Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist and I will send an angel before thee and will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Lot of ites, aren't there? Unto a land flowing with milk and honey, for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people, lest I consume thee in the way. God says to Moses, now listen, I'm gonna try to make provision and I'm gonna go before you and lead, and I'm gonna conquer these people, but I'm gonna send an angel to do that, I'm not going to do that, and I'm not gonna go up with you. Your people have been a very stiff-necked, rebellious, just stubborn people, and I love how God says this, he says, I'm not going lest I consume thee in the way.

It's kinda like you parents about the sixth hour of vacation, it means this, I'm not gonna go with you because if I do, I might kill you. That's exactly what God is saying here, I'm not going with you, if I get stuck in a caravan on a chariot with you, I might kill you, that's what he's saying. God was so tired of their stubbornness. Notice if you would, verse 12. And Moses said unto the Lord, see, thou sayest unto me, bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me, yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Moses is saying here, hey, this seems confusing, God, notice verse 13. Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider God, he's saying, that this nation is thy people. And he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And he said unto him, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence, for wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight, is it not in that thou goest with us? Notice this, so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Moses says, this is what separates us from the rest. It's amazing over the years what you and I think separates us from the rest.

And yet the difference in what God says really does separate us from the rest. Let's talk about it this morning. Lord, I love you, thank you for every person here. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Sometimes I pray quick to see who I catch leaving.

Nobody left, I didn't catch anybody, man. Number one in this passage, we've gotta set it up for really the main point, which will take about three minutes. You're like, well, can't we just go ahead and skip the rest and just do the main point?

It's only gonna take three minutes? No, you gotta understand it. Notice number one, God's spirit is sensitive. God's spirit is sensitive. Now look at verse two. God said, I'll send an angel before thee. I will do what I promised I would do, but notice verse three.

I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people. You and I need to understand something right now in life. God's spirit is sensitive. You and I need to make sure we live in a Christian life in a way that we're not grieving the Holy Spirit of God.

I don't know about you, I don't wanna do anything to make God not want to be in my life. Now he's in my heart, but I've met a lot of people where God was in their heart, but he wasn't in their life. God said, hey, I'm gonna do what I've committed to do, and God's gonna keep promises to you and I also, but you and I need to realize that his spirit is sensitive. Now Ephesians chapter four is where we always go for this, and I want you to obviously see this verse, but I'm gonna read you some verses before and after it. In Ephesians chapter four, and you'll notice here in verse 30, it's on the screen if you need it, it says, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Do you notice that? He says, don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, but the very next phrase, he makes it clear that God is still gonna do what he promised he would do. We are still sealed unto the day of redemption. So God's not gonna shirk on his responsibility, but God says, don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Now let me read a couple verses beforehand, because we read that, okay? Before it, it says this, neither give place to the devil.

Let him that stole still no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking be put away with you with all malice. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. All these things can grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

That's how sensitive he is. The Holy Spirit of God will only be where he's wanted. Listen, we're still sealed. The Holy Spirit is given into our life when we become a Christian, when we're saved as a down payment, as proof that Christ is coming again. We're sealed, we're protected.

But he can still be grieved. God looks at Moses here and he says, listen, I'm gonna do what I said I would do, just like in Ephesians chapter four, he says, you're still sealed unto the day of redemption, but I'm not gonna go with you because you're stiff-necked. You've been so stubborn against me. You and I need to understand today, we don't need to travel another step grieving the Holy Spirit of God.

We've gotta get that right. Notice the second thing I notice here is that God's ways are confusing. In verse 12, Moses comes back to the Lord and now God said, hey, I'm gonna do this, but I'm not gonna go with you. And Moses didn't like that at all and neither should you and I. Moses comes in verse 12 and he says unto the Lord, notice this, see, thou sayest unto me, bring up this people. God, you told me to do this and thou hast not let me know whom thou will send with me. Now God, you told me to do this, but you've not even told me who you're gonna come to help it.

Now you told me you're not even gonna go. Notice this in verse, and you all know this passage, but look at it through different eyes. Look at middle verse 12. Yet thou hast said I know thee by name and thou also found grace in my sight. Moses says, wait a minute, God, you asked me to bring up all these people and now you're not even telling me how you're gonna do it and who's gonna do it with me and then you've said, God, that I found grace in your sight but then now you say that we're a people that you're not gonna follow and you're not, God, I don't understand this. This is confusing and may I say, number two, God's ways are confusing. Write this down if you're keeping notes.

This will be on the screen. Number one is this, God will ask us to do things that seem impossible. God will sometimes ask us to do things that seem impossible. I love this, the first part of verse 12. Moses said, you asked me to bring up this people. Do you know how difficult just that phrase is? Do you know how hard that little thing, God, you asked me to bring them up.

That means an entire exodus out of Egypt dealing with a bunch of baby, selfish, immature people. I had to think there for a second. You wanna say anything? It was wrong. I don't wanna grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Say, God, you've asked me to do this. That was an impossible task.

I mean, you think about all the plagues that they had to go through. You think about all the thing of Moses dealing with Pharaoh and then Moses dealing with the people and the whole go between and then they leave and then Pharaoh's army chases after him and then they get all the way there, obviously to the Red Sea and then the people start complaining about that and then God brings a miracle as Moses asked God for help, parched the waters and they go across on dry ground and then obviously the waters swallow Pharaoh's army and then they're wandering through the wilderness and then they gotta eat manna and then they're given the cloud by day and the cloud of fire, pillar of fire by night and they got all these things and imagine all that has gone on and all that they've gone through and Moses said, God, you asked me to do this. You've asked me to do something that was impossible from the start. Sometimes God asks us to do things that are impossible. Second thing I notice is this, that God will not give us all the details.

Anybody else wanna kinda laugh and chuckle at that? God will not give us all the details. Moses says, God, you've asked me to bring these people up.

Now you've not even told me who you're gonna send and who's gonna go and do this and how you're. God, there's a whole lot of things you haven't told me. Do you know what in our life, that's what faith is all about. That's why God doesn't give us the details. Sometimes God asks us to do something impossible and then often God will not give us all the details and by the way, God doesn't owe us all the details.

We're just supposed to obey. I notice the third thing, that God allows desperation so we will draw closer. Now Moses, after all he's been through and by the way, what I've just mentioned that he'd already been through, that's a lot. And now we're getting ready to go on the journey, you know, really against all these people that God said he would protect him from and now God tells Moses, I'm not going. And now Moses facing a future where God's presence wasn't there all the time. Moses started getting desperate.

Have you ever been desperate? Moses begins to call on God in a different way. You know, sometimes God allows desperation for us to get desperate. God's ways are confusing.

Number three, we're not even at the main point yet, we're almost there. God's grace is critical. God's grace is critical. I know I've been skipping some verses for sake of time today, but I want you to see this. Look at verse 13. Moses says this, now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me thy way that I may know thee. Listen here again, that I might find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is thy people. Grace in thy sight. God's grace is critical. In fact, in verse 14, Moses said, God, if you don't go with me, I don't even want to go.

We're gonna talk about that in a minute. In other words, Moses did not wanna go another step until he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that God was gonna provide grace for this journey. Because that's the only way Moses had made it up until now was God's grace. In other words, when God said I'm not going and that means now I'm not gonna have God's presence, Moses said, does that mean I'm not gonna have your grace? Notice if you would in verse 13, the first thing Moses says is, I need grace to know your way. He says, now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way. In other words, Moses says, God, without your grace, I wouldn't know where I'm supposed to go.

And guess what here this morning? Without God's grace, you wouldn't know where you need to go either. Without God's grace, we wouldn't have anything. Moses said, God, I need your grace to know your way. You know what God's grace is? It's all of God's riches that have been given to us now through Christ Jesus.

It's things we don't deserve. And Moses says, God, by the fact that Moses is calling it grace, Moses is saying, God, I know I don't even deserve this, but it's worthless for me to even go if I don't know I have your grace. And it is worthless to go if we don't have God's grace.

Because we won't make it very far. Am I the only one filling a witness this morning? God, I need your grace to know your way. You know what, can I challenge each of you at times in our life where we don't know what to do and God begins to open a door and God begins to make the way clear, that is his grace.

And we need it to know where to go. Notice the second thing he says is this, literally, he says, God, I need grace to know your way. Show me now thy way. Notice the second thing he says, that I may know thee. Moses says, God, I need grace to know your way. Secondly, he says, God, I need grace to know you. I'm not gonna know where to go, but God, without your grace, I don't know you.

I can't be close to you. Do you realize the very fact that you and I, at any time driving our car, sitting in homes, sitting here at church, coming to an altar, wherever we are, we can call on God, we can talk to him, we can meet with him, we can spend time with him, that's his grace. Moses says, God, I need your grace to know you. I can't know you without your grace. God, I don't wanna go on without it, because if I don't have your grace, then I don't have you.

Notice the third thing, I love this. He says that I may find grace in thy sight. I need it, and consider that this nation is what? Thy people, verse 13. Are you ready?

Get this. Moses says, God, I need your grace to know your way. God, I need grace to know you. In 30, he says, God, I need grace to know I'm yours. God, consider that this nation is thy people. I need grace, God, if I have your grace, then once again I know that I'm your people. If I have your grace, God, I know once again that I'm yours. Dear friend, do you realize the fact that you and I enjoy the grace of God is proof that we're his child?

He said, God, consider that this nation is thy people. This is what makes us who we are. The fact that we're your people, and if we don't have your grace, then we're really not yours. God's grace is critical.

Last, number four, you're like, oh. God's presence is what sets us apart. Let me go over it again. God's spirit is sensitive. God's ways are confusing. God's grace is critical.

But God's presence is what sets us apart. Notice first, Moses says this to the Lord as we begin in verse 14, 15 and 16. In verse 15, Moses says, God, your presence is required to proceed.

And he said unto them, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up thence. God, if I don't have your presence, I'm not going. Go.

God, it's not worth even packing up the trunk if I'm not gonna have your presence. God, if you don't go, I don't wanna go. God, if you go, I'll go. And God, if you go, I'll continue to do what you've asked me to do.

You asked me to bring them up, but this is enough. There's a lot of things that I've done I didn't think I could do, but you called me and asked me and I've done it. But God, I'm not going if you're not there. Look at me, do you think God was pleased when he heard that? That's all God wants is to be wanted. All God wants is for us to say, God, I'm not going anywhere without you, I'm not going on my own.

Everyone in this building know what it is to go off on our own, and we all know how bad it turned out. We all know how empty that left us. Some of you might be feeling that emptiness right now in your life, because you're doing things without God, and you've been traveling down a path without his presence. And Moses says, God, if you don't go, I'm not going. Your presence is required to proceed. God, give us a church where every member determines, God, your presence is required for me to proceed. I can tell right now, I don't have your presence in my life. I have you in my heart, but I don't have your presence in my life, and God, I'm not taking another step.

I'm not even gonna go to lunch today till I have it. Second thing, he says this, and I love this, look at verse 16. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? How are we gonna know if we have grace? Listen, is it not in that thou goest with us? Second, he says, your presence is requested to prove your grace.

Your presence is required to proceed. Second, your presence is requested to prove your grace. He said, God, the only way we're gonna know that we have your grace is if we feel your presence. Now we're getting somewhere.

Now we're cooking with peanut oil. God, the proof of your grace is in your presence. What do you think the Holy Spirit is in our hearts for? The very fact that the Holy Spirit, the great comforter, was given to us as Jesus ascended back into glory, I will not leave you comfortless so that my presence can prove my grace.

Oh, Lord, if I'm the only one excited about this, help me. Dear friend, you should be thrilled when we do some things that aren't honoring to God and that little thing inside of our heart begins to prick us and begins to say, you know, you shouldn't be here, shouldn't do this, shouldn't watch this. That's his presence and that's proof that he's given us grace. Moses says, God, is there any other way for us to know that we have your grace? Is it not that in the fact you go with us? If you're not with us, we don't know that we have your grace. That's why God said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. There will be a voice behind you, the Bible says, telling you, go this way, go that way, walk ye in it. Last, this is the main point, we're done.

You say, all right, you say this is gonna take three minutes, yeah, about that, maybe a little more. I don't wanna box myself in here, okay? Look at the end of verse 16. He said, God, if we found grace in thy sight and if your presence, is it not in that thou goest with us, so shall we be separated. I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. He says this, God, is this not the thing that separates us from everyone else? The fact that we have your presence.

That's right, preacher, we can't wait. Our accomplishments are not what set us apart. How many people are in our church are not what sets us apart? Our sacrifices are not what set us apart.

You know it's coming. Our separation is not what sets us apart. Our standards are not what sets us apart. You know what sets us apart from the world? The fact that we have his presence. If they can have everything else, I'll take his presence. Take the world, but give me Jesus. Oh, I feel like a song coming on right there.

If I didn't have throat problems, I would have started to sing. Moses says, God, is this not what separates me and your people from the world? If you don't go with us, then we're no different from them because we wouldn't have you. And dear friend, I want you to know today what separates us, it's great to have sacrifice, it's great to have separation, it's great to have standards, it's great to have service, all these things, but that's not what separates us. I know people that have standards and people that do service and people that make sacrifice that don't have God anywhere near their life. What makes us separate or set apart from the world is the fact that we have his presence. Everywhere I go, he's there. If I'm sitting in a waiting room at a hospital, I have his presence. If I'm sitting in church singing a song, I have his presence. If I'm working on a Tuesday on my job digging a ditch, I have his presence. If I'm sitting at the doctor and I just got that report, many multitudes of you have been there, you still have his presence. What sets you apart is the fact that you are miraculously healed.

What sets you apart is the fact that you have his presence. Amen. Yes, amen.

Yes, amen. The other day, I went to pick up my son, Kayden, from school. Kayden gets out at noon, because he's in kindergarten, has the choice, you get out at noon, and the majority of his kids stay in class, but he gets out at noon. So I was going in the hallway, signed the little paper by the door, and I can hear the teacher teaching, but they have a break right at 11.50, something like that, and that's when they come out. That's normally when we get them. So I'm standing outside the door, and this teacher opened the door, and his kids start filing out to go to the bathroom and do whatever next they're going to do, and she turned around, and she said, "'Kayden, your dad's here.'"

So Kayden walked by all these kids that were in line. There they are. There they are. There they are. There they are. There they are.

There they are. If you know Kayden, you know that look that he walked by all those kids still have another three hours of school. He's a child just like they were.

He's learning the same thing they're learning. He's no better or worse than any of them, But the thing that set him apart, is that his dad was there. Come on buddy, we had to go to McDonald's of course. Dear friend, we're no better or worse than anybody else. All our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags, but what sets us apart, our father's with us.

That's what makes us different. Moses said, God, I'm not going without your presence. God I need your presence to know that your grace is still there. And God I'm no different than anyone else. We're no longer a chosen people, if your presence isn't with us.

Lord I love you, thank you for all that you've done, God bless our people. God would you give us a hunger for your presence? Would you give us some folks today that just say, Lord, I do not want to take another step, I do not want to leave my family another day without your presence. What sets us apart isn't all the outward things that we do. What sets us apart is the fact that we have his presence in our life. Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, those baptized can head to the baptism rooms.

Obviously men on the piano side over here and ladies over here on this side. If you're here today and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you do not have his presence. You can be around people that have his presence and you can be told about his presence but you don't have it without Christ. We'd love to show you how you can know for sure that you're on your way to heaven. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kirtlandbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.