God speaks to His people. When He speaks, what does He reveal? Through out Scripture, when God speaks, it is to reveal something about Himself, His purposes, or His ways. God’s revelations are designed to bring us into a deeper love relationship with Himself.
1. God reveals Himself - vs. 13-15
When God spoke to Moses, He revealed His name - "I Am." He revealed Himself to be adequate for whatever Moses needed. Likewise, when God speaks by His Spirit to us, He often reveals to us something about Himself.
God speaks when He wants to involve us in His work. He reveals Himself in order to help us respond in faith. A person can better respond to God’s instructions when he believes God is who He says He is and when he believes God can do what He says He will do. Moses needed to know that God was sufficient for his every need if he was to be able to respond to the task God called him to, as he should.
What God reveals about Himself is critical to what task He calls us to. In responding to God’s call, we face a "crisis of belief." At that time, we must remember what God has revealed about Himself so we might proceed by faith. Let’s think about how what I believe about God impacts my walk of obedience.
A. I believe God is who He says He is.
B. I believe that God can do what He says He will do.
C. I adjust my thinking in light of this belief.
D. I trust that God will be true to who He is when I obey.
E. I obey the call of God.
Faith is action based on my understanding of who God is and the certainty of what God will do!
“It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6 (The Message)
How many stars are there? Astronomers don’t know. They simply assure us that the cosmos con¬tains more stars than can be num¬bered. Billions for sure - probably trillions!
Figures like that are hard for us to grasp. Even a million is mind-boggling. If you were counting a mil¬lion $1 bills at the rate of 60 a minute for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, it would take you nearly 7 weeks to complete the task. At the same rate it would take over 133 years to count a billion dollars.
"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." - Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)
So if we ever wonder whether God is able to carry us with all our burdens, let us remember that He is the sover¬eign of the stars. Surely He who is the guide of the galaxies can deal with our situations. If the skies are clear tonight, look heavenward and be thankful that the God who calls each star by name knows, loves, and cares for you. God not only knows the stars by name, but He knows you by name.
“What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows. And I assure you of this: If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man, will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God’s angels.” - Luke 12:6-8 (NLT)
The Lord knows each of His children by name, which is why Jesus, in telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus, did not mention the rich man’s name. Jesus did not know him by name, because he had never acknowledged Jesus as His Savior (see Luke 16:19-31)! What a privilege it is to have a personal relationship with God and for Him to know me by name; a now He invites me to know Him by name!
(Show video clip - “that’s My King!”)
2. God reveals His purposes - vs. 7-9
God reveals His purposes so we will know what He plans to do. If we are to join God, we need to know what He is about to do. What we plan to do for God is unimportant. God speaks with a purpose in mind. When God came to Noah, He did not ask what Noah wanted to do for Him. God told Noah what He was about to do and called Noah to adjust his plans to the work of God.
This sequence is seen through-out the bible. When God was about to do something, He took the initiative to come to His servants to reveal His plan and purpose.
“Whatever the LORD God plans to do, he tells his servants . . .” - Amos 3:7 (CEV)
By contrast, we often set about to dream our dreams of what we want to do for God. Then we make plans based on priorities we have set. What is important is what God plans to do where we are and how He wants to accomplish His work through us.
“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”“ - Psalm 33:10-11 (NIV)
“There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel - that will stand.” - Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
This does not mean that planning is wrong. But it does mean that as we plan, we must be careful to make sure the Lord directs us in our planning. Planning is a tool God can use, but it must never become a substitute for God. God wants us to follow Him daily, not a plan. As we follow Him, then we can plan appropriately. Noah planned according to the revealed purpose of God; and we can do the same!
“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” - Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified)
Planning is not all wrong. We must just be careful to make sure the Lord guides us in our planning, which means that you must…
Let God interrupt your plans any time He wants!
We must remain in close fellowship with God so that we can always hear His voice and He speaks to us and see His hand as he directs us. Note the example of Paul in Acts 16:6-10.
“His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).”
- Proverbs 3:32 (Amplified)
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” - Matthew 5:8 (NIV)
“Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” - Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
3. God reveals His ways - vs. 16-22
After God revealed His purpose to Moses (what), He revealed His ways (how & when). God speaks to reveal the same to us. Even the casual reader of the Bible can see that God’s ways are different than man’s ways.
“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.” - Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Message)
Our ways often seem good to us. We may even accomplish some moderate success when we try to do God’s work in our way. However, if we want to see God’s mighty power at work and experience Him in the way He desires to make Himself known to us, we must seek to do God’s work God’s way! God uses kingdom ways to accomplish kingdom purposes. Consider the example of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in John 6:5-14.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
- Proverbs 16:25 (NIV)
“You’re off base on two counts: You don’t know your Bibles, and you don’t know how God works.” - Matthew 22:29 (The Message)
Our plans and purposes must be God’s or we will not experience his working through us. God reveals His purposes so that we might know what He plans to do. Then we can join Him. His plans and purposes will stand, they will prevail. Therefore, if we want to experience God’s power, we must seek to follow God’s plan with respect to fulfilling God’s purposes. In other words, God’s power is only at work among those who seek to do God’s will, God’s way!
Our desire should be that we live and work in such a way that only God could get the credit for what is done. If that is our desire, then we must be careful to receive God’s direction and do His work, His way.
“Let us keep in step with the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:25 (NIV)
Conclusion:
“The philosophies of men fail; but the Word of God
in the demonstration of the Spirit prevails.” - Samuel Chadwick
