Most of us have experienced in different forms, the moment when we had to make a presentation before an audience. I remember years ago having to prepare and present projects before my class in school. Nerves were on edge. Questions as to whether the preparation was enough, or would the project be judged fairly, and many other questions raced through my mind.
Paul tells us that there is a presentation we must make every day; it is a way of life. “Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13). Our acceptability is based on our death with Christ having taken place first. There is a transition that takes place when we have died with Christ. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3). My crucifixion with Christ means that “I no longer…live, but Christ…lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Being “brought from death to life” means there is new life in me that can be presented to God, and He will be perfectly pleased with it because it is no longer me, but Christ. Understanding this and beginning each day with this mindset makes a big difference in how I live each day. I no longer live each day just to please others. I live to present myself to God for His pleasure. When I do this, others will be blessed by the way I live. Who are you presenting yourself to?
0 Comments
We want to look at that third request Moses made of God; “Please show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). God’s ways and His presence would not be complete for Moses without seeing the glory of God. Even if a whole nation acted in disobedience and unbelief, these three things would be enough for this leader to move forward in his work and ministry.
There was another feature of these requests that proved Moses was a leader God could count on. He was more interested in having a personal relationship with God than all the other human factors that played into his role. In addition to knowing God’s ways and being assured of His presence, Moses wanted to see something of God that could not change by any conditions Moses found himself in. It was the character of God that would sustain Moses through many more trials and disappointments. Though Moses could see God’s glory only partially, as God hid him in a cleft of the rock, it was enough for the rest of the wilderness years. What about you and me? Do we have the same longing to see the glory of God? How can we see it? John says that God “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory” (John 1:14). Paul proclaims that the “gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God...has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). If we make it our goal to look often at this glory, it will “transform (us) into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (3:18). This is what motivates and sustains any follower of Jesus. What do you want to see? What you seek after will directly affect how you lead others in life and ministry. There was a sensitivity with Moses that was and is, very rare, even today. He did not want to move forward in his ministry without the absolute assurance that the presence of God would be with him.
· “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). It is a very serious danger to assume we have the presence of God with us. Though we have the presence of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can grieve and quench Him to the point that His will is rejected (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). I have been in church settings where I knew the presence of God left because the Spirit was so deeply grieved. I cannot tell you how awful the sense of emptiness and horror that filled my heart in these occasions. The confirmation of this warning is found in Jesus’ letter to the Ephesian church; “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5). The lampstand was a symbol of the presence of Christ and His light (truth). How can we be assured of God’s presence and power through the Holy Spirit? Jesus ordered the disciples “not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). They waited in prayer and the Spirit came in power. If we make our human agendas more important than waiting in prayer, we will proceed with our ideas and miss His presence and power. Be like Moses and the disciples and dependently ask God for His presence. In most cases, this will require humble repentance from an independent heart. The spiritual integrity and blessing of your life and ministry demands that you be serious about this issue. What you do will affect the whole Church! Faithful readers, I apologize for missing another day. The ‘flu brought me very low so it was difficult to function. God’s sufficient grace is helping me to recover. Thank you for your prayers!
Let’s look again at the first request Moses made of God; “Show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight” (Exodus 33:13). Moses is asking God to reveal the “path, road, or way to live” so his fellowship with God might be richer and fuller. This is a constant theme with anyone who wants to walk close to the Lord and be fruitful in their lives. · Abraham – “I have chosen him…to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:19). · Israel – “Keep the commandments of the Lord…and walk in His ways” (Deuteronomy 28:9). · Jehoshaphat – “His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 17:6). · David – “For I have kept the ways of the Lord” (Psalm 18:21). · John the Baptist – “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; John 1:23) · Apollos – “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord” (Acts 18:25). · ___________________ (write in your name) “I will walk in the ways of the Lord.” WARNING: This cannot happen without daily intimacy with the Lord and paying the cost of self-denial. This bring unspeakable, inexpressible joy (1 Peter 1:8). Moses went through many tests in his forty years of leading Israel out of Egypt and through the Wilderness. One of the severest tests he endured was when Moses spent time with God on Mount Sinai. The people became impatient with Moses spending so much time in God’s presence and decided to craft an idol for themselves; a gold calf (Exodus 32). The heartbreak for this leader was beyond understanding – to the point of being willing to be blotted out of God’s book if He did not forgive the people for their sin (32:32).
There was only one person, Joshua, who along with Moses, understood the value of God’s presence and would not leave the tent of meeting where God met with Moses and Joshua. Be sure you have in the circle of your closest friends, those who value the presence of God. Following this devastating action by Israel and the way that Moses interceded and mediated for the people, Moses makes several requests that are distinguishing marks of a godly leader. · “Show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight” (33:13). · “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (33:15). · “Please show me Your glory” (33:18). God answers each of these requests and affirms to Moses that he has found favor and that His presence will be with Moses. The answer to Moses’ third request is most impressive. “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.” (33:21-22). Tomorrow, I will write more about these quotes. For now, I want you to ask yourself; ‘How much do I value the presence of God?’ Due to illness, the normal blog will not be posted today. We value your interest and prayerful support for this ministry. God is at work! Please continue to follow what He is doing among the people groups of the world.
If the Lord will, meet me here tomorrow. Though Moses was an Old Testament saint and leader; though he did not have the Holy Spirit as believers do today, I can only imagine the powerful confidence that was placed in this man when God called him. It began with Moses taking an interest in one small act that only God could do; putting a bush on fire and yet the bush was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-4). “When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses.”” Do you see God at work and take an interest in what He is doing?
God then introduces Himself to Moses in two ways that sealed the call on his life and built a relationship that speaks volumes to the kind of relationship God is looking for in us. First, God connects Himself with Israel’s forefathers. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (3:6). Why did God introduce Himself in this way? He wanted Moses to understand that He was a personal God that revealed Himself to each person that sought Him and wanted to walk with Him. I am purposely skipping over some details to focus our attention on how Moses was going to know God in a very personal way. This would be essential for Moses as he faced very testing events ahead as he led the nation of Israel. Moses wondered what to say if the people asked about the name of God. “What is His name? What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you” (3:13-14). While there is nothing inherently wrong with being sent into missions by an organization or a denomination, consider the authority, confidence and motivation when we know that we are being sent to do God’s work by Him, the self-existent One who was, is and is to come, the God who does not change. This is what inspired Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13:1-4. Such a call carries with it a responsibility to rightly represent the God who has sent us. What is your relationship with God in your call to any ministry, vocation or role in life? We now turn to Abraham who answers the call to be on mission with God. From the moment God called him, Abraham faced many tests to see if he would remain true to God’s call. Along the path, Abraham learned some very valuable lessons that taught him lessons that needed to be learned and reminded him that God was not going to deviate from His promise.
As we get to the last test in Genesis 22, Abraham does not realize exactly what is ahead, but has learned to follow God’s instructions even if they do not make sense humanly speaking. In this personal encounter between God and Abraham, the instructions seemed to go against the very promise God gave Abram in chapters 12 and 15. One of the key features of Gods command was worship in a very personal sense; “Take you son, your only son Isaac…and offer him as a burnt offering” (22:2). As we know from reading this chapter, Abraham followed through because his obedience would mean the blessing of “all the families of the earth” (12:3). “He considered that God was able even to raise [Isaac] from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19). Such faith strengthens obedience! God answers this man on mission with Him with another promise; “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore…and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (22:16–18). The end of being on mission with God through obedience is that we experience greater worship and He confirms the promises that have always been in place. God is thinking about “all the nations of the earth”! Are you? Three days ago, I pointed to the example of Noah and Abram being on mission with God through their obedience. It was not merely an experience, but the purpose and pursuit of their lives.
In this blog, I want to focus your attention on Noah. In an environment that was so corrupt that God determined to bring severe judgment on the earth through a flood, Noah remained unmoved from following God’s instructions in every detail; “he did all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). During the time of building the ark, Noah “was a herald (preacher) of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). This was against amazing odds and no doubt plenty of ridicule. As Noah went through this mission with God – the saving of his family – eight souls, he realizes that had he disobeyed God, they too would have perished. There is a God-given instinct when we are on mission with Him. “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal…and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma (8:20-21). Such worship that flowed out of obedience resulted in God establishing His covenant with Noah and his offspring (9:8). God never forgets His covenant (9:15-16), especially when His servant is faithful to follow through under any circumstances. What will God do if you obey Him, even if the opposition seems overwhelming? You will never know until you first obey. The beginning of John 5 shows that Jesus was not going to work in the confines of religious leaders or their expectations. Healing, in their minds, was not to be done on the Sabbath. When these leaders saw that Jesus had healed a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years, they began to “persecute Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath” (5:16). For them, legalism was more important than setting someone free. Many of us would probably take the opportunity to argue for our rights and liberty we have in Christ to help those who are suffering. Not Jesus. Notice the direction of His response.
“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working”” (5:17). The reason for anything we do in ministry must never be our education, denomination or human authority. Jesus refers to what God His Father is doing “now”, or “a point of time simultaneous with the event” that Jesus just performed. The inference here is that Jesus was joining His Father in the work that He was doing at that moment. Perhaps the greatest challenge we have is in joining God in the work that He is doing at this very moment. I fear that much of our missionary work is the result of human and organizational planning rather than seeking to be “on mission with God” – joining Him where and how He is already at work. If we really want to glorify God in the work He wants us to do, we must join Him! |
Archives
December 2023
Link To Our Old Blog:
|