Meeting With God

Background:

The children of Israel have been brought out of bondage from Egypt.

They have been gone for 3 months.

They have traveled 190 miles.

They have come full circle back to the place where Moses met God, The Great I Am, in the burning bush at Mt. Sinai

Now, for the first time in 400 years, they are going to meet God and hear from God.

They are going to receive the Word of God.

They are going to hear the Word of God.

This meeting is so important, they are not going to leave this place for 11 months.

Before God wanted to meet with the people, he wanted to meet with Moses.

Every time God met with Moses, it was on the mountaintop.

Most people think that God only went up on to the mountain one time and stayed there. However, he actually went up 7 times.

Why 7 times?

God wanted to show Moses, Israel, and us today that there is not anything more important in your life than meeting with God.

The same God that met with Moses wants to meet with you.

The same God that spoke to Moses wants to speak to you.

God wants to meet with you, every single day.

No appointment.

No pass.

No recommendation.

No paying by the hour.

How do you do that?

In order to meet with God,

There must be Priority.

When you meet with God, He dictates the terms.

He gives Moses some instructions on how and what he requires to meet with Him.

Exodus 19:1–4 (KJV 1900)

1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Before God even gets started, He desires to remind them of what He has done for them.

“I bare you on eagles’ wings”

Other birds carry their young in their talons, but the eagle (they say) upon her wings, so that even those archers who shoot flying cannot hurt the young ones, unless they first shoot through the old one.

The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they are forced to leave it and commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside.

When her instincts tell her the babies have matured enough, the mother eagle pushes them one by one to the edge of the mountain nest and then out into thin air. It’s just that those little birds were made to fly, and they don’t know it, so she is going to push them out of the nest.

As the baby eagle flutters and flaps ineffectively while plummeting to the earth, its mother swoops underneath, catches the. She does this again and again, until the young eagles learn to fly.

She never lets them hit bottom, but she does let them fall, because they have to learn something they don’t know.

Now you know why I did what I did.

#1 to show you why you were born.

#2 to show you how much I love you.

You are not meeting with an ordinary, run of the mill God, but a God that loves you, looks after you, lifts you up, that takes care of you, that picks you up when you fall.

A God that will never turn His back on you.

A God that ALWAYS WANTS WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!

Who doesn’t want to meet a God like that.

The number 1 priority of your life should be having a meeting with God.

Without meeting with God, you are going to live more in defeat than victory.

To meet with God,

There must be Preparation.

One thing worse than missing a meeting is not being prepared for the meeting.

Exodus 19:10–15 (KJV 1900)

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

God is telling them how to prepare for the meeting.

Remember how sinful you are and Remember how Holy I am!

Why abstain from sexual relations?

The character of the God you worship determine your character.

Why do the Ancient people practice their religion with sex with temple prostitutes?

Because their god practiced sexed with temple prostitutes.

Why did the Ancient people sacrifice their children to a god?

Because their god sacrificed their children.

God comes to the people and says, “I am a Holy God.”

I am a Perfect God.

I am a Righteous God.

I am an Upright God.

Listen, Clean Bodies in Clean Clothes = Clean or Pure Hearts!

Know who you are (Sinner) and Know who He is (Holy)!

When you meet with God, You will not be the SAME.

If the god you have met with has not radically changed your life, then you have met with the wrong God.

Practice meeting with God!

Exodus 1-18 - Getting Israel out of Egypt = Liberty

Exodus 19-40 - Getting Egypt out of Israel = Law

With freedom comes Responsibility.

God is telling them, I didn’t lead you out of Egypt so you could live for you, I lead you out of Egypt so you could live for me.

God did not give America freedom so we could do what we want to do, God gave America freedom so we could do what H wants us to do.

Exodus 19:5–6 (KJV 1900)

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

God made a promise to Israel as to why He wanted to meet with them.

Nobody knows how life works better than God.

1 Peter 2:9 KJV 1900

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

God is about to give them the 10 Commandments:

The 10 Commandments is a bunch of do’s or dont’s. We are looking at them wrong.

The 10 Commandments = God’s Recipe to have the Best Life Possible.

Do you want to be Happy?

satisfied?

fulfilled?

at peace?

full of joy?

Don’t Do This = will keep you from being miserable.

Do That = will make you happy

Do you want to avoid heartache and headaches?

KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS

ILLUS. Chi Chi Rodriguez - Golfer from Puerto Rico

Goes on Red and Stops on Green.

We tend to Stop at Green Lights and Go at Red Lights.

Until Exodus 20, there is no written word, until the 10 Commandments that God wrote with His own finger on a tablet of stones.

If you want to speak to me and you want me to speak to you, then here is how it works.

READ MY WORD!

2 THINGS are necessary to have a meeting:

You have to have a PLACE -

Exodus 19:3 (KJV 1900)

3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

Where is your mountain?

closet

back porch

recliner

bed

Listen though,

God doesn’t care about the place!

God doesn’t care about the time! (How long you stay there)

GOD WANTS YOU!

2. You have to have a PLAN -

A systematic approach to going into God’s Word.

A systematic approach to opening God’s Word.

A systematic approach to listening to God’s Word.

This is awesome:

Dr. Arnie Cole & Dr. Pamela Caudill on behalf of the Center for Bible Engagement.org surveyed over 400,000 people from ages 8-80 in 24 different countries in 75+ denominations about the effects of engaging in the Word of God.

Those who engaged just 1 time a week, say just Sunday morning, there is no significant change in their behavior.

Those who engage just 2 times a week, say Sunday and Monday, there is no significant change in their behavior.

Those who engage 3 times a week begin to get a slight heartbeat.

But those who engage 4 times or more a week are

59% less likely to view pornography.

30% less likely to struggle with loneliness.

However,

228% more likely to share faith with others.

407% more likely to memorize scripture.

MEETING WITH GOD is the SINGLE most important thing YOU CAN DO EVERYDAY!

You cannot go where you need to go, be what you need to be, do what you need to do, if you do not meet with God.

How many times have I told you though that the whole Old Testament is about Jesus?

You can go to the mountain and still not meet with God if you do not have a mediator.

You can not just go waltzing in on your own to the presence of God.

Even Moses was not allowed to meet directly with God.

Folks, we are in a battle:

If you are a parent, then you are in a battle for your kids.

If you are married, then you are in a battle for your marriage.

If you are tired of living in defeat and want to live in victory

Meet with God Everyday.

Let God Speak to you Everyday.