Meeting With God

Exodus 33:11 “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

Exodus 33:18–23 (KJV 1900) 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Throughout Scripture, God has always been willing to meet with man. Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Not because the ground was special — but because God made His presence known there. There are moments and places in life where heaven touches earth. Bethel is one of the greatest pictures of that truth.

I. The Cross — The Ultimate Meeting Place

Mark 15:22-25 “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.” At the cross….. Mercy met sin, Love met guilt, God met lost humanity. All of this is because God desires to have a relationship with you Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

II. The Upper Room — The Place of Filling

Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Before Pentecost — God met people in places. After Pentecost — God lives in people. The greatest meeting place with God today is a surrendered heart, The yielded life

III. Bethel — The Place of Awakening

Genesis 28:16–17 “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:19 “And he called the name of that place Bethel...”

Unlike Abraham’s and Isaac’s divine encounters within the land of promise, Jacob’s encounter was at a location not yet associated with divine appearances. His astonishment highlights the belief in that certain places were associated with divine appearances. Why was he shocked to meet with God? We come to church thinking to maybe meet with God, we pray hoping to meet with God, we fast trying to meet with God….. What happened at Bethel: Jacob was running from his past. Jacob was uncertain about his future Jacob was alone ….. but God was there

Jacob discovered something powerful: God was present before Jacob was aware. Many people discover God: In crisis, In loneliness, In transition seasons Sometimes we say, “I didn’t know God was in this place.”

IV. Peniel (Pen-ē-yel)— The Place of Transformation

Genesis 32:30 “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” At Bethel — Jacob met God. At Peniel — God changed Jacob

At Peniel: Jacob wrestled all night Jacob walked away different Jacob received a new name (Israel)

Real encounters with God leave permanent marks: New walk, New identity, New direction

You can’t truly meet God and stay the same.

V. Sinai — The Place of Reverence.

Exodus 19:20 “And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.”

At Sinai: God revealed His holiness - after your touched by God He will call you up higher!! God revealed His standards God revealed His voice

When God meets with man, He does not just comfort He calls us higher. Some times the only way to hear from God is to rise up to the elevation that God is calling you too.

Conclusion God met man at: Calvary — to save the world The Upper Room — to fill His people- Bethel — to reveal Himself Peniel — to change a man Sinai — to show His holiness

The question is not: “Where does God meet people?”

The question is: “Are we willing to meet Him?”

James 4:8 (KJV 1900) 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Exodus 33:11 “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

Exodus 33:18–23 "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."

Throughout Scripture, God has always been willing to meet with man.

Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

Not because the ground was special — but because God made His presence known there.

There are moments and places in life where heaven touches earth.

Bethel is one of the greatest pictures of that truth.

I. The Cross — The Ultimate Meeting Place

Mark 15:22-25 “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.”

At the cross….. Mercy met sin, Love met guilt, God met lost humanity.

All of this is because God desires to have a relationship with you

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

II. The Upper Room — The Place of Filling

Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Before Pentecost — God met people in places.

After Pentecost — God lives in people.

The greatest meeting place with God today is a surrendered heart, The yielded life

III. Bethel — The Place of Awakening

Genesis 28:16–17 “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Genesis 28:19 “And he called the name of that place Bethel...”

Unlike Abraham’s and Isaac’s divine encounters within the land of promise, Jacob’s encounter was at a location not yet associated with divine appearances.

His astonishment highlights the belief in that certain places were associated with divine appearances.

Why was he shocked to meet with God?

We come to church thinking to maybe meet with God, we pray hoping to meet with God, we fast trying to meet with God…..

What happened at Bethel:

Jacob was running from his past.

Jacob was uncertain about his future

Jacob was alone ….. but God was there

Jacob discovered something powerful:

God was present before Jacob was aware.

Many people discover God: In crisis, In loneliness, In transition seasons

Sometimes we say, “I didn’t know God was in this place.”

IV. Peniel (Pen-ē-yel)— The Place of Transformation

Genesis 32:30 “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

At Bethel — Jacob met God.

At Peniel — God changed Jacob

At Peniel:

Jacob wrestled all night

Jacob walked away different

Jacob received a new name (Israel)

Real encounters with God leave permanent marks:

New walk, New identity, New direction

You can’t truly meet God and stay the same.

V. Sinai — The Place of Reverence

Exodus 19:20 “And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.”

At Sinai:

God revealed His holiness … after your touched by God He will call you up higher!!

God revealed His standards

God revealed His voice

When God meets with man, He does not just comfort He calls us higher.

Some times the only way to hear from God is to rise up to the elevation that God is calling you too.

Conclusion

God met man at:

Calvary — to save the world

The Upper Room — to fill His people-

Bethel — to reveal Himself

Peniel — to change a man

Sinai — to show His holiness

The question is not: “Where does God meet people?”

The question is: “Are we willing to meet Him?”

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.