PRESENCE: We Need God (Ex 33), Christian Martinsen

Uh we're going to be in Exodus 33 if you

got a Bible. If you don't, we'll put it

on the screen. And I just want to give a

shout out to those uh those of you that

are working so hard um establishing new

communities. Uh those of you that are

being welcomed in and we do invite you

to just jump in in any way, shape, or

form that you possibly can. That'd be

amazing. Um if we have fluorescent

lights on on purpose, totally fine. If

we don't, I have a uh horrid hatred for

fluorescent lighting. And if we could

turn those off as soon as possible. Uh

that is the Norwegian ambiance in my

blood. I apologize. So, thank you so

much. Um Jesus name. If you have any

idea how many battles I fight in my

house, I just take the light bulbs from

the overhead lights out in our house.

They're not allowed to be used. Um so

anyway, sometimes we need them, but um I

don't need them now. So there we go. the

the the Sunday market idea. I just want

to give a shout out to that team. Um

Susie and uh Doug and then Lindy who's

in South Africa currently just done an

amazing job with that. I want to just

clarify from our team. We've been

talking a lot like our stage one of

projects of this space is to get this uh

this building and this space uh

sustainable. So a lot of our projects

and entrepreneurial ventures have been

about sustainability. We're now kind of

moving into what we've always uh hoped

and believed and trusted for, which is

stage two, which is the missional

endeavors unto our community. And this

is kind of some of the first fruits of

that. This isn't something we're looking

to to make money off of. This is just

something we want to sustain and bless

our community. And their hearts have

been just incredible. And we're really

excited to see what comes of that. Um

the rest of you, um well, all of you

just This is a this is my favorite Old

Testament passage, Exodus 33. And I

think this morning it's going to anchor

us. We've been in a series and we're

going to be in a series in Exodus for

most of the fall. But this has kind of

been like an intro into our community

transition from summer to fall. And and

we've done three different things. We've

looked at the people. We need people.

We've looked at practices, why we need

formation and practices in our lives.

And this third part is about why we need

God, his presence. And and so

[clears throat] as I start, I just want

to give us a bit of a reference point.

And and I I felt like maybe the

reference point is if you're like me, uh

some of you are very present oriented

people. God bless you. Um some of you

have this maybe chronic disease like I

do which is like always looking ahead or

a when I get there disease. So like when

when I get there like when I get married

everything's going to be great. When

when I finally have those two kids that

are out of the toddler stage oh it's

going to be so awesome.

when I finally get that raise, that

promote, that that part of the ladder

that I'm climbing, when I get there,

then then I'll be at peace and I'll be

at rest and I can just flourish and be

more myself. When I get that gig, when I

when I when I move to that city, when I

get that house, when when that neighbor

finally dies, whatever it is in your

life that's just causing

I haven't It's not me. I didn't do I

didn't think that. I've never thought

that. I just maybe I don't know where

you're on on that spectrum when I get

there. It can be it can be harsh. It can

be subtle. But but there's there's even

been at least you know when we when we

got this church, the Lord was very clear

to us. Don't you dare settle like this

is like your promised land. Like you've

now gotten there.

Don't you dare. Like

we've we've done the same thing. We're

in this weird uh process right now. our

our our wonderful landlords. Um,

Christians love the Lord. Uh, she she

got cancer over the last year and they

need to sell the house and so we have to

move after like after a year and uh, in

the midst of all that, we got the

building and all this. We we also needed

a bit more space and we had it. They

were giving us this phenomenal deal. We

were in no way, shape or form ever

looking at how we would possibly ever

buy in this land. God bless those of you

who have and and through some miraculous

things. I just want to note, not by the

church. The church's finances currently

are focused not on us getting a house.

Uh but due to some wonderful

inheritances and and things of that

nature and getting a potentially

phenomenal deal, we are in the process

of it. It's not a done deal. We also are

looking at a very bizarre piece of land

and old parcels in Pasadena in the

county are insane. If any of you have

ever done that, so we're in the middle

of that. You can pray for us. We're same

word of the Lord when we went to to try

to put the offer in was was him saying

this isn't your promised land. Now

charismatics in particular, we love to

be like a you got to put your feet and

buy land, put your stake in the land.

And I love that. Like my heart gets

excited. Um because like doing that also

like serves me. That means I get a piece

of land, right? If we're just being

honest, I love it when my theology like

fuels my heart desires, even my

unhealthy ones. No one else? Okay. Uh,

but there's there's these times when

when the Lord is just really clear like

I'm already kind of thinking in lists of

things I have to do for renovations,

like like a bathroom and kids spaces and

a and a shed or five I've got like five

plans for five different sheds that

don't have to be permitted because I'm

insane. all these different things that

I'm I'm like I'm checking through. When

we get there, when we get done with that

project, when we get to this point and

then I realize along the way, like this

is the whole point today. Uh we obsess

about a promised land and what we need

to do to get there. And we will look at

Israel. We'll look at the story of

Israel again today and go like look at

how they were missing the point and why

they couldn't get to the promised land.

And and I just

I just realized that if you think like

that, you'll never get to the promised

land. You'll always you'll always be

looking for another promised land

when I get there. Christianity

Christianity actually reinforces this

mentality if you're not careful.

So, like we talk about wilderness and we

Israel in the wilderness and we can look

at what's your wilderness as a Christian

and you can look at that and you can ask

these questions eventually I'm going to

get to this promised land then I'm going

to be okay. I'm trying to trust God in

my wilderness. I'm trying to stay

faithful and and then and if I keep

those I mean if I hold on to God's

promises he's going to open doors. He's

going to lead me. He's going to bring me

through things.

And we're we're but at the same time,

we're literally standing in a room that

is the fulfillment of God's promises.

So, at the same time, I'm not trying to

say God doesn't give promises and you

don't have to be faithful and step into

them and trust and pray and have people

surround you and go in after something.

That's all good. I don't know a single

person that doesn't have a home or a

church building that doesn't have a God

story of how he made it happen. The

point is is we do not understand

promised land. We don't really

understand the wilderness. And we still,

if we're not careful, our Christian life

can manipulate the wilderness into

being, what do I have to do to get

through it, to get there,

because we're obsessed with the

destination.

It doesn't matter how many memes that

say life is a journey, not a

destination.

We don't drink that Kool-Aid ever.

But the whole point is what if what if

the answer

to that kind of prayer is never the

point? That kind of prayer for the

promised land isn't the point. And so

houses, buildings, destinations, cities.

And some of you give me a hard time when

I say like with getting to LA wasn't the

point. going to Nashville next isn't the

point.

Yeah. Whatever it is, it's what are you

looking at as your promised land? And

we've looked at people, practices, and

presence. Exodus 19 says, "I carried you

on eagle's wings and brought you to

myself." It was all about we needing

each other out of Egypt towards Canaan.

But God is saying, "I brought you to

myself." And he he tells the people of

Israel, you're going to be a kingdom of

priests and a holy nation. And he's not

just rescuing them as individuals. He's

forming them as a people. Then he takes

them into this process of formation. And

that's where we talked about practices.

People, practices, presence. They're

getting Egypt out of Israel, but the

wilderness doesn't automate. You can get

out of it. The immediate circumstances

change, but Egypt is still in them.

So, they they they need provision and

there's mana. There's daily dependence.

We talked about Sabbath and practices.

And God isn't just it's not about

feeding them. It's it's about forming

them and them understanding where their

true dependence lies. And so the issue

that when we talk about formation is

what are you being formed? What am I

being formed for?

Community is not the destination. As

much as I'd love it everyone to be

obsessed with it to the point where it's

like it's so easy we have to convince

you with FOMO. I was hearing people like

what whispering what's FOMO? And and I

and I go and it's just like a good like

understand. We have a wide range diverse

crowd of people at all different ages.

There are words that my kids use that I

just nod my head to and pretend I know

what they're talking about. And um the

one that bothers me the most is my son

just keeps saying low-key and I just

want to like low-key to me is like a

jab. I feel like I want to low-key jab

him. And every time he says it,

I'm becoming the old man.

The point is we're being formed for

something. And what is it that we're

being formed with? Super simple. Nothing

profound here. It's just that the

profoundness will come if you and I will

actually encounter this today. What are

we being formed for? Life with God. And

that's it. We're being formed for life

with him, not to go somewhere else. The

issue is today, will you and I

experience

what that means and how something in our

hearts needs to be purged for us to

embrace

that above a destination.

We need God. So

the text leading up in Exodus, Exodus

19, you're going to be a kingdom of

priests.

And then it's Exodus 20, Sinai, fire,

smoke, thunder, the mountain shakes, but

the people choose to stay distant from

God. And they they say, "Moses, you go

talk to God." And the people remained at

a distance. It says, "While Moses

approached the thick darkness where God

was there this amazing imagery of how

God's presence is coming to be with

human beings and how people are freaking

out even though they're being invited in

and they want to stay at a distance

while Moses goes close. The people are

at a distance. Moses draws near. And

then we get to Exodus 32, the chapter

before we're going to be in today, and

it's all about the golden calf.

Everyone's probably heard of that

passage if it's unfamiliar to you. All

of a sudden, the people of Israel that

have come out of Egypt where they're

worshiping all kinds of false gods. Now,

Moses goes up and he's taking longer and

they're getting nervous and all of a

sudden they decide to make an idol, put

all their gold melted down, and they

build a golden calf.

They're out of Egypt. Egypt is still in

them. That's the strongest imagery in

the whole book of Exodus. And then we

get to the crisis.

And here's Exodus 33:1-3.

Exodus 33:1–3

The Lord said to Moses, "Depart. Go up

from here, you and the people." Verse

two, "I will send an angel before you,

and I will drive out the Canaanites."

And then verse three, "Go up to a land

flowing with milk and honey, but I will

not go up among you." What what just

happened after the golden calf? God is

saying, "Now, I'm going to give you the

promised land, but I'm not going to go

with you."

We forget this part when we tell the

story. I forget this part all the time.

And I'm a pastor. I'm a professional

Bible teacher.

And I read it this week and I go, "Oh,

duh, you moron." Like that. That's the

biggest point before where we're at

today is that he wasn't punishing them

and keeping them from the promised land.

Moses isn't being punished by not

getting to go to the promised land. The

people of Israel are not being punished

because they have to wait 40 years. He's

literally saying, "Here you go. I'm

going to open the door for you." He's

like, "I've had enough. Let's just do

it. I'm going to send my angel for you."

And then Moses throws a fit, the holiest

fit in all of scripture,

a fit of intercession.

And it goes something like this.

Moses said to the Lord, verse 12, "See,

you say to me," he's talking to God, "br

people, but you have not let me know

whom you will send with me." He's not

talking about Aaron. He's not talking

about a buddy. He's not talking about a

person.

It's talking about God.

Yet you have said, "I know you by name,

and you have also found favor in my

sight." Verse 13. Now therefore, I have

found favor in your sight. Please show

me your ways that I may know you in

order to find favor in your sight.

Consider too that this nation is your

people.

Going to have three points. The first

point is about favor. Let God's favor

draw you closer, not just make your life

better.

We love to talk about favor. We love to

correct it. And then underneath it all,

we're like, "But his favor

got me this whatever job, house,

children, relationship, his favor."

And then the underlining thing is the

people that don't have what you want,

you don't have any favor.

Let's just let scripture anchor our

definition of favor today. He says, "You

have not let me know whom you will send

with me." God has already said at this

point, he's going to send an angel. And

Moses isn't isn't asking, like I said,

about a person or Aaron or something

like that. Moses is just asking God

this. God, are you coming with us?

God, are you going to be with us?

He wants God himself. I know you by

name. You have found favor. The entire

prayer of intercession between Moses is

go and God is built on this. The

relationship with God has already been

initiated. Moses isn't trying to

convince God that's being like how God

is trying to be reluctant or something

to give him what he wants. He's saying

he's taking God at his word. He's

calling on God's promises. And he's

saying, "You know me, and I have found

favor with you. And so, I'm going to

lean in further to our established

relationship that I've been building

with you already in my life for 40

years." You know, Moses went to the

wilderness for 40 years before Israel

went to the wilderness for 40 years,

which is which is telling us something.

It's that Moses is no better than them.

But in Moses's wilderness, he learned

what Israel is going to learn in the

wilderness.

And the trick is, will you see that

Moses

gets to the promised land

because they think it's a destination

and because God does want to give them a

destination. But the point is is that

the reward, the promised land is God

himself. And Moses gets it.

He's already been through the 40 years

to get it. And God isn't punishing them

in the 40 years.

He's saying amen to Moses's prayer to

give them the same thing he gave Moses

in hopes that they would actually get

what their heart craves, which is God

himself.

[snorts]

How many of us,

what's your promised land?

in his God's presence there.

We want his gifts and we forget about

him. Moses got it.

So, a mo a moment on favor because I

love to correct. We are charismatics.

So, I like to correct us often.

Favor means that God gives me better

stuff, right?

Because everything works out and I get

parking spots because I pray to daddy

God on my way into this Trader Joe's.

I like that example because if I'm being

honest, like I don't think that that's

what this is talking about, that kind of

favor. But at the same time, if you

believe that the that the presence of

God by his spirit dwells with you and

you're walking with him every single

day, like if I'm walking with my

daughter and we go out on a day of of of

shopping of whatever else, and we go to

Trader Joe's and she says, "Daddy, can I

have the stuff mommy doesn't usually

get?" There's a high likelihood she's

going to get it. Why? Because my

presence is with her.

So, while I can make fun of your prayers

to get parking spots at Traders, I also

kind of believe that if you've got the

Holy Spirit, you probably are going to

get more parking spots at Trader Joe's.

This is a tension in my theology. I

don't like it when you say it, but I

actually believe that it's kind of true.

It's just not the point of the glory

cloud of God.

>> Okay. Are we tracking?

We love the tension here guys and I love

to go on tangents and address it but

this is why we have notes to come back

to the actual word of God before I start

getting into the place of emails.

So favor means God gives me better

stuff. No, the other extreme is is it we

get so uncomfortable with the theology

that we almost expect that there's no

tangible benefits from God at all

because people have offended us so bad

with how they talk about favor. The

church is really good at that, too. And

then and then we just turn the Christian

life into misery and no benefits.

And that suffering is just like life is

horrible. Suffering isn't life is

horrible. Suffering is that pain has

purpose.

So different.

I when I love someone and they're gone,

I don't want the pain to be gone because

I loved them. The pain reminds me of the

beauty of the relationship.

So

my daughter, she's with me. My presence

matters. My presence has benefits. God's

presence has benefits in your life, too.

And that's okay. The father is the

point. And Moses shows us properly

ordered favor. The deepest evidence of

favor here is what Moses gets.

And he doesn't get the promised land.

He gets God.

I'm giving you the whole point of the

whole message right now.

Moses gets everything. And it's not the

promised land. It's God himself.

And the entire book of Exodus is working

that out. And you and I for the rest of

our days are going to be working out

what is the aim of my life and how am I

so distracted with promised land auras

that are never going to replace the

deepest craving for God himself

that's already available in the

wilderness. And so here's what it ends

up doing. It means that we're not trying

to survive the wilderness. We're not

trying to get through the wilderness.

We're trying to meet God in the

wilderness. When you do, you're no

longer enslaved

and you already have everything

you really want.

And then when he gives you other

benefits, they're not the ultimate thing

because your heart has been formed and

it will not crush you.

Look what Moses does with his favor. He

goes, "If I have found favor, teach me

your ways so I may know you." He's

putting aside the promised land. God's

like, "I'm going to give it to you and

I'm going to send you an angel." And he

goes, "Enough of that. Teach me your

ways."

He doesn't say, "If I favor, give me the

land." He says, "Let me know you more."

So, show me your ways. Isn't give me

directions

to Canaan.

Give me directions to the boardroom that

I just need a connection.

Give me directions

to the school I want to be teaching at.

gave me directions

to that man that's going to rescue me.

What are you looking for

while God's offering himself to you?

Teach me what you're like. Teach me your

character. Teach me how you act. That's

what Moses does with favor.

When you when you make favor these

tangible physical things instead of his

character,

his presence that you want to know him,

everything will get distorted in your

life. It's not what the question can

never be. What can God's favor get me?

Now, if you're a mature Christian, you

never ask that out loud.

Th those are just like the subnotes in

your journal.

after the tears, after you poured your

heart out, after you've listened to him,

then I have like the right hand bottom

corner of my journal. It's like here's

the good stuff and then here's the stuff

I want.

God allows me to have that

because I need to acknowledge my heart

and so do you probably.

But the point is, what can God's favor

get me is never the point. It's always

if I have your favor, how much more of

you can I know? How much more of you can

I know? That's when my heart is in the

right place. I'll give you I don't know

if this is a great example, but this is

just the one because my heart was raw

this week. um the the night that our

offer was accepted um and we're not done

with the whole process but at even close

but Cece my middle child she was trying

to put on like a little dance

performance in the living room as they

do and and then like one of her sisters

said something and then she got like

deeply offended and she goes and kneels

dramatically on our blue couch face down

and I'm like oh it'll be a second come

on you do the do the

and she wasn't moving and and then I

think she was I could hear her kind of

like softly crying

and and it was like you know kids it's

like they cry 73 times a day and you

know the sound of your cries the sound

of the cries you know when you when you

train a newborn you know like oh is that

like a hungry cry uh and then when they

get to like six months when you start

doing sleep training it's like oh that's

the like just let them cry it out cry

and and some of you more like you know

nurturing types like don't even know

what that sound sounds like um like my

wife uh and a lot of most of you um but

the rest of us that had to actually

sleep train our our children while while

your spouse put headphones in and prayed

um

there's a sound of the cry and I have

never forgotten that every stage is a

sound of a cry for a child when you have

five you have to learn because if I was

responding to every cry guys I'd never

have any time for you guys so

so anyway she's crying and I go that's

that's a cry that needs some attention.

So, I go over there and pick her up. I

take her outside on the couch alone in

the backyard. Um, just gotten dark. It's

a private moment. And we're just

engaging on her little heart. And, uh,

I'll get emotional. It's not the whole

point of this. I really tried hard to

not make this like a whole random

tangent, but it was this her she's

processing the the loss of a close

friend that's that's moving and and then

it's affecting like and it's revealing

her other relationships at like at

church here and at school and these

things that that are now seemingly kind

of accentuated because of the loss of

this friend. And so we're processing

this and then we're literally like with

a little nine-year-old, we're replacing

and acknowledging lies that she's

believing. And we're asking the Lord to

replace them with truth and I'm speaking

life over her. I'm sharing stories with

her. Like I'm crying while I'm trying to

do it, but trying to act like I've got

my stuff together, but really while

she's like holding her, I'm like a mess.

And then I'm experiencing that pain of a

father of just like I can't actually

help her pain.

I can just be present with it.

Maybe that's all she needs.

is in the midst of that I realized like

should be like a real huge breakthrough

day house and I could care less.

I'm like going to bed that night took a

shower. I'm like a mess and I'm like

[snorts]

all I could think about was like how

many times have my kids needed that and

I missed the moment.

So that was like a dark 48 hours after

that. I'm like

cuz she's like second youngest and I'm

like how many times should that probably

happen? I'm calculating how many times

in childhood should I have probably been

present for something like that and and

I'm like with five kids I'm I'm like I'm

like behind by like 15 points here and

it's the fourth quarter. My oldest isn't

going to graduate like next year or you

know I'm all these cycles and I have to

then now I'm so zooing myself. replace

lies with truth in Jesus' name under the

shower in case someone comes in, it's

wet, not tears, whatever. Um,

[clears throat]

so all that process, you know, we we're

we're always teetering in the tension of

just like a purified heart and and and

believing the absolute worst about

ourselves and having no hope.

>> [snorts]

>> I want I want to just pull you towards a

purified heart, purified desire because

all of this stuff with Moses is

purifying his desires.

And the overflow is an entire nation and

people and humanity and faith

is shifted because of his purified heart

and active intercession.

Not because he was perfect. The man was

just as broken as everyone else. That's

why we got so many details on him

because God wants you to see.

He's no better than you.

I don't care about anything else. I

don't care about a house. I don't care

about a promised land. I just want the

real. I want the pure. I want what

actually matters. I just Those are the

kind of moments that strip everything

away. And maybe you can think of one in

your own life where it's just like you

got so much clarity on all that matters

that it almost hurts.

The wilderness is an invitation to

purify the desires of your heart.

It's not a survival tactic.

Everything you need is in the

wilderness.

And maybe one of the gifts that the

wilderness gives us is just stripping

everything away, all the noise, so that

you can start asking the right

questions, which is what, why, and what

does my soul actually want the most?

What my soul actually wants the most is

God himself. To to feel him, to know

him, to walk with him, and then to be a

representative to him, to my family, and

to you, and to everyone I possibly meet.

That's it. That's the promised land.

More of God, more of him, so I can give

more of him away. So that my prayers

aren't self-centered. My prayers are

always outward. And at my own

transformation will be the prayers that

touch others and transform them.

I want to know you. That's what I want.

That's the most pure want in your life

is your want for God himself.

And if if you will let your heart have a

fresh appetite for that want, all your

other wants

be put in a new order.

They don't go away completely.

One of the great maybe the first great

theologian

in the first few centuries of the

church, Augustine,

his precipice of theology was the

reordered desires of the heart.

God,

then everything else. It's not

complicated. It's just everything.

So don't miss verse 13. What Moses is

doing in his intercession. remember that

this nation is your people. He doesn't

say forget them, you and me, God. He

goes, on behalf of all this, all these

people that are wanting to be at a

distance, read verse 14 and six through

16 with me. He says, "My presence will

go with you. I will give you rest."

That's God's response to Moses's prayer.

No longer just an angel. "My presence

will go with you."

And then what? I'm going to give you

rest.

When you get to the promised land,

where's the promised land in this whole

passage?

It's not even there.

The rest your soul craves is in the

wilderness. That hit me in a way that it

had never hit me this week. I'm still

searching for rest constantly.

I don't mean the physical kid rest that

I joke about all the time. I mean the

soul rest. I mean, the soul rest of

peace.

We're searching for it in the promised

land. It's located in the wilderness.

And the whole point of Moses's life and

what it shows us is when you find it

there, you don't need the promised land.

God's not punishing Moses by not getting

into the promised land. He's showing all

of us that you don't need the promised

land.

You need him. That's the center of the

whole passage.

My presence will go with you. I'll give

you rest. He says, 'If your presence

will not go with me.' This is Moses's

response. It's like God says this and

then Moses is like, well, if your

presence will not go with me, do not

bring us up from here.

Bold,

for now shall it be known that I have

found favor in your sight, I and your

people. Is it not in your going with us

so that we are distinct? I and your

people from every other people on the

face of the earth. What is he saying?

The promised land doesn't matter. It's

you. Your presence, you going with us is

the only thing that matters. That's what

makes us distinct. That's what makes us

our identity. Everything about us is

about that. And you and I thousands of

years later, exact same thing. The only

thing that makes you unique is your

identity is in him. And that is the most

freeing gift

that you could ever ask for. And when

you and I get it again,

we'll stop striving with the when I get

there, then I'll rest. when the season

ends, when the money works, when the

kids are okay, when the relationship

changes, blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah, when we move, when the sheds

are built, whatever my stupid brain

thinks about on a Tuesday. The point is,

you think you're going to rest, then

Israel thinks they go from Egypt to

wilderness to promised land. They like

that linear direction.

And God's going, no, we think it's like

problem, process, breakthrough. We love

a good breakthrough in the Christian

church. Problem, process, breakthrough.

Bam, bam.

Moses would go, "Gross.

Look at the wilderness again." Moses

would say,

"Not a thing changes about their

location or geography." And God says,

"I'm going to give you rest

in the wilderness.

Therefore, therefore, the rest isn't

about the land.

The rest is always in the presence. The

presence is often in the wilderness. And

if the presence isn't in the promised

land, you shouldn't want to go. That's

Moses's prayer. And when that's you and

I's prayer, you become dangerous in all

the right ways. So, our issue is that

we've misunderstood the wilderness. I

misunderstood the wilderness. I

misunderstood the wilderness last night,

this morning, all week, and I probably

will tomorrow. And I come back to this

and let it anchor my soul.

Hang on. Trust God. Don't quit.

Breakthrough.

Sometimes it's just taking one step

forward, and that's fine. I'm in it with

you. But Exodus 33 is exposing

something. We We want the destination to

be the goal. And Moses is pulling us

back and saying, "If your presence does

not go with us, I don't want to go.

Don't send us. You can keep it all if

you're not in it, God.

It's the ultimate prayer.

He'd rather have God in the wilderness

than Canaan, the promised land, without

God.

That's so much deeper than this idea

that I'm going to trust God here because

someday he's going to get me there.

Like, that's kind of what we end up

settling for. It's like, I'm just going

to trust God in this process that's

hard. And I if that's where you're

starting, I'm often there with you.

Fine. Start there. I'm just I'm just in

this process. I'm just going to trust

him and someday he's going to get me

there. And I keep taking a step forward.

I'm just encouraging you. There is a

bigger, deeper, more wonderful

invitation right here. And it looks

something like the promised land without

the present isn't your promised land. So

you're looking for something to get you

there. And he's saying, "I'm right

here."

He meets you in the promised land. He's

not waiting for you dangling a carrot

across the river.

It's right there.

The wilderness is never that like sad

unfortunate space between like slavery

and blessing. That's not the wilderness.

The wilderness is is God's presence is

the rest. God's presence is the journey.

And God's presence is the goal always.

And so here here's a stupid example that

I love to come back to. Um, I'll

[clears throat] I'll talk about sports a

lot, but I'll never actually talk about

the sports. This weekend is opening

weekend of the Premier League. And uh,

my team Liverpool played this morning. I

have no idea how it went. I have no very

high hopes. Not high hopes. So,

[clears throat]

you don't need to be forced to talk to

me about it. However, I often tell how

um, they have this phrase and this aura,

to use some of my kids' language,

aura,

um, about them as a club that some of

our clubs just don't have. I grew up a

huge Michael Jordan fan. I told the

story before. I had like 20some Michael

Jordan posters all over my my uh my

room. I was uh born in Chicago. He

played for the Chicago Bulls. I grew up

in North Carolina. He went to college at

North Carolina. I I I felt like I had a

land right to Michael Jordan.

[clears throat]

And then I walk into this soccer shop

one day and see this uh I was soccer was

actually my favorite sport. And I I see

this little poster, Liverpool Football

Club, you'll never walk alone.

Sometimes insignificant things with

balls and sports speak to us. And it

spoke to my little boy boy heart. And I

got that poster and it was the only non

Michael Jordan person poster in my in my

room. And after the fires, we were going

through my parents' garage because they

were like two houses down from the

flames. So, they had smoke damage and we

had to go through everything and and

guess what I found in an old box.

I found that Liverpool poster and about

four Michael Jordan posters

and I saved one of each and they are now

in my office as a reminder. But you'll

never walk alone. There's something

about that. It's, you know, Liverpool's

a working-class city. when they start

their match, they sing this song about

never walking alone and grown men are

crying and weeping and they wear

scarfves. It's weird,

but but it's always a reminder to me as

it start start a new season like the

people are craving connection with this

heart cry to not be alone and to not

walk alone and not do life alone.

And it just always brings me back to the

deep cry

that we have.

Is God answering this?

And and I just want to remind you, look

for the places in your world, in your

hobbies, in your spheres of influence

where people are craving to know what it

means to know a God that wants to walk

with them,

in the wilderness. [crying]

Not in the promised land, in the

wilderness.

And the big question that Moses brings

up, what will distinguish us? Verse 16.

How will anyone know that you're pleased

with me with your people unless you go

with us? It's all about a good

understanding of favor. Not look at our

land, our prosperity, our success, our

victories, but that you're with us.

That's what Moses is praying and that's

what he's inviting them into. And what

else will distinguish us from your

people from all the other people? It's

presence. His presence. And I'm almost

done. Team can start to come up. We want

to become a people among whom God

dwells. That's what our heart's desire

is. God among us, God with us. That know

him, listen to him, expect him, love

him, become like him. These last two

verses of this passage, I want you to,

as they're moving around, I just want

you to fixate this, and we're going to

land on this final point. The last two

verses go like this. And the Lord, verse

17, said to Moses, "This very thing that

you have spoken, I will do. For you have

found favor in my sight and I know you

by name."

And then Moses responds,

"Please show me your glory."

Bizarre.

He's given Moses everything he wants.

And Moses responds with an even deeper

cry. Show me your glory. So the third

point is all about desire.

Let God change what you want.

Says, I will do the very thing you've

asked because I'm pleased with you and I

know you by name. So God says to Moses,

"Yes. Yes, Moses, I'm going with you.

Presence, yes. Favor confirmed.

Relationship status, good. Yes. Mission

is back on. And I know you by name." God

is very serious with Moses that Moses, I

know you. We have a relationship. It's

personal. It's intimate. And Moses could

have and maybe should have stopped

there. But what it's exposing is that

Moses's wilderness has formed him and

shaped him. and his prayer life is now

one where God gives him everything and

instead of great let's go to the

promised land let's go to Canaan instead

Moses says now show me your glory

and that's the crescendo of the whole

relational window that you and I get

into Moses and God's relationship it

starts with who are you sending teach me

your ways I want to know you will your

presence go with us don't take us

anywhere where without you and then God

says I will go with you

and then Moses

in that case I want more of you

show me your glory

and that's why when we when we worship

and we respond

that I want more of you and show me your

glory and those kinds of phrases they're

not cheap

they are eternal

generational transforming decrees rooted

in scripture

and invited in

to your everyday

life. Show me your glory.

I just want to invite you with me this

week to let him change our desires.

change our aim from the promised land

back to the wilderness.

Make the target God himself, his

presence.

Show me your glory.

So, as we close, I just want you to see

something.

What happened to Moses? You have burning

bush Moses who's just like stuttering

that can't speak. Who am I? I know it's

hot in here, by the way. We've had this

issue with the direction of the air

conditioning. It's going to be fixed

soon. So, thank you for enduring. We're

2 minutes out. It's going to be okay.

We're going to have popsicles. It's

going to be so great.

Who am I? Moses is like so unsure of

himself. Please send someone else. All

that is shifting to him being the man

that is able to go as an intercessor

between an entire nation and God and

ultimately pray a prayer that is

transforming them and it's transforming

you and I because it points ahead to a

king

who's still inviting us to know him as a

priest like Moses. The presence of God

has changed what Moses wants and he can

change what you and I want. And what I

want you to see

is there's an image of Jesus here.

Formation will take time. He wasn't

transformed in an afternoon. And neither

are you and neither am I.

Some of us just seem to be patient in

the process.

We're inviting you into community, into

groups, and all of these things. The

point isn't friendship. The point is a

place you can be formed. you can be

known so that your your ultimate knowing

is him. And so that that will change

your wants so that the things you want

are for others, not yourself. And if

you're like me, I have to do that daily

because my natural inclination is for me

to survive and for me to find my

promised land again instead of embracing

the wilderness where he wants to meet me

with his presence right here.

So I just want I just want you to see

these three things. the people, the

practices, and the presence that we've

been looking at. I want you to see that

he forms a people. He doesn't just

rescue individuals. He forms us and he

invites all of us into this place. He

forms us. And he invites us to be freed

and to learn in the process that Egypt

is still inside every single one of us.

If we allow it to work, we can be freed

of the circumstances and still be

completely enslaved

in our souls and our hearts by a mindset

that's looking backwards.

>> [music]

>> And ultimately, your transformation

happens when what you want more than

anything else is God himself and his

presence is what transforms it. You

don't need to get to a promised land to

get there. He'll take you to the

promised land. But are you going there

with him or without him?

And my prayer for all of us this morning

is that we refuse to go and he's not

with you and he's not with me.

Jesus then becomes the climax of the

whole story. All of Israel for all these

generations is looking to this kind of

God.

And and one theologian has said is that

Jesus is supposed to when you see Jesus,

you see a better Moses. And Jesus, you

know, God says, remember Exodus 19,

you're going to be a kingdom of priests.

And and we've always wanted a people to

know him. And then you see that like

they remained at a distance. And

sometimes we feel distant. And and Moses

is that picture of going near to God.

And the whole point is his intercession.

Remember the nation is your people.

Jesus is the culmination of that prayer

and the answer to that. He's the better

Moses. He goes between you and God. He

prays for you and he gives himself for

all mankind and he comes and he takes

all the weight, all the heaviness, all

the shame, all the sin, all the

brokenness, all the evil. He puts it on

his back and he goes to a cross. And

it's not some nice idea. It's an act of

an oath. It's a covenant between God and

man that says this is the ultimate act

that everything that Moses has been

trying to invite people in, Jesus is the

ultimate way to restore [music] the

distance so that you and I can live with

his presence.

Draw near,

Jesus says. And what does Jesus promise?

And I will give you rest.

presence and rest is still the

invitation.

If you're just willing to join me in

that prayer for his presence and for

rest, would you just stand and let us

pray? Let's respond.

Jesus gave us one promise after his

resurrection before he went back to be

with the father.

disciples are freaking out and he says,

"I'll be with you." Or in other words,

you're never going to walk alone.

[snorts] They still needed that. And you

and I still need that today.

And as we as we lean into this week, I

want you to know that God never abandons

his dreams.

and you will dream [music] and live out

dreams far beyond the ones that you've

had in your wildest imaginations if you

will stop resisting the wilderness and

you will meet him in it.

Your freedom is not in a destination

you can draw near right now. His promise

is to dwell with his people and Jesus is

showing us that and he says I will send

the helper to you.

So as we often close in prayer, the

prayer is now Holy Spirit respond to the

word of God.

Come among your people.

Reshape our hearts, our wants, our

prayers,

our dreams,

and even our promised land.

Three things this week. What do we do to

practice this?

Start with a prayer. Simply ask him,

"Teach me your ways." I just invite you

daily. This is your prayer this week

[music] that you're going to start every

day. Teach me your ways so that I may

know you. Just sit in it, listen and

ask, "What are you showing me about who

you are, God?" Not what can I get from

you, just how can I know you? Secondly,

lean into just the practicing the

presence of God in the wilderness.

Literally imagine yourself in this

wilderness where you're you're currently

going once this changes I'm going to be

okay. Name it and then every time that

anxiety around it comes at you simply

resist it and say your presence will go

with me. I will give you rest. [music]

Write it down. Journal it. Pray it.

Receive it. Chew on it. Spit it out. Eat

it again.

Practice [music] his presence in the

wilderness.

And finally, please don't do this alone.

You're depriving us and you're depriving

yourself.

And you cannot live the way of Jesus

alone. You're not intended to and you

can't anyway. So, stop trying. Yes, some

of you that might be over the next two

weeks, you're leaning into the

awkwardness and you're joining a group.

Others of you need to reconcile with

those that have been broken in your

relationships. Others of you just need

to open your heart again.

Ask questions, listen, confess, be

encouraged, and take heart.

Holy Spirit, would you come now?

Stir our hearts.

Help us become a people

that are formed, that practice your

ways,

and that live with a single heart's cry

to know you

in Jesus name. Amen.

This team's going to