The Promised Land (Your Presence) by Pastor Phil 7/5

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

As you are seated, ask him to say, are you ready for the word this morning? Church, we're so good to see you today. I'm so thankful that you are here. Sorry about all the craziness with the power, and I know that you know that's sometimes things happen beyond our control. But uh we are so glad we're able to have church inside. Amen. It wasn't too bad outside, but you know, it's nicer inside. So uh we're thankful for that, and and we just know that God is gonna show up in a special way today. Um, He's put this word on my heart um earlier in the week, and so it's kind of been marinating there, and and I know that he wants to speak an awesome message to us today that's gonna challenge us, but also draw us closer to him. Can somebody say amen? And so it's good to see you. Thank you for joining us on this 4th of July weekend. Pray that you had a good time celebrating or you were able to celebrate whatever that looked like. And for me, I love God's house. Anybody just love God's house? Amen. And he has many houses, there's many churches, there's many places that um he meets with his people, but for me, it's all about being in the presence of God. I can remember stepping inside of a church, much like ours when I was 12 years old. And for some reason that day things were different. For some reason, that moment was different because the presence of God was there. Amen. And ever since that moment, I've been in love with God. I've been in love with being in his presence, and I discovered that I was made to be a worshiper. Anyone else discover that? That you were made to be a worshiper. I was I was created to bring him glory. I was given a purpose to see others experience the presence of God like I had. And so every single day I wake up and I say, Good morning, Jesus. And I invite him and his presence to be with me throughout the day. And I hope that you do that as well. I don't want to sound holy or holier than anyone else. It doesn't make everything about my life perfect. It doesn't uh mean that I don't have flaws or I don't experience frustration or worry or have any problems. It just means that I know with God by my side, I'm gonna be okay. Anyone else know that? Amen. And so uh for those who read the word of God today, we're going to uh jump into kind of a deeper, um, even uh challenging, maybe theology type of a message today. And so if you're a Bible study or a Bible person, uh you love reading the word of God, um, and we were to talk today, maybe even a smaller group, and we were to ask the question, what is the promised land? Almost everyone who would know the answer would say, Well, Canaan, the land of Canaan, was the promised land in the Bible. And this morning, as we get ready to open up the word and we're going to pray here in just a moment, but what if God's greatest promise wasn't a location? For Israel, it was the promised land. But what if it wasn't the milk and honey that was there? What if it wasn't victory or escaping slavery from Egypt or the prosperity? What if the greatest promise, as we've already, and God has already set this up because I didn't even talk to the worship team, I didn't even practice this week, I didn't even know the songs because of this morning setting up, and I didn't even know what Nicole was going to share. But what if God's greatest promise to us that we failed to realize is just a simple fact of being in his presence. You see, the message that I want to speak to you this morning and want to challenge you to think about is the promised land is his presence. See, Genesis, Exodus, if you're looking at the wilderness, the tabernacle, the temple, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, from Genesis to Revelations, the whole Bible is about positioning. God getting us to the place physically and spiritually where he can restore his relationship between the creator and the created. And today in 2026, God is continuously positioning us, not because of location, but because of his presence. And I really need you to get this today that it's not about a place, it's about his presence. And as I was trying to wrap my head around this sermon, I was asking God, how can I make it make sense? This is one of the thoughts he gave me. What is heaven without the presence of God? You see, the presence of God is what makes heaven heaven. Remember, it's not about a place, it's about him. Amen. And then God showed me some more things, and we're going to be getting into that. So today we're going to be talking about the promised land. And the subtitle for that is his presence. And so let's bow our heads and close our eyes. We're going to open up in prayer as we get into these points and this scripture. And I want you to just open up your mind, open up your heart. Maybe God is going to share something fresh with you that you've never thought before. So let's pray. Father, I thank you right now for your word and for your presence that's here. God, it is so helpful to know that the Holy Spirit is here with us and that you are here with us, God, as we talk about this subject. And so, Father, I thank you that if two or three are gathered together in your name, you're there in the midst. And so, Father, we ask you to reveal yourself to us, help us today, Father. We ask a special prayer and blessing over the food that's being prepared and those who we're going to hand that out to our church, but also those who might be in the community that's surrounding the church and those who might be working in their yards today, God. That's something we do, just something as simple as handing out a hot dog or a hamburger or a bottle of water today, God. We could shine the light of Christ, show the love of the Father. And so, God, we praise you that you have a plan and a purpose for today, even though we didn't know what the plan and purpose was going to be. Um, we didn't know if we're gonna have service outside or inside. We didn't know what was gonna happen, but God, you have a plan and we trust you today. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church said, Amen. Look at your neighbor real quick and give them a big smile. Okay? Today we're gonna get into this message, the promised land. We're going to be talking about point number one. We were created for his presence. Now, some scripture to kind of back up what we're getting ready to go over is Genesis chapter two and three. But specifically, we want to zone in real quick on Genesis chapter three, verse eight, where it's talking about Adam and Eve in the garden. And it just simply says, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden. And can I let you know that Adam wasn't shocked by that? He wasn't shocked by hearing the presence of the Lord, hearing God walk in the garden. That was normal. Man, what an amazing thing that must have been. God walked amongst them and God fellowshiped with them. That was God's design before there was work, before there was ministry, before there was miracles, and before there was all these relationships and friendships and religion and things of the world. God was with them. His presence was a normal thing. You see, we weren't created to simply just believe in God.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

We weren't created to simply think about him once or twice a week. We were created for his presence.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

You see, the the kids these days, if you hang out with teenagers, there's a phrase they say, if you know, you know. Anyone ever heard that before? If you know, then you know. There's nothing like God's presence, there's nothing like knowing the God of the universe is with you daily, hour by hour, minute by minute. You see, we were created for his presence. Now, because of the fall of man in the garden, we were talking about there, sin separated us from God. And so sin enters, and what was lost, not just the innocence that was there, not just the paradise that was there, but the relationship and his presence was lost. But because they ate of the forbidden fruit and chose to intentionally disobey God, sin enters the world and all the perfect promises of God and the access they had to him, there becomes a separation between them. And I need someone to hear this this morning because it's so important and it's not taught very often in today's church culture, but sin cannot coexist with the Creator. It's as simple as right and wrong, it's as simple as up and down, it's as simple as yes and no, obedience versus disobedience. You see, sin is the opposite of God, it's not an alternative. Sin is anything that is not of God. And in 2026, with all of our freedoms, all of our liberties, we want to pick and choose what is right and what is wrong. We want to define what is sin and what is not. Only God can define that. So when they chose disobedience, when they ate of that forbidden fruit, separation came. Their eyes, the Bible says, were opened. People want to act like God is not a good father, that he is not perfect. They want to act like he's not all good. People want to act like God is the one who causes separation. But I'm here to tell somebody this morning, we all have a choice. And listen to me when I say this because it's very important to understand this. And if you didn't know this, we are a church that believes in a place called heaven and a place called hell. And it's very important that you get this this morning. Hell will only host those who made a choice to be separated from God. You might say, Well, what do you mean? Well, the last time I checked, John 3.16 tells us that God created a way. Amen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever, everybody say, whosoever believes in him. That's our option, that's our choice right there. To believe in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. And so in 2026, there's a lot of educated people out there. There's a lot of things on the internet and social media, there's a lot of people who are trying to twist and change the story and the meaning and influence people in certain ways. And I'm here to tell you there's a heaven and there's a hell. And I'm here to do everything I can to try to make heaven more crowded, and that's our goal. Not because of the idea of heaven. I need you to listen to me this morning. Not because of the idea of what heaven will look like, even though it sounds really cool. Not because of who we're looking forward to see there again that has already passed and went, even though I believe in that, and I can't wait to see a bunch of my family that is there. But the whole point of heaven is my savior is there, my king is there, Jesus is there. And it's always been about him, and it will always be about him. And the whole thing that makes it heaven is his presence. I don't think that we would be out of line this morning to get excited about that a little bit. Give him another hand clap of praise. Can we do that? Just give the Lord a hand clap of praise because it's all about his presence. We were made for his presence. What is heaven without the presence of God? It's the presence of God that makes heaven heaven. And so point number two is this God never stops pursuing his people. God calls Abraham, God delivers Israel, God leads cloud by day and fire by night. The tabernacle, the ark, the temple, every one of them represent the same thing. God wants to dwell with his people. Exodus chapter 25, verse 8. Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. See, God wants to dwell with his people. And then Moses in Exodus 33, Moses doesn't ask for military success. He doesn't ask for some big blessing. He asks, show me your glory. Exodus 33, 15, he says, if your present doesn't, and presence doesn't go with us, don't send us. See, Moses understood the promise wasn't the land. Come on, somebody, I'm preaching real good and you're missing it. The promise was God's presence. Wherever God's presence is, that's the promised land. And so if it's Abraham, if it's Moses, if it's David, if it's in Canaan, or if it's in Babylon, if it's during a fight with a giant, if it's being tossed into a lion's den or a hot fiery furnace, God shows us that he is with his people and he wants to be with us. God never stops pursuing his people. God sends prophets and judges and kings. And God literally does so many things, miracles. He sends angels and people and does all these things to try and to connect the dots for us. But it still doesn't work. We are loved and he is for us and not against us. He will fight for us, he will show himself to us. We can have access to his presence. When Israel was on their way to the promised land, he fed them and watered them, he led them through the day and through the night. He was with his people because God never stops pursuing his people. There was a time as a teenager, I can remember that I got off the path that God had for me. My parents knew it. My youth pastor knew it. My best friends knew it. And I was I was trying to do what I wanted to do. I was trying to see what I could do on my own. There came a time and a place where I actually missed getting in trouble with the law because in the middle of a party that I was at, because my mama was home praying for her son who knew that he was doing things he shouldn't be doing. At this party, the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, grabbed my heart and almost like an audible voice told me, You need to leave and go home. And so I did. And right after I left that party as a teenager, several of my friends got in trouble. The law showed up, and a few people spent the night in jail. And I missed it by an hour. But not because of me, and not because my mom was praying for me, but because his presence was with me. And even when I wasn't sure if I was with him, he was pursuing me. His presence protected me. And I know we could go around the room this morning if it's been a long time or if it was just this weekend. And we could testify of how the Lord and his presence protected us. And I'm here to tell someone today, you may feel like you are drifting. Maybe it's been a while since you felt close to the Lord. But can I tell you that he's with you? Can I tell you in just a moment of surrender, a moment to turn back to him? If you'll just look in that rear view mirror, you'll see him following you because he's pursuing us every day of our lives. Even the things you wished that would have happened and he caused them not to happen. It was because he wanted the best thing for you and he was pursuing you and protecting you. Can we give the Lord a hand clap of praise that he pursues us? How many by an uplifted hand can look back in that rear view mirror and you can say, The Lord protected me from that thing? Amen. Because he never stops pursuing us. And it leads us straight into the next point, which is this point number three. The hard part wasn't getting Israel out of Egypt. Israel left Egypt, left slavery, but Egypt never left Israel. The hardest part wasn't getting Israel out of Egypt. The hardest part was getting Egypt out of Israel. See, Israel complained. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back to slavery. They complained to God about the desert. They complained to God about the manna. They doubted. They worshiped idols. They lacked faith. They wanted comfort over calling. And in 2026, the church today, we can find ourselves, if we're not careful, being very similar. We want to see revival, but we want it on our terms. We want to see our family members and friends saved, but we don't want to compromise. The Church of America has a lot of bitter saints. We pray God's will be done, but then we want to control every situation. You can't give God the keys to your life, but tell him he doesn't have access to all the rooms. So just like the Israelites escaping Egypt, we need to escape some of our ideologies, some of our religious ways, some of our legalistic ways, because what we're risking is becoming modern-day Pharisees, modern day Sadducees. So focused on what we think we know. So focused on what we think we know, so focused on what maybe we've even been taught.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

So focused on doing things a certain way that we miss what Jesus is doing completely. Man is trying to change you, you can do what you want.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

But when the Lord tries to change you, our prayer should be, yes, Lord, here I am, use me. Yes, Lord, here I am, send me. Change me. And I think it's so funny sometimes because we blame the devil for so many things. We give him way more power than what he actually has. Sometimes we blame culture. Sometimes the biggest thing that's standing in between us and God isn't the devil. The biggest thing that's standing in between God and what he has for us and his promises for us, it's us. If we could just get out of our own way, we'd experience everything that God wants for us. America celebrated 250 years this weekend, yesterday. And I'm so thankful for our country. How many of y'all are thankful for our country? Amen. And millions have crossed the ocean seeking liberty, and we're thankful, and we celebrate that and honor those who fought for it. Today we have more freedom than almost any generation in history. Yet depression. And anxiety and addiction and broken homes and loneliness and suicide and spiritual and mental confusion weigh us down.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

And I and I was thinking about this this weekend.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

How can a nation that is so free become so captive?

SPEAKER_01 22:29

And it's important that you understand just because there's political freedom doesn't create spiritual freedom.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Only Jesus creates that freedom. And can I remind you while we're on this subject? Because it's the answer to every problem we have as a nation. Second Chronicles chapter 7, verse 14. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will restore their land. Notice God doesn't start with Washington, DC. He doesn't start with a location. He starts with his people. Because if his people return to his presence, then God will heal the land. Amen? So ask yourself this morning what are some areas of my life maybe that I haven't surrendered to the Lord?

SPEAKER_01 23:37

What are some areas of my life that I need to return to his presence?

SPEAKER_02 23:43

Is there an area in my life that I haven't given over to God? Am I trying to live as a new creation in him but hold on to these old habits?

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Am I trying to live a God lifestyle but hold on to my lifestyle?

SPEAKER_02 24:05

Israel couldn't go to the promised land and continue to have a slavery mindset. They had to leave one to go to the other. Often Christians act and think and sometimes talk about how they live a godly lifestyle and still sin. But God wants us to know that doesn't work. Jesus said, You can't serve two masters. You can't live for sin and live for God. You can't take of the forbidden fruit and still inhabit the Garden of Eden. You can't be a slave to Pharaoh in Egypt and live as God's people in Canaan. So we come to a crossroads. We need to decide. And hopefully, this message is a moment for your life, for your heart, for your walk with God, for your family. Maybe it's a moment that you are supposed to make a decision. See, the hard part wasn't getting Israel out of Egypt. The hard part was getting Egypt out of Israel. The hard part isn't asking Christ to forgive you and saying a prayer. The hard part is choosing to lay down your old life and become a new creation in Christ. And so point four is this Jesus is God's answer to the separation. With Jesus, everything changes. God no longer says, Come to this place because he came to us. John 1.14 said, The word became flesh and dwelt among us. Matthew 1.23 talks about Emmanuel God with us. You see the cross, the veil torn, access restored, not just forgiveness, relationship restored. See, Jesus didn't simply die to just get us into heaven. That's part of it. But Jesus died to bring us back into God's presence. Because of Jesus, there is no more excuses when it comes to sin and separation from God. Instead of waiting on us to come to Him, He came to us. When He's seen that we couldn't do it on our own, He did it for us. Jesus is God's answer to the separation. And He took every excuse we could ever make and He nailed it to the cross. He became the ultimate sacrifice for us. He made it so easy. He took on all the difficulty. And how amazing is it that God loved us so much that He went through all these things for us and He made a way where there seemed to be no way? So here's the question today: Do you know Him? Are you taking advantage of this sacrifice that He made? Are you living in the blessings of God because you are living for God? Sure, you can see or you can try a sample size, you can attend a church, you can feel good about it, you can look the part, you can act like you are where you are supposed to be. But let me just tell you, there's nothing like living fully surrendered to God. There's nothing like living and walking and constantly being in his presence.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

It gives you this confidence because you don't care what anyone else thinks.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

Your father God is with you all the time. When you need a friend, he's there. When you need a doctor, he's there. He's a healer. When you need a father, he comforts. Whatever you need, he's there for you. You need wisdom, he'll give it to you. It might not be what you want to hear, but he'll give it to you. You need favor, he'll provide it for you. See, Jesus is God's answer to all of our problems. But you can't access the blessings of God if you are living separated from Him. It's like a marriage. You can't access all the benefits of marriage and having a family if you are separated. In the same way, we can't access all the blessings and benefits of being a child of God if we're separated from Him by our sin. And if that's you today, before this service is over, you can make a change. You can make a choice, you can choose Jesus. And he is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the answer from God for our separation. Our last and final point is this His presence is the promised land. The temple isn't made of stone anymore. It's made of flesh and blood because we are the temple. Revelation 21:3 says, the dwelling place of God is now among his people. Genesis. God was with man. Revelation, God is with man. The whole Bible comes full circle. But have we become more interested in heaven than the God of heaven? Have we become more interested in the blessings than the blesser? Have we become more interested in the promises than his presence? Are we more interested in church than we are in Christ? David said in Psalm 16:11, in your presence is fullness of joy. Psalms 27:4 starts off by saying, one thing that I have desired. See, Moses wanted his presence, David wanted his presence, Paul wanted Christ's presence. Why? Because they discovered God Himself is the reward. The promised land was never about geography, it was always about proximity. God's greatest promise has never been a place. Heaven is heaven because our loving Father God is there. So let's look at the overall connecting story of the Bible. In the garden, God walked with humanity. Then, because of sin, humanity was separated from God. In the tabernacle, God dwelt among his people. With the temple, God's glory filled the house. Jesus Emmanuel, God with us, God came to his people. Then the Holy Spirit, God, wants to dwell within his people. And in the end, when it talks about the new heaven and new earth, God dwells forever with his people. See, it's all about his presence with his people. And if you only remember one thing today, remember this. The Bible isn't a story of people searching for God, it's a story of God searching for his people. Egypt represents former habits, former identity, former thinking, old addictions, old fears, old priorities, old bondage. Israel crossed the Red Sea, but they still thought like slaves. How many Christians have crossed into salvation, but we still think and live like the lost? We still carry shame. We still carry fear. We still carry yesterday. We still carry offense. We still carry the past. We still carry addiction. We still carry our pride. We still carry Egypt, our old way of life. And it's important for you to understand today, deliverance can happen in a moment. And transformation takes time. God changed Israel's location in one night. Listen to this. But it took 40 years to change their hearts. Freedom isn't just leaving what held you. Freedom is no longer wanting to go back to that. The wilderness wasn't punishment, it was preparation. God wasn't just taking them somewhere, he was making them someone. People think Pentecost was about the power and speaking in tongues and miracles and healing, and that was there. Those are wonderful. But first, Pentecost was about presence. God moved out of buildings and into believers. Not every believer becomes walking evidence that God still desires to dwell with man. Now, I need you to think about this for a second because the steps of all of these things connect for us.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

The garden, the tabernacle, the temple, Bethlehem, Calvary, the upper room.

SPEAKER_02 34:18

Everything, the whole Bible, God is taking one step after another towards his children. When was the last time we just wanted to be in his presence?

SPEAKER_01 34:32

Can I tell you what the answer should be? It should be every day.

SPEAKER_02 34:39

We should anticipate the moment that we can come together with brothers and sisters, walk through these doors and worship the Lord. But every morning when we wake up, our desire should be to be in his presence. For the Lord to be with us. I'm not talking about being in his presence for a miracle or healing or provision or breakthrough. Those things are about us, but being in his presence because we want to be with him. David understood, Moses understood, Paul understood, Mary understood one thing, his presence. I noticed something when God was helping me put this together, and I don't think it was accidental. And this morning there's different confirmations and affirmations for this. But almost every sermon that we've preached over the past few months, and you can't say that I was putting this together behind the scenes or something like that, trying to work the puppets to produce something. Because even last week, with my wife speaking a message that I didn't even know what she was going to speak about until she was done putting it together, think about the messages we've been talking about lately here at Family Worship Center. We talked about the Holy Spirit and God's presence.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

We talked about the good shepherd and walking with the shepherd.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

We talked about setting the tone and staying close to God. We talked about God sending a worm because of God's pursuit of Jonah. God positioning him to realize that it's about his people. And then today, the promised land in God's presence. These messages feel like they gather all of these themes into one narrative. And the Bible is one story, not just 66 disconnected books. That story is God relentlessly pursuing relationship with his creation. God is speaking that this place is supposed to be about his presence. That his presence is for his people. And in order to move to that next stage of our faith, in order for our church to move to that next phase of existence, we have to be more about his presence than preference. So I just feel the Lord here so strongly this morning. We're going to ask the worship team just to come up. And I'm going to ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes. I'm going to ask us to try to keep all distractions to a minimum. Because God is trying to speak to his people once again. He's trying to position his people to be about his presence. The promise isn't a location or an achievement or some sort of uh goal being reached. The promise is his presence. And just like we talked about here while back a few weeks ago, we have to invite him to be a part of our life every single day. God is a gentleman, and he's speaking to someone this morning that all you have to do is begin and end your day with him. All you have to do is invite him into those areas that you've been neglecting him in. All you have to do is remember this whole thing is about him. All of creation was created for his glory. We were created for fellowship with God. We were created for his presence. We were created to bring him glory. That is the purpose. You've been searching for your purpose, or maybe you've lost focus of what your purpose is. Maybe you've been asking the question, I don't even know why I'm still around, I don't even know why I'm still here. I don't know why I'm still at that job. I don't know why I'm still at that church. I don't know why I'm still serving. I don't know why I'm still doing this or that. And God wants to remind you this morning that your purpose is found in Him. That your purpose is His presence. It's not a place, it's not a church, it's not a location, it's not a pasture. Your purpose is His presence. In His presence, you'll find everything that you need for your life. God is just reminding me this morning, as a teenage boy, I can remember being at church camp, 15 years old, and the presence of God overwhelming me, and literally bringing me to the ground on my back, overwhelmed with the power and the presence of God. And I didn't leave that position thinking, wow, I really experienced Pentecost. I left that position knowing my purpose. After that experience that I had as a 15-year-old boy at the same campground that we bring all of our students to every summer, I knew that I was called to be a pastor. I knew that I was called to lead worship. I knew that I was called to be a youth pastor. I knew that the rest of my life, the purpose that I truly had was to bring him glory and to be in his presence. And when I experienced that, it became my number one priority. And because it was my priority and my purpose. And maybe you're here today and you're thinking my life's a mess. Some days I don't even want to get out of bed, some days I don't even know why. I still try. But can I tell you, in his presence, he'll reveal his purpose. If you just take some time to seek him, if you just take some time to worship him, if you just take some time to pray to him, not worrying about the time, not worrying about who's looking, not worrying about what's going on. If you just find some time to get into his presence, everything else will be revealed to you. In his presence, you'll find meaning. In his presence, you'll find fulfillment. With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you're here today, God is speaking to his people. Maybe you're here and you don't have a relationship with Christ, or you used to, or you grew up in church, but you haven't had a relationship with him, and you're ready to get back, you're ready to ask him to be the Lord and Savior of your life. Maybe you relate to that prodigal son and you've been away from him and you're ready to return home, whatever it is. If it's your first time ever accepting Christ, he's here with you today. His presence is here, and in just one prayer, his presence will fill your heart and fill your life, and you'll experience salvation, and you'll experience purpose. If that's you with nobody looking around. Father, I pray for those who lifted their hands right now, and I pray they would just begin to talk to you. Because I can say a prayer and we can repeat a prayer after me, but Father God, if we don't say it in our own hearts, we're missing the purpose. So, God, I pray right now for those who raise their hands. I pray that they'd call out to you. They'd admit that they're a sinner. They'd believe in you as their Christ and Savior. They'd confess their sins. They'd ask you to change them and live in their life and live in their heart. And they would follow you today, Father. Maybe you're here today. You can put your hands down. God is speaking to you about his presence. Maybe you've never felt his presence. Maybe it's been a while since you felt his presence. Maybe this morning you're hearing this word and you're hearing this message, and you're putting the pieces together of the puzzle, and you're saying, So it's all found in his presence. I need his presence. If that's you this morning, and you need a fresh touch, if that's you this morning, and you need the presence of God, if that's you today, and you want to be in his presence. Would you just lift up your hand and show God, hey God, that's me. I need your presence. Doesn't matter if you come to church all the time or or if you are just here on a on a random visit. If God's speaking to you, just slip up your hand so he can see you and that you're making that decision. That's what that hand represents hey, God, I hear you. God, here I am, God. I'm answering your call, I'm I'm accepting what it is you're saying to me. Thank you for those hands. So here's what we're gonna do. Instead of having prayer partners come up or anything like that, I want to open the altar. I want to encourage the church because we're a little early. Let's find a place to pray for the next several minutes. They're gonna sing and play softly. This front of this stage can be an altar. Your seat can be an altar. If you can't get down on your hands and knees, you can just close your eyes and put your hands together and pray a prayer. You can lift your hands and worship. But however, you need to get into his presence. Can we just get into his presence right now? I'm gonna pray, and they're gonna sing and we're gonna open this altar. Father, we ask for your presence. Our purpose is found in your presence. Father, let your presence fall down in this place. Help us understand that's the purpose of it all, God. We love heaven, we love all the things about heaven, but heaven's not heaven without you, and our life is not what it needs to be without you. We need your presence, Father. Just like the Lord's Prayer says, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Father God, we can experience heaven right here on earth because of your presence. So, Father, speak to us as we open up this altar as we pray, as we ask for your presence, as we ask for your touch in our life. Move in our hearts, move in our lives right now. In Jesus' name we pray. These altars are open. I challenge you to find a place to pray before the Lord as they sing this song.

SPEAKER_00 47:23

We need your presence, Lord. It's all we're asking for. Holy Spirit, you have come here.