Encountering God – Part 3: “In the Silence”
Quote from Children’s Letters to God.
"Dear God, Is Pastor Bill a friend of yours, or do you just know him through business? Donny"
Why did we do testimonies? Testimonies are for praise.
Praise is about what God has done.
Worship is about who God is.
Praise prepares us for worship, for encountering God Himself by recounting His deeds which tell us who He is. Review – Our sermon series is on ENCOUNTERING GOD and we have been focusing upon WORSHIP as our primary source of encountering God.
Review
What is worship?
It is the meeting of God’s heart and ours.
Worship is the reason we were created.
It is the most important thing we can do –
God is seeking worshippers (who will worship Him in spirit and truth)
Spirit = Not just with their lips but with their whole hearts
Truth = Not with religion but in relationship via Jesus.
Last week we spoke about pressing into worship – the effort we make to encounter God, and how we must press in, make the effort, & pay the price to encounter God.
I shared that one of the reasons we don’t encounter God on Sunday is that we haven’t overcome the barriers to worship which included “not preparing for worship.”
I am surprised so many of you came back this Sunday after I told you “not to come to church next Sunday unless you prepare your hearts for worship.” My thought was “why waste your time just showing up…if you are going to come to worship, be prepared to worship! Be prepared to encounter God.” It looks like you took me seriously!
Our preparation for corporate worship must include a daily, personal encounter of God.
One way we can improve our worship experience corporately, is to meet with God more fully and intimately each day of the week.
Personal and Corporate worship are the most vital things we can do. The encountering, the meeting of hearts is vital to all we will do and become.
This personal worship is what I will talk about today.
Five times in the Book of Exodus the Lord says I want to meet with you. (Exodus 25, 29, 33)
I would like us to look at one of those 5 passages, the one found in Exodus 33.
Ex. 33:7-11 “Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud (glory) standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Ultimately, this passage is about Moses’ private encounters with God…it is about the where and when and how that Moses met God each day.
This passage is often misunderstood, because it precedes the actual building of the tabernacle in the desert, and the term “tent of meeting” is used interchangeably after that time.
In the present context, the tent of meeting is not the tabernacle that Moses was given a pattern for by God in Exodus 25.
The Hebrew words give us a distinction:
The Tent of Meeting (Ohel Mo-eid) and the Tabernacle (Mishkan).
We can think of them this way for the time being.
The Tent of meeting represents the personal encounter with God.
The Tabernacle represents the presence of God.
You might think that these are minor differences, but they are important. I dare to say that there is even one more facet to this incredible picture.
The cloud represents the glory of God.
(v10) When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.
The presence of God is enough to converse with God but the Glory of God always leads to worship!
The people worshipped when God’s glory descended!
In the coming weeks I will further make distinctions between these three elements and how they relate to our worship experiences as well. But for now, we will only define them.
This “Tent of Meeting” is a temporary sanctuary that Moses has set up. The Ark of the Covenant has not yet been built. The only symbol of God’s presence is the pillar of smoke at the entrance to the tent.
Later, when the tabernacle is built, it will be in the midst of the camp, among the people, while this tent of meeting is outside of the camp.
Verse 7 says : “It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.”
Why was this Tent of Meeting was set up “some distance from the camp?”
God can meet people anywhere they are and he does that regularly, but there is something special about a space that is set aside from the normal day to day things and dedicated to God as holy.
One of the remarks I heard after someone had come up from an prayer retreat was how nice it was to not have the distractions of the house and everyday life to compete for his attention.
I think this is why Moses set up the tent where he did because he wanted people to leave the distractions of life behind and enter into a space that they knew was for hanging out with God and nothing else. It was a sacred space outside the camp.
What made the tent special?
It was the tangible presence of God, represented by the cloud of glory that would stand at the door of the tent when Moses would enter it.
In this tent, it says that the Lord use to speak with Moses face to face.
This tells us the personal nature of God’s revelation. He didn’t speak through visions, dreams or prophets.
Moses would go into the tent, the Glory of the Lord would descend upon the tent.
People would worship because they saw the manifest presence of God at the entrance of the tent and God would SPEAK TO MOSES FACE TO FACE JUST AS A MAN SPEAKS TO HIS FRIEND.
Sidenote: When Moses had to go out to do his duties as the leader, Joshua, would remain in the tent. He remained behind, to commune with God. It was no accident that Joshua became the leader of Israel after Moses died. He had gotten close to God in daily worship. He had the practice of the Presence of God. He understood the value of communion with the presence of God, of encountering God daily.
The symbolism of all of this is significant.
God met Moses “away from the distractions of the camp.”
That is where He wants to meet us.
If you want to hear God, you must go away from the distractions of life.
You cannot hear God over the television, the phone or the computer.
You have to shut out and shut up all of the noise of everyday life.
I want to focus upon this personal meeting space today.
Throughout the bible we are told to find the presence of God as a part of life.
He is “water to my soul” and “the bread of life.”
In other words, we are drying up and spiritually starving to death when we miss out on the quiet ENCOUNTER with God that He has called us to.
Ps 46:10 ““Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
“Be” not “do”
We are called Human Beings and not Human Doings.
Our lives reflect something completely different.
We are so busy and so many distractions and interruptions are choking out our inner life that we are drying up like a vine without water.
Do you feel this way sometimes?
We need the “BE” of this passage to define us and not the “DO.”
“Be Still” – not running, moving or letting the noise of life choke you.
Quiet your soul, you spirit, your mind, your body.
Stillness is probably the hardest part of modern life.
There is almost always noise surrounding us. Find a quiet spot – a room, a closet, a park, whatever it takes to slow down and meet God.
One of the hardest things I have found when doing so, is just about the time I am getting quiet, I get the overwhelming urge to get busy and do stuff that is on my list.
In Psalm 4:4 He tells us to “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
“Stand in awe” – awe is an indispensable component of worship.
Sin is a barrier to worship.
Stillness is where we meet God in our heart.
BE STILL: This command works.
It is a command you issue to your soul!
Jesus used it on the storm in Mark 4:39 when he stood up in the boat and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” And when He did there was a great calm. Think of the power in that command. A raging storm was brought to a halt and the sea calmed to nothingness in an instant.
“and Know” – “experience beyond knowledge” – believe to the utmost.
This kind of knowledge won’t come by reading a book or hearing a sermon.
The knowledge God wants you to have is first hand, personal experience of who HE is as a direct result of quieting your body, soul, mind and spirit. Once you taste that quiet and “know” you will want to come back for more.
Have you ever bought Italian dressing that you have to shake it to get it all mixed up? What would happen when you let it sit for a while? It would separate.
Muddy water becomes clear if you only let it be still for a while.
The same is true of us. When we sit still, the stillness opens up knowledge of God. The clouds part and we can see clearly.
“That I am God.” -
That God is God. Your experience of who HE is will come about as a result of your encounter with Him. He desires to encounter YOU. He desires that you KNOW Him.
(Beth Moore) When God’s presence becomes real to you, becomes accessible to you, becomes so real that you can feel Him and sense Him like a cloud around your spirit…He will so satisfy your spirit that should he tell you to ask of Him anything you want, you would not be able to think of anything else that you want.
Biblical examples of those who sought God alone:
Jesus was always going off to be alone and pray. Before he began his public ministry he went into the desert by himself, fasting and praying for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-11).
He continued to seek solitude and silence as he went away before he chose his twelve disciples (Luke 6:12-13). He went away again when he received news of his cousin John the Baptist’s death (Matthew 14:13). After the healing of a leper, the Bible says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). He went to be alone after he fed the 5,000 (Matthew 14:23). Before his Transfiguration he was in solitude (Matthew 17:1-9). And then before his arrest, trial and crucifixion he was alone in prayer (Matthew 26:36-46).
The question is: If Jesus was in such need of solitude and prayer, why would we ever think that we do not need it? If the Son of God needed a time and place for prayer, how much more do we need it?
Encountering God is not just for special people.
In the 13th and 14th century, the Roman Catholic Church was faced with a handful of men and women (Theresa of Avilla, and John of the Cross) who sought God privately with such intensity that they literally experienced His presence in a tangible and real way. Even now, the Roman church so elevates these people who encountered God that many of us think that that is only for special folks.
Their experience was not meant to be for just them. Their experience was meant by God for all›
In Numbers 14:21 God told the Israelites “as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.”
We have talked about the Glory of the Lord before as the “manifest presence of God.”
The Glory of God is really what we yearn for, what Moses was able to catch a glimpse of, and what filled the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem.
The Glory of God is what covered Jesus at the Transfiguration.
The glory of God is what we will behold without any barriers when we enter heaven.
The Glory of God is the very literal, manifest presence of God, which is eternally and always present in heaven, pushed through the veil that separates the natural and spiritual realities, and reveals Himself in our time and space with His magnificence and splendor.
The Glory of God can be also called the Pleasure of God as opposed to His mere presence.
It is one thing to ache for God’s presence , it is another to hunger to see His Glory.
We seek both in worship.
We seek both in prayer. But don’t be satisfied with only His Presence.
He promises His presence whenever two or more of us gather in His name. But His glory, His manifested pleasure, the fire from heaven…we must desire that even more.
It is God’s desire to reveal Himself in all of His Glory to us and through us.
What does a lukewarm worshipper say? – I still believe in You but I am just not EXCITED about You.
Lukewarm worshippers say, “I want to experience your presence without being bothered by your Glory.” .
Love and Worship: (you worship what you love) A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of one of her friends. The vegetable was buttered broccoli and the mother asked her if she liked it. She replied very politely, “Oh Yes, I love it.” But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess asked her, “I thought you said you loved broccoli?” And the girl replied, “Oh yes ma’am, I do, but not enough to eat it.”
This is the trouble with modern American worshippers. It is our problem.
We love God enough to be identified with Him, we are satisfied with the promise of His presence, but we are not in love with Him enough to let Him overwhelm us with His Glory.
We will NEVER worship and we will ALWAYS be satisfied with something less than a genuine encounter with the glory of God when our hearts delight in anything other than God.
“Delight yourself in the Lord…” that is the foundation of worship.
Do you come here to encounter God? Are you excited about meeting Him? Are you filled with anticipation of worshipping Him?
That is the heart of a worshipper. That is what God wants. That is what we must become like. Worshippers! People who delight in encountering God. People who will be satisfied with nothing less than the very Glory of God!
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity says, “God designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
The psalmist says: "Taste and see that the LORD is good. (Psalms 34:8 NIV)
I believe that God has put a whole banquet table of himself in front of us, and most of us including myself have been surviving on the appetizers for most of our lives.
We need to dig the well deeper, and we need to develop our relationship with God so that we can enjoy the good times with Him.
Spirit of the Living God…fall afresh on me!
Are you dry and thirsty for God?
Are you tired of only seeking a taste of His presence instead of the whole mean of His glory?
Call upon the Lord today, to fall afresh on yourself! Get desperate for Jesus!
