Living In the Presence of God

Well, the fear of the Lord, that's what we are talking about in this class, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

And that tells you something about this whole idea of the fear of the Lord. It tells you that it's a very practical doctrine. It's a very practical idea.

And you see that throughout the word of God. It's always being applied in some way, shunning evil. So you shun evil because you fear the Lord.

It's a very practical day-to-day thing. We're going to see later in Colossians that because we have reverence, it changes the way that we work. We don't work to please men only when their eye is upon us.

But we work with sincerity of heart and with reverence for the Lord because we know that he's always watching us. So the fear of the Lord, it's the beginning of wisdom.

Wisdom is always about godly living in very practical ways. A gentle answer turns away wrath. That's the fear of the Lord.

That's an expression of it. When you're in the middle of a conflict, when you're in the middle of a confrontation, when there's something that's making you angry, in that very exact moment, the fear of the Lord can come in and you answer with gentleness.

So the fear of the Lord is practical. Now, the last few weeks, we've talked about God's greatness, God's holiness, God's wisdom, God's love.

And those are all attributes, characteristics of God that feed our esteem of him, our fear of him, our appreciation for him.

And as I thought about this, we could probably go through every single one of God's attributes and do a whole Sunday school lesson on it. Because really, the fear of the Lord is our appreciation and holding in awe all of God's character.

And so when we think about God's justice or God's patience or God's mercy, all of those things lead to the fear of the Lord. But we want to talk about them in a very practical way, not a theoretical way.

And so we want to have the real, the key to this is to live godly lives. And so we want to pull these, pull this doctrine and these ideas sort of out of the sky, out of the theoretical and into the practical and into the everyday part of our lives.

So that this Sunday school lesson has an effect on you on Tuesday afternoon at three o'clock. On Thursday at 730 after dinner and you're cleaning up things with your wife or you're all by yourself.

So there's no such thing as a theoretical fear of the Lord. There's no such thing.

It's either really working in our hearts. It's either really working in our lives or it isn't there to some degree. Now, obviously, we can grow in the fear of the Lord.

But what I'm saying is, is in every practical moment of every day, we are either fearing the Lord or we're not. And so we want to work out concrete ways of expressing it.

We want to be able to turn these ideas of God's holiness and God's greatness and God's love into practical everyday living. So how do we do that?

How do we get this out of the theoretical, out of the sky, so to speak, and into the practical? Well, today we're going to talk about the first step. And that is we have to realize that God is with us.

That God, the God that we have been talking about is not only with us, he sees us. He's present at the moment with us.

That God is not an absentee landlord. We sort of, our neighbors, the house next door to us is a rental.

And it's an absentee landlord situation. We've only met him one time. And since the last people moved out about five months ago, he has not yet been in the house.

It's a weird situation. God is not an absentee landlord, not knowing what's going on. Not there. Not present. He is with us.

Google Chrome. It's an internet browser. Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer. All the major internet browsers have some version of incognito mode.

Of private browsing. And there are justifications for it. I don't know exactly. But it's supposedly supposed to protect your privacy.

Protect you from other people getting your passwords. Or to keep people from finding out the presents that you bought them on Amazon. I don't know. But really, I mean, it's sort of the dirty secret.

Little secret is that that's just sort of a happy little fiction. Because really, for the most part, it's about getting away with looking at things you're not supposed to be looking at. It's really all about sneaking into places where you shouldn't be.

To talk with people you shouldn't talk to. To see things you shouldn't see. And I'm talking to men. Talking to women. I'm talking about the shows that we watch.

The movies that we watch. I'm talking about the texting. The chatting to people we shouldn't. But the one thing that all of that has in common. Is that if anyone could see it.

If anyone else knew about it. It wouldn't be happening. So suppose you weren't alone. Suppose the man's wife was there.

Or the woman's husband was there. Or the pastor was there. Or just even an ordinary church member was there. Or just imagine a neighbor was there. Would it be happening?

And the fact is that there is no incognito mode with God. There's no private browsing. There's no private living. There's no secret trips. There's no unheard phone calls.

There's no unseen texts. There's no missing hours with God. Jeremiah 16, 17 says. My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me.

Nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. So what does the fear of the Lord look like? How do we take it out of the theoretical and move it into the practical?

It's really this very simple truth. That we live like that is true. That God is here. That God is present. That all that he is and all that is true about him is true right here, right now for me in this moment.

It's living in the conscious presence of the Lord. Not just living in the presence of the Lord. We all live in the presence of the Lord. The most wicked person in the world lives in the presence of the Lord.

But the fear of the Lord is living in the conscious presence of the Lord. Living like it's true and I'm aware of it at that moment. It's living Coram Deo.

Which is a Latin phrase which means before God. In the presence of God. So listen to R.C. Sproul. To live Coram Deo is to live one's entire life in the presence of God.

Under the authority of God. To the glory of God. To live in the presence of God is to understand that whatever we are doing.

And wherever we are doing it. We are acting under the gaze of God. God is omnipresent. There's no place so remote that we can escape his penetrating gaze.

Integrity is found where men and women live their lives in a pattern of consistency. It is a pattern that functions the same basic way in church and out of church.

It is a life that is open before God. It is a life in which all that is done is done as to the Lord. It is a life lived by principle not expediency.

By humility before God not defiance. So again the truth is that we do live in the presence of God. Whether we are aware of it or not.

Whether we are thinking about it or not. Now. What are some scriptures that teach that truth? That's a question for you.

So start going through your Bibles and your minds. You don't have to have the exact reference. You don't even have to have the exact phrase. What are some scriptures that teach that truth?

Everything in all creation is ultimately laid bare before the eyes of Jesus. That's Hebrews.

Everything is laid bare. So God peels off all the covers, the tops of everything. Everything is laid bare before his eyes.

All the veils of secrecy that we can put up. All the lies. All everything. Laid bare before him. What's another? What's some more scripture?

The eyes of the Lord are in every place. Keeping watch. Coming evil and the good. Very good. Good. Eyes of the Lord are everywhere.

What else? You are familiar with all my ways. Yeah. Familiar with all my ways. We're going to talk about that one in a minute. So.

Psalm 139. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens.

If I go up to the heavens. You are there. If I make my bed in the depths. You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn. Which direction is that?

East. If I go as far east as where the dawn. Gets. Puts its wings on. And starts to rise up in the sky. You are there. If I settle on the far side of the sea.

Now here. You need some. Palestinian geography. What direction is that? The far side of the sea. West. So imagine that.

I mean you're a little. A Jewish person. They weren't known for their great shipping technology. And right beside them. Was the Mediterranean Sea.

As far west as you could go. If I went that far. Jonah tried to get that far. But the Lord found him out.

If I settle on the far side of the sea. Even there. Your hand. Will guide me. Now that's a. That's an important idea. It's not just that God sees us. But.

His hands upon us. To guide us. Your right hand. Will hold me fast. Or listen to Jeremiah. Chapter 23. Am I only a God nearby?

Declares the Lord. And not a God far away? So now we're talking about. Where is God? Well God is everywhere. Am I only a God nearby?

No. I'm a God far away. Can anyone hide in secret places? So that I cannot see him? Declares the Lord. Do not I fill. Heaven and earth.

Declares the Lord. In him we live. And move. And have our being. The fear of the Lord is.

The practical. Working everyday knowledge. Of the omnipresence. Of God. Now there's three. Omni attributes.

What are they? What are those three. Omni attributes. They begin with omni. Omniscience. What does that mean? I'm not sure who said that. He knows everything.

Omniscience. God knows everything. What's the other. What's the other two? Omnipresence. God is. Everywhere. He's present. Everywhere. Such that he's just there.

He's present there. He's aware there. What's the third. Omni attribute. Omnipotence. He is. All powerful. All the power.

He has. So God fearing. The God fearing man. The God fearing woman. The God fearing teenager. The God fearing college student. Actually lives. Like God is with them.

God is with them. He consciously lives in God's presence. And under his eye. And in his company. And so. That's really.

This harkens back to John Owen. That John Owen quote. I gave a week or two ago. That. What you do alone. Is what you are. Nothing more. Nothing less.

What you do when no one else is there. Except for you and God. Tells how much you fear the Lord. Not what you do when everyone else is around. But what you do.

When no one else sees or hears you. That's how much you fear God. David in Psalm 139. This is Tom's. Quote.

You know when I sit. This is a continuance of Psalm 139. You know when I sit. And when I rise. You discern. My going out. And my lying down. You are familiar.

With all my ways. You're familiar with all my ways. Let's talk about that. If. If you read. Or see. Or come across something.

For the very first time. Are you familiar with it? No. You're not familiar with it. Like maybe the very first time. You read a book. Or you watch a movie.

Well how do you feel about it? Would you be willing. Upon one time reading a book. Or one time watching a movie. To give an analysis. A rapport. Of the major themes.

Or would you want. To have more time. To study it. Before you presented your paper. To anyone. Well. Upon one time. You're very unfamiliar with it.

You're uncertain. Aren't you? You withhold judgment. You honestly say. I'm not sure what I'm seeing. I'm not sure the major points. I'm not sure what I'm hearing. I might get the biggest.

And the boldest points. But I'm missing a lot of. The nuance. I'm missing a lot of. The finer points. I'm going to have to study this more. In order to really dig down.

And understand it. But if you're familiar with something. That's totally different. Isn't it? So.

My problem is. Is when. I try to repair things. The water heater goes out. I'm not familiar with water heaters. Okay. So.

You know. I'm looking. I'm trying to figure out. What's doing what. I'm looking online. I'm trying to figure out. What parts could be the problem. And some. You know. Sometimes I'm able to figure it out.

But I'm not very comfortable about it. I don't know what I'm doing. But someone who. All day long. All they do is work on water heaters. They don't feel that. Oh. I don't know what I'm doing.

And I'm afraid. I'm going to start something on fire. And they don't feel that. Because they're familiar with it. Well. This is the point. God is familiar with all your ways. He doesn't just have the general idea of it.

He doesn't have just the general gist. He knows it. It's plain to him. So when I look at my water heater. And it's problem. It's not plain to me.

I'm half guessing. Most of the time. What's. What's wrong. But to the person who is familiar with it. He can look right at it. And say. No. This is the problem. I see right here.

And this is what I'm going to do. And this is how long it's going to take. And this is what it's going to cost. God's familiar. It's plain to him. It's not mysterious. It's not uncertain.

He knows it all is plain as day. Now. The God fear. Consciously. Lives in that reality. That all. That. As Carol said.

That everything is laid bare before him. It's plain to him. The judgment is not going to be a struggle for God. He knows it exactly. Now.

Again. We want to. Make sure that we're. Putting. Mixing this together. And understanding this correctly. And we don't want to get this wrong. I'm. I'm not saying. That the God fear.

Is always thinking. That God is going to get me. That he's. After the. He's looking to condemn me. It's not a constant fear. That he sees me.

And he's looking out. To condemn me. He wants to trip me up. He wants to. You know. Be a. Nitpicking. God is precise. But his attitude. Is not the nitpicking.

Attitude. In. And. And. And that's the. David doesn't interpret. Psalm 139. Like that. God sees me. And so. Every day. I live under this terror. Of. I'm going to mess up.

And he's going to pounce on me. No. This. This idea of God's omnipresence. And his. He's with me. He interprets it. In a very positive way. And.

This is a God fearing attitude. That. David interprets. Psalm 139. No. He says. How precious to me. Are all your thoughts. How precious to me.

This isn't a bad thing. That all my ways. God is familiar with. All my ways. It's a good thing. Because he's always thinking about me. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them.

They would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake. I am still with you. David. Drew comfort. From those first moments. When he opened his eyes.

And he could say. God's here with me. Or a memory verse. For surely you bless the righteous. You surround them with. Favor as with a shield.

Because. Because of Jesus Christ. Because of the gospel. God's omniscience. God's omnipresence. Is. Is for our good.

That means. Now. All of God's. Intimate knowledge of us. And intimate awareness. Of all of our lives. Is for our good. God. And so.

What should we do? How should we live? Well. He sees us. He's always with us. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us.

That. That was the idea. If I go settle. On the far side of the sea. Even there. Your hand will hold me fast. God. We don't ever. We can't run away. From God's.

Powerful hand. Of blessing. Upon us. So. If that is true. Then. I should do everything. I do. With him. That's a very simple sentence.

I should do everything. I do. With him. With him. I should go to work. With him. With. I've set the Lord.

My right hand. Set him there. I know he's there. And so. I take him to work with me. In my mind. In Colossians. Paul applied it. To slaves. And we would say. Employees.

He says. Obey your earthly masters. In everything. And not. And do it. Not only when. Their eye is on you. To win their favor. But. With sincerity of heart.

And reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do. Work at it. With all your heart. As working for the Lord. And not for man. Since you know. That you will receive. An inheritance from the Lord. As a reward.

It is the Lord Christ. You are serving. So. When I go to the. To work with. The fear of the Lord. I'm saying. I'm doing this right.

I'm doing it with him. I'm. Going to work for him. It's the Lord Christ. I'm serving. So. You see. It is practical. The fear of the Lord.

Is not just a feeling. That doesn't have hands. Or feet. The fear of the Lord. Changes the way you work. Or it's not there. But notice. Paul applies again.

This. The presence. And the all-seeing eye. Of the Lord. In a very positive way. What can God do. That man. Can't do. Because he.

All of our work. Is done. In front of him. Maybe you missed it. You're working for the Lord. Not for man. Since you know. That you will receive. An inheritance from the Lord.

As a reward. It is the Lord Christ. You are serving. What can God. Do. That man. Can't do. Because he sees us all the time. While we're working. Reward us.

You can reward us. Man can only reward you. For the work they see you do. Men can only reward you. For the work they see you do. They don't.

They can't reward you. For the things they don't see you do. But Jesus can reward. All of your work. So. Women.

Wives. Mothers. All the things that you do. That no one sees. That your husbands don't see. That your children don't appreciate. The Lord is able to reward you.

For all of those things. Because he sees it all. And he's aware of it all. It's all plain to him. So work with sincerity. With willingness. And cheerfulness.

Work with reverence for the Lord. Because he's there. Now. Now. If you're thinking about this. And if you do the. If you're sort of. Doing the tally. Doing the math. You realize. That the greater you fear God.

The more you fear God. In your work. What is that going to translate to? You. It's going to translate to more reward. More.

If I'm working harder. Working with a better attitude. Because he is there. And so I'm doing more for him. Then what it says is. There's going to be more reward. Because he's going to. Reward them.

Now. It's the fear of the Lord. That makes you work harder. It's the fear of the Lord. That makes you work better. It's the fear of the Lord. That makes you. Receive then. That greater reward.

The fear of the Lord. Motivates work. It motivates obedience. It's not only a response. It's a response. Not only to God. Knowing everything I'm doing. And that.

That keeps you from sinning. It's. The knowledge that God knows. Everything I'm doing. And so that motivates me. To obedience. The fear of the Lord. Has two aspects. One. I'm not going to.

Slack off at my job. Sin. Steal. Because. He's there. But on the positive side. I'm going to work. All the harder. And therefore get. A greater reward.

Because I know. He's watching me. So in the same way. Paul says. Masters provide. For your slaves. What is right. And fair. Because you know. That you have a master. In heaven. It's not just.

Those. Employees. That are working. Under the eye. Of the Lord. You too. Are working. Under the eye. Of the Lord. And so the fear of the Lord. Is this everyday. Attitude.

It's a practical attitude. It's a Monday through Friday. Nine to five attitude. And it's not just about our outward behavior. It's not just about our outward behavior.

Living Coram Deo. Means not only. God sees what my outward behavior is. No. God sees. My thoughts. So here.

We're going a step deeper. Living Coram Deo. Says. Here I am. God sees everything I do. But it also says.

God sees everything I think. He knows my thoughts. The Pharisees. Were very happy. To be whitewashed.

Tombs. So what's a whitewashed tomb? What does it look like on the outside? It's white.

It's clean. Looks nice. What's on the inside? Jesus said. It's full of dead men's bones. There's no life there. It's full of.

Things that are rotting. Pretty on the outside. Full of dead men's bones. On the inside. Now. That's not the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord. Is knowing. That God sees my thoughts.

Jeremiah 17. 10. I am the Lord. I the Lord. Search the heart. And examine. The mind. Psalm 139. Before a word is on my tongue.

You know it completely. Now think about that. Before a word is on my tongue. You know it completely. Where does a. Where does a word come from. Before it goes to your tongue. And out your mouth.

Where is it before that? Where is it? It's in your heart. It's in your mind. It's on the inside.

It's in your brain. Jesus says. Out of the overflow of the heart. The mouth speaks. So God doesn't just hear our words. He sees the depths. Of our hearts. He sees.

All those words. Swimming around in our hearts. He goes down. Into the dark well. Of our hearts. And he sees the thoughts. On the surface. And then he even goes deeper.

So now we've gone from. Our outward behavior. Is living before God. Our whole mental life. All of our thoughts. God is aware of.

Every single one of them. Familiar with all of our ways. And then we. Now we're going to the third. Step. First Chronicles 28. Says. The Lord searches every heart.

And understands. Every motive. Behind. The thoughts. Amen. So there are words. There are thoughts.

And then there are motives. There are motives. Behind thoughts. Hiding behind thoughts.

Are motives. Now that's a very strange idea. Because we like to think of ourselves. As sort of objective. Rational. We have good reasons.

For thinking. What we're thinking. Don't we? We like to think. That our arguments. Our thoughts. Are sound. And rational. They make sense. There's a. There's a good reason.

For them. Because. Because out there. That's true. And I'm actually seeing. What is true. Because my thoughts. And the world out there. They match up. But.

What. First Chronicles 28. Tells us that. That's not exactly. How it is. First Chronicles 28. Says. That behind. Our thoughts. Behind those.

Hiding behind those. Inside those. Are motives. Their reasons. There's. There are motives. That decide.

How. And why. And what. We think. So. Men have. Motives. To suppress. The truth. In unrighteousness.

Before they ever. Come up with. Arguments. To say. This is why. God isn't real. This is why. The Bible isn't true. This is why. Jesus Christ. Isn't. The Messiah. Before they ever. Come up with the. Arguments.

For those. Those things. That they want. To believe. They have. Motives. They don't. Want. Those things. To be true. And when you don't.

Want something. To be true. You can be very inventive. About creating. Thoughts. And arguments. And rationalities. For why. They're not. True. That's why. We can never.

Argue. People. Into the kingdom. Of God. Because. Really. It's not. Primarily. A logical. Problem. It's not. A rationality. Problem.

It's not. That. If I could. Just somehow. Get them. To convince. Them. And. If I could. Disarm. All their. Arguments. That they would. Believe. The. The bottom. Line. Is. Is. They have.

Motives. That don't. That says. I don't. Want. This to be. True. They don't. Want. God. They don't. Want. The gospel.

To be real. The motives. Behind. Their thoughts. Now. Here's the thing. We do. Too. We do. Too. We have.

Motives. Behind. Our thoughts. And. Most of the time. We don't even know. What they are. I can take a great deal. Of digging. To figure out. The motives.

Behind. Our thoughts. A lot of times. God has to really. Bang on us hard. And. And. Bring. Hard things. Into our lives. And make us really. Rethink things. Before we understand.

Oh. What I was thinking. There was actually. Not driven. By the biblical truth. It was driven. By. This motive. Here. It takes. But.

But. Here. It says. God searches. The heart. And he understands. Your motives. So. Our behavior. Is before God. Our thoughts.

Are before God. And now. Our motives. Are before God. He knows. It all. Now. If God. Searches. Your attitudes.

And he understands. Your motives. He understands. Why you're here today. He understands. Why you're doing. What you're doing. What should your response be.

If God understands. Your. Your words. Your behavior. Your thoughts. Your motives. And we have a hard time. Understanding. Even what's going on. In our heart. For the reason.

Why we're saying this. We have a hard time. Understanding. Why I'm saying. What I'm saying. And what I'm doing. But God sees it all. What should our response be. To the fact that.

God sees it all. I want to say two things. And the first is. Humility. Humility. Reverence before him.

As I thought about this. I just realized. We are. I am. Too quick. To defend myself. Too quick. To say. Yep.

There was nothing wrong there. About what I did. We are too quick. To think we are in the right. Perhaps we are.

But perhaps we're not. We just don't know sometimes. But God knows. And that's why. We should cling. All the more to the cross. That's why.

We should cling. All the more to Jesus. And humility. It means. We confess. The secret sins. Of our hearts. It means. Even confessing.

The sins. That. And I. And I mean this. In a very general way. Of confessing. The sins. Of. Of. The sins. That we not. We're not even aware of. Do you ever do that?

You come to the end of the day. Come to the end of. Or maybe you. You come through a situation. And. You look at that situation. And you're trying to evaluate.

Did I do something wrong? Did I sin in this? Did I say something incorrectly? Did I say something sinfully? Did I. Did I do something that wasn't right?

And. And you think about it. And. You. You say no. I don't think I did. Your conscience is clear. Your conscience is clear.

But. What this doctrine teaches us. Or what this shows us. Is. That maybe we shouldn't be so quick. To just. Assume. That we are. Because God knows the motives.

God knows all that. All the stuff that was going on in our heart. When. We have a hard time figuring it out ourselves. And so. Do you ever do that? Say. I'm not aware of anything against me.

But God. You know. No. And please forgive me if there was. Please forgive me if I said something. If there's any wicked way in me. Search me. Try me.

Test me. I don't want anything. Anything I'm aware of. Or anything I'm not aware of. To stand between you and me. I don't want anything getting in the way of our fellowship.

My conscience is clear. But that doesn't mean that. I am perfect. And so. If God is aware of all these things. Then. Then fearing the Lord means. You say.

God. I'm not sure. We. If there is something against me. Show me. And forgive me. And then the second thing is. This.

If. God sees and knows my motives. Then. How much better it is to live for God than for men. Have you ever done something for somebody.

And it was totally misinterpreted. Or maybe you were doing something. And other people were watching you. And they put the wrong motives on that. Or they. They didn't understand the full situation.

And so they judged you for it. They condemned you for it. Or they looked down on you for it. But. Think about how much better it is to try to please God than to please men.

Because there's none of that misjudgment going on with God. A lot of times we try to do something good. And it doesn't come off. We're not able to pull it off. Or.

We met well. And yet. Maybe it wasn't the right thing. But even though we met well. Sometimes our best attempts fail.

And we have good motives. But we can't pull them off. Well. God can reward us for all the things that we tried to do. But weren't able to do. The things that we wanted to do.

That we wish we could do. But we couldn't. So. Man. At best. At best. Sees our behavior. And they're able to put any sort of wrong interpretation on that.

Man. At best. Sees only our behavior. But God knows our motives and our thoughts when other people can't. And so. How often are we misjudged and judged unfairly. But God never judges unfairly.

And so. Living quorum dea. Living in the presence of God. Means. That I'm going to live to please him. Rather than men. Because I know God can reward me. For much more. Than what men can reward me for.

And God is never going to misjudge me. Like they misjudge me. He's a much more generous judge than other people are. But there's one more aspect of this.

It's not only that God sees me and knows me from the outside all the way in. But it means that he is always with me. He is always with me to protect me. To bless me.

To do me good. To sustain me. God is with me. And he is with me. To bless me. So remember. Last week. I talked a little bit about.

Just how Cayman. We have to tell Cayman over and over again. To be the kid. Because. Kids from hard places. Adopted kids. And foster kids. Kids from a difficult past.

They really want to have a lot of control. Because they feel safe. When they are in control. They need to learn to trust. To be the kid.

To not try to be the parent. To be in charge. Or to be in control. And that's them. But that's also me. That's us. Because I'm an adopted child.

Of the Heavenly Father. And. I've. Gone. I've lived life. Where I want to control it. And manipulate it. To keep myself safe.

And instead of trusting him. I want to be in control. Instead of relying on his help. Or his strength. His presence to bless. I want to be in control. I want people to not do certain things.

And I want other people to do certain things. And I don't want certain things to happen. And I want certain things to happen. I want to orchestrate my circumstances. And then when things don't go my way. I can throw a fit.

And I can get in a huff. And I can get all upset. But as we grow in the fear of the Lord. As we grow in this working faith. That God is here. And he is here to bless.

He's surrounding me with favor. Like a shield. That God can help me. I. And he's not this far away absentee God. That has to send grace from a million miles away. The Holy Spirit is in us.

To give us the grace of Jesus Christ. And so when it's that nearby. He's nearby. He's with me. I can put away fear. Trust replaces fear.

And that's why again and again and again. The Bible says. Don't be afraid. God is with you. It's this theme. Because I think we have a major problem.

With thinking. One. God isn't with me. And so I'm going to be afraid. You can look at that in your life. How many times are you fearful. Anxious.

You're worried. You're trying to do things. And it's simply because. You're afraid. And you don't think God is with you. But listen to. Again and again. The Bible says. This is David to Solomon. Do not be afraid.

Or discouraged. For the Lord. God. My God. Is with you. The Lord to Joshua. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged.

For the Lord your God. Will be with you. Wherever you go. Isaiah 41. 10. So do not fear. For I am with you. Do not be dismayed. For I am your God. I will strengthen you.

And help you. I will uphold you. With my righteous right hand. Do not fear Abram. I am a shield to you. Do not be afraid of them. For the Lord your God.

Who brought you up. From the land of Egypt. Is with you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Or tremble at them. For the Lord your God. Is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you.

Or forsake you. For I am the Lord your God. Who upholds your right hand. Who says to you. Do not fear. I will help you. So the fear of the Lord.

Is living consciously before God. It's living consciously. With God. Living in faith. That says. He is here right now. To bless me. To do me good.

And so I can draw on him. I can always draw on him. And he's here. He knows what I need physically.

He knows what I need mentally. He knows what I need spiritually. He knows what my heart needs. He's here. And he holds me fast. And so when we live with God. We live in his presence.

And so again. On the one hand. That restrains you from sin. But on the other hand. It encourages you. To obedience. To trust.

To faith. Well. Our time is up. We're dismissed. Thank you.