Luke 18:1 GNB Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 CEV Always be joyful (17) and never stop praying.
You were born to worship. You were created to worship.
God Wants a Meeting!
Exodus 25:1-2 NKJV Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
Exodus 25:8 NKJV And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:22 NKJV And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
- I will meet with you.
The Tabernacle that they were building was called “The Tabernacle of Meeting.” (135 times in the Old Testament)
Numbers 7:89 NKJV Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.
It was the place that God wanted to meet with His people.
God desired to have a place where He can meet with His people. He still has this desire.
It sounds like these two things, meeting and speaking, are the same thing. They are different.
Something can be spoken and a meeting not take place. (Email, text, letter, etc.)
There were occasions in the Old Testament where God would have something to say to the people so He would send a prophet. The prophet would say what God said but God was not there to meet with the people.
Why Does God Want a Meeting?
Genesis 28:10-17 NLT Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. (11) At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. (12) As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. (13) At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. (14) Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. (15) What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” (16) Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” (17) But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
Jacob was running for his life because he was running from Esau whom he had stolen the birthright. His brother was a skilled hunter and was good at tracking. Notice Jacob said that, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” I believe what he was saying is that he did not know it but He does now.
- In a meeting it can be personal.
- In a meeting there is an encounter.
- In an encounter, there is an exchange. You can see someone’s expressions, their emotions, etc.
- God wants to have a meeting with you and in that meeting, He wants there to be an exchange.
God wanted to meet with Jacob because He wanted to take something from Jacob and give something to him.
God was thinking if I can meet with Jacob, I can take his fear and give him peace.
An important part of our vision is for people to have an encounter with God.
- Know Jesus
- Encounter God
- Experience Life-Change
- Make a difference
This is God’s plan for worship.
Worship is when you meet with God and there is an encounter that takes place; an exchange.
You bring God your worry, your fear, your anxiety, your shame, and He takes that from you and gives you His peace, His acceptance, His love and His assurance that everything is going to be alright.
This is really what church is all about. God wants to meet with His people so there can be an encounter.
- I will speak with you.
Exodus 25:22 NKJV And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat…
Notice God did not say, “I will speak about you…”, “I will speak above you…” and especially did not say, “I will speak to you…”
God wants to speak with you. He wants to hear you and you hear Him.
Where is the Meeting Place?
Exodus 25:8-9 NKJV And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (9) According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
Hebrews 8:4-5 NKJV For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; (5) who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “SEE THAT YOU MAKE ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”
God wants a place where He can DWELL and meet with His people and speak with His people.
The Old Testament Tabernacle was a pattern or a copy of something that God has already planned.
2 Corinthians 6:16 NKJV And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”
Revelation 21:2-3 NKJV Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
- God wants to meet with you and speak with you and He dwells in us through Christ.
He wants there to be an exchange. He will take away all of the pressures of this life and give you all that He is.
Someone has arranged this meeting and it cost a great price, His life, so that you and God can have this meeting.
Worship is an encounter with God. Do you allow yourself to have a meeting with God during the worship time?He wants to meet with and speak with you!
Are you going to the meeting?