Divine Encounters, Part 2

If you want to wait. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the nature of an up close and personal relationship with the Lord. God's person with God's this is the alternative with Dr. Tony, author, speaker, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative. People with a vibrant faith are often called on fire Christian today. Dr. Evans will tell us about what gets them lit and keeps them burning as he takes us to Exodus chapter 3 let's join him goal that we individually and collectively will have a divine encounter that we will run smack dab into deity into God that that experience will be life transforming far too many of us have a relationship with God that is more like a flick of a candle than the brilliance of the noonday sun. We have church we have Christian knees with what we really need is a fresh encounter and experience with the most high God that many references in Scripture to men and women who encountered God and I thought we would look at just a few of them and gain some principles and hopefully some motivation to pursue a divine encounter.

One of the most famous encounters in Scripture is the encounter with God by Moses at a burning bush some back story will help us to appreciate qualifying for the encounter.

Moses is pastoring a flock of his father-in-law's. She in the wilderness.

This is the same Moses, who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. It was picked up out of the Nile River about Pharaoh's daughter brought in Pharaoh's house raised as Pharaoh's son and was an heir to Pharaoh's throne but I'm 40 years old. He had a misstep of 40 years old. Even though he had made a commitment to God, he blew it. He decided to go independently of God to take matters into his own hands and to depend on his own expertise and self-sufficiency to accomplish the program of God, of delivering his people, and out of that miscalculation.

He committed murder. Assume that you really can't recover from. Because the person that the citizen against his government. His murderous act was discovered and he had to run for his life. When we find Moses in chapter 380 years old. There is a 40 year gap between his misstep and his encounter past 40 years between his failure and him running smack dab in the God during these 40 years. He's in the wilderness, leaving sheep, he's no longer in the spotlight. He's no longer the man is no longer this March only doggies.

He's an outcast, keeping as far away from Egypt and Pharaoh as possible because his acts have a high price tag.

I wonder whether there is anyone here today who are leaving sheep life is not working out like you would hope it would something happen years ago and you still wondering what she if you could go back and redo it rehashing correct that you would if you could, but you can so you just trying to make it just leaving sheep you just doing the best you can with what you got your trying to make in life and it's been going on a long time. Moses is going on for 40 years from the time of his infraction to the time of his encounter someone to start off by giving you some good news, particularly if you're in a wilderness with some sheep in a dry place. If life has become dull and dreary as you perform your routine day-to-day task.

As you watch the calendar simply go by,, day after day week after week, year after year, decade after decade. The good news is that even though there is a 40 year gap God had not forgotten Moses. If you're still here.

That means there's no hope for a fresh encounter with God. Let's look at this encounter in the really want to look at this encounter is because I wanted to inform your encounter that we are praying that God gives you and me and us. First of all, notice where Moses is, according to verse one. He's on the Westside of the wilderness and he came to the mountain of God, never mountain of God on Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is the mountain where the 10 Commandments were given God's presence would be manifested in a miraculous way. A few chapters from now, but it's called the mountain of God so before he ever experiences an encounter he's in God's vicinity. He's in the mountain of God for a lot of people. One experience with God who don't want to know where you locate if you want an encounter with God you got where he is the mountain of God was his location. The pursuit God's person must mean you're willing to go into God's presence. It says he came to the mountain of God. He did not get the encounter until he reached the location long as we insist on a long distance relationship that is precisely the relationship will have it will be absent of an encounter. Now Moses is what to use New Testament terminology. He is a believer. Here's what we called a a Christian, but he's one without an encounter is one just going through the routine now that he enters into the vicinity of the mountain of God. God's location.

He has positioned himself for an encounter with told that the angel of the Lord appears to him. Now this goes on to tell us that the angel of the Lord is in fact God says and God said so. The angel of the Lord is equated with God, or to put it another way, the angel of the Lord when equated with God is Jesus Christ operating in the Old Testament. He is the manifestation of the second person of the Trinity, who is the spokesperson for the father of the Lord appears to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush. Now Moses in the wilderness he seen plenty of bushes on fire in the dry atmosphere of a wilderness brush fires happen all the time.

This particular fire was unusual because the fire was burning your and the bush was not being consumed.

What caught his attention was the fire wasn't doing what fighters normally do, which is consuming that which is burning God identifies himself as I am the God of your fathers. I have seen the affliction verse seven of my people.

I have come down to deliver them when remember this whole thing started 80 years ago. Moses knew he was supposed to be used of God to deliver the people he knew God had a life he just didn't do it God's way.

Maybe those of us who knew way back somewhere.

God was going do something with my life. Nothing is happened not happening yet we been wandering in the wilderness, God said, I did not forget what I plan for you. I do not forget what I plan my people, but the fact is that you wanted to do with your way so I had to bring you down the earth. You had too much Egypt in you, and often we have too much world and us.

God can't do what he wants to do at the time we think it ought to be done because we are two Egyptian knives is as I remember, I know was going, where was happy with their mom.

Where was happy with you.

I don't know how long you been straddling the God had forgotten what you want he knows what your knows how you got there.

He knows I know you have been so I want you to now go down after 40 years of waiting I want you to set the people free big job for you mold night the program until Moses has an encounter with the person see a lot about one another program. We don't want the person he doesn't get the information about the program. All the plans you want to know God, show me your plan for my life. God is come to the bush. If you do this year to be different than last year and the year before that beautiful that the year before that you got.

Be willing to face the bush and to take off the shoes no more asbestos Christianity because of a big job. I want to go to Pharaoh, would you tell this monster let my people go, is a big job with your secret. When you have an encounter with God. If there is nothing in your life that only God can do, you'll forever be tending sheep. No, God was using is humbling of sheep to prepare him for the leading of people.

So Moses is a question you want me to go to Pharaoh when it already have threatened my life and I've been hiding for 40 years. You want me to go back home where I was raised in.

You want me to tell him to let the Israelites glad that my God that is that what you're telling me because I'm scared than running from these people have a federal problem. I got in Israel problem because they don't want to tell on me. In fact, the Bible says when he killed the Egyptian was beaten up, the Israelites, he looked in every direction to make sure nobody was, it gets reported to Pharaoh that one of his soldiers have been killed is adopted son Pharaoh get this information.

If nobody to be seen only two options. One is never somebody looking at Moses didn't see one option. Moses was accurate that nobody saw that made his own brother totaling so I got a problem, even with my peeps because I will go back and tell them looking like a fool.

God told me to tell you that I'm supposedly it's all out here you you actually want me to go tell them that I've been in Accenture for 40 years and you want me to go back well ask a question. The question asked is what's his name. They're going to want to know what's his name, but Moses said to God. Verse 11 that I should go to Pharaoh. Nobody has to change over 40 you somebody 40 years ago is a man that I should bring the people out that I will be with you. Moses said all I'm going to the sons of Israel stated in verse 13, the God of your fathers and sent me to you.

Now they may say to me what is his name. When you reach me, God in his presence. The amount and you get your contradictory your peculiar thing that doesn't make sense. That's God inviting you to something deeper.

No matter how long you been in this wilderness.

It is God saying there's something else deeper going on here. I'm going to see what you do, not what you say and then I am going to use you for something bigger than you could ever do on your own and with the question comes up, who died and made you balls when the question comes up on the whole, the following are you talking about leaving us out of Egypt. Here is what I want to tell you, tell him I am who I am, then you will say verse 14 to the sons of Israel. I am looking to name his. He says who shall I tell them sent me. You tell them my name and my name is I am that I Dr. Evans will tell us more about the significance of that curious choice of names when he continues his message in just a moment first so I want to tell you about her brand-new book is released. The digs deeper into the stories will be hearing over the next couple of weeks is called kingdom encounters reveals how you can have the same kind of one-on-one experiences with God that you read about in the lives of people like Moses, Daniel Abraham and others willing to help you learn how to set your face on fire and keep it burning. We like to send you a copy of kingdom encounters as I think you gift when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching coming your way on the station along with it will include CDs and instant digital downloads of all eight full-length lessons in his current teaching series divine encounters.

Get the details and make the arrangements before time runs out by visiting Tony Evans.org or call our 24 hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 where team members are standing by to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222 will get back to her teaching time right after this Democrats, Republicans and independents. They all claim God is on their side. Dr. Tony Evans says we all need to line up on God's side. God must alliance if you call yourself a Christian. That's why the Tony Evans training center just introduced an exciting new course. How should Christians vote an in-depth look at what every believer needs to know before stepping into the voting booth.

I don't want to know what God stands on the way. I'm supposed to stand as believers depend on the Bible to guide our lives. This course will equip you to stop changing books when it comes to politics, whether it's ration taxation abortion nation under God connection with the how should Christians vote course will teach a certain spin-talk this election year and make a truly godly decision at the polls. With the help of in-depth content from Tony probing discussion questions access to full-length messages in an online discussion forum where you can ask specific questions and get detailed answers visiting Tony Evans.org today and connect with the Tony Evans training center. The theological word is true, grandma, potential grandma time leaves the four letters for matters in the potential grandma time is four letters with no vowels making it unpronounceable.

The Jews would not try to pronounce, because it was the holy name of God that God gave to himself. I so what they did was they bought some vowels from another name of God. I don't, they took the vials of an eye, inserted it into the tetra grandma time on the four letters giving them the name Yahweh so they would say Yahweh because they can now pronounce it because 9000 when Yahweh gets translated into English. It's Jehovah you and I know the name Jehovah, which is taken from the Hebrew Yahweh which is taken from the four letters with thousands or when they gave him these for matters. What was he saying translated. I am say again that I am I is up personal program. So God identifies himself as a person.

I in creation, God is identified as Elohim Genesis chapter 1 in the beginning God created there.then let there be like all that all of names for God are the word Elohim human speaks of God's power. So he does all these powerful things in Genesis 1 beginning in Genesis 2 verse four and following God's name and you will see beginning in verse one, following the Lord God, the Lord God that speaks of God's relationship is now creating me with whom he has a relationship nano Star Wars sold $10 worth of movies and I know folk talk about May the force be with you but what you need to know when God gives you this name I am is that you cannot have his law.

If you do not want his person.

Here the personal self revealing God is personal. Yahweh lets us know God wants to be related to personally. He just doesn't want to be this.

This impersonal object like the culture has made him an even religion is made in the spirit in which God lives.

Everything is now because he doesn't have a yesterday or tomorrow. Now that's that's a struggle for us in this time and space you have to wait to go to heaven to feel a little bit of that but but for right now, you understand, God is telling Moses I know is 80 years to you but is now to me so I don't care how long you been dealing with time God wants you to know that because he deals outside of time. Therefore, he rolls time and is unlimited. I time you have time now that I myself by me what you want me to be. I am the God who defines himself by himself which means I depend on me to explain some okay we how much you have, where you live where you drive what you where you are not independent. You are a dependent person you are that the from the time you came out of your mother's womb, somebody at feed you. Somebody address you God have a shutdown oxygen UA so that's why there's no sleep what it says is I'm independent there's only one independent person in the universe and that is God because he exists because he exist and he does not need anything outside of himself to be himself because he is not dependent upon anything outside of himself. You all I am. We are all dependent on what why does it want Moses to notice because of this encounter. He wants to know that name because when he runs into this next problem that is getting ready to run into name Pharaoh seek encounter with God that we do not run the problems is run in the 12th run into another problem from an old phone and he said when you run into this problem. Fretwell is the big man on campus. He's the man he's going to frighten you.

Reasonable physical challenges.

These goals scare you but I want you to know that I in the river. You need to know this is when you face Pharaoh big and bad Pharaoh you know somebody who is so self-sufficient that he can be whatever you need when you went up again for your time. I am going to be your delivery. I am going to be your sustainable I am going to be your victory, that I am, so I won't need help to be mean for you.

Which goes back to a thing that we brought over and over again and that is you only have one source you only have one so you way but he is because I am that I am sufficient on but I am really should. Dr. Evans will come back to wrap up today's message just a moment for so don't forget to take advantage of that special offer.

I told you about earlier you get all eight full-length messages and Tony series divine encounters along with his brand-new book kingdom encounters they're both yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help us continue presenting this program every day. Again, this special offer runs out soon so be sure to visit Tony Evans.org right away for details.

You can also get him in person help from a member of our resource team by calling 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222. We expect God to be the one who gets us out of trouble. Not the one who gets us into it next time. Dr. Evans will take a look at why sometimes that's exactly what happens right now though he's back to wrap up our time together with these final comments. Many people want is prevention don't want this person they want. Elohim is, but not Yahweh is I am this, but if you desire an encounter with God. This year I invite you to pursue the mountain of God to get in his presence. I encourage you to not ignore the contradictory things that he allowed you to see you experience and to move closer to him when they occur, invite you to listen to the sound of his voice calling your name and the assignment that he attaches the alternative with Dr. Tony have brought to you by the is made possible by the generous contribution of