Focused on God

Friends - this last week has been a tragic week for our community and for many families in our congregation. From the shooting, to two loved ones passing away, this is a heavy Sunday. So before we carry on any further, Let’s take a moment to listen to God through his word, and then I will pray. so friends, I will read from scripture here, then let’s be silent in prayer, and i invite you to bring your concerns to mind and offer them to God, and then I will pray. Feel free to close your eyes and take a breath, in faith recognize that God is here. Now, hear the words of God from Psalm 34:15-18

Psalm 34:15–18 (CSB)

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help. The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to remove all memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.

Pray with me pray

Friends, if you are able please stand for the reading of God’s word.

Let me read for us from Exodus 33:12-19

Exodus 33:12–19 (CSB)

Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor with me.’ Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”

And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

“If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don’t make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.”

The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

This is the word of the Lord - please be seated.

Hey friends - I’m glad you could join us today at The Seed Church. This Church, and by that I mean these people, this tribe brought together because of the message and work of Jesus Church, is deeply special to me. There are a lot of reasons for that: the unconditional love my family has experienced here, the care and compassion for the community that I’ve witnessed, and the focus on God and his work and word.

As most of you know, I felt like God was preparing me and calling me into full time pastoral work when I was still in high school. And I then went to school with the expressed intent of being a pastor. Growing up as a pastors kid, being involved in the church world, working at churches my whole way through college, and now working in full time ministry for 10 years I’ve seen a lot of the good bad and the ugly of Churches. And I’ve seen all of those things in my own heart!

I have felt in my own heart the desire to be quote unquote successful by climbing ladders and working at large churches. By trying to come up with witty things to say and have tweetable quotes. I have just woefully swung and missed at times and tried to implement ministry ideas that have failed. I have at times sacrificed my own health and my families health unto the altar of being a pastor.

All the while, I’ve seen God radically transform my heart. I’ve seen him physically heal dear friends of mine. I’ve seen people’s lives completely transform through the power of Jesus and the grace he offers. I’ve gotten the honor to walk people through dark times, good times, and indifferent times. It’s glorious.

One of the reasons I love this community and this church so much is its history, its vision, and the values that have shaped it.

I love the history of this place, and it’s unorthodox success. I went through church planter training, and the classic method of planting a church. And yet the Seed started because the Spirit of God was up to something that we didn’t even realize was happening at the time.

From a Bible study in a home with people who went to a bunch of different churches, to a pastor 30 minutes away riding his bike on highways asking God to spread the gospel. To a crazy idea of starting a coffeeshop in small town South Dakota in order to grow community and start bible studies. To starting services without a pastor. To now, Wow!

One of the reasons I believe the seed has worked is because there are faithful people here who have saerched what God is up to, and said yes in obedience to him every step of the way.

It’s a glorious history.

I also love the vision of this church.

Working with God to raise the spiritual temperature of south eastern South Dakota.

Friends - it’s not about building a big church. IT’s not about having the air of success. It’s not about the best programs, the best sanctuary - it’s about the kingdom of God coming here on earth as it is in heaven. We want to see the Gospel preached and the love of God permeate our area. So we want to work with others as they align with our mission. We want to plant other churches over grow a big one for ourselves. We want to train commission and send our people to love God love others and make disciples where ever they find themselves.

In order to be the kind of the church where this vision plausible we must be committed to be

Fully Focused on God and His Word, Fully Formed by the Spirit in Community, and Fully Engaged with Christ on Mission

All three of these are important for us to be a Biblical and New Testament Church.

Where I have seen a lot of people get hung up - myself included - is having life be so busy, so frantic, that we lose our focus. Life moves at such a quick clip, it can feel, and so in order to keep up, we make decision without slowing down to see what God may be up to.

For a lot of evangelicals and throughout history - the practice of daily Bible reading and prayer, or devotions, is a foundational practice. The reality on the ground through time is that it’s terribly easy to NOT be focused on the Word and God.

Or, we may read scripture, but we aren’t terribly focused. That’s me at times. We have our daily Bible Reading plan where we are reading through the whole Bible in a year. And I had some stuff come up and I missed a few days in a row - and part of the readings right now are in Chronicles - don’t know if you’ve ever read chronicles but there are some dry sections if you know what i mean. and so I wanted to catch up on the reading so I sat down and did like five days worth of reading in one sitting - but if I’m honest, my heart was not on discerning the living God and his revealed word - it was “A good pastor is gonna stay up to date on the Bible reading plan.” So for sure - my eyes saw every word - but was I focused on God and his word?

The fact of the matter is being focused on God and his Word - Discerning the presence of God takes unhurried intention.

So it’s possible to read scripture, and pray, and even someone who attends church regularly without discerning the presence of God, without seeking and submitting to his rule and reign and design for our lives.

We’ve all done this even after faith in Christ in salvation. If i can be so bold - it’s really easy to do. Slowing down, unhurrying, and prayerfully listening to scripture and the Lord - those are practices that need to be honed.

But if we want to see God’s kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven - if we want to raise the spiritual temperature of south eastern South Dakota - that’s not gonna happen by one or two really excellent church programs - no that’s gonna happen with the people of God fully focus on God, then take seriously discipleship and work on being fully Formed by him in community and then we each start working WITH Christ fully engaged on mission.

The most natural way for us to remain focused on God and his word is what we are doing now. The corporate gathering of the church of God to meet, pray, worship, submit to the word of God, and to participate in communion and baptism. As we’ve seen a bit in our study of the seven churches in revelation so far - there is a supernatural reality amongst the church. And like most things - it’s humble and ordinary, and if we had eyes to see we would be amazed at the realities of heaven that are present whenever we gather.

Because of the blood of Christ and his intercession, there is no more work to atone for. So for those who are redeemed by the grace of Christ, even when you have had a wretched week, maybe you found the bottle a little hard to put down, maybe your husband forgot something you asked him to do and you’ve been harboring bitterness, maybe your eyes found some images online that you know you shouldn’t start at but you did, Friends here’s the scandal of the gospel - if you are in Christ, even when you have a wretched week - your sins are forgiven, and you can come to the throne of grace with confidence, not based on your own merit, but on the merit of the rightesouness of Jesus Christ.

So welcome friends, to a place where we sinners saved by grace gather because Christ has redeemed us, reconciled us, given us a family, and called us to partner with him on mission to seek and save the lost. To right wrongs. To preach the Gospel. And to live life well.

Look at Exodus 33 with me, picking up in verse 12, but first some context.

Exodus is the story of the israelites being rescued from slavery out of Egypt. God chooses moses to lead them out, and with plagues and a chase scene, they are delivered and cross the red sea in a miraculous display. Shortly after, the israelites make camp at Mt Sinai where there is a covenant made between God and the people of israel, almost like a wedding. Moses goes up the mountain to receive the law from God, and as he was delayed for many days - the israelites make a golden calf idol to worship. Pretty big deal while God and Moses are communioning on the mountain.

the Lord then tells the Israelites in the first part of chapter 33 that a consequence for their sin is that they are going to go ahead to the promise land, and God will even defeat the enemies for them - but he will not go with them.

For God is holiness, and pure, and just. And the israelites were desperatley sinful. So he wanted them to go without him, so that his holiness wouldn’t pierce the israelites sinful hearts and destroy them.

Moses then moves to intercede. and he goes to the a tent of meeting and verse 11 says that the LORD all caps, holy name of God YWHW, would speak with moses face to face, just a a man speaks to a friend - some scholars even considering this face to face appearance an appearance of the second person of the trinity, the son, pre incarnation.

Verse 12 and 13, we get in the conversation.

Exodus 33:12–13 CSB

Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor with me.’ Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”

Moses is standing in the gap here and calling on the promises of God - “You said i know you by name and you have also found facor with me - if thats true teach me your ways so i can know you and that i can find favor - NOW consider this nation your people.”

The idea being - God, let me grow in favor and if i have your favor spare these people.

It doesn’t take much to see how Moses serves as a prototype for JEsus who comes later, right? i think of 1 Peter 3:18a

1 Peter 3:18 (CSB)

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.

Now one may think that God would just smite the israelites. I mean what does Moses have to offer God? Like where is the argument, did Moses have to pull a trick on God? But look at this in verse 14.

Exodus 33:14 CSB

And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Woah… That was… anticlimatic a bit? God is ready to abandon his people due to their sin, and moses asks him according to the favor that he has in God, and God… does. It’s like God, in his character is for justice and reconciliation.

Moses then seems to rearticulate this, verses 15-17

Exodus 33:15–17 (CSB)

“If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don’t make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.” The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.”

I love this. If you’re presence doesn’t go - we won’t go. For what sets a part the people of God from the rest of the world is the presence of God! The scandal of the God of Moses, The scandal of the Christian God - that God is supreme, creator of all things, sovereign over all, and yet chooses to love and be involved in the lives of the creation. Because he loves, and cares, and has compassion! That’s what we see next. 18 - 19

Exodus 33:18–19 (CSB)

Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

We will read then that God does pass by moses, revealing the Glory of God.

And ultimatley through the old testament the presence of God is really the focal point in which everything else orbits.

Now the crazy part of the Christian gospel - is that because of the merited righteousness of Jesus, by grace through faith - we have access to God, but his presence is now present in us. check this out in Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19–22 CSB

So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Friends when we come together, Jesus is here. Present.

But often times, if we’re honest, we don’t take the time to notice.

Well why doesn’t he just visibly manifest? I hear the objection. “If he would just show up right now, It would be easy for me to notice him and worship him.”

I hear that, but my friend - when Jesus was on earth in the flesh, doing his miracles preaching with authority - even then people didn’t truly see him for who he was. In fact, they killed him.

And I can give personal stories of how I have experienced the presence of God in my life in the here and now.

When I first started here at the seed over two years ago that meant that i was going to pastor 2 churches, and i felt very unqualified. I went to a conference right before i started here to seek God. There was great worship, great teaching, lots of friends - lots of hype, and honestly a lot of busy-ness.

But one evening I remember found a seat in a boonies of this giant sanctuary filled with several thousand pastors and church planters. I sat in last row, and quieted my soul and eventually got to the point where my anxieties of all my worries of being a pastor calmed down. Then I asked - God, give me what I need to pastor. I want to be faithful to you. What do I need?

And I put my hands out like this, as if to receive, and I tell you what - i had a crazy charismatic experience that my baptist background didn’t know what to do with. But best way to describe it, is i felt as if someone grabbed my hands, and held them.

It felt as if God was communicating to me that what I needed was him, and that he was with me. Was a really powerful moment for me.

I’ve had several really impactful moments like that in my life, and almost all of them have happened when I have taken the time to quiet myself, and focus on God.

Friends, what if God wasn’t as silent as we think he is? What if he is actually communicating to us all of the time? What if he actually was showing up in our lives, but we just don’t notice?

Don’t think that’s possible? Well let me tell you - I am a pro of missing important things, even when they are right in front of me.

I have this little rectangle super computer in my pocket that is just… well a great tool and super shiney to look at. I confess that there have been WAY too many moments where my incredibly, lovely, brilliant wife has been trying to communicate and talk with me, and I will have my phone out, and even though shes talking - I don’t hear a thing shes saying!

I would argue it’s the same with God, but even more so, for he in the words of scripture is a still small voice. The world the flesh the devil always seek us to go, to move, to be excited and busy - and we are too distracted at times to focus on God.

All that said, So What?

Jimmy what are you babbling on about this for? How does this impact me? What are you trying to say? So What? God didn’t abandon Moses and the israelites, so what does that have to do with me?

First - friend, God didn’t abandon the israelites, even when they deserved it. They had sinned, big time. But God forgave them. And would continue to throughout all the old testament. And that forgiveness finds its amen, its fufuillment in Jesus Christ victiorious life, death, and resurrection. The literal and physical embodiment of God. And by grace through faith, his righteousness is given to us, and our unrightesouness is put on him on the cross. therefore for those of us in christ - there is no condemnation. And his spirit dwells in you!

So when you find yourself in sin, or distracted, know that in Christ you are held secure. So don’t let the guilt and shame keep you from running to the arms of God the father. When we come to worship - come with expectation to be met with the love of your God and your church family. God is here to meet with you, and we come to hear from him and to worship him.

which leads us to second - We need to commit to rhythms like sunday worship so we can continually focus on God. We are prone to be knocked out of tune, and to take our eyes off God - remember.

Lastly - God is not far. Closer than we think. The air that we breath. Amongst all nature. Would God remind you that he is near. and present. And would your eyes be opened to the reality of God in the here and now.

Baptism.