Don’t Get Comfortable Here! | A Cloud Of Witnesses | Pastor CJ Johnson

Now, welcome again to Northview, everybody, those in the room, those at all of our locations, everyone online, as well as our three prison locations. We are just honored that you are with us. We are in a study this entire year under the banner of a cloud of witnesses. We will chunk it up into some mini series, but ultimately throughout the entire calendar year, we are looking at the 52 central critical figures of the redemptive story. I do believe scripture can be daunting for a lot of people, but the moment you begin to understand the story and the lives of those who lived it, suddenly you start to gain a better ability to interpret and apply it to your own life. And so we are continuing on in that. As we ramped up to Easter, we started to focus on some of the disciples. We looked at Peter, James, John, then we talked about basically the whole Passion Week and all things that took place with Easter and the individuals who played a part in that. But prior to the Nothing But Net series focusing on the disciples, we had just finished ultimately the book of Genesis and what would be known theologically as the patriarchal era. Now, there are really four individuals who encompass and lived out the patriarchal era. Most are familiar with the top three.

The fourth gets included into that, and that is Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. We are going to pick up right where we left off from their era as we move into where the people of God find themselves. In fact, today we're gonna look at the book of Exodus, and Exodus begins with the word and. It is a continuation of the book of Genesis. In fact, the same individual who wrote Genesis also wrote Exodus. The first five books of the Bible were actually written by the same author, and that individual is Moses. And so today we are going to look at Moses and the role that he played as a liberator and a lawgiver, someone who was instrumental and accomplished remarkable things for God on behalf of God's people. Deuteronomy 34, verse 10 tells us this as a summary statement of Moses. If you're new to scripture, here is a key takeaway and some really esteeming thoughts that scripture gives us to the life of Moses. It says, since then, no prophet, this is towards the end of his life, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.

For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of Israel. So that's how it ends. It ends with, man, this guy is a hero, a legend. God did some really unique and magnificent things in his life. And you have to peel back the layers of his story and ask the question, well, how does this man arrive at such rare space? How does he find himself in such a unique category as one of the true legends? And Moses' story, I think is fascinating. It comes with all sorts of themes and different things that you can pull away and ways in which it illuminates God's work in our own life. But what you have is, again, the patriarchal era ends with Joseph and his family in Egypt. Well, how did that happen? Remember Joseph's brothers, they betray him, they throw him into a pit, and then they realize, well, we could actually profit off of him rather than just let him die. And so they sell him into slavery. And he ultimately begins to serve the master of the home that he's at well until he's falsely accused by his bride. And then he's thrown into prison. This guy has a really tough go at it.

And then ultimately he is released from prison because Pharaoh gets word that Joseph has the ability to interpret some dreams and Pharaoh has some nightmares. And Joseph gets to consult, give advice and have conversation with Pharaoh. Ultimately, he gains the favor of Pharaoh and he will rise in ranks to become the second in command there in Egypt. And ultimately God would use a famine in the land to bring the story full circle where he will be reconciled to his brothers and to his fathers. And it's an amazing moment. And it is in that moment that the people of God finally. and himself in Egypt. Joseph has established himself, things are going well for him, his family's in dire need, and he says, hey, move to Egypt with me. And ultimately at that moment, the people of God are a small tribe. Jacob had multiple sons and they have all started families, and ultimately that is what you have when it comes to the nation of Israel, the Hebrew people. They are not a nation yet, they are not even a large tribe, they are a big family. Anyone come from a big family?

Come on, I love coming from a big family, lots of personalities. And they grow comfortable in Egypt. Well, when you go back into Abraham's story and Isaac's story, what was the promise? God was gonna give them a land. His intent was never for them to settle in a place called Egypt. His promise was clear that he had a different land for them to occupy, and so they grow comfortable in Egypt, not realizing that God's desire was not for them to establish a permanent home among the Egyptians. C.S. Lewis has this quote that says, "'Along our journey, God blesses us with pleasant ends,' I-N-N-S, but he does not want us to mistake them from home. Along the journey, God blesses us with pleasant ends, but he does not want us to mistake them for home." And anyone love a good hotel experience? I think for the first two to three days, I am on board with it. I love the whole deal, I love the room service, I love the continental breakfast, I get a kick out of all the little cute toiletries. For the first few days, a hotel experience is great. And then before long, you find that the body wash has you chafing, and your whole suitcase is full of dirty clothes, and what was initially a enjoyable, comfortable experience has you wanting to leave and return

to a more comfortable space known as home. That happens in our spiritual journey. Along the way, God gives breakthrough, God provides, and the assumption at times is, well, maybe this is where God wants me to hang it up. Maybe this is where God wants me to call it quits. And we fail to realize that our God is always on the move, always with something in store, wanting us to move forward in his promises and purposes, and he does not want us to mistake these pleasant ends for home. The Hebrew people do exactly that. They begin to assume Egypt is home. Well, Joseph passes away. His influence among the Egyptians begins to diminish, as well as Pharaoh. There is a whole line of pharaohs and different eras that would take place in the Egyptian empire, and there rises to authority a pharaoh who despises the Hebrews. And why does he despise them? Well, one, this guy was an egotistical maniac who believed that he was the most powerful being in the universe, and these Hebrew people living among them believe in a God that they think is more superior to him. And so this is a threat and an insult to his ego, and so he just cannot tolerate anybody who will not bow a knee and worship him rather than a different God. In addition to that, he is growing insecure in the numbers,

in the strength, in the population of the Israelites. At the time of Moses, the Israelite people, the Hebrews, were just over a million people. So they had grown exponentially, and this new leader in position now sees them as a threat. And so he puts out a decree that every young Hebrew boy ought to be murdered and executed. And it is at that time that Moses, a young Hebrew boy, is born. And it says that his parents make this audacious, bold, faith-filled decision to place him in a basket. Scripture will tell us that that basket was made up of sticks, tar, and pitch, which is basically the leftovers of an animal, right? After their meal, this guy's story begins in a very cruddy place, literally. And they place him in this basket, and they put him in the river, and he floats on down the river. And there Pharaoh's daughter finds Moses, and she takes him as her own, and she raises Moses in Pharaoh's palace. And for 40 years, Moses would have all the luxury, all the privileges, all the power, all the money. and wealth and prestige that came with being Pharaoh's grandson. Yet he's still being raised by a man who despises and hates who he is and what he represents. And just outside the door of the palace are Moses' people. And daily he watches them face oppression,

daily he watches them endure the injustice of the Egyptians. And at one point he decides enough is enough, I have to take matters into my own hands. And so he goes out there and takes a man's life who was given a hard time to some fellow Hebrews. And it's in that moment that Moses becomes a murderer. Moses is immediately overwhelmed with shame, overwhelmed with guilt, and he realizes this is not the best way to approach this matter. I think this happens to us all the time in life. You can have the right conclusion, but the wrong application. The right answer, but the wrong maybe application or attempt. And so he's right in recognizing something needs to be done. He's wrong in how he does it. And as a murderer now he knows my life is going to now be threatened because I have a penalty coming my way. He takes off running into the wilderness. And what is interesting about Moses' life is it is broken down into three 40 year categories. The first 40 years he's in Pharaoh's house. The next 40 years he will find himself alone in the wilderness. And then the final 40 years, Moses gets to live to 120 years old. His final 40 years he will be leading the nation of Israel through the wilderness as they wander about. I think there's so many leadership principles in the story of Moses.

He is in the wilderness by himself for 40 years prior to him leading the nation of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. And anyone who serves in any capacity in leadership knows you cannot lead anybody anywhere you have not personally been yourself. And I think it is in those wilderness moments that God shapes, develops and readies Moses for the task at hand. Again, Moses' dream and vision to liberate his people was not incorrect, but he had to grow into the vision. He had to grow and maturate into that dream. And a lot of times that's our challenge. God captivates our heart and our mind with a purpose and a dream and a vision, some promise laid out for us in scripture. And we want it to take place immediately. And then when it doesn't, we start to assume wrong vision, wrong dream, wrong purpose. No, a lot of times it is just the reality that comes with knowing that a big dream requires the development of the dreamer. And Moses grows out in the wilderness and there comes a point where he recognizes what is known as the burning bush. This is a pretty popular moment in scripture where as he is making his way about, he notices that there is this bush that is on fire and consumed by this flame. However, the bush is not being burnt.

Somehow it is engulfed by flames, but not being burnt. And it gets his attention. And in that moment, he gives his attention to what is taking place and he discovers God's calling upon his life. I personally have not seen something that obvious, that, you know, just out in the open. Oh, this is a on fire bush, right? That is not being burnt to the ground. However, I do think most of our journeys do come with our own variations of burning bush experiences. Where if you give some margin in your life and you create space to pay attention to the things that God might be doing around you, you will discover his willingness and his desire to inform, instruct, and empower you for what he wants to accomplish in your life. I think the challenge is, is you and I, we redline life, RPMs all the way at its peak, and we just eliminate any margin, any space for you and I to breathe and to consider and to pay attention to what are the things that God might be doing around us. And I think God is still in the business of doing spectacular, supernatural things in our lives. Tragically, we have such tunnel vision that we are not paying attention. Moses, he paid attention. And it is in that moment that God tells him, I want you to go back to Egypt,

and I want you to stand toe to toe with Pharaoh, and I want you to deliver this message. Let my people go. And Moses immediately pushes back. Most of us push back. A lot of times we bump into God's calling, God's instruction, and we think to ourself, okay, God, you clearly have the wrong person. Your calling will almost always have you questioning your capacity. And in some odd way, the road to confidence seems to always run through confusion. God, are you sure? Do I have what it takes? Am I the right person? Am I qualified? Have you forgot I just murdered someone the last time I was there? And we have all these objections. Moses is full of self-doubt, and Moses is riddled with feelings of inadequacy. Come on, wave at me if you've ever battled some feelings of inadequacy. Where are my real ones at? Yeah, we all do. Life just has a way of making us acknowledge our shortcomings, acknowledge our limitations. And I think a lot of times, our feelings of inadequacy are completely off base. And really unnecessary.

Sometimes we are fostering insecurity in our life in ways that I do not believe God desires. And I do think it is not a true form of humility. I do not believe humility and insecurity are synonymous. I would say that humility is simply an accurate confidence. I know who I am, and I know who I'm not. And I'm not out there overextending myself trying to be something else. And you've heard me say this before. I personally believe that insecurity is a strange form of atheism. I believe that you and I have been knit together in our mother's womb on purpose and for a purpose. And if you insult the product, you insult the manufacturer. And our God doesn't make junk. And every single time you doubt who you are, how God made you and the purpose upon your life, ultimately you are doubting the creator and the architect of heaven and the one who put a purpose in front of you. And so it's just learning to stand in the authority of Christ and know who you are as a son and daughter of the Most High King and learn to combat some of the lies of the enemy that trip us up. But I think we fall into feelings of inadequacy, I would say mainly for three reasons. One, I think we fall prey to unfair criticism. Everybody's gonna have an opinion or a reflection upon your life. And at times you just have to learn to dismiss it.

I have a nephew, actually a couple of nephews who have autism and my brother is this big guy, six, seven, which don't do the thing, but he's literally six, seven, and he's just this big guy. And he has a son who is now 10 years old. And this kid is just a force. He's beautiful, he's handsome. He's athletic, he's strong, but he's nonverbal. And he just has some of the challenges that come with that walk of life. And when you are out and about in the community, most people look upon him and his behavior and they see a kid of great stature. They see this athletic kid who's built and strong and tall for his age. And they make really unfair criticisms about him, not knowing just where he's at in life and the things that he's managing. And sometimes you just have to learn to walk past petty criticism. Sometimes you have to learn to guard your heart and guard your mind and not allow things to set root in your life that really get no permission or carry no weight. At times you have to consider the source. And unfair criticism trips us up. The other one I would say is just unwise comparisons. The social media era has really created a snowball effect when it comes to this. Back in the day, you used to just hear the statement,

keeping up with the Joneses. Now it's keeping up with everybody. You get online and every single one of us are just doing our best to post our most polished, best looking moments in life, all so that we can impress people who don't like us, who we don't like, people who we don't know. It's just a weird game that we play, but ultimately we go through life comparing the reality of our lives to the highlight reels. or somebody else. And it's just an unwise comparison. I once heard someone say years ago that there's no win in comparison. And sometimes your feelings of inadequacy would be the result of just unwise comparison to people that you don't know the whole story. And sometimes you would bring a lot of freedom and joy and peace into your life to just lay those things down and to stop comparing yourself to other people. The other thing that I think creates feelings of inadequacy, which may sound bizarre to some, is unrealistic compliments. Sometimes you can place pressure on a person by over-inflating your affirmation. When you tell someone, oh, you're the best ever, and they're in their mind thinking, man, no, I'm not.

But now I feel like I have to maintain that in your point of view. And sometimes there are people who struggle under the pressure of unrealistic expectations and compliments. Whatever your reason is, I would just say, pay attention to the times where feelings of insecurity and inadequacy and self-doubt are just getting way too much traction. And it's causing you to develop fear and timidity and insecurity and jealousy and all these things that have you going through life, shrinking back in your courage and diminishing in your peace and joy. You might need to start fighting back against some of those lies and thoughts. Moses had some good objections. Chances are you have some good objections, but God annihilates them. What was Moses' excuse? I can't go back and speak to Pharaoh. I am a man of faltering lips. I'm not good with communication. And I think that is wonderful. Most of you know my story, born legally deaf, had six surgeries on my ears, went through 19 years of speech therapy. And it wasn't until I preached my first sermon to an adult service that my speech impediment ultimately was healed and God did a miracle in my life.

I'm super thankful for that. But I love this guy who is like, man, you should pick another mouthpiece. I can relate to that. And God pushes him through it. I pray you get to a point in your journey with Christ where God pushes you through your objections, pushes you through your hesitation, pushes you through your fear, pushes you through your timidity and self-doubt all so that you can discover who he is and what he has in store for you. I love play on words. And a lot of times the things I think about sharing with you are just really corny, but I do think sticky statements help people remember them. And I kept looking at this word inadequacy. And I thought, you know, if you break it up into two words, that's kind of what Moses discovers. He's feeling inadequate all to step into a very adequate God, a very adequate presence where the Lord goes with him and before him. And sometimes it's recognizing in your inadequacy, if you are in Christ, you stand in the adequacy of Christ, the goodness of our God, the power and his might and his ability. And God specializes in bringing men and women to the end of themselves

all so that he can fully display his glory and might in their life. And so Moses, he heads back and he squares off with Pharaoh. And what this guy gets to experience is insane. All the miracles from his staff turning into a serpent, to the water turning into blood, to all the plagues that God is flexing on Pharaoh, to the parting of the Red Sea, to where they finally make their way out into the wilderness. And God gives him the 10 commandments. He leads them by fire, by night, cloud, by day. He provides for them manna in the morning, water from a rock, so much water that it quenches the thirst of millions of people. I think about the stuff Moses got to encounter. Moses got to experience it. It's amazing. And Moses goes back and he tells Pharaoh, let my people go. And Pharaoh resist. He says, no, and why? Well, because now Pharaoh has figured out that this large population of people is a pretty significant workforce. We now have a million servants and slaves to carry forward our work within the region. So he is having a hard time dismissing them.

And there comes this almost debate, the negotiation talks with Pharaoh and Moses, where I would say there are three pressure points. And you can read them, I'm referencing a lot of scripture, but you can read them in these verses here. First, Moses goes to Pharaoh and is like, look, me and the people, we need space to seek the Lord and to make sacrifices and to pray. And the first thing that Pharaoh tells Moses is, okay, do your God thing, just don't leave Egypt. And that is ultimately, I feel like I've said the word ultimately a lot today, I don't know where that's coming from. That is really one of the main things we all run into early on in our faith. We give our lives to Christ and there is this pressure, okay, do your God thing, just don't leave Egypt. Well, what does Egypt represent? A place of slavery, a place of bondage. Okay, be a Christian, wear the banner, just don't develop the manners. Don't actually walk out of your place of bondage, just continue going through the motions, slugging it out, enslaved to the sinful things that entangle your life. Don't leave Egypt. And many of you, you're in that pressure point. You're a Christian. You have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.

You have surrendered your life to his Lordship. However, you are falling prey to this pressure and it can come from a family member or it can come from a coworker or teammate, a roommate, a friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a neighbor kid, it doesn't matter. Be a Christian, just don't change. Well, that's nonsense. God's desire for you is not to just call yourself a Christian and live the rest of your life still bound by the things that he came to set you free of. Moses tells Pharaoh, well, that's not gonna cut it. If we were to make our sacrifices and seek the Lord here among the Egyptians, it would be offensive. We need to go further out. To which Pharaoh responds, okay, well, if you have to leave Egypt, don't go too far. And that's in many ways, the second pressure point that we experience in this faith journey. All right, if you're gonna step out of your place of bondage and you're gonna allow God to liberate you from all that dysfunctional thinking and all those disruptive relationships and all the things that have you bound, okay, leave Egypt, just don't go too far. This is what others of you are experiencing and encountering. Okay, you gave your life to Christ, but really, are you gonna be one of those people who goes to church every single weekend?

Are you actually going to quit the bowling league so you can join that life group? Are you really gonna start serving and giving and going on mission trips? Come on, go ahead and be a Christian. Just don't take it too far. And you can be a fanatic about anything in this world except God himself. It's just nonsense. There's this quote that I love. It says, one step won't take you very far. You've got to keep on walking. One word won't tell folks who you are. You've got to keep on talking. One inch won't make you very tall. You have to keep on growing. One deed won't do it all. You have to keep on going. Go the distance. Sell out for God. He didn't sell himself short for you and I, so we give our all for the one who gave his all for us. And then there in Exodus 10, Pharaoh responds, okay, well, if you have to leave Egypt and you have to go as far as you are saying you have to go, well, then just don't take anybody with you. And that's what others of you are gonna face. Okay, you're a Christian. God's redeeming your life. You are laying down the former you

and stepping into this new life that Christ has. You are really selling out for him. Okay, but don't tell others in our friend group about this, Jesus. Don't start sharing your faith with our family. Don't start sharing your faith with our teammates. Don't start sharing your faith in the hallways of our school. Don't start sharing your faith with our coworkers. You can be a Christian. Just don't take anybody with you. And I think when we. We fall prey to that, we lay down one of the greatest opportunities to experience the exhilarating, life-giving, fulfilling journey with Christ where the more you witness in terms of sharing your faith, the more you witness, the more you witness. You get a front row seat to see God do it again in someone else's life. I love the old theologian who said, I'm just one beggar telling other beggars where I found the crumbs. And you and I are supposed to go out there with humility, thoughtfulness, gentleness, but a persistent patience that just says, I wanna stand ready to share this Jesus with anyone and everyone that I possibly can. Where are you at when it comes to those pressure points? Is it Egypt that you still find yourself bound to?

Is it the fear of going too far and being alienated or isolated for your faith? Or is it the fear of sharing your faith with others and the rejection that may come with it? These are things that we all are going to face. But Moses goes back, squares off with Pharaoh, God flexes and shows his might, all these different miracles take place and they march through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. What I love about Moses' story and what I love about the book of Exodus, which the word Exodus literally means the going out, maybe a good challenge for everyone this weekend would just be read the book of Exodus. I've referenced a bajillion Bible passages already in this message, all in the book of Exodus. And if you were to read it this week, you would find those things coming to light. But what I love about this story is historians and academics, scholars, they affirm the Exodus of Moses and the Israelites. Now there is certainly debate around the miracles, but there's no question this was a historical figure. And there was once a huge population of Hebrew people living under the dominion of the Egyptians. And they exited that captivity and bondage. And if you again do away with the miracles, you're gonna have to ask yourself the question, but how then were they able to loosen the grip of the Egyptians upon such a large community of people?

God loosens the grip. They get out into the wilderness and what should have been a few weeks of a journey at most turns into 40 years of wandering. You know, the quickest route from A to B is a straight line. But rarely do we ever walk a straight path. We tend to scribble and take detours and go off the road and into the ditch and turn around and find ourself in a cul-de-sac for years, just going in circles. Or if you're here in Hamilton County, you just living a roundabout. There actually comes a point where they're just circling this mountain over and over and over again. And the Lord comes to them and says, okay, how much longer are we going to circle this mountain? It's time to head north. How much longer are you gonna continue circling, going through the motions in the same season, same predicament, managing the same thoughts, same feelings, same doubts, same questions, same beliefs, same opinions, and not to say, okay, I am moving past some of this stuff. Moses gets the task of leading some very ornery people. God at times calls them stiff-necked for their pride. They are rebellious and they have a tendency to fall into idolatry over and over and over again. In fact, there comes a moment, Moses goes up the mountain and meets with the Lord

and the Lord begins to establish his law and his righteous standards. And he comes down the mountain with the 10 commandments of which number one, thou shall not have any other gods before me. And when he comes down the mountain, what does he find? His brother, who's supposed to be the first priest, building an idol, a false god, and all of them are worshiping it. He had a tough leadership task. And I think when it comes to the 10 commandments, this is where all throughout the Old Testament, we start to see the law and the regulations, the rules of our faith. And here's where we get it wrong. The lazy objection is that God has all these rules in place because he's some cosmic killjoy. to rob us of our fun and rob us of our, you know, delight and pleasure in life. That's nonsense. You actually appreciate rules and regulations far more than you realize. None of us would even pay attention to the game of football if there weren't some rules. The rules are what make it make sense. The rules are what make it productive. And I think this objection that, you know, God is just out to control his people is really shallow. You have to remember the group of people who are coming out of Egypt were in Egypt for how long?

400 years. Think about how far back your family goes over the last 400 years. How many grandparents, great-grandparents do you have in the last 400 years? The point being the group that walked out of slavery only knew slavery. That's all they knew was bondage. And so they get out into the wilderness and it's very apparent they don't know how to live free lives. Some of you, you've been redeemed by God. You have been touched by grace. But quite frankly, you do not know how to live a free life. And without the clear instruction and the standards of God and the things placed before us that help us govern a life that honors him, it is very confusing and unproductive. And you too, myself included, can find ourselves just wandering. God's boundaries for your life are God's blessings for your life. Young person, God's boundaries for your life are God's blessings for your life. The things that you desire most are often fulfilled by your resolute, integrity-filled, pure intentions and your desire to honor God to the best of your ability. If you wake up every single day with that as the target, you're gonna do pretty well. If your number one goal every single day

is I just wanna honor God, I just wanna honor him to the best of my ability, I believe the best Christian you can be is the best spouse you can be. I believe the best Christian you can be is the best parent you can be. The best Christian you can be is the best business owner or boss you can be. The best Christian you can be is the best friend you can be. Again, if you wake up every single day, my eyes are set on honoring God, you will find that you will do fairly well in this life. Doesn't mean it won't come with resistance, it doesn't mean it won't come with challenges, but it will mean you will function at a standard that is glorifying to God and influential and impacting to those around you. And Moses, the guy's amazing, he's not perfect. He's this liberator who comes up short at times and he makes us all desire for a perfect liberator who not only sets us free, but is someone who really truly carries us the full distance into the ultimate promised land. He's a prototype, a foreshadow of Christ who is the ultimate liberator, not just for Hebrews living in Egypt, but for all humans living on planet earth. And there comes this point, I am with this, Exodus chapter 33, verse 12.

They are just on the other side of this golden calf idol moment. God is still calling them forward. In verse 12, Moses said to the Lord, you have been telling me, lead these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, I know you by name and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways. Think about that. This guy has experienced and witnessed a lot of his works, but in this moment, he's not after works, he's after ways. Lord, just teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people. The Lord replied, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Then Moses said to him, if your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people, unless you go with us? Watch this big question. What else, what else will distinguish me? and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth. And the Lord said to Moses, I will do the very thing you've asked because I am pleased with you and I know you by name. And then Moses said, show me your glory. Think about all the things Moses has witnessed.

The parting of the Red Sea, all the different plagues, the burning bush, the times he would meet with God in the tabernacle, in the tent of meetings, going up the mountain, receiving the 10 commandments, fire by day, cloud by night, manna in the morning, water from a rock. Think of the things Moses got to experience. And after all of that, he says, God, would you show me your glory? And I think to myself, Moses, save some for the rest of us. You've got to see his glory. Yet here this man stands towards the end of his journey with a confidence that no matter how great he's been, no matter all the wonderful things he's done in my life, I still believe there's more. I still believe there's a side of him I've yet to experience. I still believe there's greatness and goodness and power and provision. And I believe this God is delightful in ways I've yet to taste. And I just want one more encounter with the glory of my God. I just think, what a guy. His hope-filled, confident optimism that says, my best days are still in front of me. Which carries more weight in your life? Your dreams or your memories? What has the gravitational pull? Are your best days behind you? Do you wake up every single day saying,

nah, my God is still good. My God is still faithful. And no matter where I'm at in this journey, no matter how much time I have left on the clock, I am still moving from glory to glory to glory. And in the end, I find myself in the presence of the Almighty in full harmony, in peace, in joy, in delight, in eternity with my maker. My greatest days are still ahead of me. Come on believer, do you honestly, sincerely believe that? That your greatest days are ahead of you? And Moses did. And the other thing that I love is not just his confidence and optimism, but his appetite. Ever ate too much that you go into a food coma? When it comes to miracles, this guy could have been put into a food coma, but he still had this unyielding appetite. God, I want more of you. I want more of you. And I don't wanna go anywhere you're not going with me. If your presence is not with me, I don't want anything to do with it. And what would it look like in your life if you raised the confidence and the trust and the optimism and the faith that your best days are in front of you? And what would it look like if you begin to stir the embers of your faith

in a way that cultivated a greater appetite for the things of God? What would the posture in your life look like if your prayer truly was, Lord, once again, show me your glory. And there's that statement about God's presence. And really quickly, this is gonna be nerdy for some, but I think it's important for you to have as a handle. When it comes to the presence of God, it's referenced all throughout scripture. Theologically, I'll save you a seminary class. There's three ways of understanding God's presence. There is the essential presence of God. God's everywhere. He's all around us. Sometimes it's his nearness that makes him so hard to see. If you are standing with your nose up against a brick wall, you have no idea what you're looking at until you step back and gain some perspective and realize all that you've been standing in front of. He's everywhere. There is the essential presence of God. His fingerprints are on all of creation. But then there's the manifest presence of God. That time you're in a hospital room awaiting a very gut-wrenching report, and suddenly into the room comes a supernatural peace that surpasses your understanding, and you can't explain it, and you're not responsible for it.

In that moment, God manifested his presence in a way that gave you peace to face what was coming your way. Or maybe the time you found yourself unsure, confused and timid, yet in a moment, God instills within you a wisdom beyond your years and a boldness to speak up and the words to say. It's him manifesting his presence and God does this all the time. And then there is what would be referred to as the cultivated presence of God. And I grew up in a camp that at times, I think went a little too far with some of this as to assume that you and I can just conjure up and manufacture these experiences of heightened emotions as a way of saying, well, that's the presence of God. And I do believe through worship, through prayer and through the study of God's word, it does stir our sensitivity and awareness of God. But I would just say, when it comes to the cultivated presence of God, I do believe most within our church need to start giving some attention to what is the margin you create and what are the daily rhythms you develop that create and foster a greater sensitivity to God's activity in your life, a greater awareness of his desires for you and a greater intimacy in this personal relationship that you have with your maker.

And Moses says, what else will distinguish us if not your presence? And I just believe you can always tell when a person spent time with the Lord and let us be people who set aside time to cultivate our relationship with God. So when we go out into the world, they look and realize, now that's someone who's been with the Lord, amen. Will you stand at your feet and pray with me? That's a lot of information. Let's pray. God, we are so thankful once more for your word, so thankful once more for heroes like Moses. God, we can relate to the times that we are bound by insecurity and all the feelings of inadequacy. Lord, would you eradicate the lies of the enemy? Would you quicken us when unfair criticism is landing in our heart, where unwise comparisons are shaping the trajectory of our lives and when the pressure of unrealistic expectations and compliments are tripping us up? God, would you ready us for the pressure that's gonna come our way and the resistance that tries to keep us in our place of bondage, whatever our Egypt may be, the hesitation to go the distance and to sell out for you and the timidity to share our faith

with those who've yet to know you. But God, I pray that no matter what you do in and through our lives and however you seek to work, Lord, would you help us create space all so that we can pay attention to your activity in our lives? Would you give us the courage to continue saying yes? And Lord, would you make us so aware of your presence that we can move forward in confidence knowing that you've gone before us, you are with us, and you will never leave us nor forsake us. And we just thank you for your presence. Let it be a distinguishing mark upon our lives. In Jesus' mighty and matchless name we pray, amen.