Make It Real!
Exodus 33:11-23
I love the story about the little girl who went to Sunday School. When she came home with her Sunday School papers, she & her mom were leafing through them & they came to a picture of Jesus. Her mother asked, "Do you know who that is?" She said, "Well, I don’t know his name, but I do know he goes to our church."...
Who goes to our church?
One Saturday afternoon a father and his six-year old son Mickey were fishing near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr, the boys grandfather, had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst. When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed
through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits considering what had happened to him.
"Mikey, what happened?" Sheriff Marr asked. Mikey replied,
"Well, Gramps, I was fishin’ with Dad, and some lady runned me
over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin’ pole and I didn’t
get to catch no fish!"
As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and in the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone which had broken in two places. Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise the boy is fine. Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out.
The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash
can.
When they were alone, Mikey, just a matter-of-fact, said, "Gramps, did you know Jesus is real?"
"Well," the Sheriff replied, a little startled. "Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts."
"No," said Mikey. "I mean Jesus is REALLY real."
"What do you mean?" asked the Sheriff. "I know he’s real ’cause I saw him." said
Mikey, still casting into the trash can.
"You did?" said the Sheriff.
"Yep," said Mikey. "When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing
pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle."
Is Jesus that ALIVE to you or is He simply an historical figure Whom you respect but to Whom you cannot seem to relate? In this day when television viewers are enamored with “reality” shows that are unreal, always edited, often manipulated, and even scripted, do we recognize Christ as alive, well, and real? Or are those days long gone?
What will it take to “Make it REAL?”
R- relate
Exodus 33:11
“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”
(NIV)
The people of God had committed a great sin so Moses pitched the TENT OF MEETING outside the camp. The people would have to go outside their comfort zone in order to meet with God. But when Moses would go out to the TENT OF MEETING, the people would rise up and worship. They watched as the PILLER OF CLOUD, representing the very presence of God, would surround the tent and “the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
If our relationship with God is to be REAL, then God and I must RELATE to each other. There is an old song that says it like this:
“and He walks with me and He talks with me
and He tells me I am His own
and the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known!”
When was the last time you and God had a FACE TO FACE talk? Maybe it’s been so long because we know that there is something that God is displeased with us about and we are ashamed (or afraid) to come and have a FACE TO FACE? I have some good news for you:
John 6:37
“... the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
(NKJ)
Today, you can make your relationship with God REAL by having a good ol’ FACE TO FACE, HEART TO HEART talk with Jesus! Get back to relating to Him in a REAL way!
E-eternity
Making it REAL means that I must keep ETERNITY in view.
Eternity has very little to do with how LONG it is; it is more about how MUCH it is worth!
Exodus 33:12-14
“Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, ’Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ’I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
(NIV)
Moses knew the VALUE of God’s Presence! Moses knew he could not make it without God’s help and Presence. Moses knew it was impossible for him to lead the people without a clear sense that GOD was with Him. Moses wanted to know God so that he could make Him known. This was the only way to be sure that he would not fail.
Earlier God had told Moses, “I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way." (Exodus 33:2-3 NIV) Wouldn’t you be satisfied if God said, “I’ll send an angel to be with you all the way. The best representative in Heaven will come to you and go with you. In fact, you won’t have to do anything. The angel I sent will do all the work for you! He will drive out your enemies before you!” Wouldn’t that be good news?
Let’s say you are facing the greatest opportunity of your life – the cushy job you have always dreamed of having. You have hoped this day would come, prayed for it, told everyone that you could do this job better that the so-and-so who has had it before, and now the day has come. The big boss calls you in and asks if you would be interested. Would I be interested?!?!? Does it get hot in Louisiana in the summer? Of course I’d be interested!
But wait, there is one thing you forgot to consider?
“Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15 NIV)
Moses said in effect, “This is great, Lord, but I’ve got to know that YOU are leading, YOU are teaching, YOU are in this whole thing! I’ve got to have YOUR PRESENCE!”
How much do you VALUE God’s Presence in every moment of your day? Do we make sure ETERNITY is at the center of our EVERYDAY? Moses sought God’s PRESENCE! Do we? Making it REAL means making sure that we are doing the WILL of GOD so that we might know the PRESENCE of eternity in everyday!
The poet, Ralph Cushman, said:
I met God in the morning
When the day was at its best
And His PRESENCE came like sunrise,
Like a glory within my breast.
All day long, His PRESENCE lingered.
All day long, He stayed with me!
And we sailed in perfect calmness
Over a very troubled sea.
Other ships were torn and battered.
Other ships were sore distressed.
But the wind that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest!
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I, too, had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.
So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way;
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.”
A-available
When we make ourselves AVAILABLE to the Lord, He becomes REAL to us and those around us!
Exodus 33:15-17
“Then Moses said to him, "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?"
And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
(NIV)
Exodus 34:29-30
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. (NIV)
Saints never know they’re saints. They’re so busy talking with God to look in the mirror. The same moles and wrinkles are there, but contact with the Eternal has given them a borrowed glory. Divine conversation has left a residual luster. The saints are not conscious that they are different, but the dark world is quite aware of the light which has invaded it. The world does not need to ask, “Have you talked with God today?” but only, “What did He say?”
When we get REAL with the Lord, we will look like it! His glory will be REAL to those we come in contact with. Those who see us may not understand what has happened to us, but they know something has happened! Or maybe SOMEONE has been with us!
And just in case you consider Moses’ experience a once in a lifetime event and something that is not REAL today, notice...
Acts 4:13
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
(Acts 4:13 NIV)
When God makes it REAL, He also makes it LASTING!
L-lasting
Exodus 33:18-23
“Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
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. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
(NIV)
Moses asked to see God’s GLORY; God displayed His GOODNESS. When we recognize the GOODNESS of God, His GLORY will become real to us. God’s GLORY is reflected in God’s GOODNESS.
When people see how good God is, to you, in you, through you, they will be drawn to want what you got!
Rom 2:4
“...the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
(KJV)
