What possible connection could there be between Moses' ascent of Mount Sinai 3,500 years ago and your Christian walk today?
Well, stay with us. Listen. and learn. You're listening to Until He Comes, a blend of prophetic and practical biblical studies with Dr. Greg Hinnant, author of The Second Coming of Christ, His Appearing, His Return, Our Preparation.
And now, author and teacher Greg Hinnant. Welcome to the broadcast. Today we're going to continue talking about the devotion of discipleship. In our previous lesson, we defined a New Testament disciple of Christ We said that the disciple is one who is deeply serious. irrevocably committed, self-disciplined.
and a student follower of the Son of God. This is a true New Testament disciple. We also saw that there were different degrees of knowing Christ Seen in the New Testament in the pre-church era. That is, before. Christ's blood was offered in heaven, the Spirit was sent down, and the church officially began on Pentecost Day.
We identified them, the larger crowds, the local crowds, then the body of disciples that followed Jesus. There were hundreds and sometimes thousands. Then the seventy who had some special service, the twelve who had constant intimacy with Him, and then the inner circle, who had access that the other nan did not, and then Peter, who was always asking questions for the others, and finally John who leaned on Jesus' breast because That gesture indicated he wanted to know what was in the heart of God. Fran, do you want to know what's in God's heart? Your life depends on that.
Oh, you may be saved, you're going to heaven, that's good. But we're not talking about that. We're talking about building an intimate knowledge of God. God is calling for thirsty, hungry Christians who want. to have a different experience of Christianity.
He's calling us. He's calling us to a closer walk, but he begins with desire.
Now, John listened to the heart of Christ, and therefore he came to know his heart. And I think that's been reflected very accurately and profoundly in the Gospel of John. You know, it's quite different. than the synoptic gospels. Oh, they're wonderful, they're inspired.
But there's a profundity There's a spirituality, there's a depth. About the words that John penned. about Jesus and his works. and his words And then John had three wonderful epistles that he wrote to tell us about darkness and light. And love Real love, God's love.
And of course Greatest of all is the revelation. That awesome revelation of the risen, glorified, and empowered Christ returning. that we see There. The Revelation caps all Biblical pro prophecy, Old Testament and New. And John was given this rich Fruit.
I think we see there are seven different degrees of knowledge of Christ. and consequently seven different degrees of usefulness or fruitfulness in Christ.
Now we want to turn and look into the Old Testament. And here we're going to see a wonderful, rich example in the life of Moses and the Hebrews. In the wilderness. There. We see they had one salvation, all had been saved by the blood of the Lamb in Egypt.
But they had three degrees. of knowledge of Yahweh. Our text is Exodus 24. versus one and two and then nine through eighteen. And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off And Moses alone shall come near the LORD But they shall not come near, neither shall the people go up with him.
Now, this is interesting because the Lord ordered. Moses and the seventy to ascend the mount, But he was forbidding The rest of the people from coming up.
Now, why is this?
Well, the reason is because in Exodus 20, when he appeared. and spoke the commandments to the people audibly. they cried out that they didn't want to hear his voice directly. They said that he could speak to Moses And Moses could speak to them. God Deferred to their choice.
Because they did not want to have an intimate knowledge of him and hear his voice. First hand. He said, All right. You're not going to come near me. you will know me at a distance.
Now we'll read in verse nine. Then went Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God. at Israel. Oh, this is an amazing Experience. They saw the God of Israel.
And there was under his feet, as it were, a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were, the body of heaven in its clearness.
Now the New Century Version says Under his feet was a surface that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the sky. What an experience What a sight And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand.
So we are here told by the sacred text that God did not kill them, though they had seen him. Personally. Visually Not a vision, but an actual sighting of the Lord. And they also saw God and did eat and drink.
So they had communion, as it were. On the sides of the mounts And then the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there, and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them. Wow Here is the central verse we want to focus on here to day Come to me into the mount and be there. God was saying to Moses, come up to the summit of this mount, And when you get there, Don't rush off. Remain in my presence.
And if you do, I'm going to give you something. And he did give Moses something. We're going to talk about that in a moment. You come into my presence. And respect me by remaining in my presence at my feet, ready to attend upon my every word, and then I'm going to give you something.
If you're a pastor and you're listening right now, let me encourage you to spend Plenty of time in God's presence, particularly early in the morning when it's quiet and you're freshest and ready to receive from God. And if you will do this habitually, God's going to give you things.
Now he won't give you stone tablets with Ten Commandments Etched in them. No. But he's going to give you messages from that word that are so alive and timely. Your people. Will be stunned by the timeliness of the word that you are delivering.
The same for any Bible teacher, writer, professor. This is true for everyone who ministers. In the name of Christ. Go into his presence and don't rush there. Don't rush off.
Be quiet. Turn off your cellphones. Turn off every noise maker. Be alone with him. Sitting at his feet, imbibing his word Worshiping Him.
praying unto him. This is a transformative experience and lifestyle. This is what we're talking about today. A New Testament disciple should be a Moses. A Moses one who comes up into the mount of God every morning Stays there.
And receives a life-changing message first for himself or herself. And then for others. And Moses rose up and his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mount. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you and behold, Aaron and her are with you. And if any man have matters to do, let him come unto them.
So we see Moses was not irresponsible. Before he spent this extraordinary time on the mount, he delegated all necessary authority to others who were able to handle it.
So, seeking God in an extraordinary way is never an excuse for. Irresponsibility. And Moses went up into the mount. and a cloud covered the mount.
Now this mount this summit was seven thousand five hundred feet. Quite a height for an eighty year old man. And the glory of the Lord oppode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six times. days.
So for six days God said nothing, and Moses sat or walked quietly in the presence of God. What was going on? God was preconditioning him. calming his restless human spirit, So that his still Hart could hear the still small voice. of God.
And then the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the mount. Friend, God is calling to you today. Calling by His Spirit. He's calling you to deeper Christianity. He's calling you to a closer walk.
He's calling you to bear much more fruit for Him through this extended and increased intimacy with Him. If you will respond. Not only will you be changed, but many others through you. Only God knows. How many people's lives Might be changed through you, yes, you.
If you respond to this message, he's calling you today, just like he did Moses. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And you know, when we spend time in the presence of God, God who is a devouring fire, that fire. Fiery Holy Spirit. will consume our flesh until it no longer dominates us.
But we are free to be controlled by the loving, generous, liberal Holy Spirit. Free to obey the word of God and the call of God and the guidance of the Spirit. And Moses went up into the midst of the cloud, and got up into the mount, that is the summit. And Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Now, if my mathematical calculations are correct, that was nine hundred and sixty consecutive hours. In the presence. of God. Now let's see three different levels of intimacy and consequent fruitfulness in this example. First, the congregation.
They remained afar off. They never drew near God Thus their knowledge of him was second hand and shallow. Very limited. They only recognized his acts. They didn't know his nature or his character.
Psalm one and three seven says, He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. And I would add, instead of creating fruitfulness for the kingdom of God, They created trouble. For Moses and God, time and again they murmured, they complained, they rebelled. They cause trouble. Then there were the seventy elders.
As we just read, they sought God briefly they ascended the mount half way. They stopped short. In their quest. of devotion.
So they knew God personally, truly, first hand. but with limitations, and so bore little fruit. They helped Moses somewhat as tribal and family hits. judges of Israel. But they were not.
nearly as fruitful as the men Moses.
Now Moses Went up to the summit. and experience sustained Time in the presence of God. And through this sustained intimacy, his knowledge of God was personal and deep. This experiential knowledge. Friends, we're not talking about merely textual knowledge of the Bible.
We're talking about an experience of God. That comes forth From a life of studying the Word of God and seeking God. as Moses did. with sustained effort. And Moses bore tremendous fruit.
Listen to this for a moment. He led the Exodus. The greatest movement in the history of the world to date. He received the law. that awesome Torah meaning instruction.
the first five books of our Bible. to give to Israel, to show Israel God's mind, His will. What he loved What he hated. The way he wanted to be worshipped It was all in this law that God gave to Moses. In this sustained fellowship.
And then he gave him the plan for the tabernacle. The place of worship?
So in effect Moses received a plan for God's people Yeah. And then he built that temple. That tabernacle. He led Israel for forty years, forty years with two to three million. or in a difficult Saved but troubled people.
What a pastor he was. He executed plagues. on Egypt and the Pharaoh. He was a miracle worker. He wrote the Pentateuch.
He was a writer. He was a scribe, a man of pen and ink, And then Above all, His ministry brought down. the glory. You see, because he went up so often, God came down. not only upon him, But the glory of God.
rested among God's people. Oh, what an awesome scene it was to see the Hebrews trekking through the wilderness with the cloud of glory over them. a fire by night to warm them That during the night Two. Keep them. aware that God was in their midst.
No other nation had the Chicana glory. Only Israel. And it was because the man Moses Spent sustained time with God. What might God do? In your life or ministry, my friend.
If you take this message, Seriously.
Now let's look at Christians today and make an application. Questions today? All have one salvation. We're all saved by the same grace, by the same blood, by the same Savior, by the same cross. By the same faith, But there are at least three degrees of knowledge evident among Christians.
Now just as there were Hebrews of the plain, those of the mount. The elders of Israel, and then those of the summit, Moses. In the same way, their Plain Christians, Mount Christians, and Summit Christians. Plain Christians are those who abide afar off from Christ. All they're saved, they ask Him to save their soul.
But they subsequently do not build a life of drawing near to him daily.
So they consequently don't know his character or his nature or the way he operates. and their life abides generally fruitless. And I will add, these kinds of Christians, Paul calls them, carnal Christians in his epistle to the Corinthians, are troublemakers. their attitudes. They cause strife.
They cause division. They caused issues all the time.
So instead of making fruit, they're making trouble.
Now they're saved. But they're not disciples They're public but not private worshipers. They're casual but not committed believers. These Christians of the Plain. Then they're Christians of the Mount.
Like the seventy elders, they draw near God and they commune with Him. They know what it is to have a God experience. not just being saved, but subsequently seeking him. And coming to know the permeating peace of the presence of God. But They stopped short.
Either due to adversity or even a blessing. Yes, blessings can cause us to stop short. Let me explain. Troubles first come. to steal our fellowship with Christ, offenses, people are offensive to us and we take offense, enemies who are set to stop your faith or your ministry.
And then crosses where you have a constant grief to bear in your life. Jesus said we would bear a cross if we were his disciples. But they stumble because of these experiences and they stop short. In climbing the mount of devotion. And therefore, their fruitfulness is cut short.
Now, also. Blessings can stop Our devotional quest. You know, riches, we may be blessed with financial or material resources, but they can become a God in our heart if we let them. Or pleasures, pleasures are part of our life, but do we live for pleasures? If so, we stop short.
What about the cares of this world? All the trouble we have on a daily basis. Yes, we have to take these cares carefully to Jesus. Philippians 4, 6, and 7 tells us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let our request be known unto God.
So these Mount Christians began to climb the Mount of Devotion, but they don't make it to the summit because these adversities are even blessings. Derailed their effort, turned them aside, and consequently their spiritual destiny remains unfulfilled. Saved? Yes. But their destiny.
To be a disciple of Christ has not been fulfilled. Then there are summit Christians. These draw near to God as Moses did every day and they learn to be there. They remember this was the call of Jesus to his disciples. In Mark three thirteen and fourteen He went up into a mountain, and called unto him whom he would.
He chose twelve. That they should be with him. and that he should send them forth to preach and to cast demons out. To have spiritual power. But they were called to be with him before they were sent.
for him.
Sometimes we get that order reversed, and we think That a new Christian should be given a mission. No, they shouldn't. Or a ministry. No, they shouldn't. They're not ready.
We don't give a baby a man's job. We let him grow up.
So yes, give them some responsibilities, but don't put them into the ministry when they're a novice. Paul warns against this.
So summit Christians They quest to know Christ. They come near the Lord every day. They take plenty of time. In the morning too. Be in the presence of God.
And they refuse to let adversities or even blessings turn them away. They are disciplined, as we said earlier, self-disciplined. to put Christ first. Every day begins with him Not the radio, not the television, not the telephone, the iPhone. Not the aunt bad.
Not the latest email. Because of this, they come to know the Lord deeply as Moses did, and bear much fruit. much fruit. God gives them truths and messages and insights and revelation and spiritual power to bless his people. These are summit.
Christians. This is a challenge to us, my friend. And you know, By my count Moses kept climbing the mount. He climbed Sinai seven times. That's quite a task for an Eighty plus year old man, isn't it?
So he not only sustained his effort But he worked hard to seek God and God was delighted to reveal Himself to Him. and it is the same with you and I at this moment. If you will take this message to heart, Awesome things. will happen in your life. But mainly God will work a wonder within you.
Your soul will begin to glow with the Holy Spirit as never before. The Word of God will just fall open to you. And insights will come easily. You will hear the voice of the Spirit speaking clearly. And you will know the will of God and do it, and you will lead many others into that same.
Promised land. of spiritual maturity. Oh, let me encourage you today. Do not settle. to be a Christian of the plain.
and to know the Lord afar off? Many do. Refused to be among them. And don't settle for going halfway up the mountain devotion. You know, seek him one day and forget him three.
Seek him one week and forget him two weeks. That won't do. No, my friend. That will not do because you have a destiny to fulfill as a part of the body of Christ. I challenge you to become a summit Christian, climb the mountain.
Know Christ deeply and fulfill His will. This month, for a gift of any amount, we are offering Dr. Hinnant's book, Walking in His Ways, which describes 24 spiritual disciplines of a New Testament disciple of Christ. Whether a new convert or an experienced Christian, this book will speak to you in a timely way. For a gift of $60 or more, we'll send you the complete four-volume Hinnant End Times Prophecy Collection, The Second Coming of Christ, The Tribulation Story, Revelation Notes, a verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation, and The Day of the Lord Commentary, which interprets all Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings of the end times.
And if you are a Logos Bible software user, you may purchase The Second Coming of Christ, The Day of the Lord Commentary, and Revelation Notes from the Logos Online Bookstore.
Now, again, Dr. Hinnant. It's time for some Q ⁇ A. Midge from Winston-Salem writes Where is the name of God, Ja? found in the scriptures.
Mitch, the short answer is this. In the King James and New King James Versions of the Christian Bible, there is a single instance of Jah in Psalm 68, verse 4. But let's go deeper. Jah is the transliteration of the Hebrew Yah, Y A H. Yah is the short form of Yahweh, the personal name of the God of Israel.
The full name of Yahweh is considered so sacred it is forbidden for Jews to speak or write it, but using the short form Yah is allowed. This short form of the name occurs fifty times in the text of the Hebrew Bible. for instance in Exodus fifteen verse two and seventeen verse sixteen. Twenty-four times it is used as a part of the phrase hallelujah. Literally, hallelujah, or praise.
Praise Yah or Yahweh. The name of Yahweh is also incorporated into several theophoric names, that is, a person's name in which part of a deity's name is embedded. For instance, Elijah, Eli Yahoo. and Adonijah. Adonai Ya.
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May you walk closely with Christ and trust and obey Him in your daily tests of faith and patience. Until he comes.
