Sermon Devotions

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God (Psalm 14:2). Too often we seek a “word” about us from the prophetic tense. How often do we seek a “word” about Him from the “presence” tense? There are those among us who can reveal the secrets of men’s hearts. Where are those among us who can reveal the secrets of God’s heart? Are there any who understand, who seek after God?

(Tommy Tenney)

God’s eyes run to and fro the whole earth to show Himself strong on the behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards Him (2 Chron. 16:9). He sends His signal to every heart on the earth including hearts in those nations that do not know God and when He sees a heart that wants to serve Him, He zeros in on that heart and strikes an accord with that heart. That appears to be the way He found Abraham (Gen 12:1-4), and how He found Balaam the prophet among the heathen, and it appears is the same tactics He uses today. Whereas Abraham served God with his whole heart and is known as the father of faith, Balaam ended up as a soothsayer.  When we seek God, we will be known of Him. He does not delay. He sends His emissary our way and tells His angels to fetch us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember the story of the prodigal son! The Father was too willing to have His son back. Jesus said in the “Parable of the Sheep”  that for a sheep that is lost, the shepherd would seek the sheep even to the mountains until he finds it and adds it to his fold of ninety nine other sheep that were not lost so his sheep will be complete as one hundred (Matt. 18:12-14).

Similarly, when God finds a heart that is right before Him, he is pleased, and does not have to wonder whether that heart will be lost forever from Him. In fact He goes all out to seek for that heart. Once found, He begins to prepare for the person’s homecoming like it was with the prodigal son. He throws a party and the angels in heaven rejoice over a heart that genuinely repents and seek to dwell forever in the Father’s kingdom. Our life’s journey as believers is to be guided by His Spirit and finally make heaven, seeing His glorious Face.

A perfect heart to God is a heart that loved Him as David did. There are other Bible characters that loved God despite their circumstances. They include Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in the land of Babylon and Hannah, the mother of Samuel just to name a few. God wants every heart to understand, turn from its foolish ways and seek after Him. He says seek me early while I may be found. Let the wicked man turn from his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let them return to the Lord and I will abundantly pardon…… (Isaiah 55:6-7).

When we seek a “word” from a prophet’s mouth, we are “cherry-picking” but when we receive a “word” from him focused at his “presence”, we are ready to receive what He offers us. That was the case of Saul who visited Samuel for a word about his missing donkeys (1 Sam. 9:3-20). However, when Saul had opportunity to talk one-to-one with Samuel and use the time to listen to him more intently, get the wisdom into his heart that he needed to be a good ruler, Saul did not allow the word to sink into his heart. I think that was the time Samuel began to have doubt about Saul, whether he would be a successful king or not. The prophet saw into his heart that this was going to be a disobedient king (1 Sam. 9:25-27).

We know what He offers us is always better than what we seek for. He says, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). When we are in close companionship to the Holy Spirit, He reveals the mind of God to us (1 Cor. 2:9-16). The heart of God is full of good counsel for His children. When we have spiritual understanding, we’ll draw it out (Prov. 20:5).

The heart of God is also like a deep well full of treasures. The problem is we do not understand how to get to it. There is a veil of foolishness that covers our eyes. If only God showed us a glimpse of His treasures He has for us when we fear Him and serve Him with perfect heart, we will be dancing on our toes and praising Him from morning until midnight daily.  Ephesians 5:17 reads: do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Seeking His wisdom removes that foolishness from our hearts. When we allow the word of Christ to dwell in our heart richly, then truly we have found the treasure of inestimable value (Col. 3:16), We will learn and pray about this in the New Year, 2019 by His Grace.

May the word of God be found on solid ground in our hearts in Jesus name! Amen and amen!!

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21). The people saw the lightning and heard the thunder—and they shrank back in fear. Instead of pursuing His glory, they ran from Him. So the result of their running from holy intimacy was that they died before they entered the promised land. As my friend David Ravenhill would say, “They drank from the river but died in the wilderness.” They chose distant respect over intimate relationship.

(Tommy Tenney)

God is Light whose magnificence no being can approach nor dwell in His sight in his sinful state. The Scripture say He is too holy to behold iniquity. He covers Himself with light as a garment but surrounds Himself with thick darkness that keeps Him away from His enemies. A sinful man is the enemy of God. You cannot breakthrough those billows of darkness no matter how many times you tried. God has to let you in to Himself if He sees you have a repentant heart. He is full of light in Christ and only His light through Christ brings us into His presence. Put simply, God yearns for man’s fellowship but it is our sins that separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). It’s God who invites us. He says come dine with me. He says come; let me show you the things which will make you marvel. If our hearts respond positively, the benefits are endless and it is for us and our children to enjoy. However, if our hearts respond negatively, it is an opportunity of sweet fellowship missed and a terrible judgement awaits us.

In this passage under review (Exod. 20:18-21), the people were afraid because of the lightning and thunder. God had displayed wonders and miracles before their eyes in the matter of the red sea and turning bitter water sweet at Marah (Exodus 15:22-27), so hearing the thunder and seeing the lightening was not the issue. They feared and quaked hearing God’s voice blaring through the thunder and lightning.  Moses had told them sternly what God said; “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” (v26). They shrank back because of the voice of God. The sinner runs when no man pursues him, but the bible says the righteous is as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1). They were a bunch of insincere men who did not want to follow God. Their hearts lusted for the things of Egypt and the heathen lands, the cucumber and garlic, not knowing the Lord had reserved for them their own in the Promised Land. The truth is that they did not want to serve a holy God.

God’s holiness will either drive man away from Him or attract man’s hearts towards Him. Moses was the lion in the above proverb. He wanted to see God, so he walked towards the thick darkness. After all, he had encountered God in the burning bush, been a vessel whom God used to redeem Israel from Egypt, experienced God leading the people by a pillar of fire during the day and fire by night, and he enjoyed intimate friendship with God. God intended they live by His voice as Adam was in the Garden of Eden. Whereas God was craving to be their husband and lover, they were craving to be prostitutes with other gods. They set their hearts in direct conflict with the will of God.

The will of God was that He would lead them to the Promised Land. They paid a high price for their unbelief. They all died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb. Trusting God and walking with Him pays. However, the sinner that follows his own way dwells in the congregation of the dead. The hard-hearted as a group paid for their sins. God did not get the glory He deserved from the people. The people considered the holy things and the salvation of God common things equating these to what they would get lusting after other gods. They did not genuinely repent in the issue of the golden calf with Aaron. God considered them a stubborn people who did not want to experience His glory nor be intimate with Him. He quietly separated Himself from that generation hoping the younger generation would learn. That generation was led by Joshua, the son of Nun.

 Two-way Journaling

Joseph’s Prayer: Lord, you allowed Moses into your presence because He prepared himself according to your calling. He lived a meek life. I prepare myself after the order of Christ. I come boldly into you presence by the blood of Jesus and by the new and living way inaugurated for us through the veil, that is the flesh of Christ. I draw near to you with a sincere heart full of faith, having my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water (Heb. 10:19-22). You sight is indeed terrible to behold without Christ.

God’s response: Do not shrink back from me Joseph. The sound of my voice will lead you and not destroy you.

 Joseph’s Response: I love and worship you, my Jehovah God. I follow after your righteousness my Lord and king. Amen.

God is looking for someone who is willing to tie a rope around an ankle and say, “If I perish, I perish: but I am going to see the King. I want to do everything. I can to go behind the veil. I’m going to put on the blood. I’m going to repent. I’m going to do everything I can because I’m tired of knowing about Him. I want to know Him. I ‘ve got to see His face”

(The God Chasers, 55)

God is not looking for the faint-hearted. He is looking for men and women of courage – people who rely on His strength not their own. Yet, there is a certain determination of your own you need to bring to the table. That strength is generated in your inner man. That inner man is strengthened by the joy of the Lord.

When challenges come, you need to rise up to the occasion and stand up to the challenge. Whether it be people promoting unbiblical sexual rights, an insurrection of false brethren, or false doctrine peddlers in your church, or the wicked like Haman who wanted Modecai hung on the gallows and all the Jews dead. There are always those around who want you to fail or are in league with satan to bring your ministry or spiritual success down. There are others who are jealous of your blessings and have an evil eye towards you.  Esther showed courage to save the Jews from extermination when she vowed to go see the king no matter what sacrifice she has to make herself, saying “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Esther obtained the favour of the king and the Jews did not perish. She prepared herself in a fast and went into his presence with all boldness. The king’s staff of authority saved her.

God wants people as determined as Esther to come to Him. He is a holy God. Nothing unholy can come into His presence or dwell in His sight. We cannot come into His presence unprepared. We will be toying with death. Remember He struck Uzza for His error.  Our God is no respecter of persons and is a consuming fire. We cannot take him for granted. Esther did not take the king for granted. She knew there was a Haman who wanted to thwart her effort. The common enemy we have is satan. He has access to God and is the accuser of the brethren (Job chapters 1 and 2; Rev. 12:11), seeking whom to steal from, kill or destroy (John 10:10).

The determination of Esther must be in our service to God. We must have the spirit of a high priest ready to go in and sacrifice, and the courage of a Joshua and Esther in our service to Him. To Joshua, God said: “only be thou strong and very courageous (Joshua 1:7)”. This is not only when we fight against our enemies. When we enter into His Holy Place or Most Holy Place like the high priest did in Israel, it is entering into the presence of one who can strike us down with deadly force, yet one who can attract us with the magnet of his love if we are in right standing with Him. The miscalculation was too strong for the people of Israel to make. Hence they tied a rope to the ankles of the high priest who entered the most holy place – it was a do or die situation, the man had to come out dead or alive. They dragged him out if he was dead. Esther prepared herself with a fast, God heard her prayers, she entered the presence of the king and came out alive to tell her story which was not the usual Law of Persia and Media.

Similarly entering into the presence of the Lord requires great preparation on our part. No man is exempted – the Pastor or Bishop or the Pope or the pageboy or the choir member. When I enter the presence of the Lord, I must prepare my heart to receive the King. Jesus is the King of kings. My familiarity with Him, His name and His presence should not breed contempt. God wants me to carry the aura of His presence anywhere I go. I prepare myself by soaking myself in the blood of Jesus and swimming in the river of the Holy Ghost as well as rubbing the oil of His anointing on my faces. I put on His robe of righteousness, cleanse myself from all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and enter His presence boldly by that new and living way He has granted to me – the name and Person of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-22). Then I am ready to see His face. How bright the image of His face is to me is another question! I want it to be brighter that the noonday Sun. The more prepared I am the more bright is the image of His face is on me. This essentially is a description of the grace we now enjoy before God in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament it was the Law of sin and death! I yearn to see your face in the brightness of your glory, Lord Jesus. Amen!

Prayers:

1. Lord, prepare my heart to come into your presence and be awed always by your holiness in the name of Jesus.
2. Lord, I come to you with the little strength I have. Magnify my strength with your Joy and peace in the name of Jesus.
3. Lord, I surrender all. I come into your holy and most holy place with the blood of Jesus. I put on the garment of praise.

I just want to find out where He’s going so I can position myself at the place where He is going to break open. There is an element of sovereignty in God’s choice of places. Nobody on earth strikes the match for burning bushes. Only God can do that. Our part consists of wandering through the wilderness until we find that spot, and then to remember to take off our shoes because we’ve stumbled onto holy ground.

(The God Chasers, p. 55)

In ever believer, there is a spirit of Moses, shared or imparted to us directly from the Holy Spirit (Num. 11:16, 25). In addition there is a New Testament benefit we have in Christ; a direct deposit of His Holy Spirit in our hearts when we are baptized in the Spirit and we become filled to overflowing. The Holy Spirit is our companion anywhere we go, if we let Him. He will not let you go and wander away from God. He cast His shadow over us and keeps us away from the enemy. He seals us unto the day of redemption and continually helps us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling by the grace that is in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the manifest presence of God. When we encounter Christ in His power and great glory like Paul did on the road to Damascus, that is our burning bush experience like it was for Moses. It is an unforgettable moment with God: A moment that shakes us to the core – a moment of transformation and a moment that will re-orient us who God is. A moment when the glory and face of God will be permanently stamped in our hearts – A Penuel moment (Gen. 32:22-32). God’s manifest presence also appeared to Old Testament prophets like Moses, Joshua, Gideon and David. To Jacob, He appeared as the great wrestler and destiny changer. To Joshua He appeared as the Commander of the Lord’s host (Joshua 5:13-15). To Gideon, He appeared as the Lord of Peace (Judges 6:11-24).

When God appeared to these prophets, at times it was to bless, and at other times to encourage, and yet at other times to judge. His manifest presence may be to awaken us from spiritual slumber and timidity like He did to Jacob and Gideon, or it may be to remind us that He is the Commander or Lord of Host as He appeared to Joshua and David. He may also appear to us to judge us as He did when we stubbornly act against His will as David did when he numbered Israel.

Seeing the glory and manifest presence of God gives us great consolation and comfort. God does appear to men whose hearts are right whether they are bound for exile or are men walking on the streets as citizens in their land. To prophet Ezekiel, in his anguish by the Chebar Canal, the heavens were opened and he saw visions of God (Ezek. 1:1). He also saw great heavenly beings and creatures (Ezek. 1:4-28). In amazement of the glory of God, he fell on his face and worshiped. On another occasion, Ezekiel saw the glory of God fill the temple, he saw the faces of same sets of cherubim he had seen earlier in his vision by the Chebar canal doing assignments in the temple; he witnessed their obedience and saw their speed and wonderful mode of transportation (Ezekiel 10).

Prayer:

1. Whatever the circumstance I am going through, Oh Lord, reveal yourself in your glory to me. Forgive me my iniquities and do not count the sins of my Father’s house against me. Cleanse my heart and let me stand in your presence in holiness.
2. Lord, let me not wander away from your presence. Direct me to the spot where your ladder is so I can reach up to heaven, behold your glory and seeing your angels ascending and descending from heaven with your blessings. Listen to the cry of my heart as I behold your face and I see you on your throne, high and lifted up.
3. Lord as you have saved me, keep me to the end. Lord, you supply the grace for my salvation. You supply the grace for me to come near you and you supply the grace for me to be in your manifest presence. Lord, lead me to your holy ground where your manifest presence is. I remove my shoes and worship you in your holiness. Your love is beyond description and your presence is too wonderful to behold.

Glory to God in the highest. Thank you Jesus. Amen!

“If you seek His face, what you get is His favor.” The Church has enjoyed the omnipresence of God, but now you can experience moments of visitation by His manifest presence. It makes your hair stand up on end.   It runs off demonic forces. But it entices God chasers to run toward…Him!

(Tommy Tenney)

The favour of God is all too good. Psalm 5:12 says God encompasses me with favour as a shield. Imagine this: a shield is a weapon of warfare. Paul said, take the shield of faith whereby you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil (Eph. 6:16). From these two scriptures, we see that the faith is a shield and favour is a shield. Another similar Scripture is Heb. 11:6 that say without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

So what pours out God’s favour on you is your faith. Do you have faith and trust in the Almighty God? How strong is your faith? That is the 64,000 dollar question! Are you at the periphery of giving up on what you are going through right now? I think it is time to crank up your faith. That is what will please God and He will pour His favour on you.

Set your focus on the ability of God not how gigantic your problem is. The instrument you need to defeat the enemy is God’s shield of faith and favour. When you place your trust in God your faith is generating His favour which makes Him step into your situation. That is why Paul said above all, take the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16). The extent you trust and use the power of God that is the extent of your ability in spiritual warfare. If you do not trust the ability of God to step and take control of your situation, the enemy will be all over you and you will have no support from the Almighty.

I love the way the Psalmist put it when he had the peculiar problem of ill-health and his enemies thought they could overrun him, the sort of problem Job had and satan thought it was his chance to obliterate the man from the earth.

Psalm 30:1-12 (KJV)

I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. ² O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. ³ O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. ⁴ Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. ⁵ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ⁶ And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. ⁷ Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. ⁸ I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. ⁹ What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? ¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. ¹¹ Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;¹² To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.

Every verse in this psalm counts in spiritual warfare. V7 says, Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

Whenever I seek His face, He turns His favour on me and it becomes an unending cycle as I do this continuously. He turns my gloom into joy and His glory shines on me, making me to sings praises to His Holy name (v12). Thank you Jesus! Amen!

Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even if it be only the bedroom (for a while I retreated to the furnace room for want of a better place). Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the inward Voice till you learn to recognize it.

(A.W. Tozer, Worship and Entertainment, 45)

His presence is all that matters to me. No matter where I am I get tuned to Him. In the washroom and kitchen I get connected and sing. While driving, I pray, sing, or listen to a melodious song that carries me into His presence. I am aware of the honking of traffic but not bothered by them.

When I watch TV, I tune out and my heart gets attracted to God. I feel I should spend my time more wisely. I appreciate the presence of my family and wish we had more time with the Lord at our family altar and quiet time. However, the pressures of life and work often draw me out from His presence. I know I must run back to Him, leave all that I am doing and spend more quality time with the Lover of my soul.

Dear Jesus, I want to have more time with you. Thank you for your voice that gently guides me. I am your sheep. I will follow you. Dull my ears to the voice of the hireling wherever I am. Thank you Jesus (John 10:1-18, 27-28)!

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.