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A Living God
November 30, 2014
God is alive. The ancient forefathers of the Israelites saw God and exchanged words with Him and His messengers. He provided supernatural rescues and deliveries. He spoke with Moses, face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. We believe that God is because of the witness of those ancient men, who assured that the message was preserved for later generations. - Bernie Parsons
A Living God
by Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 11-30-2014
Presented to Load church of Christ on 01-04-2015
I spoke before about the true and the living God. I also pointed out that
God is real and the false gods that men invent are not. I want to follow up
on more of how God manifested Himself.
The Lord revealed His glory unto Moses.
Exodus 33:17 “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that
thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by
name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will
proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me,
and live.
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand
upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put
thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass
by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my
face shall not be seen."
Note that the Lord spoke with Moses personally, face to face. Moses wanted
to see the glory of the Lord, and the Lord allowed him to see the back side,
but not the front.
The Lord accompanied Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness.
Exodus 13:18 "But God led the people about, through the way of the
wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out
of the land of Egypt.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn
the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall
carry up my bones away hence with you.
20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the
edge of the wilderness.
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them
the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day
and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire
by night, from before the people."
The Lord was working through His glory in the cloud and fire to attack the
Egyptians.
Exodus 14:24 "And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked
unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud,
and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that
the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD
fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that
the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon
their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to
his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it;
and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and
all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained
not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea;
and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their
left."
Later, the Lord sent an angel before the Israelites to help destroy their
enemies.
Exodus 23:20 "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way,
and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not
pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I
will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine
adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites,
and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and
the Jebusites: and I will cut them off."
2 Samuel 5:23 "And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not
go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the
mulberry trees.
24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD
go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the
Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer."
The Lord fed the Israelites from His glory.
Exodus 16:6 "And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At
even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of
Egypt:
7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he
heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur
against us?
8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening
flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD
heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your
murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
9 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children
of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.
10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the
children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the
glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them,
saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled
with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God."
The Lord gave fire to consume an offering on the altar.
Leviticus 9:5 "And they brought that which Moses commanded before the
tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood
before the LORD.
6 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should
do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you.
7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering,
and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the
people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for
them; as the LORD commanded."
Leviticus 9:23 "And Moses and Aaron
went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the
people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the
altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they
shouted, and fell on their faces."
The Lord consumed water, wood and offering alike for the prophet Elijah.
1 Kings 18:33 "And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces,
and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour
it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And
he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also
with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and
of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I
am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the
LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the
wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the
trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said,
The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God."
We serve a living God.
John 6:68 "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou
hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God."
Hebrews 9:13 "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
