There is a Place
Exodus 33:21-22
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Introduction
The church of the living God is presently enjoying the greatest move of God that we have ever witnessed. As His church, we are standing in a place where no church has ever stood before – at the end of the dispensation and at the threshold of the coming of the Lord. God has chosen us – all of us – to play a crucial role in this final, end-time revival that will see the largest harvesting of lost souls that has ever occurred.
You and I have been called and chosen to work for the Master during the most important time in the history of the church. The prophet Joel looked through the telescope of time and said of this day, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh….” (Acts 2:17)
What we do with this tremendous opportunity is the most important decision that we will ever make as a church and as saints of God. These times demand that we combine all of our time, our talent, our faith, our finances, and our prayers as we march on to the coming of the Lord and the end of the age.
Just as it is critical that we recognize the signs of the times and the opportunities for revival that lie before us, it is even more critical that we do not forget the mandate given to us by God through the prophet Zechariah when he said, it’s “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zec 4:6)
Our world is in spiritual darkness. We must bring them the light of the gospel. If we are to have the impact that God intends for us to have, if we are to maximize the results of our efforts on His behalf, it is imperative that we have a relationship with God that is real and relevant. “There is a place by me,” is what the Lord has said. I want to talk to you today about how we can locate ourselves in this place by the Lord.
I. We must fight off apathy and indifference.
I Peter 5:8 warns us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
The Bible is not telling us to be afraid of the devil or to fear his diabolical devices. It’s not instructing us to circle the wagons and get ready to thwart off an attack from the wickedness that lurks out there. There is an enemy out there. And you can be sure he wants to destroy you and me. But he is not our greatest adversary. Remember the Bible tells us that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
Peter tells us to “be sober” and to “be vigilant” because there are two things that have been the down-fall of more Christians than anything else. They are apathy and indifference.
Members of today’s apostolic church have done more, seen more, heard more, and experienced more when it comes to things of the spirit than most people in our world. Today it takes quite a move of God, quite a magnificent sermon, quite a song to move us. We are almost “awe-proof”. Is it possible that the supernatural works of the Spirit no longer move us? Are we as hungry for the things of God as we should be? Have we arrived at a place where we take for granted the demonstration of the Holy Ghost?
Four times in the Bible we are warned: “Harden not your hearts!” We must fight off apathy and indifference. If we are willing to do this, God is saying, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand.”
II. We must separate ourselves from sin.
Never before in the history of mankind has sin run so rampant and unbridled. We are living in a time when sinfulness is blatantly paraded across the television screens in our homes. Every day our government agencies are enacting more and more laws which protect sin and sinful lifestyles. And it’s only going to get worse.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (II Tim 3:1-5)
It is the end-time! We cannot allow sin to become part of the life of the church at this most critical time.
In the Old Testament and throughout the history of the people of God, you find that they are met by one foe after another. And each and every time they defeated those enemies. Their enemies could not bring them down. But on more than one occasion the people of God brought themselves to the very brink of destruction by allowing sin to come in to the camp.
We can never enjoy the victory that God intends for us to enjoy and we will never see the revival that God wants for us to experience as long as there is sin in our lives.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
Remember, the Bible lets us know that it is those who hunger and thirst after righteousness that are called blessed. And it is only those same people that the Bible says shall be filled.
If we will separate ourselves from sin, I can hear Him say, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand.”
III. We must cherish truth.
While the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God had instructed Moses to put three things inside the Ark of the Covenant: the two tables of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod which budded, and a pot of manna.
During a time when Israel had strayed from God, the Ark had been captured by the Philistines. The Philistines believed that the Ark contained some mystical powers that brought victory to the Israelites. No doubt they opened the Ark to discover what was inside of it.
When the Ark was later returned to Israel, it contained only the two tables of stone. During its captivity, the Philistines had removed Aaron’s rod (which represented the miraculous power of God) and the pot of manna (which represented the miraculous provision of God).
You see, the Philistines wanted the miracles, signs, and wonders. But when it comes to the truth of God’s Word – well that’s a different story.
For us to enjoy the harvest that God wants us to enjoy there must be a balance. Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) He did say that it was the truth that would make you free. (John 8:32)
When the man of God starts preaching or teaching about the Oneness of the Godhead we ought to be the first on our feet shouting, “Amen!” When he calls out the name of Jesus during a baptism, something in our hearts ought to stir us to tears. These are precious doctrines – “pearls of great price” if you will. These are the truths that set us apart as the people of God.
If you and I are going to stand in that place by the Lord, we must have a love for the truth of God’s Word. “Preach it preacher. Make it plain. I’m hungry for God’s Word!”
Conclusion
Throughout the Holy Scripture, we see time after time when God moved upon special women and men, at special times during the history of his people, to bring about His divine will for their lives. Ordinary men and women were used in a supernatural way to bring about a move of God. These were times of victory and blessing – times of revival.
We are living at the time of God’s grand finale. Following the same mode of operation, God is once again seeking ordinary men and women who are willing to be used to bring about His divine purpose for such a time as this.
He can use those who refuse to be complacent and satisfied with the status quo – people who despise mediocrity. He is searching or men and women of excellence who are truly hungry for all of God’s will to be fulfilled in their lives – people who love the truth and know the power thereof.
The people that God is seeking today refuse to make excuses any longer. They are crying out with all of their heart, “Here am I, Lord! Use me!”
The Lord is saying to this church today, “Behold, there is a place by me.”
Now notice what else the Lord says about this place.
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
1) Firm foundation. 2) A place of His Glory. 3) A place of provision. 4) A place of protection.
