Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
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so let me make something inextricably
clear you cannot have an encounter with
God if you’re unwilling to deal with sin
if you’re unwilling to acknowledge it
repent of it if you’re unwilling you
can’t get to the
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far too many of us have a relationship
with God that is more like a flicker of
a candle than the brilliance of a
noonday Sun we have Church we have
Christian ease when what we really need
is a fresh encounter and experience with
the Most High God one of the most famous
encounters in Scripture is the encounter
with God by Moses at a burning bush some
backstory will help us to appreciate
qualifying for an encounter
Moses is pastoring a flock of his
father-in-law’s sheep in a wilderness
this is the same Moses who grew up with
a silver spoon in his mouth he was
picked up out of the Nile River by
Pharaoh’s daughter brought into
Pharaoh’s house raised as Pharaoh’s son
and was an heir to pharaoh’s throne but
at 40 years old he had a a misstep and
forty 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
a sin that you really can’t recover from
because the person that the sin is the
gangsta’s gone his murderous act was
discovered reported on and he had to run
for his life
when we find Moses in Chapter three he’s
80 years old
there is a 40-year gap between his
misstep and his encounter there’s 40
years between his failure and him
running smack dab into God during these
40 years he’s in a wilderness leading
sheep I wonder whether there’s anyone
here today who are leading sheep and by
that I simply mean life is not working
out like you had hoped it would
something happened years ago and you’re
still wondering with sheep now if you
could go back and redo it rehash it
correct it you would if you could but
you can and so you’re just trying to
make it you’re just leading sheep you’re
just doing the best you can with what
you got
and you’re trying to make it life and
it’s been going on a long time Moses has
gone on for 40 years from the time of
his infraction to the time of his
encounter so I want to start off by
giving you some good news particularly
if you’re in a wilderness with some
sheep if you’re in a dry place if life
has become dull and dreary as you
perform your route
day-to-day tasks the good news is that
even though there’s a 40-year gap that
God had not forgotten Moses so if you’re
still here that means there’s still hope
for a fresh encounter with God and the
reason we want to look at this encounter
is because I wanted to inform your
encounter that we’re praying that God
gives you and me and us first of all
notice where Moses is according to verse
1 he’s on the west side of the
wilderness and he came to Horeb the
mountain of God
now the mountain of God or Horeb is
Mount Sinai
now Sinai is the mountain where the Ten
Commandments were given where 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 see a lot of people
wanted experience with God who don’t
want to hang out with where he’s located
if you want and encounter with God you
got to hang out where he is the mountain
of God was his location the pursuit of
God’s person must mean you’re willing to
go into God’s presence the mountain of
God you’ve got a it says he went to the
Mount he came to the mountain of God he
did not get me encounter until he
reached the location so as long as we
insist on a long-distance relationship
that is precisely the relationship
half it will be absence of an encounter
now Moses is what to use New Testament
terminology he is a believer he is what
we would call today a Christian but he’s
one without an encounter
he’s one just going through the routine
but now that he enters into the vicinity
of the mountain of God God’s location
he has positioned himself for an
encounter we’re 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 because it says and God said
them 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 the angel of
the Lord appears to him in a blazing
fire from the midst of a bush now Moses
was in a wilderness he’s seen plenty of
bushes on fire in the dry atmosphere of
a wilderness brush fires happen all the
time but this particular fire was
unusual because the fire was burning and
the bush was not being consumed let me
say that again he saw a fire that is not
what caught his attention what caught
his attention was the fire wasn’t doing
what fires normally do which is consumed
that which is burning let me say this
another way what he saw was a
contradiction he saw something taking
place
outside of the norm one of the ways you
know you’re on the precipice of an
encounter with God is when he presents
you a contradictory situation Moses said
I must turn aside now and see this
marvelous sight why the bush is not
burned up he didn’t skip it he
investigated it further he said I’ve got
to understand what’s going on now
because this doesn’t make sense
many of us have missed an encounter with
God because we ignored the contradiction
so he turns aside I love verse 4 when
the Lord saw that he turned aside to
look God called him God did not call him
until he responded to the contradiction
there’s a biblical principle that is
stated in the New Testament that simply
says when you respond to what God has
done he will give you more he that hath
more will be given he that does not have
that which he has will be taken away
which is another way of saying when God
shows up don’t ignore it respond to it
and He will give you more for God is not
about to waste his glory when God saw
him turn aside it says he called him
from the midst of the bush and then God
speaks to him and says Moses Moses we
call that a Rhema word this is when God
calls your name this is when you know
he’s talking to you perhaps you’ve been
in service and the
sermon was for everybody but you heard
it for you it was though you are the
only person there and you knew God was
talking to you in your circumstance
that’s a Rhema word it is an utterance
with your name on it the question is do
you hear it for you you hear God calling
your name in the situation you’re in in
the wilderness that has been an extended
place for you because there is a
contradiction that does not make sense
he says Moses Moses if you are seeking a
personal word for God this year in your
personal wilderness in your personal
circumstance then you must be in his
presence you must respond to the things
that don’t make sense until you hear him
call your name to be in his presence and
prayer and the word positions you in the
mountain of God Moses says Here I am
you called me and I’m not running from
you I’m running to you I’m here and now
the Lord gives him more information
because he responds to his name being
called do not come near here remove your
sandals verse five from your feet for
the place on which you stand is holy
ground
now if you’ll read this to fast it would
be easy to miss something God is
speaking from the bush
Moses is standing on the ground Moses is
told don’t come to the bush take off
your shoes where you are because you in
my territory right now you and my
vicinity so the holy ground
he wasn’t the bush the holy ground was
the place he was standing which wasn’t
the bush I’m not gonna let you get this
close to the fire
what’s your shoes on so let me make
something inextricably clear you cannot
have an encounter with God if you’re
unwilling to deal with sin if you’re
unwilling to acknowledge it repent of it
if you’re unwilling you can’t get to the
bush cuz before you ever get to the bush
you gotta be willing to take off your
shoes the accumulated dirt because this
is holy ground holy means to separate it
something that sacredly separated I want
to separate you from your sin so that I
can give you an encounter with the holy
one he spoke to Moses in a contradictory
situation using an ordinary object see
the bush was already there it’s the
ordinary bush that’s been invaded by a
supernatural presence so I don’t know
how God is gonna meet you but any old
bush will do they can use the most
ordinary thing and set fire to it to
create the most ingenious contradictions
in order to man
fest himself God identifies himself as I
am the God of your father’s I have seen
the affliction verse 7 of my people I
have come down to deliver them now wait
a minute wait a minute what’s going on
here well 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 hand on his
life he just didn’t do it God’s Way that
maybe those of us who knew way back some
where God was going to do something with
my life but nothing has happened not
happening yet we’ve been wandering in
the wilderness God says I did not forget
what I planned for you I did not forget
what I planned for my people
but the problem back then is that you
wanted to do it your way so I had to
bring you down to earth you had too much
Egypt in you and often we have too much
world in us so God can’t do what he
wants to do at the time we think it
ought to be done because we are we’ve
been to Egyptian eyes now he doesn’t
tell him the program until Moses has an
encounter with the person see a lot of
folks want to know the program who don’t
want the person it gives them a big job
I want you to go to Pharaoh and I want
you to tell
this monster man and let my people go
that’s a big job let me tell you a
secret when you have an encounter with
God if there’s nothing in your life that
only God can do you’ll forever be
tending sheep he didn’t know but God was
using this humbling of sheep to prepare
him for the leading of people so Moses
has a question he has a question Moses
has a question he wants to know now you
want me to go to Pharaoh where they
already have threatened my life and I’ve
been hiding for 40 years not only do I
have a Pharoah problem I got an Israel
problem because they the ones who told
on me in fact the Bible says when he
killed the Egyptian who was beating up
the Israelites he looked in every
direction to make sure nobody was seeing
him he kills the Egyptian it gets
reported to Pharaoh that one of his
soldiers has been killed by his adopted
son Moses
how did Pharaoh get this information if
there was nobody to be seen there’s only
two options one is there was somebody
looking at Moses didn’t see twenty
option but let’s say Moses was accurate
that nobody saw him that mean his own
brother told on him so I got a problem
even with my peeps
cuz I’m gonna go back and tell them
looking like a fool God told me to tell
y’all then I’m supposed to lead y’all
out of here you you actually want me to
go tell them that I’ve been in absentia
for 40 years and you want me to go back
and tell you I have this correct guard
well they’re going to ask a question and
the question they’re going to ask is
what’s his name they’re going to want to
know what’s his name
God says them but Moses said to God
verse 11
Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh I’m
nobody
well that’s a change over 40 years
because he was somebody in 40 years ago
he was a man that I should bring the
people out he said I’m gonna be with you
Moses said Behold I’m going to the sons
of Israel say to them verse 13 the god
of your father’s have sent me to you now
they may say to me what is his name Who
I am then you will say verse 14 to the
sons of Israel I am have sent you what
kind of name is that he says who shall I
tell them sent me you tell them my name
and my name is I am that I am not only
am i define myself by me there’s only
one independent person in the universe
and that is God because
he exists because he exists and he does
not need anything outside of himself to
be himself
because he’s not dependent upon anything
outside of himself you are all I am we
are all dependent on him well why does
he want Moses to notice name because of
this encounter he wants to know him to
know that name because when he runs into
this next problem that he’s getting
ready to run into name Pharaoh see
encounter with God that mean you’re not
running into no new problems he’s
running the tour he’s running into
another problem from an old foe and he
says when you run into this problem
Pharaoh is the big man on campus James
Bond Keynesian he’s your number one man
he’s the man he’s gonna threaten you
he’s gone he’s gonna challenge you he’s
gonna scare you but I want you to know I
am that I am and the reason you need to
notice is when you face Pharaoh big and
bad Pharaoh
you’re gonna have to know somebody who
is so self-sufficient that he can be
whatever you need when you run up
against Pharaoh so I am gonna be your
power I am gonna be your deliverer I am
gonna be your sustainer I am gonna be
your victory I am that I am so I won’t
need help to be me for you which goes
back to a theme that we’ve gone over and
over again and that is you only have one
source
you only have one source
I am so you ain’t but he is cuz I am
that I am I am the sufficient one but I
am personal there therefore relational
many people want is provision who don’t
want his person they one Elohim his
power but not Yahweh his 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 allows you
to see or experience and to move closer
to him when they occur I invite you to
listen to the sound of his voice calling
your name and then the assignment that
he attaches to the call
you
you know catch-22 or when you’re between
a rock and a hard place that’s a great
spot to encounter God that’s exactly
what happened to the children of Israel
and they were caught between the Red Sea
and Pharaoh’s army they couldn’t go back
they couldn’t go forward it looked like
they were trapped guess what it was a
trap set up by God himself so that God
could give his people a fresh and health
who is and what his power is like when
it gets manifested so if God’s got you
trapped
you don’t know which way to go and every
direction you look in there is no place
to go look up because God is preparing
you to run smack dab into his greatness
his power and his deliverance he’s
preparing you for a divine encounter at
your Red Sea or have you been changed by
Pharaoh God wants to let you see what it
looks like when he opens up away
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you
you