getting away with God - Forward

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Earlier this summer I had the priviledge of getting away with my year 5 old son Carter and visiting camp Berea in Hebron New Hampshire.Initially, I was approached by the camp director and asked if I would be willing to lead a Saturday morning devotional for their weekend guys camp known as: “man camp.” While we were at the camp, I had the chance to take carter fishing, to eat way too much food together and to even play baseball and some other games with each other.

But in sharing that Saturday morning devotional, one of the key concepts that I share with the guys in` attendance is a similar idea that I’m going to share with us this morning. You see, the fathers and sons that I spoke to that morning, all made the effort to come out to camp for the weekend. Each of them had made paid the money to be there during those days, each of them packed their bags and made preparation to attend camp during those moments, each of them took the drive to attend that day, which by the way, for some of those who attended, they had to drive several hours to come out.

But here’s the key, for those who attended during that weekend, they calculated the cost… but despite the cost, they were committed to their sonsand it was worth the expense. It was worth the drive, it was worth the prepeartion, it was worth the effort, because they valued being away in those moments with their boys.

Many of us here this morning can relate with the idea of going camping. Who’s ever been camping before? For some of us, our definition of camping isn’t quite camping. In fact, we think camping is staying at a nice cabin with working A/C and a lakeside view, which by the way… that’s called glamour camping or glamping for short.

But many of us this morning whether it’s camping, or any other type of vacation… value the idea of spending time outside of the normal day-to-day activities. Many of us treasure and need time along, where we can unplug, unwind, rest and prepare for what’s ahead.

This topic, the idea of resting is going to be our focus as we get started. You may say to yourself, well I think we were moving forward? I thought that was the sermon series we were in, how does stopping and resting have anything to do with moving forward. We’ll that will be our point of conversation this morning as we study scripture together. If you have your bibles, turn with me to Exodus 16. As we see that keeping the sabbath.

Resting along the way 1. Helps ensure we spend time with God. 2. Gives us instruction 3. Is necessary for our health (helps us to prepare for what’s ahead) . Along these lines, we’ll study the scripture together this morning… and see how even as God calls us forward in life… we must follow his command to rest… and pause.. and take the time for things that truly matter.

Beginning with Point 1 Resting along the way helps ensure we spend time with God.

As you’re turning to exodus 16, I want to recap where we were last week and bring us up to speed this morning. After Crossing the Red Sea… We see there’s no water, for 3 days there’s no water. Then, there’s no food, then we see there are enemies who the bible calls amalakites who go out and attack the Isrealites… but time after time, although there are new trials and difficulties; God continues to lead the people and show them how to live.

What’s fascinating to me though, is even as they’re traveling from Egypt towards Mount Sinai. Although they have a journey ahead… God was still calling them to rest, and calling them to a sabbath so that they could spend time with God.

Exodus 16:1 says: “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.

And so here, God too provides by sending manna in the morning and quail for the people in the evening

Exodus 16:26-30 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you[c] refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

You see, time and time again… We see that God’s heart is for the people to take a day of rest. Now notice, there is 6 days of work. But on the 7th, this is a day of rest that is set aside for God…

What’s also interesting is that in verse 29 we read the words: “the Lord has given you the Sabbath.”

In other words, if you think of someone giving a gift. God has given us the sabbath to us as a gift to enjoy and spend time worshipping him, resting our bodies, and preparing for what’s ahead.

You see this idea of taking a sabbath day is not a new idea. If you recall back to earlier in Exodus, the very reason that God wanted his people to go away into the wilderness was to be able to take the time to go and worship the Lord.

We won’t read all of these verses now, but time after time… God says: “8 1 [a]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”

Also see Exodus 7:16; 8:1,20; 9:1,13; 10:3

So 6 different times, God appears to Moses and tells him to appear to the Pharaoh and to tell Pharaoh to let the Isrealites go, so they could go and worship God.

And even in the 10 commandments as we see in Exodus 20:8-11 we’re told:

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day was a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

You see guys, the sabbath is important to God. Resting is important to God. Taking time to spend with your family is important to God.

I think back to the days of going to camp as a kid. I was living in small town new Hampshire, I was probably only 9 or 10… but each summer I had the chance to go to Christian summer camp. Looing back to these memories, I remember the first day of camp being a little timid and shy. Certainly I was sad to leave my parents for the week. But as the week went on, I began to form new friendships, I started to have a ton of fun. I was always excited to go to the morning and afternoon session as we would cheer on our camp counselors and team colors… but do you know what the most pivotal part of camp was? It was always the night before going home. It was always the camp fire moment, sitting together in a circle after chapel and allowing the Lord to do a breakthrough in my life.

Friends, for many of us this morning, we’re huge advocates of winter retreat, bealah beach and other camps… and if we were honest, these moments were we get away… these camp fire moments… the moments without the cell phone, the moments without the distractions, the moments where we can be along with our friends, in the wilderness, at camp, in the presence of God… many there’s nothing quite like these moments.

Friends are taking the time to be with God? Not only on Sunday mornings, but on a daily basis? Are we taking time to be with God?

2. They receive instructions. (helps us to prepare for what’s ahead)

If we turn ahead to Exodus 19, we see that the Isrealites are the base of Mt. Sinai. And God calls Moses up to the mountain to speak to him. He goes on to tell Moses to prepare the Isrealites because in 3 days, God would come and speak to Moses on the top of Mt. Sinai and give the people instructions and directions.

Exodus 19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

So first, we realize that there is this time of preparation. And time of getting ready for God to speak to the people. But I want us to catch something for a moment. If we look back at verse 4, : 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

What’s interesting is that Eagles are known to carry their young out of the nests on their wings and teach them how to fly, Catching them only when necessary and helping them to fly on their own. You see, God was about to give moses the 10 commandments and then go on to give the law to him as well… but there’s this idea, and this newness, where the people are learning how to live, they’re like the eagle… learning how to fly.

You see, what’s great about being a parent is you get to teach your kids new things. What’s frustrating about being a parent is you… get to teach your kids new things… but at our house, we enjoy playing board games as a family. Now some of the games have very little skill and strategy involved, but in playing certain games, there’s more technique and strategy if you want to win the game.

One of the games that we’ve recently started playing is settler or catan or simply catan. (has anyone ever played that game by chance?) In this game your objective is to score 10 points by conquering new lands of wheat, iron, sheep, wood and brick… it’s really one of my favorite games…

You see for an adult, this game would take a little getting used to… but for a 9 year old little girl… It’s a lot harder. it was tough to learn the game because it requires more developed thinking and skill… but here’s the point, as we’ve played, I noticed in time that she has started to develop her strategy. She’s gotten better at the game. She no longer needs the same instruction that she did at first because she’s beginning to get the concept.

Friends, there comes a point where she needs less instruction… but can I encourage us with something… we don’t play the game unless we take the time to play the game. Unless the game is a priority. We don’t play.

In the same way, as we are intentional with God in our own lives… and as we take the time (not to play the game, but rather, to spend time in his presence… God begins to speak to us as we put ourselves in position to hear from him.) You see Moses, took the time to meet with God on the mountain. Moses took the time to hear from God, and guess what, God spoke to him in those moments. Not only that, but when God spoke to moses, guess what, other people noticed.

Exodus 34:29 says: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

Friends, what is your mountain this morning? Where is your time to meet with God. Not only at Church, but in your own life… You see, when we come to church and we see the sign out front, we recognize it as a our place where we come to worship… but do we have our own mountains in life? Places where we can get away with God so that we can stop and be in his presence?

He has instructions for our lives, he has guidance. But we must take the time to prioritize being with him.

That take us to our final point this morning. When we rest, we’re blessed.

You know, what I’ve always found interesting about the Isrealites is that God had special days built into their calendar. Of course, we know that there was the sabbath day of rest… but guys, there were also special, marked moments throughout the year where God would call the people to celebrate him.

in exodus 23:14-17 we read: 14 “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. 15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. “No one is to appear before me empty-handed. 16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. 17 “Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

You see, the isrealites actually had 7 different festivals that God had given them. Some of them were last a week or more. But in these festivals or celebrations… they were marked intervals throughout the year, we’re they found rest, and excitement and a chance to push pause on the norms of life and refocus on what’s ahead.

For me personally in my life, there are things that are coming up that I’m excited about. For instance, in the spring and certainly the cold weather at the moment helps with this… but im excited by the possibility of taking a vacation and possibly heading to Florida for a week with Kim.

In the summer, I’m looking forward to going away to Beaulah beach for a little while. And at some point this year, I’m hoping to visit family.

Here’s my point, it’s exciting… to have things ahead… that we’re looking forward to. My question for you this morning is what are you looking forward to? What things are on your schedule, we’re you’re excited to get away?

Along the same lines… do you have plans at all in the next year to perhaps attend some sort of conference, or some sort of Christian getaway where you can be alone with the Lord and find a time of rest in his presence? Can I ask us something, when’s the last time that you went on a retreat, or moment away with God… that’s in addition to your normal Sunday morning church attendance?

Here's the point this morning. We need to make sure we’re getting away with God. When’s the last retreat that you went on? When’s the last 2 or 3 day conference that you attended? What things in addition to Sunday morning, are you including into your lives for God to speak to you. The truth is, for me, these moments in life, where I’m away with God have been moments where God has always distinctly spoken to me and given me a special word.

Friends, would we be encouraged to take time away with God; on a weekly basis, get away with God, find times to be with God, and each year, would we be encouraged to seek out opportunities for God to pour into us. Last thing I would say is that the camp experience, the one that I spoke about earlier from my youth, we should be seeking these opportunities as adults. Just because you grow up doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want you to have a camp experience each year and get away with him.

One final area I would like ot touch on this morning is ensuring that when we’re off of work… that we’re actually off of work. You see, it’s tough to be fully resting, if we’re on our cell phones or working doing some other sort of task. You see in Exodus 35:3 Moses is speaking to the Isrealite community and giving them specific instructions on the sabbath. One of the things that he states is whoever does any work on the sabbath is to be put to death. (which of course we don’t practice that anymore.) the other point that he makes however is this, verse 3 states: 3 “Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Guys, we’re going to get ready to close out in prayer in the next couple of minutes… but here’s are a couple questions for us this morning as we wrap up: 1. Are we talking the time to rest throughout the week. Not only on Sunday morning, but in our own devotional time at home? 2. What is our mountain? What is our hide away, where we can get with God. What is our mountain? 3. Is it obvious to others that we’ve been with God? Are we like Moses, and people recognize Christ through us… because we’ve been so close to God… they can’t help but notice. 4. Are we taking the time in life to put down our cell phone… but down our distractions… and spend time with God?