I liked reading in the 33rd of Exodus and the Lord said to Moses to depart from this place, you again go on to a place that God had offered  for an inheritance
to the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I liked that thought.  Moses knew the time had come and when he had to continue to walk with God and he said, "If Thy presence not go with us, carry us up not hence."  That would be the thought all our hearts and minds today that the Lord would go with us. Those people had sinned, they had made a golden calf and that grieved the heart of the Lord and their sin could be put away and left behind, because they had repented and God was going to show His goodness to them again.  If we have come here feeling we have sinned and we can leave that behind because of the blood of Jesus and we can feel free of sin. The Lord wants us to be free of these things. Moses also said, "If Thy presence not go with us, carry us up not hence."  The very essential thing was that God would go with them and they would feel His presence.

Moses said, "If God's presence go with us, we will be a separated people, separated from the world." We are not going out to mix with the world, we are a separated people.  If we keep separated and in harmony with God, we know that God's presence will be with us.  You cannot walk with the world and with God, and we have to be separate from the things of this world in order to be with God.  I like to feel that Moses was very conscious that if God is not going to be with us, I do not want to take another step.  I can take further steps in the Lord is going to go with me and he wanted to have a clearer vision of the way of God and he said, "Show me now Thy way."  That is our portion here at convention He has given us a clearer vision of the way.   God has also given us a promise that He will go before us and guide us.  We do not want to take steps away from the way of God and it is a narrow way.  It is a way that leads to heaven and it is the way that God planned.  I like to think of Moses setting out on this journey and leaving the past behind and going on to prove God in a deeper measure.

It is a nice thing to think that God wants to journey with us.  My thoughts were in Luke 2 when Mary and Joseph went away from Jerusalem and left Jesus behind. We would not want to do that, would we?  I was thinking of the little children here when you go somewhere, there are a lot of little things to gather up and you do not want to leave anything behind.  And I thought of Jesus, we do not want to leave anything of Him behind.  We want to take His teachings and His doctrines and all that pertains to Him, and we do not want to leave anything behind concerning Jesus because we want Him to go with us and His presence needs to be very real.  Those people there had not heard the voice of Jesus for a day at least and another three days they were looking for Him.

We know the Lord goes with us because we hear His voice and He speaks to us and His presence is real to us.  Why did they leave Him behind?  Maybe they were thinking about what lay at home, and maybe there was jobs back in the carpenter's workshop and Mary had things to deal with in the house and also
talking to their friends.  We do not want anything to hinder the Lord coming with us.  Jesus was concerned about His Father's business and the things of the
Kingdom and we want to go out with the desire, "I want to be more concerned about the things of God's Kingdom."  We can guarantee the Lord will be with us and will help us.  What was Jesus talking about to those doctors of the law?  I am sure Jesus was talking about God's plan for the Kingdom, for salvation, and He had an opportunity to speak to them about it and maybe there will be an opportunity for us to speak to people about God's kingdom.  The Lord loves to walk with us and we may be unconscious that God is with us.

Like those two that were going to Emmaus, and they walked away from Jerusalem. Do not know why they walked away from Jerusalem as they should have been walking to Jerusalem as they had heard about the resurrection and they heard the tomb was empty and they had seen a vision of Jesus and that Jesus was alive. They were going the wrong way, going away from it, because they did not believe. We would not like to take the spirit of unbelief with us.  Jesus drew near to them and was able to talk about the Scriptures to them and He was speaking to them about things concerning Himself.  They came to a place where they stayed and then they realized that it was Jesus with them.

And then they returned to Jerusalem as they wanted to see what was happening. Maybe the Lord draws near to us to give us a renewal of faith.  And it is nice when the Lord draws near as it encourages us and we come to a place where we can have a renewed vision of Christ.

Paul wrote to the Hebrews, “ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and seeing which doth so easily be set up, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”  He was speaking about those from the 11th of Hebrews who were laying aside weights and who were faithful and we have heard of ones even in our generation who were faithful witnesses and we appreciate them.  “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and now is set down at the
right-hand of the throne of God.”  We need to keep our eyes on Jesus until the end of the race until we reach the goal. I do hope we will all do that.

I suppose we will go out and get in our car and go down the road and we do not know what lies around the corner.  Only the Lord knows that.  Whatever lies around the corner, let us be prepared and be ready for it as the Lord wants us to be a ready and prepared people.  I also was thinking about Joseph and he
went out to see his brethren and he did not know what lay around the corner.  When he was put in the pit, it caused disunity, but Joseph was in the right spirit. He was one who was under the control of his God and one who showed love to his brethren.  And you never know what will happen in your little church, in
your Fellowship or in your family and we do not know what will lie around the corner and the Lord is trying to prepare us for what lies around the corner and
wouldn't it be nice if we had the same attitude as Joseph?  He bought a spirit of unity, a spirit of Fellowship.

When he was in prison, no doubt he was praying for his brethren and praying for his father and those who he knew God would be looking down on and it would be good if we can have the same spirit as Joseph.  Seek to show love to one another and seek to promote unity and provoke Fellowship.  Perhaps when he went
to Egypt that was us on his mind, he wanted to be reunited with his brethren and have Fellowship with them again, and he preserved the right spirit and attitude in his life.  The right love for his family.  It is wonderful to feel the love we have in our spiritual family.  We have a love for our natural family, but the love in our spiritual family is a lot stronger.  Joseph didn't know that day when he went out to see his brethren that he would be put in a pit and his attitude never changed, we do not know what lies around the corner, but the Lord has tried to prepare us for it and God can give us help and God can give us strength and grace.  When we come to convention, we make vows and maybe around the corner, it will be tested.

And we know the story of Jephthah and he made a vow and said, "If the Lord will give me the victory in this battle, I will offer to the Lord whatever comes out of the door of my house."  When he got home, he did not know what was going to be around the corner and there is his daughter who came out of his house and he had to do according to his vow.  And she was willing and excepted it, and he was honored because of that.  Maybe we have made a vow to seek the Lord more and make more time for prayer and tried to do better in our little church.  And when we get back the test could be just around the corner and it would be nice if we kept our vow.  What we have vowed and promised to God, we keep it and make sure we stand by it.  The test will come.  Different people in the Bible had vowed and had been tested and were prepared to keep those promises.

God alone knows what is around the corner and you think of David going out to meet his brethren in the battle and he put his trust in God on a number of occasions.  He fought the battle with the lamb and rescued it from the bear and the lion and now his call was a test of faith.  Goliath was there waiting and he did not know there was going to be a test of faith.  Sometimes there is a test of our faith and the enemy is stronger and bigger than we are.  The children of Israel looked on Goliath and saw him as someone very strong and mighty and they compared Goliath with themselves.  He was bigger and stronger than they were and they were a lot smaller he was.  When David came, he compared Goliath with the Lord and he saw Goliath as a very little man.  He compared Goliath with the power of God.  David said that giant can be defeated.  God may put in our way things we may be afraid of, difficulties we may face, and yet by faith, we can overcome.

The letter to the Hebrews speaks a lot about faith and it speaks about a faith in action.  They did not only believe, but they put their faith into practice.  Some were up against difficult circumstances, but their faith was strong and remained firm.  As we go out of here, that could be a test of faith waiting for us just around the corner.  It would be good if we could be prepared for that test.  David did not go out with the armour of Saul, he never went without any great skill of his own and he just went trusting in the Lord.

Paul wrote about the armour.   It is nice to know we can have the helmet of salvation on, the mind of Christ.  We can stand up against all the power of the enemy and we can be overcomers.  Jesus overcame the enemy in the wilderness because of the power of God in His life and because of the trust in His Father and because of what the Lord had done for Him.  We can know what it is to be overcomers, too.

I thought about Job also as just around the corner there was a big loss awaiting him.  He had been a faithful man to God all the days of his life, he served the Lord the best he could, but one day, something happened.  The loss of his family, loss of his cattle, loss of his health.  What would happen if around the corner we found there was a loss in our life naturally?  How would it affect our spirit?  Job kept a right spirit in all situations.  What would we do if we came around the corner and saw a big loss, would we keep the right spirit?  Would we say, "The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away?"  Job was tested and it allowed God to bless his life more at the end than in the beginning.  These tests that we do not know that are ahead of us would be good if we could face them with the right attitude and spirit, and we know God will be with us and help us.

Jesus knew the tests that were coming and He knew He was facing Calvary.  And He knew He was going to die on the cross and He said, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they do."  That is a wonderful spirit and at the end of His life He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commit My Spirit."  The main concern of His life was that His spirit would be right with His Father and when His spirit returned to His Father, it would be in the right condition.  That should be our concern all our lives and we know humanly we are not here forever and our spirit will return to God and if our spirit could be in the right condition and there are things around the corner that could test our spirit, could try our spirit and we can get into a wrong spirit.  We know things come and test us.  Think of Job and the tests that he had, I do not think we will ever have and he certainly faced a very hard test, but he came through.  May be our blessing will come in eternity. Would be good if we could live so the end of our life will be a blessing.

Traveling is a lot easier now than it was years ago.  We get in our car and we arrive at our destination, but years ago, it was very risky.  There were thieves waiting around the corner for us and people would travel together for safety. There are thieves out there.  Remember the story about the good Samaritan and the man that fell among the thieves.  They could have been just around the corner waiting for him.  Maybe when you go to work and tell the people there that you have been to convention.  They could say, "We do worry about that," they could rob you of your faith.  You put the ideas of this world before you and you get robbed.  There was a friend I knew and he went off to university and got mixed up with the wrong kind of people there and does not go to meetings now. He got robbed, he has not been robbed naturally but he has been robbed spiritually.  That can happen to us and just remember the Lord is on our side.  Do not get in company that could rob us of anything spiritually.  We will pay for it. The enemy is a thief and he is after that which is precious.  People under-value the things that they have.  Let us remember what we have in Christ is very precious.  There is a thief out there and do not let him take what you have, as it is very precious.

We'll go back to the good Samaritan and that he was journeying, maybe he was meeting the priest and the Levi and may be coming in the opposite direction and they passed by the man lying on the road side.  Then they saw the Good Samaritan coming and they would not look at him or speak to him.  Jews have
no dealings with the Samaritan and they passed by him and ignored him.  There could be a situation around the corner where we could be offended.  We do not
want anything to offend us.  Jesus said, "Blessed are those who will not be offended."  Do not let anything offend us as it will hinder our walk with God and
it could be the means of us taking backward steps and we must keep a right attitude and a right spirit.  The Good Samaritan kept the right spirit and he had
compassion on this man that lay on the road.

Maybe we can go around the corner and see a situation and see that we can be a help there.  I can help this person, maybe there is someone in your church or in your Fellowship and you can help them get to the meeting or do something that may encourage them.  We want to always be in a situation where we can help people out.  The Good Samaritan poured in oil and wine to his wounds and then put them on his beast and took him to an inn.  And then he was able to help this man.  We are thankful for people who bring people to gospel meetings and are able to help them and give them life.  People have seen the opportunity and sometimes we have not seen the opportunity that was there.  They go around the corner and are ready to have a little word.

I am sure Peter did not know what lay around the corner when he said to Jesus, "I am prepared to go with you to prison and to death."  He was tested at his word.  A servant spoke to him and asked him if he was one of Jesus disciples and Peter said, "No."  The test was just around the corner.  It is good to promise things and it is good to say things and a lot of you have said in your testimony here that you want to please the Lord and to serve Him better and the test of your words could come later and maybe just around the corner.  And make sure if we fail in a test, we can be picked up again.  The Lord will pick us up again and put it on our feet.  We can repent and go on and do better.  Peter carried out his word later on and we understand he was put to death for the sake of Jesus.

When Paul went on the way to Jerusalem and he said in every place there were afflictions and he knew what lay around the corner.  God had revealed it to him and gave him great evidence there was going to be suffering ahead.  Paul knew around the corner there was an opportunity to be a witness for the work of God in his life.  He went around the corner and he found people he could speak to, some believed and some did not.  Peter said, "Be ready to give an answer to everyone that ask you."  Just around the corner, we could have the opportunity to show people what God has done in our lives.

Something else that could be just around the corner and that is the Lord is coming back one day.  We do not know when and it could be just around the corner. That is a very serious thought and one day the Lord will return and He will gather together all those that have been faithful to Him.  The parable of the 10 virgins, five were wise and five foolish, and the five foolish weren't ready and weren't prepared and when the bridegroom came they were not ready, they had their lamps but no oil and had not been prepared to pay the price.  It is a good thing when we can be willing to pay the price, submission to the will of God.  I hope when the Lord returns, He will find our lamps burning and ready and there will be a little light in our lives and we will know what it is to have the Lord's presence with us.  I would like to know what it is to be more ready in my life and I hope as we go out of here the Lord will be with us and eventually will take us to His home in heaven.