God With Us

Life is a constant series of transitions. From childhood to the teenage years to adulthood, we, as humans, are constantly changing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Babies transition from drinking milk to eating solid food, students transition from grade to grade, and our job descriptions continue to evolve over time. Recently, we watched Mike and Connie step into a new season after 36 years of ministry at BCC. It has been a big transition for all of us, to say the least, given how much they have invested in this place. Needless to say, churches are not exempt from transitions.

We also see transitions in nature. Plants repeatedly change throughout their life cycles. Animals like caterpillars transform into butterflies. Then there are the weather seasons. Theoretically, we are supposed to transition from summer to fall each year - theoretically.

Transitions truly impact every phase of life. Sometimes the transitions are welcomed. Other times, the changes are debilitating. Either way, you are in a season of change, or one is coming really soon. Here’s the good news, though: regardless of what you’re going through, one thing is always true: GOD IS WITH US!

This morning, we are going to comb through Scripture and see how this amazing promise has positively impacted people in times of uncertainty. As we move through this study, my prayer is that each of you will realize the power of God’s presence like never before. Let’s take a second and ask the Holy Spirit to aid us in this pursuit.

To help us understand how God is with us, I want to start with someone who knows a thing or two about transitions: Joshua. Think about all the transitions he experienced throughout the books of Exodus and Joshua. His story picks up in Egypt, where he and his people had been enslaved for 400 years. He was there when Moses came rolling into town. He witnessed the ten miraculous plagues that finally prompted Pharaoh to release the Hebrews - at least initially.

As you know, Pharaoh second-guessed himself and sent his army to trap the Hebrews by the Red Sea after their release. As a result, Joshua was again able to witness the mighty hand of God as God separated the water so the Hebrews could pass through safely. And that they did! The Hebrews walked through unscathed and lived happily ever after, following our faithful, powerful God, right? Not quite!

Ironically, those knuckleheads never seemed to be happy. In fact, they started complaining shortly after the Red Sea miracle, saying, “We’re hungry, we’re thirsty. Did God just bring us out here to die?” Joshua was there when his peers had the gall to question whether God was among them (Exodus 17:7), which is mind-blowing.

As a side note, if I was God, I would have hit them upside the head with a big stick or something out of severe frustration! Thankfully, God is more patient than me. Instead of whacking them, He graciously had Moses hit a rock with a stick so fresh water could spill out. If that wasn’t enough, He also provided food in the form of quail and manna throughout their wilderness journey.

We don’t know how Joshua perceived all of this at first. He may have been ready to fight them after hearing all their grumbling. We just don’t know.

Nevertheless, we do know Moses eventually called Joshua to fight the Amalekites - Israel’s first enemy outside of Egypt. This is where we first see Joshua’s name in Scripture. Sometime after crossing the Red Sea, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites. In response, Moses told Joshua in Exodus 17:9, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

Joshua obeyed and participated in the famous battle where Moses held up his hands with the staff of God. As long as Moses had his hands up, the Israelites continued to win, and vice versa. The battle lasted all day, so Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his arms up, which in turn allowed Joshua to overcome the enemy with the sword. Joshua must have been beaming with confidence in Moses, and ultimately in the Lord, after that divine victory.

I imagine that’s why he wasn’t fazed later when he scouted out the Promised Land for forty days alongside eleven other men. They all saw the richness of the land, yet ten of those men went home shaking in their boots after also seeing the strong, intimidating inhabitants. They were disabled by fear.

Not Joshua! He and his partner Caleb were confident. Listen to their report in Numbers 14:7-9:

“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

What did he tell them? The Lord is with us! That was enough for them!

Unfortunately, his people did not embrace the same transformational truth, and it cost them forty years in the wilderness. It was about an eleven-day trip from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land back then, yet they had to wait forty years because they did not comprehend how God was with them.

This is where the transition took place. At the end of the forty years in the wilderness, God had Moses pass the baton to Joshua before he died on the edge of the Promised Land. Moses’ disobedience kept him out of the Promised Land, and now it was Joshua’s turn to lead God’s chosen, hard-headed people. Think about everything that had transpired up to that point. Think about the weight he must have felt as he received his instructions from the Lord in Joshua 1:1-9:

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them - to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“‘Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’”

Three times Joshua heard, “Be strong and courageous.” I suspect it’s fair to assume Joshua wasn’t thinking, “Finally, it’s my shot. I got this!” The context clues show us he was nervous to some degree, and naturally so. Therefore, God encouraged him with two amazing reassurances. He extended His promises and His presence! He promised to give him victory in the new territory. He promised him success if he would meditate on and live out God’s Word. Furthermore, He promised him His presence.

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Outside of John 3:16, I can’t think of a more profound and reassuring promise. It must have been big for Joshua as well. He thrived during his transition, and beyond, despite any fears - not because he had more willpower than anyone else, but because he chose to internalize and trust this incredible promise. I encourage you to read the rest of his story in the book of Joshua. He truly was a faithful man until he died at the age of 110. His story is refreshing because, frankly, he is a rare exception, given how consistently he took God at His Word.

God had to do a little more convincing with some other biblical leaders - leaders who seemed more inclined to cling to excuses rather than God’s Word. You may be like me and have the same tendency at times. If so, I want to review a few more biblical leaders to stress this point: absolutely no excuse justifies us in being inactive in our faith.

Let’s start in Judges 6. We recently reviewed this story in Sunday school. After being established as a nation in the Promised Land, Israel once again felt pressure from their enemies, mainly due to their disobedience. In response, the people cried out to God for deliverance, and God responded by sending an angel to a guy named Gideon. Read verse 12 with me:

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’”

I love this opening. God highlighted His presence, and He called Gideon a mighty warrior even though he wasn’t a mighty warrior at this point. As usual, God spoke to what he could become through Him. Let’s see if that was enough to motivate him.

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

“Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive” (Judges 6:12-16).

You think your kids are bad about making excuses. Gideon, a grown man, was locked and loaded, ready to fire back with his objections. First, he said, “The Lord has abandoned us.” He told God, You may have been with our ancestors, but You aren’t with us. He clearly felt deserted. He was convinced he was alone. Watch out for this trap!

Satan loves to convince us we are abandoned by God and/or by those around us. Moreover, Satan loves to isolate us and make it appear as if we’re alone, knowing full well that’s when we are the most vulnerable - both spiritually and physically. Science backs up my claim regarding the physical effects.

According to multiple reports, loneliness contributes to a wide range of health risks, such as heart disease, strokes, depression, dementia, and premature death. It poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, according to a former surgeon general.

Do you remember Elijah’s story in 1 Kings? He was ready to die after defeating the prophets on Mount Carmel, partly because he felt alone. In 1 Kings 19:10, he told God,

“The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

God had to remind him:

“No, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel who haven’t bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18).

Listen to me, brothers and sisters: God has not abandoned you! You are not alone!

Don’t let your perceived loneliness excuse you from living the life God has called you to live. God is in your corner. And guess what? He has surrounded you with countless other believers who have not bowed to the idols of our culture. Don’t let Satan’s schemes deceive you! Get plugged in this fall. Join a small group, like a Sunday school class or a Lighthouse Group. Stop living in isolation, and you will realize you are not alone.

What is the other excuse Gideon embraced?

He announced, “I come from the weakest clan, and I’m at the bottom of my household. How can I save anyone?” We can all probably relate to this excuse. Thankfully, God switched his focus by helping him see that He was with Gideon. He was the One sending him. There was no need for him to focus on his stature or his ability. This applies to you as well. Rather than focusing on your weakness, God wants you to hone in on His presence and His promises.

The apostle Paul adds another layer to a proper response. He encourages us to do the exact opposite of Gideon’s response. He calls us to boast in our weaknesses - not hide behind them.

We don’t know what weaknesses Paul endured, only that he had a thorn in his side. Initially, Paul did ask God to take away that thorn. But God told him:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

That worked for Paul. He responded by saying,

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Gideon needed this passage when the Lord called him. So did Jeremiah. Do you recall the excuses the prophet Jeremiah threw out when God asked him to speak on His behalf? Jeremiah declared:

“I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

Consequently, God had to set him straight:

“Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you” (Jeremiah 1:7-8).

God was with Jeremiah. That’s all that mattered. God is the One who gave him what he needed. He is the One who gave him the words to speak. As a result, God’s power was magnified through his so-called weaknesses.

These examples show us that we need to refrain from focusing on our weaknesses and our excuses. The only thing that matters is that God is with us. I probably sound like a broken record. However, if you read Scripture from beginning to end, you will see this theme throughout. God has always desired - and will always desire - to be with us. Let me prove it with a quick recap.

God was in the presence of Adam and Eve as He walked intimately with them in the garden. Even when they sinned and created a sin barrier between God and humans, God made a way to be in the presence of Adam and Eve’s ancestors - first in the tabernacle as the Hebrews wandered the desert, and then in the temple once His people were established in Jerusalem.

Sadly, God’s presence still wasn’t enough for His people. Many corrupt judges and kings led Israel into rebellion, which eventually led to them being exiled away from the Promised Land. Thankfully, though, God had a plan through it all. He gave the prophet Isaiah a divine sign of hope:

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14).

Centuries later, that promise came to fruition in the person of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us:

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

Jesus tabernacled among us. During His earthly mission, He was physically among twelve men. He appointed them, along with many others, that they might be with Him (Mark 3:14). His followers got to walk alongside Him until He ascended to heaven.

It did seem odd for them to see Jesus leave, yet Jesus told them it was better for Him to leave because He was sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in them - and in all believers - until that glorious day when all His followers will once again dwell in His presence forever.

John gives us a glimpse of this future reality in Revelation 21:3-4:

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Let this overarching theme in Scripture empower you today. God is with you, brothers and sisters.

Wherever you are in life, Scripture reassures us that God is with you. In the same way God was with Joshua, Gideon, and Jeremiah, He will be with you.

Kids, He is with you at your new school. Young and old, He is with you in your singleness. If you are struggling through infertility, unemployment, or addiction, He is there. He is present after your major failures. When you are hurting, He is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).

When you are weak and in trouble, we can claim Psalm 46:1:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

As you walk through your darkest valley, you don’t have to fear evil. Like David in Psalm 23:4, you can proclaim to the Good Shepherd:

“I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

For those of you who have recently transitioned to America or into retirement, God is with you. For those who are discouraged, don’t be discouraged! God tells us in Isaiah 41:10 (NLT):

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

When you or a loved one is close to death, the Lord is near. Therefore, do not be anxious about anything. Instead, let God’s peace and presence guard your heart and mind in Jesus. Finally, you need not fret when seeking to live out the Great Commission. Jesus said:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Whatever transition you are in, God is there.

Please cling to some of the passages I’ve referenced when you are tempted to doubt this foundational truth. Don’t let your feelings blind you.

GOD IS WITH YOU! UNLESS, OF COURSE, HE’S NOT.

As much as I’ve been harping on His continual presence, I would do all of us a disservice if I didn’t give the full counsel of Scripture. The Bible teaches that God is certainly omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at once. But He isn’t always with us in a relational sense, especially when we rebel against Him and reject Him.

Let me speak to you believers for a second. Your status as God’s son or daughter is not impacted by your rebellion. However, unrepentant sin does lead to a disconnect with the heavenly Father. You know what I’m talking about. The same principle applies to our earthly relationships. When my kids sin against me, a tension is created. They know I love them, and I’m not going anywhere. Still, a relational disconnect remains until they confess and seek forgiveness.

The same is true with God. He is always with us, but our fellowship with Him is hindered when we rebel. This is why we always want to take time to come clean with God. You will have an opportunity to do just that in a couple of minutes.

First, I want to address those of you who aren’t children of God. God is not with you in a relationship if you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ. I know that sounds harsh. I know the world communicates that God is with you no matter how you choose to live. Is that true, though? From a human perspective, would you be in the presence of someone who doesn’t want to be in your presence? Would you be in the presence of someone who lives completely counter to what you value? 

The Bible does not align with the message: God is with you no matter how you choose to live. Rather, the Bible paints a bleak picture for those who never decide to put their trust in Him by repenting and following Him. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9:

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might…”

That’s the bad news. Hell equates to being shut out from the presence of God - whether it’s now or in eternity. Some of you may be experiencing hell right now. The good news is - it’s not too late. The Lord is near to all who call on Him (Psalm 145:18). In fact, He’s right outside the door of your heart.Revelation 3:20 reminds us that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. If anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He promises to come in and be with us.

He’s not going to force His way in. He loves you too much to do that. He will let you choose separation from Him. Still, he's always knocking. He loves you too much not to knock. Out of love, He died on a cross for your sins, and He desperately wants you to embrace His free gift of forgiveness and salvation. He wants you to experience His life-giving presence.

Will you let Him in?