Exodus 3:1-15

Good morning. Open up your Bibles to Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

! So whether it was planned or not, I don't know, but a lot of the songs and even what

! Aletheia Way was focused on this morning is our topic today.

And how many of you are aware of your need for a great and glorious God today?

And we're all in need of Him, and that never changes.

Just the awareness of our need increases, I hope, day by day, of how much we actually

need God. And I hope that the message today encourages you. It really has me, and I'm not

just kind of saying that because I'm filling in today.

But just a little introduction, like why should we listen? And we all need a great and glorious

God, and we all sang that just a little while ago. And I hope that it was true as it came

out of your mouth, and that you weren't singing nonsense or lies to God. You were genuinely

aware of how great He is. So why listen to this message? But Tozer, in one of his books, said this,

were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to this question, what comes into your

mind when you think about God? We might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.

Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God. And the

weightiest word in any language is the word for God. Yeah, so the greatest thoughts we have,

the mightiest thoughts we have are those that we think about the living God. Our beliefs concerning

Him affect how we live in public and in private behind closed doors. How we manage our days,

how we manage our time, what we do with our time is affected by how we view God. Not just our actions,

but the motives behind our actions relate to how we view the person of God. And God cares about how

we see Him. He cares about how we understand Him. He's not satisfied or okay with warped views of who

He really is. I think for many of us, whether you're married or single, I think one of the greatest

desires you have is you want to be understood. You want people to know you for who you really are.

You hate it when people misunderstand something that you're doing and interpret it in a wrong way.

You want to be understood. And it's no different with God. But understanding who He is can mean the

difference between life or death. And many people in the world, even this morning, are committing

idolatry because they're worshiping a God of their own imagination rather than the God of the Scripture

and the God who says, I am this way and I won't be changed by your opinions of me.

And Jesus said in John 4 that it is possible to worship God in the wrong way. And so we should

pay attention to this time. J.I. Packer in his book, Knowing God, he mentioned three things about

how we think about God. He said, those who know God have great thoughts of Him.

So if we have a very small view of God, if we have a very puny view of God, it will affect our life.

People who refuse to enlarge their view of God will be left in a very pitiful state.

A long time ago, during the Reformation, Luther said to Erasmus,

your thoughts of God are too human. You think that He is just like us. You think that He behaves like us,

acts like us, and you're wrong. So are your thoughts of God, even this morning, too human?

There's enough of the person of God to go around forever, like for our souls to feast on,

and enough of God to fill our hearts and minds with awe and wonder for all eternity.

High thoughts of God keep us humble, dependent, and obedient, and in awe to Him.

David wrote concerning these things in Psalm 139, something I've really been reading a lot of lately.

He says,

beyond reach and beyond our power, like to fully comprehend the person of God.

It transcends in a way that even we can't attain it, and even if we could, we wouldn't understand it.

But don't misunderstand me. God can be known. He can be known. He can be understood.

That it is false to say that He can be fully and exhaustively known.

The finite cannot fully contain the infinite.

And that's where we find ourselves this morning, so it keeps us humble.

So those who know God have great thoughts of God.

The second way, Packer said, those who know God have great boldness for God.

If you truly know Him, if you've been brought near to Him by the blood of Christ,

you can throw yourself recklessly into His mission, into His purposes.

There's no need for fear at all.

So many of us are timid about facing everyday trials in our lives,

and facing anything that has been touched by sin.

We're afraid because we have a small view of our God, or we've lost sight of how big He truly is.

So those of us who have an enormous, glorious view of God,

we can face life without fear, and even death itself.

In Daniel chapter 11, verse 32, it says,

Daniel 11:32

But the people who know their God shall be strong, stand firm, and take action.

That phrase means to strive valiantly, or courageously prevail, or to stand firmly resolute.

That's how understanding God really, truly is, can impact us.

Then lastly, he said, those who know God have great peace in God.

Not a peace that the world gives, as Jesus says,

but when we really understand God for who He is,

our minds are possessed with such a strong assurance that anything could come our way,

and we would be okay, not in our own strength, but in His.

A relationship that we have that's guaranteed by the blood of Jesus,

and His favor towards us.

We have nothing to fear.

Trials come.

Anything come.

We're fine.

So even death is welcomed at the end of the day,

because we have a great peace in God.

So, we cannot misunderstand who the person of God is.

And so just to catch a glimpse of this,

we're going to look at Exodus 3 today,

the encounter of Moses and God on Mount Sinai.

But just the background,

Moses has fled the land of Egypt because he killed an Egyptian that he saw beating a fellow Hebrew.

And he flees to the land of Midian,

which is basically where modern Saudi Arabia is today.

And he kind of lives a very low-key life there,

and is married to a Midianite woman,

and lives in obscurity until he wanders to the base of Mount Sinai.

So there, Moses, God experiences like the God of covenant faithfulness,

and a great compassion to come and deliver his people from the bondage in Egypt.

It's a divine human encounter that we can learn a lot from.

So he faces the person of God here,

and in words that cannot be described,

he is overwhelmed.

So let's read this together.

Let's start in verse 1.

It says,

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

Let's read this together.

And he said, Here I am.

Then he said, Do not come near.

Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt.

And I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.

I know their sufferings.

I have come down to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land to a good and broad land.

A land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

And now, behold, the cry of my people of Israel has come to me.

And I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them.

Come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

He said, But I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you that I have sent you.

When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me.

And they ask me, What is his name?

What shall I say to them?

And God said to Moses, I am who I am.

And he said, Say to this people of Israel, I am has sent me to you.

God also said to Moses, Say this to the people of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.

This is my name forever, and thus I am remembered throughout all generations.

So, I'll stop there.

If that's not enough for us to chew on for a little while.

So, in the Bible, names carry a lot more meaning than most people today in our culture seem to think about.

In the Scripture, the name of a person signifies their character, their ability, their mission,

especially when the name is actually given by God Himself.

So, example, Adam names his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.

And even greater example, the Son of God came into the world, and Mary was told,

You shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people.

So, their names are connected to their mission.

So, names have a lot of meaning.

And in the Old Testament, we just read,

I am who I am in Hebrew is the verb to be or to exist.

So, simply put, and this is overstating the simplicity of this more than likely,

but simply put, God told Moses,

I will be what I will be.

I have always existed, and I will always exist.

I just am.

And we look in a lot of our English translations,

there's a substitute word to throw in, the capital, all caps, L-O-R-D, LORD.

And in the Hebrew, when they read out loud,

they would not read God's precise name,

but substitute it with Adonai.

Where they saw the four-letter word,

Y-H-W-H,

meaning Yahweh.

God's proper name in Hebrew,

used around close to 7,000 times.

A lot of emphasis there.

That's three times as much as Elohim.

That's still a very significant name.

And the aim of this was,

God wants to show that he's not just a generic deity,

that he wants to be known for who he actually is.

So, God's name carries his unique character and his mission.

So, when God said this,

when God said,

I am who I am,

we can somewhat derive a few things of what he actually meant when he said that.

So, here's the first thing.

What is God saying?

What is God trying to communicate to us through his name?

The first thing is,

God is one.

God is one.

This is also called in theological circles,

the unity of God.

But it means that the person of God

is not divided into parts or sections.

In the old,

there's several,

I think two,

old church catechisms and statements of faith

that say,

they call this the simplicity of God.

Not saying that God is simple,

meaning that he's small and unintelligent,

but simple meaning like this is a simple device.

It's not complex.

It doesn't have a lot of parts to it.

So, it means that the person of God

is not divided into parts or sections,

but yet we can see

different parts of God's character

emphasized at different times.

God is all that he is all the time.

Get your head around that statement.

Write it down if you have to.

God simply is all that he is all the time.

And God reveals himself to us in such fullness

that there can be nothing boring about him.

So, let's unpack this a little bit.

How do we relate this idea that God is one

or God is simple to his attributes?

Those of us who have looked into this before,

we know that we've chopped God up

into his attributes,

which is okay.

I'll explain.

But there's the incommunicable attributes,

which means that we as human beings

cannot relate to these attributes at all.

They're only divine attributes.

Things like omnipotence,

omnipresence,

omniscience.

Those are things that we as humans

have no idea about.

We can't touch them.

Only the person of God

possesses those attributes.

And on the flip side,

we have the communicable attributes.

Things like goodness,

love,

mercy.

Those are things that we as humans

can have some taste of in this life,

though we don't perfectly

experience all those things all the time,

obviously.

And how do we relate this to the idea

that God is one?

It means that

every attribute of God

is true of God

all the time.

And to give you an example,

those of you who do read your Bibles,

unlike us,

God is his attributes.

God is love.

He doesn't just occasionally act a certain way.

He is those things.

Example,

God is love.

1 John 4.8

God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12.29

God is holy.

Psalm 99.9

verse 9.

So,

when God demonstrates

his love,

he doesn't cease to be

just and holy

when he does that.

And how many of you do that

when you read the scripture?

You say,

here God is displaying his love,

but he is not being merciful.

Or,

here God is

displaying his holiness,

and so he can't be loving.

Y'all do that?

Like,

he just destroyed

3,000 people.

So,

this surely is just a demonstration

of God's wrath

and God's holiness.

And I'm not telling you

not to do that.

But,

here's what you need to understand.

In those situations,

God did not cease to be

one of his other attributes.

Example,

we read

sections in

the Old Testament

where we see God

judging the nation of Israel

or judging other

people groups

and he,

you know,

annihilates a large number of them.

Well,

in that moment,

we're tempted to think

in that

he is just

displaying his wrath.

But,

he didn't cease to be

a loving God

in that moment.

Let me explain.

Is it a loving thing

to allow

sin and evil

to flourish

and to go on

conquering the world?

It's not.

So,

God destroys it.

So,

in that same act,

God was loving

and he was just

in the same act.

Right?

And,

obviously,

the greatest display

of this is the cross.

And we know that.

So,

when we're thinking about it,

it means that God's attributes

are so connected,

so intertwined,

that he's not separated.

his attributes

are these little

individual components

that we bring together

and that are held together

by a divine superglue,

if you would.

They're not

different components.

It means that

God's goodness

is his justice

and his justice

is his goodness.

Get your head around that.

So,

we want to chop him up

to understand him.

And why do we do that?

It's probably because

none of us can bear,

like,

on our soul

all of who God is

at one time.

So,

he accommodates us

in terms of attributes.

He breaks himself down

in order to show us

who he is,

which is such mercy

on his part.

He can't,

we can't take

all of him

at one time.

As he said later on

to Moses in Exodus 33,

when Moses said,

show me your glory,

Moses said,

I will make,

or God said,

I'll make my goodness

pass before you,

but my face

you cannot see.

No man

can see me

and live.

So,

I can show you

my mercy

and show you

my goodness,

but you can't

fully take

all of who I am.

And so,

you can't bear it

on your soul

or otherwise

it would kill you.

So,

every attribute

of God

is completely

true of God

all the time.

It's so unlike us.

Augustine wrote,

what is my God?

What I ask

but the Lord God.

For who is the Lord

but the Lord himself?

Or who is God

besides our God?

Lord God,

you are stable

yet not supported.

Unchangeable

yet changing

all things.

Never new

yet never old.

Making all things

new

yet bringing

old age

upon the proud

and they know it not.

Always working

yet ever

at rest.

Gathering

but yet needing

nothing.

that's

just a

tiny picture

again

of just how

great our God

is.

So,

he has

accommodated us.

He has

broken himself

down for us

to understand

in his grace.

Kind of like

how a ray of light

comes through

a window

and we

have to

it breaks

itself up

into different

colors

so we can

understand

and see it.

Tiny example.

that everything

in the scripture

from the

tabernacle

to the

temple

is some

sort of

prism

of God

showing us

who he

is.

Breaking

himself

down

for our

finite

minds

to

understand.

Job

said,

Behold,

these are

but the

outskirts

of his

ways

and how

small

a whisper

do we

hear of

him

but the

thunder

of his

power

who can

understand.

God

is one.

That's

one thing

we can

draw

a

conclusion

from

by

God's

name.

Secondly,

we know

that

God is

saying

I am

eternal.

God

is

eternal.

I

am

who

I

am.

I

will

be

what

I

will

be.

I

am

eternal

meaning

that

he

always

has

and

he

will

always

exist.

God

said to

the

apostle

John,

I

am

the

alpha,

the

omega,

says

the

Lord

God

who

is

and

who

was

and

who

is

to

come

the

almighty.

So the

first and

last letters

of

the

Greek

alphabet

saying

that

the

living

God

encompasses

all

things.

He

has

no

beginning

and

he

has

no

end.

Again,

he

doesn't

live in

the

confides

of

time

like

we

do.

He

doesn't

need a

watch

to

understand

what's

happening

in

his

universe.

Successions

of time

are for

us.

He

is not

bound

by

time.

He

sees

the

past,

the

present,

and the

future

as

clearly

as you

and I

see the

present.

It's all

before him.

He is

eternal.

I am

who I

am.

No

one

created

me

and

no

one

has

the

power

to do

what

I

do.

I

exist.

No

one

shapes

my

personality.

I

have

no

beginning

and I

have

no

end.

And

Moses

understood

this.

prayed in

Psalm

Psalms 90:2

90

verse 2,

before the

mountains

were brought

forth,

or you

had formed

the earth

and the

world,

from

everlasting

to

everlasting,

you

are God.

So

all of us

will come

and go

as

generations

before us

have,

but God

will remain.

It's

good.

We can

hang our

hat on

that.

God

is not

going

anywhere.

He

is

eternal.

Thirdly,

God

is saying

that He

is,

pick the

word you

want to

use,

unchangeable

or

immutable.

The

word,

our God

is

unchanging.

I

am

who I

am.

Connected

to this

is God

saying I

am

unchangeable.

I

don't

change.

God

forever

remains

the same

in His

nature,

His

person,

His

mission,

His

purposes,

His

promises,

they all

remain the

same at

all time.

That's

such a

comfort.

It's

just He's

saying to

Moses,

I can't

be anything

other than

what I

am.

I am

God.

Some of

the old

writers used

to say

this means

that there

is no

potential

in God.

He

can't

improve

Himself.

He

can't

pick up

the slack

and become

something

different.

There's

no

potential

in God.

He

fully

fills

His

potential

at

all

times.

He

said in

Malachi,

I am

the Lord

and I

do not

change.

There's

no

force

or

influence

out

here

that

can

come

against

me

and

make

me

be

different

than

who

I

am.

That's

encouraging.

We're

not like

that at

all.

We

change

daily.

Our

attitudes,

our

actions,

our

motivations.

I'm

sure many

of us

can say

something

like,

do you

remember

so-and-so?

She used

to be

such a

kind

and

loving

person,

but when

this

tragedy

happened,

she became

sad and

angry and

bitter.

We

change

and not

always for

the good.

And as I

said before,

it isn't that

God just

has goodness

and has

justice.

He is

goodness

and he

is

justice.

So,

thankful again

in James

1-7,

there is

no

variation

or shadow

due to

change in

relationship

to God.

He promises

to us that

he remains

the same.

So we

can take

him at

his word.

When he

says

something,

he is

true.

He's

not going

to change

his mind.

It's

something that

many of us

are used

to.

We're used

to being

deceived,

lied to,

and we've

also deceived

and lied

to other

people.

But if

God is

unchangeable,

his promises

and his

purposes,

we can

always rely

on.

So,

fourthly,

when God

says,

I am

who I

am,

we can

clearly see

that God

is independent

or self-existing.

God

doesn't need

us or

any other

part of

creation to

be who

he is.

That's a

misconception

in our

modern day.

We feel

like God

created us

because he

was lonely

or because

he was

bored or

he needed

something to

do up

in heaven.

Not so.

And he

gives Moses

this,

I guess,

tiny,

tiny example

of the

burning

bush.

And

as it's

saying,

there's

nothing I

can provide

for you

by way

of analogy

to describe

who I

am and

the very

essence of

my being.

God

needs

nothing,

but we

can enjoy

him and we

can glorify

him and he

delights in

that.

But this

fire that

was in

the bush,

we see that

it was a

very pure

fire.

It wasn't

made up of a

lot of different

compounds to make

a fire.

It just

existed.

No other

energy sources.

It just

had energy

in itself.

And God

was,

again,

trying to give

him just a

picture of

this is

kind of how

I am.

And even

just with

that,

Moses hid

his face

from God

in that

response.

But we're

messed up to

think that

God needs

us.

In Acts

17,

the Apostle

Paul,

when he

was in

Athens,

he said,

the God

who made

the world

and everything

in it,

being the

Lord of

heaven and

earth,

does not

live in

temples made

by man,

nor is he

served with

human hands

as though he

needed anything,

since he

himself gives

to all

mankind life

and breath

and everything.

So,

God exists

freely and

independent from

any other

part of

his

creation.

So,

from

eternity

past

into

eternity

future,

Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit

lived in

perfect

completeness,

joy,

and unity

with each

other.

Perfect

satisfaction.

If you

glance later

on,

go back and

look at

John 17

that we

preached

through a

long time

ago,

but Jesus

prayed to

the Father,

God

said,

I'm

praying for

those

whom you

have given

me,

that they

may be

with me

one day

to see

your glory,

the glory

that I

shared with

you before

the world

existed.

Such joy

and

completeness

in the

Godhead.

So,

God didn't

create us

out of

some

dependence,

but

out of

an overflow,

an abundance

of his

glory and

excellence.

So,

again,

I've just

been reading

Augustine a

lot lately

for some

reason,

but he

said,

what would

have been

lacking in

your goodness,

God,

which you

yourself are,

even if

these things

of creation

had never

existed and

had remained

unformed?

You didn't

create them

out of any

lack,

but out of

an abundance

of your

goodness.

You

ordered them

and turned

them toward

form,

but not

because your

joy had to

be perfected

by them.

Really

incredible

thought that

though God

doesn't need

us,

he created

us,

and he,

it's good

for us,

he takes

delight in

us living

for him.

He can

take delight

in his

creation,

even though

he doesn't

need us.

So,

I could

go on and

say that,

what's that

famous quote

that we

always throw

up there,

everything in

the universe

plugs into

God,

and if he

shut down,

there would

be absolute

nothingness.

He doesn't

need us.

And

fifthly,

and lastly,

God is

saying by

saying,

I am who

I am,

it's

implying that

God is the

creator and

sustainer.

He's the

creator and

sustainer,

inexhaustible

source of

divine power

and energy.

That's what

omnipotence

means,

all powerful,

possessing all

power.

So,

it isn't just

that God

has a lot

of power,

and then

there's all

these other

small powers

that exist

outside of

him.

It means

that he

gives them

power.

He delegates

that power,

and if he

was to take

it away,

they would

cease to

exist.

Christ.

So,

even the

very breath

that we

breathe right

now is

a gift of

God's

sustaining

power in

our lives.

Every

heartbeat,

a gift of

grace to

us.

In

Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter 40,

God says,

have you

not known,

have you

not heard?

The Lord

God,

the everlasting

God,

the creator

of the ends

of the

earth,

he does

not faint

or grow

weary.

His

understanding

is unsearchable.

He gives

power to

the faint,

and to him

who has no

might,

he increases

strength.

So,

God,

by his own

power,

upholds all

the universe

and sustains

us,

and all

energy,

all power

outside of

that,

finds its

source,

in him.

He is

the source

of all

power.

So,

he sustains

us.

Isn't that

just crazy

to think

about,

that you're

going to

walk out

of here

today by

his

sustaining

power,

that you're

going to

go on

this week

and do

this or

that because

of his

grace and

his

sustaining

power.

He doesn't

need to be

recharged or

backed up.

He is the

source of

all our

strength.

So,

those five

things we

can draw.

There may

be more,

but those

things we

can definitely

see when

God says,

I am who

I am.

I will

be who I

will be.

So,

some application

for us.

As we've

been talking

about,

most all

of us are

aware of

our need

for a

great and

powerful

almighty

God.

this journey

probably began

for me in

2006 when

I was in

the hospital

in Atlanta

and I

received news

that I

was a

lot sicker,

more sicker,

not the right

phrase,

that I was

not doing as

well as I

thought I

was.

they had

been running

some of my

tests wrong.

And so,

I was about

to go home.

My bags were

packed.

I was getting

ready to leave

and my doctor

came in and

he pulled out

the papers and

he said,

let me just

look at

something really

quick.

And he

did some

math and

he showed

me,

like,

they haven't

been doing

this right.

Like,

your lung

function is

actually a lot

lower than

we think it

is.

you thought

it was.

And so,

he said,

I need you

to stay

another week

so we can

work on

this.

And at

that point,

that's when I

realized there

was a lot

other suffering

that was ahead.

And in my

hospital room,

I had the

Bible and

I also had

Arthur Pink's

Attributes of

God book.

And that's

the two things

I just kept

storing in my

head.

So,

this isn't

cool,

nerdy,

theology.

This is

truth for

your real

life.

It's truth

for life

and truth

for death

for you

to live

in.

We all

need a

powerful,

sovereign

God.

So,

strive to

know God

as he

is and

realize it's

so hard.

Your feelings

and your

emotions don't

affect the

person of

God.

So hard

to not do

that.

Meditate

on the

person of

God in

his word

and allow

it to

enhance

your

awe

and your

wonder

of him,

your

worship

of him,

and strive

to know

Jesus

Christ,

who said

in John

John 8:57

8,

verse 57,

he was

facing a

hostile crowd.

They were

questioning

him.

so the

Jews said

to him,

you are

not 50

years old

and yet

you say

you have

seen

Abraham.

And Jesus

responded to

them,

truly,

truly,

I say

to you,

before

Abraham

ever

existed,

I am.

And he

used that

name of

God,

like I

existed

before

Abraham.

And as

expected,

they didn't

like that.

I am

Yahweh.

So in

Jesus,

the God

man,

God

accommodated

himself in

the greatest

way possible.

If you

see Jesus,

you have

seen the

Father.

As you

have received

Jesus,

you have

received

the

Father.

God

has drawn

near to

us in

the person

of Christ

for us

to know

who he

is.

Beginning

of John's

gospel,

we have

seen his

glory.

So strive

to know

Christ.

Flip over,

again,

I don't

know if

this is

planned,

but

Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1.

Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1,

we can

see it

in just

verse 15.

He,

being

Jesus,

is the

image of

the

invisible

God,

the

firstborn

of all

creation.

For by

him,

all things

were created

in heaven

and on

earth,

visible

and invisible.

Whether

thrones or

dominions or

rulers or

authorities,

all things

were created

through him

and for

him.

He is

before all

things and

in him

all things

hold

together.

You see

some of

that?

He is

the creator.

He is

the ruler.

He is

the

sustainer.

We see

that all

in these

verses.

And he

became

before

anything

else

came.

He is

the head

of the

body,

the church.

He is

the beginning,

the firstborn

from the

dead,

that in

everything

he might

be

preeminent.

For in

him all

the fullness

of God

was pleased

to dwell

and through

him to

reconcile

all things

whether on

earth or

in heaven

making peace

by the

blood of

his cross.

And there

it's this

idea of

Christ bringing

together

everything

that's been

breaking

apart by

sin.

And it's

also this

idea of a

reckoning,

not just

like to

bring together

reconcile,

but a

reckoning.

We see

that Jesus

is those

things.

So if we

want to

know the

person of

God,

we look

at the

Son of

God.

and he

shows us

who he

is.

Isn't

it

interesting,

just in

closing,

that many

of our

modern day

books and

stories that

are out

there about

people

encountering

the person

of God

have nothing

at all in

relationship to

Scripture.

People are

like, oh,

it was just

a happy

moment,

just me

and God.

So not

what the

testimony of

Scripture

is.

You see

that Moses

was terrified.

We know

that in

all three

Gospels,

Matthew,

Mark,

and John,

there's the,

not John,

but Matthew,

Mark,

and Luke,

where Jesus

is transfigured

before them.

Matthew and

Mark say

that they

were terrified,

which actually

means scared

out of their

wits in

Greek,

scared out of

their mind

when they

saw this

transfiguration.

And then in

Luke's gospel,

it implies

that they

were like

in a deep

sleep.

And could

it be

possible that

it just

describes the

sheer exhaustion

they had

of encountering

this scene,

overwhelmed,

put on the

ground,

where they

lost all

their strength.

And we

know that

John,

who calls

himself the

beloved

disciple,

the same

guy who

Jesus,

he rested

his head

on the

shoulder of

Christ.

Same

disciple.

At the

beginning of

Revelation,

he is

terrified and

cannot even

look at

the Son of

God.

So we

have to

come to

the Scripture

to know

the person

of God.

We have to

pray that

God applies

his truth to

our hearts

and our

lives.

But I

pray that

just seeing

how big our

God truly

is,

is convicting

to you,

maybe even

scares you.

I don't

know where

you are.

You might

need to be

scared out

of your

wits.

Or you

might need

to be

encouraged

that such

a God

stands on

your behalf

and that

you are

made right

with him

through the

person of

Christ.

So we

can stand

boldly

because of

who God

is.

Praise him.

Let's pray

together.