For the past two postings of Heart-Thoughts the Lord has continued to speak to my heart concerning INTIMACY and here in scripture we find a tragedy that is prevalent in the church today.
Exod 20:18
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
VERSE 20
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
The scriptures are plain, the people distanced themselves from the presence of God and Moses drew near unto that presence, in other words one ran in and the others ran away.
What is God doing here?
He is calling the Israelites to intimacy, fellowship and communion and the children of Israel stand afar off.
Listen to them as they speak unto Moses,
Exod 20:19
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
You see church even though they did not want to enter in because of fear and unbelief they still understood something very important and that is that only the things that can match up to the character of God are able to stand in the presence of God.
That was the essence of why the Ten Commandments were given to the children of Israel, so that the children of God could see the character of God and in the seeing they could come to the realization of His holiness and be able to stand in His presence by adhering to and obeying his commandments
Listen to what God tells them in
Lev 19:2
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
Lev 20:7
Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Why did they run away?
The Lord has issued a call for his people to draw near and to come to Him.
Why are they running away?
Because they do not want to have to live up to God’s standards, He wants them to rise too a new level, He wants them to aspire to come up and be holy as he is holy,
He is calling them, to bring them to a new place, to draw them unto Him.
James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Ps 145:18-19
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
All that God wanted the Israelites to do when He gave them the Ten commandments was to clean up there act so that they could do more than look at Him from a distance
What God wanted to do was once again walk with them in the cool of the evening as he once did in the Garden of Eden.
He wanted to share his heart with them, to share intimacy and communion with them,
And my friends nothing has changed, in all the years that have passed, in all the things that have taken place in this world, what the Lord still wants is to have intimacy with his children.
And the response that should have come from the Israelites as they were gathered around that mountain was to enter into that intimacy, and the response that should come from the church, from the body of Christ today is, speak with us Lord even if we have to die.
But here is the sad reality of our present age,
Most people who call themselves Christians today do not have a real sense of the abiding presence of God, and the reason that they do not have that abiding presence is the same reason that the Israelites did not have that abiding presence, they refused to clean up the clutter in there lives and if they did desire to have that abiding presence most of them became tangled in legalism.
Exod 20:19
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Now listen to Moses in Verse 20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Moses is saying,
People you do not have to fear God; you do not have to be afraid.
The Lord is only trying to prove you, He is only testing you, the thunder and the lightning is just to remind you of his awesome power and to keep you from sinning.
He just wants you to draw near unto him.
Now let’s read the scripture again,
EXODUS 20:21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Let us get this scenario,
Moses is running toward God and the Israelites are running away from God.
Exod 19:18
And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
VERSE 20
And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
Moses has already obeyed the call of intimacy with the Lord,
He has removed his shoes at the burning bush and has spoken with God, he has obeyed the call of God to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt and to free them from the bonds of there task masters and now we see Moses being summoned to the top of Mount Sinai to be ushered into the presence of the Lord.
In the Lords presence Moses learned something that needed to be brought to the people and that was that there was nothing to fear in the darkness because once you have entered in you are in the presence of God
2 Sam 22:7-14
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
2 Chr 6:1
Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
What did God want to accomplish when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt,
He was making a bride for his Son and he was making a people of God who were not a people of God
1 Pet 2:10
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
God always leads the way by example
Phil 3:17
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Who was the example going to be for the Israelites at that mountain?
It was Moses!
Here is a very important truth,
What God can not get through to leadership He will have a very difficult time getting through to those who follow that leadership
Moses was the example, they saw, they witnessed, they watched as Moses went up in the presence of God, they witnessed the smoke, they witnessed the thunderings and lightnings, they literally saw Moses ascend up into the thick darkness of God and return again to the foot of the mountain.
I believe with all of my heart that when God called Moses to the top of the mountain it was for an example to the people to see there leader enter in so that when the time came they would be able to enter in also without fear.
What is Exodus 20:20 all about?
It is about God wanting to draw his people unto himself, it was about God who used there leader to show them that there is nothing to fear in the presence of God; it was about God desiring to have his people near to him and a people desiring to want to be near there God.
But scripture tells us that they ran away and stood afar off.
I will tell you that the downfall of the Jewish nation began at Mount Sinai in the Old Testament, and the downfall of the Jewish nation in the New Testament began at Jerusalem.
And the downfall to both was when God said come near and be intimate and they said we will not.
Exod 32:1
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Please notice,
Even after all the miracles, after all the drawing and trying to bring this people unto Himself,
Moses disappears into the thick darkness where God is and the Israelites believe that because he entered into the place of intimacy, because he entered into the intimate presence of God it destroyed him.
This was the problem of the Israelites back at Mount Sinai and it still a major problem of the church today
Now turn back to
Exod 20:18
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
VERSE 21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Now what was it that would draw one man towards God and to the rest that were looking on it would drive them to look from a distance,
What is it that would make a group of people afraid of entering into a commitment with God that would bring about real intimacy, communion and fellowship?
What is it that would make us balk at entering into the awesome presence of Almighty God especially when he is calling us to enter in to such a relationship?
Do you want to know the hang up?
Real intimacy requires purity
<strong>1 Tim 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1Thes 2:10
Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
Titus 2:7-12
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
When you enter into the place of intimacy the days of fun and games are over in the church,
What do I mean by fun and games?
I mean low commitment and lots of entertainment and thrills.
Low commitment and entertainment and thrills are better known as dating God
It’s called wanting to be his girlfriend, it’s called wanting all the chills and goose bumps without putting on the ring of
Commitment.
Church I will tell you that God is not interested in girlfriends.
Girlfriends who are looking for all the thrills and chills and excitement of being around Him, girlfriends who like the feelings of being blessed and being in the midst of the anointing, girlfriends who like receiving the gifts, the flowers, the candy and all the blessings.
I am here to tell you that God is not looking for a girlfriend,
He is looking for a bride who will stick with Him who is committed to him, who desires to spend the rest of their lives intimate with Him.
I am afraid that there are too many people in the church who simply follow God to get what they can from Him without giving anything in return.
There is commitment in marriage, there is intimacy in marriage, there is closeness in marriage and there is oneness in marriage and God desires a wife.
Gen 2:24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Let me tell you the message of the hour and the message that God wants to get to his church,
Intimacy
And out of intimacy will come revival and out of the intimacy will come babies,
The babies of revival are always sowed out of the granite rock commitment that is given to the bridegroom and babies are always birthed out of intimacy.
You do not have to worry about babies being born when there is no intimacy.
It’s time to draw nigh, it’s time to drew near and it’s time to be intimate
Heb 7:19
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
The church always says that it wants revival but very seldom do we hear the church say that it wants intimacy and so the outcome is that we seek revival without seeking the Reviver.
Do you know what that is like?
It like some one wanting children and not caring who the father is
It’s like wanting children without the commitment that goes along with marriage
Leaders in the church have wrote countless books on how we are to grow churches,
They will tell you this method, they will tell you that method, they will have there bring a friend days, I have even been asked since I feed and clothe the poor if that helped grow my church.
Because that is the question that is being asked by every one,
What can we do to grow the church?
The bottom line is they want to know how to grow a church without intimate relationship with the Lord.
They have tried to find short cuts they have tried to bypass the intimate relationship process.
Why?
Because they want a bunch of kids sitting in their pews so we can compare with every body else’s church family to see if we are succeeding
Hear me
Children in themselves do not make a household; children are the natural by product of a loving and intimate marriage relationship.
Most of our churches today are nothing more than dysfunctional single parent households with the father missing
What the church really needs is a real relationship with the Father,
When you place a man and a woman together in intimate marriage you do not have to worry about whether or not children are going to born into this family, children are a natural by product of the intimacy
Why is it that the largest revivals that are taking place in the world are not taking place on American soil?
Why is it that over sea’s there is a hunger and a thirst for the things of God and in that hunger and in that thirst God is pouring out His spirit
The reason that the greatest revivals are taking place on foreign soil is because we turned away from the mount of God. we cast aside our morals and our commitment, we no longer hold true to values in marriage and in family values, we no longer hold dear the sanctity of marriage or marriage vows and with that casting aside we lost the true values of intimacy and commitment to God.
God is looking for a bride and most of the church all they want to do is date.
When you turn away from the face of God, when you turn away from the mount of God
When you turn away from commitment to God then every other commitment in your life begins to deteriorate and fall apart as well.
We are faced with a serious problem in the church and the problem is the lack of God’s people who truly are committed to Him as the bride.
Mark 4:3-17
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
One out of four committed to good ground, one out of four
Committed to bringing forth fruit, one out of four
Committed to being a wife.
Do you now see the problem?
We have in the church a multitude of people, who have not much depth,
Who have no root system?
Who hear the word but thorns choke it out?
The sun burns it up.
As long as they can remain in a protected environment and can sit in there air conditioned buildings and in there padded pews, as long as they do not have to endure the wind, the sun or harsh elements, as long as there is no tribulation or persecution, as long as it does not cost them anything.
They can flourish as long as the temperature is correct and everything is just right
(greenhouse effect)
You see people who are really really in love do not gauge there relationship by there job, by their bank accounts, there homes or how they are doing and people who are in love with God do not gauge there relationship with salary, parsonage, church activities or how much fun they are having,
They join with Paul
Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
This is the confession of people in love and in intimate relationship with there Maker,
God is calling
You are at Mount Sinai and God is calling you into intimate relationship with Him today.
If you answer his call he is going to redefine every thing you have ever done, ever known and the decision that you make will determine whether you go forward or backward in your walk with Christ.
Intimacy with God requires brokenness and brokenness births purity and purity brings greater intimacy.
God is calling
1 Cor 15:31
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Do you want what Paul wants and that is to enter into the presence of God every day or are you going to stand afar off
Exod 20:21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.