We read in Numbers 23:21, “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.” (NKJV)
In the last sermon we studied in detail as to why the Lord does not observe the iniquity or consider the wickedness of someone. This is an important truth that we need to learn because there are many who are guilt-ridden, and feel that they are not worthy to be called a child of God. However, we as believers in Jesus Christ should know that every time we look to the cross we understand that Jesus took our sins, and has cleansed us of all our iniquities, so that we are clothed with His righteousness. We must therefore have the assurance that we are made righteous before God, and as those who are forgiven by the Lord Jesus, the Lord does not hold a count of our sins.
The above mentioned verse were the words of God to the people in the Israel through the Prophet Balaam. The Prophet Balaam was called by the King of Moab to curse the people of Israel, but as he stood on the mountain top, the words that flowed out of his mouth were only words of blessing. There are many who are filled with fear because of the curses that people have spoken against them, but we must remember that we are blessed by God, and no one can take those blessings away from us. If we do not have the assurance that we have been justified by God and been made righteous through Christ, we will have a constant sense of fear, and foreboding of impending evil.
When God looks at us He sees that our life is hidden with Christ in God, and therefore when God sees us He sees Christ in us, and calls us His beloved sons and daughters.
As we study the life of Job in the Old Testament, we will be surprised to see that God testified to Satan to consider His servant Job. God was so pleased to refer to Job as His child, and that’s the exact way God feels about each one of us who have placed our faith in Christ. Often we feel down and out, and sadden the heart of God because we don’t understand or realize who we are in Christ.
The Lord is with us
The second part of the verse from Numbers 23:21, mentions that “The Lord His God is with him”
We see that the people in the Old Testament longed for the presence of God, but we who are part of the New Covenant have the assurance that God is with us, and His presence in our lives makes us distinguished from others. God’s presence in our lives sets us apart, and makes us special. So we as members of God’s church must remember that God is building His church, and we have the promise that nothing can prevail against us.
What happens when God’s presence is with us?
We read in Exodus 33:14, And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (ESV)
God’s presence is with us, and hence we can be at rest. This is a restless world, where there is no peace, and everyone is running helter-skelter with their busy schedules. Often we don’t have peace of mind, and hence we also don’t get physical rest also. Many people are unable to sleep in peace because their mind is in confusion and restlessness.
Think about Abraham who had his son Isaac at the age of hundred, and later when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his young son, he was willing to do so because Abraham had a rest in his heart.
God’s presence is with us implies that we have the Almighty God with us, who will take care of all our needs, and He’s the one who blesses us and makes us special. Where the presence of God is we can be sure that there will be rest. Have you observed how even when we are in church, our minds are filled with so many thoughts and anxieties? When this happens we are unable to hear the word of God, and unable to receive it as we should. You may also notice that when we kneel down to pray so many thoughts flood our minds. Thoughts about bills that have to be paid, or the work that is pending or someone we have to contact. At those times it is good for us to just write those down in a note pad, so that we can attend to them after the prayer time is over.
We read in Exodus 33:15, Then Moses said to him, "If your presence is not going [with us], don't make us leave this place.(NKJV)
Moses knew that the task ahead of him was so huge that he could not do it without the presence of God going along with him.
We read further in Exodus 33:16, “For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”(ESV)
Moses knew that it was God’s presence that made him distinct from everyone else on the face of the earth.
May we too desire God’s presence the way Moses did so that we too can have the rest and be a people who are distinguished from those around us.
Let us look at another incidence in the New Testament.
The Marriage at Cana
Bring the problem to Jesus
We read in John 2:3, When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” (ESV)
This is a familiar incident where Jesus, His mother and His disciples had been invited to a wedding. The wine which was a very important part of the celebration had run out. When this matter was brought up to Mary, the mother of Jesus, she could have made other arrangements, but she told the matter to Jesus and then quietly went away. For the family who arranged the wedding this was a matter of shame to not have enough wine to serve to the guests.
If we were in such a situation, we may have been totally stressed out, and might have run hither and thither to set things right. The important lesson we need to learn is that when the presence of the Lord is with us, there will be no lack, and He will be in control.
Mary was a blessed woman, but we are more blessed than her because the Lord Jesus was physically present with her only for a while, but we have the presence of God within us and with us every moment of our lives. Instead of worrying or constantly speaking about the problem at hand, we should learn to leave it in the hands of the Lord Jesus. No matter how huge our difficulties or problems are we should give it all over to the Lord, and simply relax in His presence.
Often we are perplexed, and are not just bothered about our situations, but concerned about other people’s thoughts and opinions of us. The fact of the matter is everyone has their own share of burdens, and no one really has time to think about us or to keep on talking about us.
There is a confusion for many about which day is the Sabbath. Some are so caught up with this this and they ascertain that the seventh day is Saturday, and must be set aside to worship the Lord. Think about this. The Lord created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day He created man on the seventh day. For God it was the seventh day when He rested, but for man who was created it was the first day of the week. So, it’s really no issue if we worship the Lord on Sunday. In fact, it doesn’t matter which day it is, as long as we take rest on one day in the week. Everyone must take off on one day in the week as God has created us to not be working on every day of the week. Sometimes people never take a break, and hence they eventually break down.
Do what the Lord tells you to do
We read in John 2:5, His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (ESV)
Mary asked the servants to do whatever Jesus asked them to do.
Whenever we take up a matter to the Lord, He speaks to us, counsels us, teaches us, and we must learn to do as He bids us to do. Sometimes we may not understand what the Lord is asking us to do, and it may not even make sense to us, but we still have to obey, and do as He tells us to do.
If the matter of the lack of wine was not brought to Jesus, the organizers would have had to run hither and thither to find a solution, and this would have been extremely stressful for everyone involved. Instead, they brought the matter to Jesus and the result was rest and a miraculous solution.
Every time we surrender our difficulties to the Lord, and obey Him we will receive our miracles. If we want the supernatural intervention of God in our lives, we must learn to be at rest.
A story is told of a man who was drowning at sea, and there was a professional swimmer who was standing nearby. People around him shouted to the man to get in, and save the drowning man. The man on the shore waited till the drowning man gave up his fight and then dived in to pull him out. When asked why he did so, the professional swimmer said, ‘If I tried to save him while he was struggling, he would have pulled me in along with him, so I had to wait until he had lost his strength to do so.’
Jesus asked the servants to pour water into the six stone water jars. This defied logic because the water pots were kept outside for people to wash their feet, and Jesus asked the servants to fill them with water. Mary must have had previous experiences with Jesus, and she knew without doubt that if the matter was taken to Jesus, she could rest because He would have a solution for sure.
We need people like Mary, who instead of running to people with their problems, should learn to run to the Lord Jesus. Sometimes, when we run to people, they will counsel us to do things that are contrary to the word of God. When the Lord is with us, He works in ways that are beyond us, for He can work in a thousand ways and we will surely be at rest. We have the Almighty God with us, and if we depend on Him for everything, we can surely be at total peace and rest and nothing will overwhelm us.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (ESV)
Everyone who is weary and laden with heavy burdens must know that the one person to go to is the Lord Jesus. When we pray and commit all of our burdens on Him, the Lord will give us rest. There are many people who have panic attacks these days and the reason for this is that we let our minds worry, and fret over so many things that our heart starts to race and we become so stressed out. Sometimes the bad experiences of the past surface and we imagine that things will turn out the same way, and we will be overcome by our difficulties. Some people are so stressed out that they react negatively to everyone they meet. The Lord reminds us to not let our hearts be troubled, but to simply believe in Him.
These burdens could be matters pertaining to our children, jobs, health or finances. Whatever, it may be simply commit all of it to the Lord and let Him handle all of it.
The miraculous happens when we obey
When the situation of the lack of wine was given to Jesus, He gave them such delicious wine, such as they had never tasted before in their lives. Everyone who tasted it were astounded at the taste, and wondered where it came from.
People around us must know we are special by the way we handle all of the hardships, trial and difficulties that come our way. This is possible only when we recognize, and live in the presence of the Lord all the time.
We read in 1 Corinthians 10:4, “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”(ESV)
The Israelites wandered through the wilderness for forty long years, and the Lord went with them all the way. However, the Israelites forgot that the Almighty God was with them, and it says they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them and the rock was Christ.
We don’t need to worry about anything because the Lord has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Often we don’t recognize this presence of God, and keep running helter-skelter instead of simply resting in His presence.
One person shared his experience of how he went to see a man of God so he could pray for his problems. He waited for a couple of hours as the person was delayed, and as he sat and waited the Lord reminded him that He was with him all the time, and that there was no need to go to man for his problems to be solved.
Let us never forget that no matter how huge our problems or challenges are, we are special people, and the Almighty God is with us and may we learn to rest in His presence.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
