THEORETICAL CHRISTIANITY ISN'T CHRISTIAN:

The Moses Principles:

C) Obedience Gives Us Eyes To See God

And Fills Us With A Greater Hunger For Him

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

~ Exodus 3:12

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I love that verse of Scripture!  Exodus 3:12 is one of my "Bible throwing", verses.  The first time I read it in the Bible I threw my Bible at the wall.  I threw my Bible at the wall, because I knew in my heart, this is the way God works.  Don't ask me how I knew at that moment, but upon reading Exodus 3:12 I knew God works the same way with his Church.  What God is saying to Moses is, "When you have completed all the work I've sent you to Egypt to accomplish, and you are back here, on the mountain, then you will know I sent you."   That is crazy!   Who needs signs when the journey is over?!?!  What if I asked you to come visit me at my house and said to you, "Hey when you get here I'll give you all the directions you'll need"???   You would never bother making the trip.  You would think I didn't really want you to find me, wouldn't you??  But look more carefully at what God says, "I will be with you."  God doesn't offer outward signs and confirmation.  Moses is going to have to walk by faith.  Remember what God says about faith, "We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Hebrews tells us a great deal more on the matter:

“But my righteous one will live by faith.  And I take no pleasure
   in the one who shrinks back.”

~ Hebrews 10:38

It is God with us enabling us to live and do.  God doesn't post road signs like the huge green ones, with huge pointing arrows, we find on Interstates.  Faith in God isn't by sight, hearing, tasting, touching, or smelling.  And faith doesn't come from human wisdom.  People who say, "I'll believe it when I see it," will never see God.  So, once all was said and done Moses would, finally, completely understand all that God had done; as we like to say it today, "Moses had 20/20 hindsight."  Can you see why I threw my Bible at the wall?  (Even if you don't agree with my actions).  I NEED big, bold, easy to read, signs!!  I need a turn by turn and inch by inch GPS!!  Why doesn't God understand my needs?!?!?!  MY BLANKEY???  WHERE DID I PUT MY BLANKEY???  Er...uh...um...that old thing I just needed to find it so I could throw it away!!!  Look! See? In the trash can it goes!

But what happens when Moses obeys God?  What happens with Moses when he and the freed Israelites  get back to the place of the burning bush?

 ¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

 ¹⁹ And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

~ Exodus 33:18-19

There should be two things which stick out from these verses in Exodus 33.  First, Moses has been obedient, and God is pleased with him.  Secondly, God says "I know your name."  What does God mean "I know your name?"  God is saying, "I know you because you have obeyed me."   Obeying God is love for God (1 John 5).  When we love God, or obey God, we are intimate with him.  When God says he "knows our name," he is saying we've obeyed him, are intimate with him, and we please him.  And what is Moses' response to God??   "...Now show me your glory."   WOW!!  WOW!! WOW!!  Moses wants more of God!  Moses is filled with burning desire to see, and know, and have more of God.

The Apostle Paul says it best of all:

 ⁷ "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them shit, that I may gain Christ

~ Philippians 3:7-8

Paul has obeyed God!  We know Paul has obeyed God, because he says, "I have Jesus Christ, and next to him everything else is a steaming, stinking pile of shit."  Yes, the Apostle Paul, under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, says, "Everything NOT Jesus Christ is shit."   The more we obey God, the more clearly we see and know God.  We may not understand God better, but we know him through the intimacy of obedience.   And the more we obey, the more we hunger, thirst, CRAVE God, and he alone will satisfy!!

When Christ followers stand before Christ, with the "goats" to his left and the "sheep" of his flock, on his right, there will be many sad surprises.   What is the keys to being in right standing with Christ, and therefore in the flock on his right? 

1. When God calls, tell God, "Lord God I cannot possibly fulfill, perform, or achieve your call."
2. When God calls, tell God, "Here I am Lord, your unworthy servant!  I will go, as you command."
3. When God has finally brought you through, you will say, without any doubt, you will proclaim, "O LORD GOD! HOW GREAT YOU ARE!  ALL I WANT IS YOU!"

It's all right there in the Bible.  It's been there for thousands of years!  There are no excuses allowed.  There is either, "Yes, Lord I will obey," or "No, Lord find someone else."  

Any questions?

Lonnie