A passionate pursuit of God
1/6/02
By: Pastor Ron Crandall
Ex 19:11,13&14,16&17,20
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.
13 There shall not a 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.
16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
Text:
Exod 20:18-21
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
In the last couple of weeks I have brought out that God was leading the children of Israel to a rendezvous or a place of meeting in the wilderness.
And that there was 3 million people God was taking care of, 3 million that God was sustaining, there was 3 million that God had delivered from the hand of the enemy, enough mana was falling to feed them, enough water was flowing to give them drink.
The cloud showed up every day, the pillar of fire was there every night.
Now they have come to the base of the mountain, God has brought them to the place it is the epitome of the reason, by which God has brought them out of the tyranny of Pharaoh
It is the reason of the wilderness experience,
It is the reason that God was taking them towards the promise land,
But the promise land was a mere deposit geographically.
If they were not to enjoy this moment that God was bringing them to
He brought them to the base of the mountain, you’ve seen my lighting’s, you heard my thundering, you’ve ate my manna, you have eaten the quail, and you’ve drank from the river out of the rock that I have provided for you.
God was saying to the children of Israel I have something for you though.
But when you come up to me, you¡¦re gonna have to have to die,
Something that you are is going to have to stay down at the base of the mountain.
You see there are lots of people in the kingdom of God satisfied with going round and round the base of the mountain.
They are happy, hearing the thunder, seeing the lighting and smelling the smoke.
Just knowing that God is out there, but never desiring a relationship.
Not willing to go up the mountain into the presence of God for themselves but merely satisfied with coming to church and doing the religious thing.
They are unwilling to crucify the flesh, in order to see and be with a Holy God.
Paul wrote in:
Gal 2:20-21
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
(NIV)
Many this morning are very satisfied coming and hearing what Pastor has to say to them, but, are unwilling to climb the mountain for a deeper relationship with the Father.
14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.
Oh we will wash our clothes and we will make the necessary preparations and it appears that we want a relationship and a tabernacling with God.
Mark 4:12
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
(KJV)
But the it is the implanted word of God that draws us closer to Him is missing...
The people said you go Moses.
We’re satisfied with just being onlookers.
He scares us.
It may mean that something in me is going to have to die.
I may have to give something up.
In order to climb the mountain of God and be in His presence.
The bible tells me that I am to equip you for the work of the ministry.
But you will have no ministry unless that equipping goes inside of you and takes root, and it will have to be matched by your commitment on a daily basis that says,I am going to leave the plain of the valley and I’m put my foot on the mountain by doing I am saying to the father I’m going to deny myself, I’m going to take up my cross and I am going to follow you.
Phil 3:10-14
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
(KJV)
But you see you have got to send the message to God, you’ve got to separate yourself, you have got to become a peculiar people, you have to want to pursue the unapproachable light wherein he dwells.
You can’t be happy with the manna,
You can’t be sustained with the quail,
You can’t be refreshed with just the river from the rock,
You’ve got to look up on the mountain and say I know who I am here, but I don’t know who I’ll be up there. But in light of the fact that you’re God and I am beautifully and wonderfully made I’ll trust my flesh to the dust of the earth.
But I will only trust my spirit to the God who gave it, so I will begin to march up that mountain in the direction of God, because I want to see him.
Is there anyone here that wants to see him?
So what are we going to do?
What are you going to do?
These words must flow from your heart, I want to see God. I want to know Him.
Many tell me they feel run down all the time and like the enemy has side swiped them.
If you are depressed, anxious, or tired then it is time to head toward the mountain of God where you will rest for your weary soul and strength for weakness.
But you have to be willing to die carnally in order to live spiritually.
We find here is that some of the children of Israel had intermarried with the Egyptians.
They were in bondage so long that they gave in to flesh and tainted the bloodline.
They were tired of being in bondage for 400 years but hey! God had not delivered them like they wanted so why not?
And even when God did send deliverance to them they wanted to go, but the trinkets of Egypt still held them bound, not geographically but in their hearts.
Many yearn for the promise of God; many even look for the promise, yet are unwilling to stand still in his presence.
Ps 46:10-11
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
(KJV)
God in his sovereign grace even delivered every Egyptian that had intermarried and yet believed that the death angel was coming and put blood over the door post, and he called them all the children of Isreal.
But at the base of the mountain they actually seen, heard and smelt the presence of God.
They missed out I believe, because only three of the five senses he gave them recognized that he was God, the other two require that you actually be in his presence and he was on the mountain.
20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount;
Exod 25:8
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
(KJV)
Exod 28:36
36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
(KJV)
Exod 29:45
45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
(KJV)
Exod 29:46
46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.
(KJV)
If you are ready to leave the trinkets of this life behind and follow Him, I want to invite you to run to the Mountain spiritually speaking this morning and find him as your God.
Invitation:
