LET’S GO ON A WILD GOD CHASE!
Living Proof Live – Memphis, TN Oct 9th-10th, 2009
Friday Night Session:
Luke 8:22-25 tells the story of Jesus and his disciples on a boat. Jesus fell asleep and the disciples were afraid during a storm that threatened to overcome the boat. They woke Jesus up and he rebuked the storm, to which they said “Who is this?” Despite the time they had spent with him, all they had seen him do and heard him say, they did not really know him at all… In Matthew 13, Jesus told his disciples that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven was given to them, but yet they really didn’t know him.
The theme for this LPL event: Let’s go on wild God chase, a journey where God will reveal Himself to us, to me. In John 14:15-21 Jesus promises that he will send his Spirit, and that “…you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” The word translated “show” here means “to reveal, disclose, exhibit, manifest”. So it is the promise of Jesus that he will show himself, reveal himself, and exhibit himself to those of us who love him and obey him. See also Jeremiah 29:13 that tells us “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Beth asked the question, “Why was John chosen to receive the Revelation?” She believes that it was because of all Christ’s disciples, John was the one who was altered, fundamentally changed, by every fresh disclosure of Jesus. John was present with Jesus at his transfiguration, with him at the Garden of Gethsemane. Beth challenged us to ask ourselves, “…when was the last time you were altered and changed when Jesus showed you something new about himself?”
Key scripture passage for this weekend was Exodus 34:1-7 First, some context: In Exodus 31-33, Moses is on Mt. Sinai, and God gives him the two stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of God with God’s commandments. Meanwhile, the Israelites are growing impatient waiting for Moses to come down the mountain, so they tell Aaron “come, let us make gods who will go before us”, and they form the golden calf. Moses descends from the mountain, and in his anger (that is putting it mildly), he breaks the stone tablets, grinds the golden calf up into powder and makes them drink it. This is followed by a purging where 3000 of them are killed. God then tells Moses to get them together and leave the land, and Moses pleads for God’s Presence to go with them.
There is a great passage here in Exodus 33:14-17 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Aside - Moses must not have been listening because he goes on to say, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (NOTE – this is the thing that distinguishes us today from all the other people on the earth – the Presence of the Living God in us!) God (instead of telling Moses, weren’t you listening???) says “I will do the very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you and know you by name.” Then Moses (in a display of amazing boldness) tells God “Now show me your glory.”
God tells Moses that he, Moses, cannot see God’s face, so God will hide him in the cleft of the rock and Moses can see his back. Now we go on to Exodus 34.
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.
3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain."
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.
5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
This passage, Exodus 34:6-7 is God’s disclosure to us, His description of what He is like. God wouldn't (couldn't)
showMoses His glory, so instead, He tells Moses what He is like, revealing himself through HIs words. In God's words we find 7 things here we will like, and one that we won’t like:
Seven Things We Will Like:· Compassionate
· Gracious
· Slow to anger
· Abounding in love
· Abounding in faithfulness
· Maintaining love
· Forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin
One Thing We Won’t Like
· Does not leave the guilty unpunished, punishing the children and their children to the third and fourth generation
We will cover each of these, starting with the last:
“Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
The Hebrew word used here for “punishes” in the phrase “…punishes the children and their children…” is used 119 times in the OT to mean “visits”, and 31 times for “punish”. Beth pointed us to Ezekiel 18, which describes a righteous man (A) who has a wicked son (B), who in turn has a son (C) who sees the evil his father has done and does NOT commit these sins. This chapter tells us very clearly that the wicked man (B) will “surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head”, but the wicked man’s son (C) “will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live.” Ezekiel 18:20 says “The souls who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him and the wickedness of the wicked man will be charged to him.”
So God doesn’t literally mean that children and grandchildren are punished for the sins of the fathers. Beth explained that what this passage in Exodus 34 is really saying is that the effects, meaning impacts, and consequences, results of sin are
visited on the following generations. Also, 3-4 generations are the most that could possibly live together, and probably did live together as extended families at that time. So the impacts of sin would be felt and shared by the whole family, which would span 3-4 generations and include children and grandchildren.
See also Exodus 20:4-6, where God punishes sin to the third and fourth generation, but shows love to 1000 generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
...to be continued...
