46 says the same thing beginning in verse 1. 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:13.220 God is our refuge and strength and ever -present 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:17.740 help in time of trouble. The Lord is near to 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:25.049 you. Though the earth give way. We're not going 00:13:25.049 --> 00:13:30.309 to fear. Though the mountains fall into the heart 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:34.750 of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam. 00:13:34.950 --> 00:13:38.470 And the mountains quake with their surging. Isn't 00:13:38.470 --> 00:13:40.970 that sometimes what your circumstance is feeling 00:13:40.970 --> 00:13:44.710 like? God, everything is falling apart. Everything 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:48.769 is in turmoil. Everything is foaming and surging. 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:55.259 Fear not. There is a river whose streams make 00:13:55.259 --> 00:14:01.820 glad the city of God. A place where the Most 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:07.779 High dwells. Oh, my friends, you are, say, I 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:15.019 am the temple of the Holy Spirit. Where the Most 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:23.080 High dwells, He lives in us. Oh, there is a river 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:28.940 whose streams make you glad. I feel like we should 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:31.980 be a little more excited by this news. There 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:39.389 is a river. A river of His presence. And you 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:42.029 don't have to come here to find it. It comes 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:45.429 within you because he dwells within you. You 00:14:45.429 --> 00:14:48.289 are the river in your workplace. You are the 00:14:48.289 --> 00:14:51.470 river in the schools. You are the river in Washington, 00:14:51.590 --> 00:14:57.850 D .C., Kathy. You are the river. And everything 00:14:57.850 --> 00:15:02.700 you touch should be made glad. For the Most High 00:15:02.700 --> 00:15:06.539 dwells in you. God is within her. She will not 00:15:06.539 --> 00:15:10.159 fall. God will help her at the break of day. 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:17.559 Man, the Lord is within you. Be at rest. His 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:24.080 nearness is that of rest. Not striving, but rest. 00:15:24.620 --> 00:15:27.399 And so some of you just need to take a deep breath. 00:15:30.300 --> 00:15:34.139 Yeah, I'm being serious. You really do. You need 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:37.679 to just take a deep breath. Why? We sang it today. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:43.379 The breath that I breathe, I breathe because 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:47.679 of him. And so we take just a deep breath and 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:52.220 be at peace and be at rest. The Lord is near. 00:15:54.460 --> 00:15:57.460 The Lord is near. The second definition here. 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:02.570 Oh, this is good. Are you ready? It is almost 00:16:02.570 --> 00:16:11.830 time. It is almost time. I feel like we need 00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:18.690 to become with God like my grandsons. Oh my goodness. 00:16:18.950 --> 00:16:22.049 I know that parents joke about this all the time, 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:24.250 but my grandkids know how to take it to another 00:16:24.250 --> 00:16:28.429 level since... The discovery of Google Maps and 00:16:28.429 --> 00:16:30.909 the following of the blue line, they can see 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:34.129 it from the back seat. I'm not kidding you. Like, 00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:37.450 I will tell them how much, how many more hours. 00:16:37.909 --> 00:16:41.250 And like three minutes later, how many more hours? 00:16:41.889 --> 00:16:44.590 The whole way to Springfield, Missouri. Am I 00:16:44.590 --> 00:16:47.350 exaggerating, Darren? He's videoing this so he 00:16:47.350 --> 00:16:53.230 can send it to my grandkids, aren't you? We got 00:16:53.230 --> 00:16:55.419 it. into the vehicle after dropping them off 00:16:55.419 --> 00:16:59.659 and driving home alone it's like oh nobody is 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:03.360 asking how much longer listen we need to get 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.539 a little bit like that with God God is it almost 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:10.119 time are we almost there I'm imagining the Israelites 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.779 in the wilderness are we almost there yet God 00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:17.319 are we almost to the promised land it's been 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:24.339 40 years Surely we're almost there by now. The 00:17:24.339 --> 00:17:28.880 Lord is near. It's almost time. And some of you 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.299 have been carrying things for many, many years. 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:36.539 Promises that God has given to you. And the enemy 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:39.400 would come in and say, hey, see, it's never going 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:43.200 to be fulfilled. It's been 10 years. It's been 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:49.119 20 years. It's been 30 years. There is no expiration. 00:17:50.170 --> 00:17:55.210 on the promise of God. God's promises are not 00:17:55.210 --> 00:18:00.789 like our refrigerator after food pantry. When 00:18:00.789 --> 00:18:04.650 I have to go in and clean out all of the expired 00:18:04.650 --> 00:18:09.789 dairy. That is not God's promise. There's no 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:13.250 expiration date. The Lord is near. It's almost 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:15.730 time. And some of you need to kind of rise up 00:18:15.730 --> 00:18:19.859 and say, God, is it almost time? Is it almost 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:24.059 time? I have an expectation that it's almost 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:27.819 time. When, God? When is the promise going to 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:32.500 come to pass? The Lord is near. It is almost 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:36.859 time. It is almost time. And listen to what it 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:40.400 says there in Joshua 3, verse 4. The instruction 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:43.779 given is, then you will know which way to go. 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:50.220 Since you have never been this way before. Oh, 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:54.720 man. The Israelites had the promise. They had 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:59.440 the promise back in Egypt of the promised land. 00:19:02.099 --> 00:19:06.720 And all that time they lived in slavery. Then 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:09.200 they have all that time of traveling in the wilderness. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:13.750 And suddenly they're at the gates. of the promised 00:19:13.750 --> 00:19:18.190 land. And they've never been here. They hadn't 00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:20.730 because remember, they had been here before and 00:19:20.730 --> 00:19:25.849 they had sent Caleb and Joshua in for a report 00:19:25.849 --> 00:19:29.450 and the spies. And the spies came back and said, 00:19:29.529 --> 00:19:31.650 no, those giants are too big. We can't take this 00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:35.509 land. And Caleb and Joshua said, no, we can take 00:19:35.509 --> 00:19:40.849 it. Let's go. Let's go. And because they went 00:19:40.849 --> 00:19:43.670 with the spies' report, they went back into the 00:19:43.670 --> 00:19:49.029 wilderness until that generation died off. And 00:19:49.029 --> 00:19:52.769 the only two to enter were Joshua and Caleb. 00:19:53.869 --> 00:19:58.009 So all of those that Joshua brought had never 00:19:58.009 --> 00:20:02.329 been there before. They could have grown up in 00:20:02.329 --> 00:20:06.170 the promised land, but their parents did not 00:20:06.170 --> 00:20:11.220 believe. Oh, man, we got a huge responsibility, 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:16.680 parents, don't we? They were on the verge of 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:18.819 crossing, but they'd never been this way before. 00:20:19.019 --> 00:20:22.799 And so they needed the guidance of the Ark of 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.039 the Covenant. They needed the guidance of the 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:31.049 presence of God. And listen, some of us... You've 00:20:31.049 --> 00:20:33.970 never been. You've only ever been in the place 00:20:33.970 --> 00:20:36.950 of believing for the promise. You've not experienced 00:20:36.950 --> 00:20:42.410 the promise. And it's kind of like my grandkids, 00:20:42.470 --> 00:20:44.470 when they get out of their, you know, if you 00:20:44.470 --> 00:20:46.289 don't know it, they live in this little camper 00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:49.430 while they are renovating. And it's been like, 00:20:49.490 --> 00:20:51.369 what, three years? I don't know. I've lost track. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:55.619 And they get to our house. And it's interesting. 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:58.779 Because they have all this space. And what they 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:02.259 will do is pile on top of each other on my couch. 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:05.380 Like they're squashed up in the camper still. 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:10.019 And for a long time, by the end of the month 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:13.319 with us, they're all over my house. But initially, 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.740 wherever they go outside the camper, they're 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:19.259 still on top of each other. Because that's how 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:21.779 they sit in the camper. They're watching TV together. 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:24.180 They're scrunched up together. They're eating 00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:26.200 dinner together. They're all scrunched on top 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:31.319 of each other. And so often, so often when we 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:34.180 have never entered into the promises, when we've 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:36.720 never walked into the freedom that God has, we 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:42.299 come in living like that. Like we're still scrunched 00:21:42.299 --> 00:21:46.809 up and not spacious. And God's word says in Psalms, 00:21:46.809 --> 00:21:51.569 I'm bringing you into a spacious place. A spacious 00:21:51.569 --> 00:21:55.349 place. In fact, Edmund, when he was here for 00:21:55.349 --> 00:22:00.529 the month, gained nine pounds. Nine pounds. It 00:22:00.529 --> 00:22:03.910 became a daily thing to check the scale. And 00:22:03.910 --> 00:22:06.410 Jeremy joked, oh yeah, we get you out of the 00:22:06.410 --> 00:22:08.410 camper and you start growing, you know, like 00:22:08.410 --> 00:22:11.960 a plant that you repot. But for some of this, 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:15.599 this is the way it is. We cannot imagine life 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:20.920 that is now identified by the fulfillment of 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:24.779 the blessing. The Israelites had wandered the 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:28.720 desert for 40 years, and they're at the fulfillment 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.440 process. And you know what their identity was? 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:34.460 Oh, that's that group that just keeps wandering 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:36.700 in the wilderness. They just keep setting up 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:40.829 camp out in the... It's like Darren when he goes 00:22:40.829 --> 00:22:42.869 to district events. Who's Darren? Who's your 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:46.789 husband? Oh, yeah, he's the camping guy. This 00:22:46.789 --> 00:22:50.190 is what the Israelites' ID was, their identification. 00:22:50.910 --> 00:22:54.049 They are the people that wander the wilderness 00:22:54.049 --> 00:22:57.369 when God was wanting them to be the people of 00:22:57.369 --> 00:23:01.549 the promise, the promised land people, right? 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:05.799 And often we allow the illness that has been 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:08.660 a part of us for so long become our identity. 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:12.059 We allow lack that has been a part of us for 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:15.400 generations to become our identity. Unhealthy 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:19.359 relationships have become our identity for years 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:22.740 and years. Whatever your thing is, put it there. 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:25.720 It's become your identity. It's all you've known. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:33.789 And God is saying, I have a new identity for 00:23:33.789 --> 00:23:42.029 you. One that is, one that is given through the 00:23:42.029 --> 00:23:49.970 presence of God. Trav, I felt in worship today. 00:23:50.309 --> 00:23:56.430 See, when the Lord is near, things happen. And 00:23:56.430 --> 00:24:00.970 I felt that that over your wife, that her illness, 00:24:01.919 --> 00:24:05.980 If you don't know, Trav's wife, she's bedridden. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:11.519 But I believe that God has the promise for her, 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:16.220 and it's almost time. It's almost time. It's 00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:21.579 almost time. In fact, our next point, the nearness 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:24.059 of God, is going to apply to her illness because 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:28.619 where he is, where his presence is, all these 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:34.210 identities, are subject to his presence. They 00:24:34.210 --> 00:24:39.630 cannot withstand his presence. And so the Israelites 00:24:39.630 --> 00:24:43.170 needed the ark to guide them in this new way 00:24:43.170 --> 00:24:48.170 of living. It isn't for them to figure out how 00:24:48.170 --> 00:24:50.950 to become people of the promised land. It is 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:54.589 for them to learn the way from the presence of 00:24:54.589 --> 00:25:04.299 God. The Lord is near. It's almost time. It's 00:25:04.299 --> 00:25:08.380 almost time. And so this week, I want you to 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:12.319 get a little naggy with God. I want you to get 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:16.539 a little bit, God, are we almost there yet? Are 00:25:16.539 --> 00:25:19.160 we almost there yet? I want that to kind of rise 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:22.460 up in you. Because what is that saying? There's 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:26.400 an expectation that something is about to happen. 00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:31.500 This past week, Pastor Ben was just pinned as 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:36.319 chief. He got his promotion, and so we want to 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:39.599 rejoice with him today. Yes, give him a big hand. 00:25:43.180 --> 00:25:47.349 He worked very hard for that. See, I believe 00:25:47.349 --> 00:25:51.349 that where his presence is, there is favor and 00:25:51.349 --> 00:25:55.509 that we should continue to become more and more 00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:59.990 what God has destined for us to become. And I 00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:02.349 believe what he's destined for me to become is 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:05.210 more than what I am now. I believe what he's 00:26:05.210 --> 00:26:08.230 destined for you is more than what you are now. 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:12.119 Because we do go from glory to glory to glory 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:15.319 to glory. And as we step into more of his glory, 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:20.140 we become more of the image of the son. Praise 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:24.400 the Lord. It is almost time for you. And so you 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:29.799 got to raise your expectation. I can't even imagine. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:32.839 Some of us were so close. We're at the edge of 00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:36.869 the promised land. And the enemy, even at the 00:26:36.869 --> 00:26:38.769 edge of the promised land, wants you to begin 00:26:38.769 --> 00:26:41.970 to doubt. To begin to say, I don't know, that 00:26:41.970 --> 00:26:46.450 river looks awfully big. I'm not sure if we can 00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:49.650 get across the Jordan. Never mind that they came 00:26:49.650 --> 00:26:54.390 out of slavery with the Red Sea split. Still, 00:26:54.549 --> 00:26:56.750 we have this Jordan River we've got to cross. 00:26:58.890 --> 00:27:03.490 The Lord is near. It's almost time. This last... 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:07.940 definition I want us to really get today. The 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:11.519 Lord is near, and so that means that whatever 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:16.660 is in your life is in danger of the nearness 00:27:16.660 --> 00:27:22.819 of his presence. Whatever it is, sickness, lack, 00:27:23.099 --> 00:27:29.519 whatever it is, when the Lord is near, that means 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:35.759 your thing is in danger. Look at the last verse 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:39.660 there in verse 4 that we read. But keep a distance 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:44.180 of about 2 ,000 cubits between you and the ark. 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:48.799 Do not go near it. Think of this. The ark of 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:51.440 the Lord represented the presence of God, right? 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:59.359 Right? And so they're sending the ark ahead of 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:05.210 all of Israel. They are not sending the ark surrounded 00:28:05.210 --> 00:28:10.869 by the men of war. They are sending the ark ahead 00:28:10.869 --> 00:28:17.829 with the unarmed Levitical priests. Nothing to 00:28:17.829 --> 00:28:24.910 guard the ark. God doesn't need our protection. 00:28:26.329 --> 00:28:32.380 He is our protection. Without the ark going ahead, 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:38.980 they would be completely open to the enemy. And 00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:41.599 you would think in our own thinking that, oh, 00:28:41.619 --> 00:28:44.019 that's our thing. We need to protect it. We need 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:49.839 to put our special forces on the ark. That's 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.859 not what God said. You stay back a half a mile. 00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:57.319 I only want the priest near. I only want the 00:28:57.319 --> 00:29:04.160 priest near. The Lord is near to you, so be anxious 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:10.680 for nothing but pray. Our prayer meetings, I 00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:12.660 want to encourage you, where there is prayer, 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:17.539 things happen. We've had one woman who had a 00:29:17.539 --> 00:29:22.480 great need financially. And we prayed one night 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:25.660 for her, and the next day she received an unexpected 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:28.440 check to completely pay off the need that she 00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:31.079 had. And that was not like, oh, somebody here 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:32.839 knew the need and gave it to her. It was not 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:38.079 that. It was outside of this. Jamie. Jamie has 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:42.900 had neck pain for five years. Received prayer 00:29:42.900 --> 00:29:45.960 at one of our healing nights. And that was over 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:48.680 a month ago. She has been pain -free ever since. 00:29:49.910 --> 00:29:55.210 Listen, the Lord is near, so be anxious for nothing 00:29:55.210 --> 00:29:59.410 and pray. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:30:00.869 --> 00:30:03.690 Let's just think about them for a moment. In 00:30:03.690 --> 00:30:07.690 Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar, you know, 00:30:07.690 --> 00:30:11.349 he thinks, oh, I'm such a great king. I'm going 00:30:11.349 --> 00:30:15.079 to build a golden image. And when you hear the 00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:17.680 music begin to play, everybody's going to bow 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:23.740 down and worship this image I've created. Whoever 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:27.079 doesn't fall down and worships is going to be 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:34.059 put into the furnace. And so in verse 12, it 00:30:34.059 --> 00:30:36.559 says there are some Jews. He gets this report 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:40.299 from his men. King Nebuchadnezzar, there are 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:43.519 some Jews that you have put into authority. They 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:47.799 are rulers over the provinces. You've put them 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:53.339 into authority and they refuse to bow down. And 00:30:53.339 --> 00:31:00.160 so verse 13 says, furious with rage. That just 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:04.799 did King Nebuchadnezzar in. He becomes enraged 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:09.650 in fury. And he summons Shadrach, Meshach, and 00:31:09.650 --> 00:31:12.950 Abednego. And says, if you do not worship it, 00:31:13.069 --> 00:31:16.869 you will be thrown into the blazing furnace. 00:31:17.009 --> 00:31:21.150 Then what god will rescue you from this land? 00:31:22.890 --> 00:31:25.769 As I was actually preaching this last Sunday 00:31:25.769 --> 00:31:28.549 in Petersburg, I read this verse and it was like 00:31:28.549 --> 00:31:32.009 I could see. See, we live in a time, the spirit 00:31:32.009 --> 00:31:34.769 of the world, if you do not come into agreement, 00:31:34.910 --> 00:31:40.289 it stirs up furious rage. You see it in conversations. 00:31:41.769 --> 00:31:44.930 If we don't come into alignment with the world's 00:31:44.930 --> 00:31:50.490 philosophy, they become enraged and furious with 00:31:50.490 --> 00:31:54.259 you. And this is exactly the response of King 00:31:54.259 --> 00:32:02.420 Nebuchadnezzar. I love, I love their response. 00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:06.799 They don't get all heated up in defense. They 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.720 just simply say, you know what, Nebuchadnezzar? 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:16.420 We do not need to defend ourselves before you 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:21.119 in this matter. We don't need to defend ourselves 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:28.420 in this. If we are thrown into the blazing fire, 00:32:28.900 --> 00:32:34.039 the God we serve is able to deliver us from it. 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:40.420 How much confidence do we have in our God that 00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:45.319 we are so completely at peace? He is able to 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:49.880 deliver us. And then they go on, though, to say 00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:54.680 this. If we are thrown into the furnace, God 00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:58.839 is going to deliver us. And here's what King 00:32:58.839 --> 00:33:02.500 Nebuchadnezzar did. He ordered the furnace heated 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:10.140 seven times hotter. And then he commands his 00:33:10.140 --> 00:33:13.420 strongest guys, his military guys, tie them up. 00:33:13.779 --> 00:33:18.809 We're throwing them into the fire. And so these 00:33:18.809 --> 00:33:22.029 men in verse 21, wearing their robes, their trousers, 00:33:22.210 --> 00:33:24.509 their turbans, and other clothes, were bound 00:33:24.509 --> 00:33:32.690 and thrown into the blazing fire. The furnace 00:33:32.690 --> 00:33:36.890 was so hot that it killed the soldiers that threw 00:33:36.890 --> 00:33:45.069 them in. That's how hot it was. Firmly tied up. 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:50.559 And then something happens. In verse 24, King 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:56.160 Nebuchadnezzar is looking in. And he leaps to 00:33:56.160 --> 00:34:00.720 his feet in amazement. And he asks his advisors, 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:04.619 okay, I need to just clarify the numbers. Because 00:34:04.619 --> 00:34:08.360 three is very confusing. Were there three men 00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:13.739 that you threw in? Yes, king. There were three 00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:19.500 men. Certainly. And Nebuchadnezzar says, look, 00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:26.420 I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound 00:34:26.420 --> 00:34:30.679 and unharmed, and the fourth looks like the son 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:34.920 of the gods. All scholars agree that this is 00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:40.119 the pre -incarnate Jesus. I find it interesting 00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:43.340 that Nebuchadnezzar can see the fourth man in 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:47.320 the fire. It does not say that Shadrach, Meshach, 00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:49.619 and Abednego saw the fourth man in the fire. 00:34:50.260 --> 00:34:54.920 Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. They knew 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:57.019 they were free in there. They were walking around. 00:34:57.820 --> 00:35:02.260 But it doesn't tell us if they saw him or not. 00:35:03.139 --> 00:35:07.510 But King Nebuchadnezzar sure did. He saw Jesus 00:35:07.510 --> 00:35:10.670 in there walking around. They're just taking 00:35:10.670 --> 00:35:16.329 a stroll around the hot furnace. The only thing 00:35:16.329 --> 00:35:20.750 it had consumed was the bonds, the ties on their 00:35:20.750 --> 00:35:26.699 hands. And so it says, they saw that the fire 00:35:26.699 --> 00:35:30.199 had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of 00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:34.460 their head singed. Their robes were not scorched, 00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:42.800 and there was no smell of fire on them. There 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:49.219 was no aroma of fire. We used to, at my previous, 00:35:49.420 --> 00:35:51.840 actually the first church we pastored in Petersburg, 00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:54.539 we had the women would do like a secret Santa 00:35:54.539 --> 00:35:56.440 thing. You remember back in the day when we used 00:35:56.440 --> 00:35:59.860 to do that stuff? And I knew from the get -go 00:35:59.860 --> 00:36:05.179 who had my name because every gift had this aroma 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:12.480 on it of fire. And I knew Sukastelik has a wood 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:17.179 -burning stove. And so every gift smelled like 00:36:17.179 --> 00:36:21.579 her wood -burning stove. Afterwards, I said, 00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:23.639 you might want to be careful for future reference. 00:36:26.219 --> 00:36:30.380 Can you imagine being within and coming out, 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:34.860 not one scorch, not one bit of aroma of fire? 00:36:35.699 --> 00:36:40.300 They were so completely free from their situation. 00:36:42.570 --> 00:36:48.469 So free from it. Listen, when the Lord is near, 00:36:48.829 --> 00:36:52.369 the things in your life are in danger of his 00:36:52.369 --> 00:36:57.039 presence. In danger. And so it says in verse 00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:01.360 29, therefore I decree, the king, that the people 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:05.480 of any nation or language who say anything against 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:08.260 the goddess Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be 00:37:08.260 --> 00:37:11.960 cut into pieces and their houses be burned into 00:37:11.960 --> 00:37:15.260 piles of rubble. He really did go for the dramatic, 00:37:15.460 --> 00:37:19.960 didn't he? For no other god can save in this 00:37:19.960 --> 00:37:24.699 way. Listen. When the people see you in your 00:37:24.699 --> 00:37:29.400 life coming through the fire, and you don't come 00:37:29.400 --> 00:37:32.760 out being stinky and scarred up, but they see 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:38.500 that your God got into the fire with you, what 00:37:38.500 --> 00:37:41.639 kind of God does that? He gets right into your 00:37:41.639 --> 00:37:45.909 mess. And he doesn't just sit in the mess with 00:37:45.909 --> 00:37:50.210 you. He pulls you out and cleans you up so you 00:37:50.210 --> 00:37:53.050 don't even smell like it. So you don't even, 00:37:53.070 --> 00:37:56.110 you weren't even scorched by it. This is what 00:37:56.110 --> 00:38:00.030 happens when the Lord is near. This is what happens. 00:38:00.909 --> 00:38:05.610 And then following the fire, verse 30, the king 00:38:05.610 --> 00:38:09.449 promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the 00:38:09.449 --> 00:38:16.500 province of Babylon. They came out. Man, we got 00:38:16.500 --> 00:38:19.059 to quit just sitting in our fire, woe is me. 00:38:19.539 --> 00:38:24.079 We need to let Jesus into our messes. We need 00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:28.500 to invite Jesus into our fires and say, Jesus, 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:31.260 I want to walk around in this fire with you. 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:34.619 I want to be in your presence, even if I'm in 00:38:34.619 --> 00:38:38.780 the fire. If I perish, I perish, as long as you 00:38:38.780 --> 00:38:42.739 are with me in the fire. And when the Lord is 00:38:42.739 --> 00:38:47.820 near, man, nothing can stand. Nothing can stand. 00:38:47.980 --> 00:38:51.440 We need to raise our expectation to what Jesus 00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:58.719 can do, not what our circumstance can do. We 00:38:58.719 --> 00:39:03.619 often promote our circumstance. We often, we 00:39:03.619 --> 00:39:06.619 want to one -up everybody on how bad we have 00:39:06.619 --> 00:39:10.559 it. You think you have it bad? Listen to my story. 00:39:11.299 --> 00:39:13.699 Oh man, come on, I want to one -up what God does 00:39:13.699 --> 00:39:17.000 through my life. I want to one -up, yeah, it 00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:19.500 was bad, but look at what my God did. Oh yeah? 00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:22.019 Look at what he did for me. What if we sat around 00:39:22.019 --> 00:39:24.500 the tables just doing that? Look at what God 00:39:24.500 --> 00:39:26.699 did for me. Oh no, but look at what he did for 00:39:26.699 --> 00:39:29.480 me. Let's one -up what God does in and through 00:39:29.480 --> 00:39:34.119 us. Amen? Yeah. And so I love, I'm going to ask 00:39:34.119 --> 00:39:37.820 the worship team to come back up. I love... this 00:39:37.820 --> 00:39:41.440 whole chapter, because we have this verse, the 00:39:41.440 --> 00:39:44.880 Lord is near at the beginning, and then we have 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:48.780 the command, so rejoice, be anxious for nothing, 00:39:49.199 --> 00:39:53.960 pray. We then go on in the chapter, and he tells 00:39:53.960 --> 00:39:56.639 us all of the things that we should think about. 00:39:57.900 --> 00:40:00.239 And there's nowhere in the list of things we 00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:03.059 should think about that has listed all of our 00:40:03.059 --> 00:40:06.599 woes and problems. He says, here are the things 00:40:06.599 --> 00:40:09.099 you need to think about, the praiseworthy things. 00:40:10.380 --> 00:40:13.239 He then goes on in the chapter to talk about 00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:17.519 how to be content in the lack and in the abundance. 00:40:18.139 --> 00:40:21.820 And so he concludes this sandwich of a chapter 00:40:21.820 --> 00:40:27.219 with this verse in verse 13. And you know it 00:40:27.219 --> 00:40:29.860 well. And some of you really need to start believing 00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:36.199 it today. I can do all things through Christ 00:40:36.199 --> 00:40:42.760 who strengthens me. I can do all things through 00:40:42.760 --> 00:40:47.400 Christ. Why? Because the Lord is near. Christ 00:40:47.400 --> 00:40:51.380 is near to you. And so you can do all things 00:40:51.380 --> 00:40:55.780 because he strengthens you. And so this morning, 00:40:56.039 --> 00:41:01.260 as I was concluding this, what I feel is this 00:41:01.260 --> 00:41:05.440 sense of repentance. We hear the word repentance 00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:08.679 and we think, I must have sinned and I need to 00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:11.599 repent for my sin. But that isn't always the 00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:15.460 case. Because sometimes our repentance is needed 00:41:15.460 --> 00:41:19.480 when we've been living in a way that he doesn't 00:41:19.480 --> 00:41:22.429 want us to live. Maybe it is... You've been in 00:41:22.429 --> 00:41:24.789 the fire and you've been in woe is me. And we 00:41:24.789 --> 00:41:28.530 need to repent and we need to begin to believe 00:41:28.530 --> 00:41:34.710 that the Lord is near to you. And so I've been 00:41:34.710 --> 00:41:39.789 complaining. And so I've been anxious. So I've 00:41:39.789 --> 00:41:44.409 been worrying. And my prayers, they don't really 00:41:44.409 --> 00:41:49.349 have faith. They're just full of worry. Today 00:41:49.349 --> 00:41:52.559 we need to repent. The Lord is near. We are not 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:57.039 recognizing his nearness to us. And we need to 00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:01.480 align ourselves to his presence. Just as the 00:42:01.480 --> 00:42:04.539 Israelites aligned themselves to the Ark of the 00:42:04.539 --> 00:42:07.340 Covenant, we have to align ourselves because 00:42:07.340 --> 00:42:10.079 you just maybe haven't been on this road before. 00:42:10.300 --> 00:42:13.039 And you need to do a little bit of a course correction 00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:18.119 in your life of where God is taking you. That's 00:42:18.119 --> 00:42:20.989 okay. That's what repentance is. It's a change 00:42:20.989 --> 00:42:24.070 of mind. It's a change of direction. And we want 00:42:24.070 --> 00:42:27.849 to get behind the presence of God and where he 00:42:27.849 --> 00:42:33.110 is going. He is near to you. He is near to you. 00:42:33.550 --> 00:42:36.150 And so this morning, I'm going to invite us to 00:42:36.150 --> 00:42:39.570 stand. And the team is going to lead us. And 00:42:39.570 --> 00:42:42.550 as they're leading us, some of you need to come 00:42:42.550 --> 00:42:45.980 to the altar and you need to respond. Some of 00:42:45.980 --> 00:42:50.199 you need to repent because you have let the situations 00:42:50.199 --> 00:42:54.139 rise above the nearness of his presence. And 00:42:54.139 --> 00:42:57.059 you're no longer seeing his presence. And you 00:42:57.059 --> 00:43:01.400 need to repent. Need to come into alignment with 00:43:01.400 --> 00:43:05.079 where the presence of God is in your life. And 00:43:05.079 --> 00:43:09.539 so, Father, this morning, as we come to this 00:43:09.539 --> 00:43:15.650 moment, as we come to this moment, of realigning, 00:43:15.690 --> 00:43:20.309 of repenting that we have ceased to see your 00:43:20.309 --> 00:43:25.010 nearness in our life. God, I ask that you would 00:43:25.010 --> 00:43:29.789 come in like a flood, that your presence, Lord, 00:43:29.849 --> 00:43:32.809 you've given the invitation. There is nothing 00:43:32.809 --> 00:43:36.829 to hinder the nearness of God in our lives. You 00:43:36.829 --> 00:43:39.690 are here. You are waiting for us to draw near 00:43:39.690 --> 00:43:45.320 to you. You've already... cross. You've already 00:43:45.320 --> 00:43:48.320 been resurrected. You've already torn the veil. 00:43:48.539 --> 00:43:51.139 And so you've just made an invitation and you're 00:43:51.139 --> 00:43:54.820 waiting for us to step closer. You're waiting 00:43:54.820 --> 00:43:58.139 for us, even as you have drawn near to us, you're 00:43:58.139 --> 00:44:01.900 waiting for us to draw near to you. And this 00:44:01.900 --> 00:44:04.980 morning, we make that fresh commitment. We make 00:44:04.980 --> 00:44:07.679 just a course correction that we're not going 00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:10.199 to let things, we're not going to let life get 00:44:10.199 --> 00:44:13.769 in the way of your presence. You are our Your 00:44:13.769 --> 00:44:16.809 presence is our priority. And there is nothing 00:44:16.809 --> 00:44:20.929 in life that is greater than your presence. There 00:44:20.929 --> 00:44:23.469 is nothing that we need to make more room for 00:44:23.469 --> 00:44:27.389 in life than your presence. So we draw near to 00:44:27.389 --> 00:44:32.150 you. We draw near to you. We draw near to you 00:44:32.150 --> 00:44:33.389 today. Thank you, Lord.