Presence of God | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from axt church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I'm gonna start with your question here. How

many of you had tried in your young days leaving home before? I mean

you have you're tried leaving home before? What? Sixteen plus? Any anyone

earlier than sixteen year old? Before? You've tried leaving your house before?

I had it in this house already, I've tried before. Or at least

how many of you I have thought of that before? Anyone? No?

Seriously, no plans? Okay, at least there are a few brave souls

he who actually admit that. Then all the rest of you have never had

plans. And when you're daddy or your mummies, don't let you go to

your friend's house for overnight, don't get for cam, don't get you your

favorite toy or you know, keep telling you are wrong. You never wanted

to leave house before, You never had never had any plans? Are you

know that? You? How many of you have watched this book shouting tongue

doremon before? You know that? There's a lot of stories. Every time

the main character no bita he gets scolded, he always had plans want to

leave house one? You know what I mean. You're like, oh yeah,

wow, Pastor, you really reach back deep into my my past.

I don't even know it existed. You know, it's amazing when you watch

all the old comic books that are so many memories come come flooding and haunt.

You know, you know so many people. You know, when I

was young, I remember at least one or two times that you know,

I was like, I'm so determined, you know, to want to leave

house. I'm so upset, and you know, and you make plans.

You know, Okay, where should I go? This friend stays here,

this friend stays here. If I walk, how long will it take?

Why should I take my bag? You know, maybe I will take one,

but how to cook? Oh? Where does my dad stash my money?

The money? Maybe I will still lead? You know, how long

will my dad start calling me? You know, my mom calling me?

All all these plans? You know how many of you had successfully? You

know, on left your house for more than twenty four hours? Forty eight

hours, sixteen year old on count Now, okay, oh you're quite quite

and quite quite capable. Ready, no, right, we always want,

but we don't you know, but why what what stops us from actually leaving?

Nobody could go. Now, I saw one video on YouTube now this

little go you know, it's like I'm leaving, you know, telling the

some more and make a grand exit. You now, I'm living in the

dead was you know a video? What a dead man? You know?

Okay, when daughter leaving, you decide to make make a social media video

out of here? You know, I'm living and I'm walking out. And

she walked. She went to the park the pavement and then the pavement was

like a tea and on left and right. She stood there for a while.

I'm looking left right, don't know where the going on the moment she

went there and she's like, wow, this is a new world, you

know. And she walked for a while and then the daddy now hide behind

and follow for about one hundred meters. Then she realized that she started to

sit on the fire hydrant. Day where to go? Now there's no car

for particular reason, and that on that day the road there's no car.

No I'm walking in. She's like m M. And I was like,

oh man, I'm gonna be hungry, and you go the toilet. Who's

gonna change my clothes, you know, and then waiting for a while,

and then she looked around, where is daddy? It's daddy gonna follow me?

Paddy better follow me? You know? How could he let me go

hockey not follow me? After a while, and I was like, where

is mommy? You know, Mommy better follow me for a while. Then

after a while and started there to raina Then the girl started running, Daddy

run, started running back to the herd, and the daddy, I'm here,

I'm here, I say, I knew you were there. You knew

you were there. Stop playing with me? You want me back right?

Okay? Then there's the rain bear. We always make threats, isn't it?

You know there's a day in this clang retreat. You know. Someone

came and asked me a very powerful question. I think it's a question we're

all asking what do we do? You know, how do we continue serving

God if we don't know what our lives go are or what Gods what God

has in store for our lives. You give me a simple question, how

do we continue serving God if we don't know what? What's our calling?

What's our plan? What God is? I don't know what what's God's plan

for me right right now, in my life, in my career, for

my family, for in this church. Whatever, How do I continue serving

God? How how do I continue remaining on fire believing in God? If

I don't know? So, I don't know what kind of expectation people nowadays

have. You know that you will only be fully on fire when you know

everything, when your spiritual life, when your personal life have a as a

business plan laid out, you know, doom, doom, doom, then

let's go. You know, but what if it's not? What if your

prayers remain unanswered? How whether you're not you're seeking for direction, and then

that direction still don't come. I don't know what I'm doing, you know,

but I'm just doing whatever I can, the best I can. I

feel tired, and I'm still doing. You know. Actually, I realize

that, you know, many of us are probably one offense away from not

coming to church, one disappointment from no longer believing in God, probably one

failure from not really you know, just giving it up. You know,

so many of us are just there and are just like maintaining, you know.

So, And I actually I actually have a lot of friends, you

know that I know who believe us. I'm not judging any one place,

but I'm just I'm just reflecting and then respecting my own life as well,

where where they are right now and why they are there right now. And

I'm looking at people around me as well, and I'm starting to really inspect

what what is it? What God? What do you really want to see?

And I realized that so many of us are really just one offense,

one disappointment, one disillusionment, just one thing away from really coming to you,

in coming to church, or it is serving or giving your best,

you know, And I say that is this just for select people? Or

is it consistent out the whold Bible? And now when I look in the

scripture right, I realized that, you know that God has a very powerful

message and a lesson that he wants us to learn. And I will share

with you this particular scripture. Actually, actually I have a message written,

but I'm going to change it on the spot. So I'm going to preach

you you kind of like on the spot, turn with me to exit this

thirty two, okay, Exodus thirty two, to share with you something here,

hope you will learn something with me here. Okay, kind of read

here from verse one and to verse six. Okay, from verse Exodus,

study to how many of you know the story of the Golden Calf. Okay,

let's let's okay, it's classic. Let's read it from here. Okay.

I am not condemning anyone, please, and I think personal here.

Okay, now verse one. Now, when the people saw that Moses delayed

coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, his second

in command, and said to him, come make us gods that shall go

before us. For as for this Moses, the man who brought us up

out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of

him. So what is the context here? Moses has gone up, he

has not come down. They're waited for a long time. Okay, they

are getting impatient. And then what did Eron do? Aaron said to the

break off the golden ear rings which are in the ears of your wives,

your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me. Now,

where did they get all these golden ear rings and all these golden gold ornaments

from the Egyptians? Did they steal it from them? How did they receive

it? It was given to them so that they will leave, you know,

so they literally plundered them. They literally plundered them. Not by force

enough say take it, take it, leave, take it. You know,

when you're in this place where you want to leave, you know,

someone paying your money to leave, you know. Literally. Okay, so

there were slaves, you know, slaves supposed to pay money to leave one

you know, you're supposed to pay off the debt. You know, but

instead of paying all the debt, they get paid. You know, it's

a totally opposite situation, you know, it is. It is what they

wear every day in their ornaments, around their neck, around your children.

When you look at your wife and you look at your children, when you

bring to the public, you know they will always be reminded that God provided

you all this. God made no plot, your family, yourself from Egypt

here by his grace and by strength. Your generation is a testimony of God's

faithfulness. And they wear it every day. But now they took off all

these earrings, They took off everything. What's a memorial of what God has

done. They took it off, and they gave it to whom. They

gave it to Aaron at a time when they were most frustrated. Make sense,

right now, at the time when they were most frustrated, they took

off what remains of the memorial of what God has done for them and for

their generations came. They took it off, and so all the in the

inverstry. So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their

ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their

hand. See, he received all their memories, all the accomplishing what God

has done for them. And he fashioned it with an e graving tool and

made a mold calf. There's a very powerful thing here. Okay. Then

he said, this is your God or Israel, that brought you out of

the land of Egypt. Okay, wow, you see the goal that was

remaining on their ears, on their to remember that day, to remember who

delivered them, in just one moment, was taken out and fashioned into something

else. What was an individual testimony of deliverance for every family and every tribe,

every generation to remember, now has been brought and what unified under one.

And now the person who delivered it has changed from Yahweh or Jehovah.

Now it became a golden calf in just one moment, one day on Nina,

not even one day, one moment of frustration, a memorial for a

generation change into a golden calf. Okay, it's called powerful, isn't it.

You realize sometimes that you you undermine a someone who is going through a

dry season, someone who is going through a time when they are almost at

the borderline of giving up. In you. We undermine these moments, you

know, we undermine it so much that you don't realize that sometimes in these

moments that you can take all that God has done in your life and you

mold it into something else. It was not God, it was someone else.

It was someone by our own strength, of your own mind. Yeah,

maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe it was just something else. You cat

me in, right, it's just that one moment away, you know.

And then you gave it to Aaron, and Aaron was able to fashion it

into a golden calf. Then he said that this is your God or Israel

that brought you out of the land of Egypt, and he fashioned it and

he tried to what makes sense, or to change the narrative about how they

were safe. There's one moment in the life, the whole life's narrative change

the person who saved them change. And in verse five he says, so

when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made

a proclamation and said, tomorrow is a face to the Lord. Wow,

when did he when? When when did Mosta say it? Tomorrow was a

faceman? See what happens when you're a life and when you start to more

idolsa you start to make celebrations. You know, you start to celebrate things

that were not meant to celebrate. You know, you gave me in right,

it's dangerous one or not. You celebrate on the days and the times

and the season when you're meant to celebrate. But yet you are for our

own flesh, we will celebrate and rejoice all the things that we are not

to. It's funnier God's people can celebrate wrong things at the wrong time.

When what does it mean for believers? Sometimes you think that there is a

blessing and you celebrate and you're and your heart is filled with joy, some

kind of peace, some kind of sense of fulfhuman. But yet it is

possible that it is unholy. Will pastor You're like, are you trying to

tell me that what I'm feeling it's not true. I'm not God. I

can't tell you what it's right now. I'm test telling you scripture. I'm

not here to validate your feelings. You came in right, But it is

your responsibility to test every spirit and every thought in your life. That is

what the Bible says in it. I'm not testing. I'm just giving you

the ruler that it is in the Bible. You got to take this ruler

and examine your own house. Okay, I'm not at your house. You

got to measure. Hey, this table, is it shaky or not?

You know? Yeah, I'm not telling you your whole how your house should

be decorated or anything. You take this ruler, you go back and you

measure. Whether you like this ruler or not, it's up to you.

I'm not I'm not telling you how to leave you like, You're going to

take this ruler and go and measure. You cann test everything. Your responsibly

to test your own house, to to test your own life, to test

your own belief. Okay. And so see Aaron, under pressure decides to

throw tomorrow the next day as a feast to the Lord. Wow. And

if you want to be technical, and the word Lord that he said that

tomorrow's a fast he dedicated to Jehovah. Okay. Then they rose early on

the next day, early in the next day, offered burn offerings and brought

peace offerings. Wow, what did they mean that? It means they were

doing exactly the burnt offerings, the peace offering. Everything they were doing was

incordant to Moses law. Okay, and the people sat down and ate and

drink and rose to play. If I translate that to current time, I

will give you a give you a glimse of what they were doing. They

were basically doing everything that looked like a church corona. They were doing exactly

what Moses would do. They were giving burnt offering, peace offering you things

that were instituted by Egyptians, and they were revealed to them through Moses most

and gaving disordinance to follow. In all, they were doing exactly mirror to

a mirror. But yet it was unholy scary, isn't it? And celebrating

in all? Wow? What if I go to the extent and say,

hey, we can doing the exact same things are but it's unholy scary?

You know, how do we know? How do we escape from such a

deception. How do we escape from deceiving ourselves? You know? But it

is a God's people and our God. Are you saying that they were never

God's people from the very beginning? No, God saved them. They were

God's people. There's Scott saved them from from from from Egypt. Pluck them

out and put them here. But you know, but you gotta wonder how

how did the Israels get there? How did we all get here? Why

will we so frustrated? It all begin in one moment when Moses didn't come

down simple, such an innocent part. And all the waiting, the delay,

the unknown. You say you don't need time, But time reveals what

is in your heart. Time reveals your greatest weakness, isn't it we say

that we love the Lord? How many of us will really serve the love

for the longest time? We don't know until time reveals it. You give

me right? Time? Time is that God? Doesn't you know? We

always you know God? When we say that, God doesn't change it.

You know, God doesn't see time, You know God. We look at

timer from here at one point, you know, until here our end of

time, and say, God, at this moment better than we will you

know, we will improve. We will go this way, go this way,

go this way. God doesn't look at time that nearly like this one.

God looks at time like this. Everything is one moment. God is

not bounded by time. It doesn't matter. Give me right. See without

time, and everything happens all at once. Yeah, don't you think so?

It's kind of mind blowing. It's like without time, and everything happens

all at once. You give your you are alive, you get married,

you have children, you die all at one boom. But it's time that

constraints that. Everything now is linear. But God doesn't look at that like

that way. Oh doesn't live like like, actually this is limiting. You

know. God is beyond us. Everything happens. So God doesn't look at

you, you know, and it's like he knows, but he doesn't move

around your time. He doesn't look at you like, oh this time why

you're frustrated? Oh he What God really cares about is at the end of

the day, are you near or are you far to him? Give me

right, at the end of the day, at the end of the rope,

are you far or are you near to him? Do you know him

and he know you. Ultimately, you know that's at the end of the

road. And he doesn't look at Abraham nine nine years old, Moses,

how old he is. Whether Jesus only did ministry for thirty three years doesn't

matter. You know what it is the other day? Did you do his

will? Do you know him? He knows you. That's what God cares

all about it the end of the day. Now, so time you realize

that time is actually really one of the key elements that is being used by

God to test all of us here and saw something, and then every day

we will be asking hey, you know sometimes, you know, is it

fair to look in your life and say, hey, I'm ten years or

ten years into my life into ministry, fifteen years, twenty years? Am

I getting more on fire? Or make getting less? It's true, you

know, am I holding back more? Or am I giving more? Is

it because of my more disappointment? Like I said, one more offense and

these things will really really pull us away one and all really really put us.

Now, let me go and show you another scripture here Inversted in Exodus

to Detrey. The next chapter, I'm not going to go to a ripe

unto them. Now you can read on. Okay, but one, this

is the part where I want to show you here inverse in the next chapter

Exodustory, Verse one, God responds to them, and he says to Moses,

depart and go from here you and the people whom you brought out of

the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob, and saying to them, to your descendants, I will

give it, and I will send my angel. God said that, okay,

I gave you a promised land. I don't just promise you. I

promise to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, okay. And I

will even send you my angel. Okay. And I will drive out all

the Canonites and the Amorrights, and the Heatites, and the Parasites, and

the heaps and the job I mean, I will clear the enemy, and

I will make a highway for you. Go to the land, and I

will tell you what is what the land has to installed. The land will

be flowing with milk and honey all that you ever desire. You don't have

to eat manna in the morning anymore, or butts that not the drop from

the sky in the morning anymore. Okay, you don't have to stay in

the tents anymore. Okay, you don't have to deal with heat, you

don't have to deal with know with no walls around your around your tents,

you know you'll be living in cities, land flowing with milk and honey.

But there is a condition. I will not go with you. Okay,

I will not go with you lest I consume you on the way for your

stiff necked people. Interesting proposal. So at one moment your previous chapter,

God, you know they sing against God greatly, and we know at the

end of the day three thousand people die. Actually, if you're contrasted in

the New Testament, that's quite powerful. Now the New Testament, that day

is the day of Pentecouse treat. Thousand people got safe. Wow. You

learn when you learn her she actually is it exact cleaner? So what does

that mean? Jesus is the greater Moses. When Moses came three thousand people

that when Jesus came three thousand gods safe. Wow. And my dad's another

teaching another time. Okay, it's another teaching. Antize, it's a parallel

how God brings a greater covenant you know, to deliverance to the people who

are also sinful. But God, it's so much greater, you know so

much you know, he looks forward to the time now. So this is

the interesting set up here. The people have seen agains got gray once,

one of the worst sins they ever committed against God because just a delay,

and there's built a golden car. And God said that now this, I

tell you this promise. I will still fulfill my promise and do all you

can, and I will even clear all the way for you you can go,

but I will not go with you. How many of you will take

up this offer God is safe? For example, if in your life,

okay, you feel like God's calling for you, I will bless you.

Maybe I will bless you financially, bless your family, Maybe I would bless

your ministry. Maybe I will bless you your job, whatever you want.

I will pave the way, pave the way all the things, and I'll

give you a glimpse of what it is, a land flowing with milk and

honey. But I will not go with you. I will give you with

your hearts desire, but I will not go with you. Would you take

it? This is God's word, A he's making a promise. You know,

why willn't you go? All your heart desire? Why willn't you go?

You've been stuck in the desert for so long. You know all you

ever wanted was the promised land, isn't it? Why don't you go?

It says here in Niverse four. And when the people hurt this bad news,

what is it? A bad news? They mourned, and no one

put on their ornaments. Now suddenly this ornament for this ornament thing keep coming

up. For the Lord had said to most, to say, to the

children of Israel, you are stiff necked people. I could come up in

your midst in one moment and consume you. Now, therefore, take off

your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you. So the

children stripped themselves of the namous by Mahore. So the people actually, when

they're hurt, that they're actually lamented. You know, three thousand people just

died basically when they had the celebented their head and unholy orgy that basically,

you know, if you'll say that, you know it's it's it's it's unholi

celebration. The New the Testament was very nice to put it in a way,

but if you want the literal what they were doing, it was there,

okay, literal what they were doing. It was shame. The world

in esp was shame. But if you want to actually know what they were

doing, yeah, there was what it was actually happening. But it was

breathing in the name of the thought. But you know, but these people,

you know, when they hurt God God's proposal, they're lamented, they

cried, and then they go ask him to take off doesn't matter what it's

funny, what does it mean? Take off your ornaments are It's like if

you're married with a person. With your spouser, you said that and then

you had a bitter divorce and all that you want to divorce the person.

Just take off your ring. I will still pay whatever alimony you want to

pay. I will pack you want the house, you get the house,

you want, the card, you want a child. I will give you

all you have, but just take off that ring. I don't want nothing

to do with you. I don't need you to remember me. I will

take off my ring as well. But you have all you want, you

can take it all. Take a house. I we didn't take your half.

You can't have it, but I will not be a part of your

life, you know, when there's what you meant. You know, the

alnament was a memorial, you know, why you take it off? That

will not be a pinny part of it. And the people cry more grieve

because why they grieve. It was a loss. You divorce, you cry,

you right, because it was a loss. True or not, it

was a loss for God. That was how God felt it. Now,

how bitter, how upset he was, how how mournful God was that he

asked him take off your ring, take off your honments. That's how God

felt it. And now you realize it when you really that way, you

realize like, oh, it's so painful. You don't realize it until you

go through it. Sometimes when you're in your domestic in our household. You're

right, you've probably heard that before or you said that before, you you

know, at the boarder, now, at the at the cutting edge of

you know, leaving, you know, at the house, or someone leaving

your house, you've seen it. It's so painful. That was what God

was saying, take off that ring. Okay, Then the nice part is,

okay, I'm not all down Okay, in verse twelve, I'm gonna

jump over to the verse twelve. He says it. Then Moses said to

the Lord, see you say to me bring up these people, but you

have not let me know whom you will send with me. This is most

is talking about a time before when Moses was first called by God. Okay,

God say that I will send you. But God didn't reveal who he

will send with him, because Moses was a man who was what they call

it lost confidence. Ready. Actually, if I have a chance, I

would do it. I used to do a study on Exodus before it's an

Exodus is a fantastic book. But Moses spent the first forty years in the

palace powerful, and he actually know he was probably the one who was groom

up to save Israel. He probably knew that I lackawan if in current stime,

in current time, he'll probably be the most eligible guy to save Israel.

He had the resume. He'd probably come out from the best JUNI speak

the most language, mostly luck, one, most charismatic, perfect is perfect.

Social media, your status, you know you'll be probably everybody will follow

him one he'd probably been not here. If you run now, he probably

will we will run in Malaya. We will win by all the majority.

Already. Okay, he is probably the best candidate. But yet the next

forty years of his life, he was cleaning the ships in the backyard somewhere

far out there. I'm so high to solo forty years. Forty years he

was built up by the world. Forty years God built him up in his

own ways. The world. He took forties to take out that, forties

for God to take out the forty years of Egypt. You know, O,

Moses, California. God does not want any part of Egypt when he

leads his people. Only God, Oh God, say Moses, under the

Prince of Egypt. No, no longer the Prince of EGI the shepherd.

Yeah, God doesn't want any part of it. Don't need God doesn't need

any resume. You know when he asked you to do his calling in Hey,

I used to work for this company. There are no need of that.

God just want all of him. Okay, Now he says, they're

inverse Yeah, he said, okay, verse two of the Okay, move

on. Yet you have said I know you by name, and you have

also found grace in my sight. Now therefore I pray. Moses says,

if I found grace in your side, show me now your way that I

may know you, and that I may find grace in your sight. And

consider that this nation is your people. Okay. And in verse forteen,

God said this most powerful thing okay, the main phrase for this message.

And he said, my presence will go with you, and I will give

you rest. Okay, My presence will give you rest. In verse fifteen,

then he said to them, if your presence does not go with us,

do not bring us up from here. For how then, for how

then will it be known that your people and I have found grace in your

sight. I said, you go with us, so we shall be separate

your people and I from all the people who are upon the face of the

earth. So at this moment, okay, Moses is mediating for the people

and between between the people and God him. God has brought a proposal.

God say, take you off a ring, but I will give you all

that you want. People. All this while they were, they sin because

they were upset because God keep delaying. I am still and not at the

promised land, and still not at the Promised land. Still start here,

when when we have to, when when you are the leader that you gave

to us was up there and delay. Actually they make a lot of complains

to most about Moses. Artists was not the only thing they may complain about.

Most many things to complain about Moses. Okay, And because of this

time and then and this thing, they they seem greatly and now when God

gives them this thing, they realize something very important. And in your life

as well, and in mild lives side is it's true enough? We all

of us we believe that. Hey, when we look at our families or

people around us, or our peers, they're kind of like, hey,

that looks like a typical Christian template. If you love God and you serve

God, you will be blessed. You have good job, you have no

financial problem, and you will have children, you will have everything. There

is a person that looks blessed. I don't think in our history, in

our church we ever taught that before, because there's not in the Bible.

You know, if you talk, it can do a teaching about the word

blessed. Not the word blessed that I mean. There is a meaning for

the Hebrews and a meaning for the Greek. In Greeker how does how do

you know that one person is blessed the way they turns somewhere is blessed.

That is, for example, if Joshua here, if I'm a great and

I look at you, if I say you're a blessed it doesn't mean that

you're annointed by God. Now, just means in the Greek term okay means

you will never have to work one day in your life anymore. The standard

of blessedness in the Greek culture is that you never have to work one day

of your life. Means that your life is surrounded by people who work for

you. That is the measure of blessedness. It's so nice. And how

you go on there? You never have a work one day of your life

anymore. You just need of your interests on me. That's why it is

what it is in there. Your interests will well just you have interested and

more everyone. It's like dreaming if I only have five million dollars, or

if I have ten million dollars, if I put it into dividends and I

get this, I don't have to work anymore, I can travel whatever.

How many of you think about these starle things? Just me no, right,

Actually, when you think that you want to be blessed if I give

you more specifically. That is how the Greek's thinking of the way of thinking

or blessed is. I never have to work one day of your life.

You're looking social media. Everybody is talking about being blessed his name, there

were one day of your life anymore? What's that? There's a phrase for

it. I can't remember. Oh no, no, financially independent, something

like that. I don't remember. There's a phrase for it. On fire,

financially independent, retire something retired early? Are you on fire financially independent

and retired early? Ah. Everybody wants to be blessed, isn't it.

Everybody wants to be blessed God. Isn't the word blessed? It is different

the word blessed. You know, in the Jewish community, to blessed,

it means that you have not deformity. If you are if you are sick,

you have you you'll, you'll, you'll have leprosy, or you are

bent over or you are barren. Then you are not blessed. The reason

you are not blessed because you have still in your life. This was how

the Jewish community, the Pharisees look at that. So that's why when all

these people who were shunned by society, Jesus went with them. She said

that you are blessed. Huh. You are saying that we have to work

all the days of our life. You're saying that we have diseases, we

have sicknesses, we have no children, all the things that disqualify us from

the world to be blessed. But you how you say we are blessed?

Why do you mean we are blessed? You see? So jesus definition of

blessed. What's totally different from the world you're not. What does it mean

Jesus is a blessing. It's completely different from what you and I are thinking

right now. That's why we never teach this how conceptm you know what I

mean that? But does it mean? Are you not blessed? Oh?

You are blessed? Not because why I say you are blessed? Because Jesus

says you are blessed. Why is the standard of blessedness that gamil? Why

is being truly truly blessed means that you have a favor of God, the

favor of God that God's eyes upon you. If you want to know what

truly is bester it read depality, it's blessed a those who on this isna

all these things blessed are those will persecute you. If you want to know

what the true meaning of blessedness, study the be attitudes. Then you will

realize it's completely different from the world. But yet if you go into if

you go into many churches and into the lives of Christians, why do you

see do we desire that or do we desire the world's version of blessedness.

So when we come to Jesus, it's like we're trying to redraw money from

the ATM, but it's a different currency. You know. It's like you're

going to maybeng right now. You're trying to redraw you as dollars, but

he has no US dollars, only as militia ring. We're talking in different

terms. You know. He said, I can't give you what you want.

This is the world's term. I only give the heavenly currency. You

know, That's how why God never answered. It's not God's fault or not.

It's because we desire ask for the wrong things. You know. You

know what I'm saying. I mean, right, But then you go to

the eighteen machine like this ATM machine doesn't work. You're rejecting my pu pu

pung. It's not the eighteen machines fault. It's our problem. We talk

in different currency, we've talked in different We live in different world from what

God has called us to leave in. Okay, I'm deviating a lot from

a lot of times. But this is all the different teachings coming together.

Okay. Now because of we're desiring to we are so focused so much on

our blessings. We look at compare ourselves with people. People have this and

have that, and they talk about it sometimes in ministry that are maybe God

gave you a promise. You know, you feel like in your heart God,

you feel like God minister to you or you maybe you receive a vision

or someone prayed for you, and all your life you've been wanting and desiring

to build for it so much and to you in your life. That's the

promised land for the Israel. That's the promised land. And you stay the

course. You came up from Egypt and said God, I believe in you.

Trusting you pass the Red Sea. Baptized through the bruptcy is seeing God

do many great miracles provided for you. Now brought out water from a hard

rock, and now give you a manner in the morning. It's so a

pill, a clock before you, a fire at night, all these things.

But when there's a time, but not in the desert. Forty years

for so long, and still haven't reached the Promised land, and you get

delayed, and you've more than delayed. You're now you're feeling denied, and

you want so much. Now you have the temptation to want to take all

your ornaments, to take all the things that God has done, and start

to shape your own God. There's a temptation for believers, you all,

so that you will fulfill and reach your own promised land. T Believe me,

everyone will be tested us that sometimes in our lives we will be tested.

What would you do to reach the promised land? Without God? Scarier?

There will be a time in your life when it will be right in

front of you. You can get all you want and what you desire,

but without God, God offer see her. You can go, But I

will not go if your God. It's not going. If you're not beca

to test. God will not go if you because He says you are stiff

necked people. God will never associate himself with sin. He came in right.

He will not associate with that, or not, not because you want

to bluff you, or not because He will never be associated with that.

You have plans, you want to for a few things in your life.

You want to be successful. You can't do it. It would, it

would be done for you. But God will never be associated with that.

You get what I'm saying. You want to be on the ministry, you

want to be successful. That go ahead, but I will not be associated

that. You can have all the trappings, all the designs, all the

music songs, all the sermons, all the displaces that looks like it,

but God would not be associated with that. If you look at Book of

Revelations out even God said that you know the Church of effortsos you can I

see all your works. But you have left your first love. You have,

that's your first love. But then the good thing is Moses said,

what, no, if you will not go with us, we will not

leave. Say it's like if you're in a spouse, in a marriage relationship,

I don't want to leave another moment if my life without you, whether

it's with my children, where's my future, my retirement, when I'm healthy,

when I'm sick, the rest of my lives only makes meaning, gives

meaning with you and Moses understood this one thing. You see in our lives.

We want the promised lands so much, and when we don't get there,

we get tired. I don't even know whether our self God anymore.

Sometimes I self as kids who are tiring, because these kids are really testman,

I serve in extremer. I don't know how many guitarst I can play?

Should I don't know? Josha, do you continue what? Should?

Didn't back up? Seeing when you're eighty years old? I don't know.

No, I'm the only one who's opening my home. Say no. Nobody

wants to offer to be a leader. I'm still doing the same thing like

forty fifty years ago when I still do it or went too. I need

to look for promotion somewhere else. I need to find a place where I

get more support, where there's a clear succession, where the leader will not

come in a delay, not come down from that thing. What is the

promised thing that? What is the promised ministry or Christian life that you are

given? Better? Point? When did they come from when you were saved.

When you do you Jesus as your personal life, did you get that

business plan? No, it's somewhere along the line we started to have that,

you know, we become influenced. We start to look at people around

us and stuff like that. We start to build this expectation, you know,

but it was never there in the beginning. You know, you have

been right. You see how sometimes when the married couple or when they get

married at the you know, they said the vows and I choose you,

you know, to the thick and thing to reach a poor rain or shine

Nasilama or chicken rice. I will still be with you, you know.

But along the life, when they start to buy a better car, buy

better house, friends different, then they start to yearn and they feel like

their marriage is not so for feeling anymore. How can people go a better

honeymoon and got better every few months they go to travel? How can't they

got children? Their children looks so nice? My children look like rascals,

you know, my children. You know, I'm know, I'm a leader,

you know, I bring my children to es. Kids are the worst

one. And I was like, oh my, I'm so embarrassed. You

know all this expectation. You know, but gods like God, I only

want the promised land. I only want the Promised land. But most of

says no, I know one right now? What gives meaning today? Why

I serve here? Why you open your house, why you reach out?

Why you do why you even wake up to be on time for church?

The reason why you all do is because of God's presence. God's presence.

I only want to my future, my present, and my past to be

with you. That's what gives meaning. That's why I keep my wedding ring.

No one else see what gives you? You? You know, I

cannot tell you whether you will have another help earn to help you in your

ministry. I don't know where the people, when they come to your homes,

whether they will keep it clean. It was kind of funny and it's

kind of funny. We were doing homes right and Evan was teaching. Then

well smelt something after teaching half way true, then we look at the carpet.

There was a big poop there, literally a poop, you know,

literally a poop there, you know one the one that kid so much other

diper the dipoleaked up from the dipot and dropped their work. Then I was

like, telling ever ever, your teaching was full of crappy. It's so

funny, man, I never thought I could say that. It's so funny.

It's a rose love, but it's just so I never thought it would

happen. Right in cell graphs they were carrying the kid in a rushing to

the toilet and then drop an adoptop again the turtle has come up the shell.

Okay's so funny that the most random thing you can think of, it

happened when I tell you so funny. But it's the presence of God.

The presence of God that makes meaning how long you will come here? You

know, it's not about you know the plays a name. It's the reality

of God's presence in your life. See how the truth is are if I

if I check myself out, I could tell you ninety the ninety five percent

of my life and the things that I do is really are my own strength.

And if I'm being honest, I preach a lot of my own string.

I acknowledge it. Am I proud of it? No? No,

And I can tell you I don't place a lot emphasis on my preaching after

that. You know why, because I'm not more s the time. People

forget if people remember, it's not because of me, and I've seen it

because I don't remember a lot of people's preaching. Also, Okay, it's

the truth. That's the truth. People tell me. It's great. I

appreciate it, really, I really really appreciate and it helps my confidence.

But if I put any more than that, I'm building another idol. I'm

I'm really building another idol in my life because I know people people come to

even times you come to my femeral, you won't say, o past pastors,

Matt, you preach this message. You know what, No, they're

not going to remember that. They're gonna remember what kind of friend you are,

whether you help me, you get me in right. They don't remember

all these things. It's whether you really you have to put your weight on

the things that actually truly matter. Okay, let me just finish this part.

Okay, I'm growing to a closet. If presence does not go with

us, do not bring us up from here? What is the presence of

God? And this is the presence that with a capital piano, God is

present everywhere. It's true, But there is another of what we call the

manifest presence. You can go into a company and you work under I don't

know which CEO you're want, what's your famous CEO? Maybe Elon Mask.

Okay, let's just throw Elon Masla. Oh, I work in Tesla k

factory. It's not that Oh, I think a mask influence us everywhere.

But do you know Elon must personality. No, you don't know. There

is a different presence and the manifest presence of God in our lives. God

is present everywhere in this room and that. But God can be present but

not really present in you. You. I mean right, the type of

presence. They're like, Wow, God, you are everywhere and you are

watching me. You are everywhere, and you are inside of me, every

thought, every secret, God is feeling you up from the inside, completely

surrounding you. But God, if you are not going there, I don't

want to go. I don't want to go, I don't want to serve.

I don't want to do another day without you. But if you are

there, it doesn't matter. If I do X kids only go one kid

and that kid is very naughty. Want it doesn't matter if I open my

homes and people trash my home, although I don't appreciate and I will pay

continue to pray for their repentance. But I was still open my homes.

They destroy my cabinets, the kids draw over my bathroom and my master bedroom.

They jump over my bed. I was still opening. Even when I

cook, they always say my foot too salty. I was still cooked.

Yeah, I mean right. Even when I minister to people and then they

never appreciate me, or they never invite me to their wedding more so,

Oh pain full man. I was there for you through your ups and downs.

You never even remembered me. I was there when I lent you money

and you never paid it. I never asked a single sin. I was

there for you. But you remember I made one mistake, and you remember

there for the rest of your life. I will steal, minister, because

God, that is where your presence is. Your presence overwhelms everything I can

forgive. I can give because you are real in my life. You know

what when when I talk about you know, go back to my first of

the question, how do I know that we will all continue to serve?

Whether do I whether if I know, whether I do I know God's plan

in my life? The thing is I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know whether the white is your promise? Then why is the promise

of what the vision? But does that mean that we stop serving? Is

that the strength that we write on to continue being faithful and serving. No,

the strength and the thing that we write on every day and the reason

why we come every day to church to continue giving our best, to serve,

to go out of your get out of your comfort zone, to do

whatever that you needed to is because that is where God's presence is. I'm

there, I my your spouse, and in your spouse, your wife,

and your husband go might not you might not agreefully? You go because that's

where my husband is. That's where my wife is. Like call through cancer,

through property, that's my wife, that's my husband. It's the presence.

You will trade nothing for else today in all That's my message and I

want to There's only so much I can say. But why I desire more

than anything else? Is there today? When you know as we respond to

God and where the help. Let's let's admit that we all really do so

much with our own strength. Let's admit that we really try to do our

own spiritual life to do church our own strength. I admit it. I

do a lot. I do a lot on my own strength. Let's admit

that, and let's come before the lots who we are and say the God,

I confess I am. I am behaving like this. Help me lead

me not away from Thy presence, as David says, cast me not away,

but draw me nearer that I may know you. There I might serve

you as a response of knowing you. Amen. We hope you've been blessed

by this message. For more information on our church, please visit as church

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this week is going to be a good week ahead for you. God bless