Ready Yourself…
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Ready Yourself...
Ready Yourself...
Derek catching. (Prepare to receive)
Text: Exodus 19:1-11
1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain.
3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.
5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.
8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;
11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Context:
• Israel in Egypt - Exodus with Plagues and Splitting Red Sea
3 months go by… During that time:
• Lord Provided:
◦ Water
‣ Grumbled
‣ Marah - Bitter Water
◦ Manna
‣ Grumbled
‣ What is it?
◦ Meat
‣ Grumbled
‣ Quail landed in camp
◦ Water
‣ Quarreled with Moses again
‣ Struck rock
◦ Won battle Amalek
‣ Moses' outstretched hand
• Moses Organizes Israel at the advice of Jethro
Now we have arrived in the wilderness at the foot of Mount Sinai…
• Camped in front of the Mountain
• Moses goes up to the Mountain where God is
3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:
• God starts talking to Moses
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.
◦ You saw what I did to the Egyptians for you...
‣ It's only been three months, but you have seen what lengths I will go to for you...
• (He works all things...)
‣ I put you there for a time to save your life, but you outgrew the blessing...
• (Don't get so caught up on what God did that you miss what He's doing...)
◦ I bore you up on eagles wings...
‣ You didn't get here on your own...
‣ He carried you the whole way...
◦ And brought you to Myself...
‣ No matter where you think you're going, God's intention is to bring you to Himself...
• Job, problem, victory, failure, blessing, trip & fall, fight, shortcoming, good thing, bad thing, because he works ALL things...
◦ What the enemy meant to crush you...
‣ Prevenient Grace...
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
From the time we walked away in the Garden, God has been working a plan to bring us to Himself…
From the time you walked away from Him, He has been working on a plan to bring you back to Him…
Even before you were born, God has been putting things in place in order to bring you to this place at this time so this preacher could tell you, God wants to bring you to Himself.
5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
‣ Big Plans... Speak directly to you...
‣ Speak to you so you can hear my voice and have the ability to keep My covenant...
This is a preview to what God does by the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.
God wanted to speak directly to them in order that they may follow His covenant… Later we find out that after they experience the voice of God they told Moses, you go talk to God and come tell us what He says… If we hear Him again we might die…
But what we see in the preview is the same process of preparation…
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.
8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
Moses is going back and forth.. He’s the middle man right now…
And he is getting things ready, getting things in order… Getting ready… preparing…
‣ God's response... Visitation coming...
9 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
God says, There’s a visitation coming… I’m coming to you in a cloud…
• I'm coming in a thick cloud... (Dark cloud)
• Clouds are the veil that stood between man and heaven.... Step behind the veil...
◦ The Glory will be on you... The cloud of my presence will be around about you...
◦ So that the people may hear when I speak with you and also believe in YOU forever..
‣ Glory as evidence for them to believe...
‣ Later... Glory was on Moses' face
◦ If we get ourselves ready and prepared to receive from Him... His glory on our lives will evidence His reality...
‣ Glory will result in Unity...
‣ Glory will result in love...
‣ Glory will result in repentance...
‣ Glory will result in the spread of the Gospel...
‣ Glory will result in our sanctification...
• BECAUSE GLORY IS THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS PRESENCE...
‣ When we spend time in His presence,
• Unity
• love
• repentance
• sanctification
• edification
• drive to spread the Gospel...
◦ We at The Shed need to ready ourselves for a visitation of the cloud of God's presence amongst us...
11 When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions),
12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets
13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,
14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
• I'm ready to step behind the veil once again and see His Glory!!
◦ If we want to see the Glory of the Lord in this house, we must prepare for His visitation!
◦ Prepare in such a way that we don’t need a list of songs to pump us up…
‣ READY YOURSELF...
◦The kind of preparation where we are prayed up when you come in the door...
Ready yourself…
◦ Where we come with a spirit ready to receive...
◦ Come expecting God to move mightily..
‣ READY YOURSELF...
‣AND.. Get the People Ready...
10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;
11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
• This is the mission... GET THE PEOPLE READY...
• Go get 'em! - Make ready a people prepared for the Lord...
◦ Elijah Generation
• Bring them in... wash them in baptism... GET THEM READY!
◦ This is our mission... REACH THE LOST...
◦ Spread the Gospel...
◦ It's not all on the Pastor to bring in the people...
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
‣ It's the responsibility of all the saints to spread the Gospel and get them READY!!
‣ Ready for what?
‣ For the Third Day...
11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
• This illustration of the third day is used many times throughout scripture.
32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’
• Esther prepared herself for three days before she entered the presence of the King...
• Hezekiah prayed and God's answer was…
2 Kings 20:5 (NASB95)
5 “ ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.
• Jesus was in the grave, but on the THIRD DAY...
• There is a day coming...
◦ It may not have been yesterday... It may not be today... But there's a third day coming...
6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
The BRIDE made herself READY...
READY YOURSELF...
READY YOURSELF...
Ready yourself for a visitation!
Ready yourself for God to speak!
Ready yourself for the cloud to be parted!
Ready yourself to ready others!
Ready yourself for His return!
Ready yourself!
Position yourself to receive…
Posture yourself in the sight of God…
Get ready! There’s a visitation coming!
When He shows up, we need to be ready!
We are not saved by good works, but we are saved to good works…
When He returns it will be for the bride who has made herself ready!
Will you prepare yourself today?
I’m not asking you to look a certain way or even act a certain way, I’m simply asking that you posture yourself to receive from Him…
He’s coming in a Holy Visitation to speak with you… Will you listen?