Experiencing The Presence Of God.

OUR THEME FOR TODAY IS EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD..EXODUS 33:14-15

INTRODUCTION;; IT IS GOD’s DESIRE THAT WE ARRIVE AT A PLACE THAT GOD HAS DESTINED FOR US.. FOR MANY PEOPLE LIFE IS A RACE. TO BE WON.. But for me LIFE IS A JOURNEY: TO EXPERIENCE TO ENHANCE OUR FAITH.. GOD PERMITS EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIVES..IN ORDER TO MAKE US GROW/.EXPAND OR MAYBE TO COMPACT US..

A race is a one time event, short lived, and then it’s over until another race is organized. Journeys, on the other hand, can be brief or they can be long.

A race has a finish line. While a journey has a destination.

A race has one purpose, to win. The purpose of a journey is to arrive at the destination but part of the joy of the journey, is the adventure and the stops along the way. So, for let’s think about life as an ongoing journey of faith.

SO OUR JOURNEY THIS EVENING BEGIN WITH A SIMILAR JOURNEY OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.

THIS PASSAGE OF TEXT FOLLOWS THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ESCAPED EGYPTIAN BONDAGE, YET ARE PURSED BY THE EGYPTIANS WHO CATCH UP WITH THEM AT THE RED SEA.

TEXT OUR TEXT IS Exodus 14:10-24

MANY YEARS AGO Some thirty-three centuries IN FACT ago, a man who had been a prince of Egypt stood on the edge of the Red SEA. THIS Around him were hundreds upon hundreds of people, men, women, and children, waiting for him to make his move. Behind him were the chariots of the enemy, only a short distance away. Ahead of him were the waters of the sea: murky, roiling, hiding who knows what. What choice could Moses make? Where could he turn, what could he do?

The situation looked utterly impossible. There was no good choice, the destruction on the one side, the unknown on the other, and lots and lots of folks depending on him. What could Moses do, IN this situation? But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground."

SO Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

THUS OUR FIRST POINT OF REFLECTION.. IS NOT ONLY IN THE CROSSING THE RED SEA BUT LEAVING EGYPT BEHIND.. BECAUSE FOR YOU TO GET TO WHERE GOD WANTS YOU TO GO, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE EGYPT. So often we want to go back to EGYPT.. Go back to the familiar, GO BACK TO THE COMMON,, AMAZINGLY, AFTER ALL THAT GOD DID FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IT TOOK ONLY 40 DAY TO FORGET GOD, AND DECIDE TO GO BACK..

NEXT......YOU HAVE TO CROSS OVER THE RED SEA OF YOUR LIFE.. Israel’s passing through the Red Sea is one of the most exciting events recorded in the Old Testament. It was an event of great importance to the nation. It rid the Israelites, once for all, of Pharaoh’s dominion. It also released them from their obligation to return to Egypt, after traveling three days journey into the wilderness to worship God. This was, in fact, the birth of the nation Israel.

YET EVEN AFTER CROSSING THE READ SEA, GOD DOES SOMETHING, THAT APPEARS UNUSUALLY, HE DOES NOT LEAD THE PEOPLE TO THE PROMISE LAND BUT INSTEAD HE DIRECTS ISRAEL TO STOP SHORT OF ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND AND TO ESTABLISH AN ENCAMPMENT AT THE BASE OF A MOUNTAIN RANGE..

WHERE THEY WOULD ENCOUNTER GOD IN A WAY, THEY HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED HIM BEFORE..

NOW OFTEN When you look at a mountain range, you always notice certain peaks, high points that stick up and out above the rest of the range. Our lives have high points too.

Today we follow Israel to one of the highest points of their national life.

Today we follow them to Mt. Sinai where they WITNESS the presence of THE SOVEREIGN God.

A PLACE TO heard THE VOICE OF God’s.

A PLACE TO learn God’s laws.

A PLACE IN WHICH TO EXPERIENCE smoke and fire FROM HEAVEN, TO FEEL the earth move under their feet.