Following God's Presence Series

June 28, 2009

Morning Worship

Text: Exodus 33:12-25

Subject: Part 4 of Seven Steps to Receive God’s Promises

Title: Following God’s Presence

We continue today with our series – Seven Steps to Receiving God’s Miracles. As we go through this series I want to be sure that you understand something; this is not some prescribed ritual that you follow and when you are done Poof! There’s your miracle. It is more about your heart and attitudes toward God. I just wanted to clear that up. Now, let me say this. All of these steps are clearly described in Joshua 3 as seven steps that needed to occur before Israel could cross over into the Land of Promise.

As we go through you may notice that the steps appear to be a natural progression of your relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope that you see it that way for I believe that is how God intended it to be for His chosen people. So let’s recap; Step 1 – Consecrate yourself, step 2 – Stand in the River, and now step 3 - Follow the Lord’s Presence. Joshua 3:11, See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

In order for us to follow God’s presence in our lives we have to know who He is. I want to read a few letters that children wrote to God that reveal a cute but inadequate picture of who God is.

Dear God,

Thank you for the baby brother

but what I asked for was a puppy.

I never asked for anything before.

You can look it up.

Joyce

God,

I read the bible.

What does beget mean?

Nobody will tell me.

Love Alison

Dear God,

I bet it’s very hard for you

to love all of everybody in the whole world.

There are only 4 people in our family

and I can never do it.

Nancy

Dear God,

my Grandpa says you were around

when he was a little boy.

How far back do you go?

Love, Dennis

Dear God,

how come you did all those miracles

in the old days and don’t do any now?

Billy

Dear God,

is Reverend Coe a friend of yours,

or do you just know him through the business?

Donny

And, saving the best for last .

Dear God,

I didn’t think orange went with purple

until I saw the sunset

you made on Tuesday night.

That was really cool.

Thomas

I think Tomas has a pretty good picture in his mind of who God is don’t you. Hebrews 5:11-14, 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Let’s take the time today to learn how to follow God’s presence in our lives.

Lord open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

I. REMEMBERING GOD’S CALL. 12Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’

A. The call. Moses remembers the specific call that God has placed on his life. He was the one who was to lead Israel into the Promised Land. He was the one that God consecrated for that work. He was the one upon whom God had placed His Spirit. We know that because Moses was a prophet and prophets only spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. In verse 12 I want you to look at the word “know”. The word translated “know” means to ascertain by seeing or by careful observation or instruction; understanding. Moses wanted to see or be able to observe, be instructed by and understand who it was that God was going to send along with him. In order for us to understand what Moses is saying we have to go back to 33:1-3, 1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”