“Carriers of His Presence”
Exodus 25:22 (NIV)
There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.
“And there I will meet with you…”
“God never promised to meet us at our programs. He promised to meet us at His Presence.”
“The greatest responsibility of a believer and especially a pastor
is not to build crowds, but to carry what heaven entrusts.”
“This morning I want to talk to you about being Carriers of His Presence.”
The Ark Was Meant to Be Carried (2 Samuel 6:1–7)
We have the story of the Philistines after they took the Ark of His Presence in battle, they didn’t know what they did when they took His Presence. The Philistines were fortunate; His Mercy was there, or they would have all died. The Enemy cannot take what he does not own, God gave us His Presence and we must carry it.
“The Ark was never furniture it was movement.”
The Ark equaled manifested Presence
When Israel stopped moving the Ark, nothing advanced
When they moved it wrongly, people died
When they moved it rightly, glory followed
“It’s not enough to have the Presence in the house
the house must learn how to move with it.”
How You Carry Determines What You Release
2 Samuel 6:6–9
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.
8 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”
“Uzzah died at the threshing floor because the Presence does not survive separation it demands it.”
“God didn’t strike Uzzah for touching the Ark, He allowed the threshing floor to reveal what could not carry holiness.”
(2 Samuel 6:14) David danced before the Lord with all of his heart, David humbled himself for honor.
“Uzzah tried to steady the Presence, David surrendered to it.”
Familiarity breeds irreverence, Performance kills Presence, Humility hosts Presence
Isaiah 6:1–8 (NKJV)
Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said:
“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.”
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
This is where your tears belong.
“I have learned something, if I carry the Presence with both hands, I’ll crush people, If I carry people with both hands, I’ll neglect the Presence.” “Jesus did both.”
Isaiah encountered God before being sent.
Jesus was moved with compassion while carrying authority
“A true carrier learns to keep one hand lifted to heaven
while the other reaches for broken people.”
God Chooses Broken Vessels on Purpose
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Cracks don’t disqualify, Tears don’t weaken, hear me Brokenness makes room
“God didn’t put His Presence in perfect people; He put it in yielded ones.”
“If you feel the weight of God and the weight of people at the same time you are not failing., You are being trusted.”
“God is not asking us to carry what belongs to Him alone
He is asking us to carry it well.”
Last Wednesday night Connor took food to a woman who had no car, I didn’t know Connor was going to crack house. But the Presence was carried into a Crack house, through a young man who loves God. Light in the darkness.
BASH Family Worship Center, we have been called to Carry the Presence well. It has to be carried by each of us. And if we want God’s blessings, we sure better learn to carry the People. We are servants.
No ox cart will carry the Presence for me, I will do it with all my heart, and I will not carry you on an Ox cart. You will feel my hand, you will feel my prayers, I will touch you.
Jesus had no problem with touching the leper, BASH Family they need us, they need to know we care.
BASH Family we are to carry the Presence into the darkness,
God is raising up “Carriers of His Presence”