"FACE TO FACE"

"Face To Face"

"And there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." (Deuteronomy 34:10) 

Who can know Him?  To whom does the God of the universe go to speak His soul?  When can the omnipotent One unburden His heart?  Is there anyone today whom the King of Kings, Lord God Almighty, can know in a profound encounter that is akin to "Face To Face?"

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were

winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the

Amalekites were winning.  When Moses' hands grew tired,

they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.

Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on one side, one on

the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset."

(Exodus 17:10-13)

The power of Moses' upraised hands!  Moses was anointed, chosen, called, sent, empowered, and he was "humble" about it.  God would use more people, in more incredible ways, if He could trust them with the "power."  Power only comes when one spends time sitting at the Master's feet, listening for hours, alone, apart, and in seclusion with Him  ...  waiting  ...  You say, "Waiting for what?"  Waiting for an "encounter!"  Encounters don't come in noisy dins of distraction.  Some have to have music blaring, however spiritual or soothing it might be; it's still a distraction.  Some find it difficult to sit alone, in utter quiet, with the maker of their soul.

            

                                             In the stillness of the night, I seek Your Face O LORD;

                                                          sitting at Your feet in ponderings of power                                    

                                                 Tell me Your secrets in the quietness of morn' and I'll

                                                        wait for Your glories, and intimacies to devour

                                          

                                                                

Moses was unique; remember he's the one who, when he came down from the mountain, after having received the commandments written by the finger of God; he was furious, seeing the Israelites had gone wild, dancing naked, in worship of a golden calf, and participating in all manner of debauchery and depravity of sin.  He threw down the sacred tablets of God, breaking them into pieces.  Then, Moses, in despair of soul, fell on his face and asked forgiveness of the people, " ... if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written."  O, Moses!  And then the Lord said unto Moses, "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." (Exodus 32:32-33)  No wonder God knew Moses face to face; he was willing to go to Hell for other peoples' sins.  

"Moses and the Burning Bush"

God can speak to us anywhere, anytime, anyhow, through any means  ...  He's God!  Are we looking for, expecting, and anticipating a "burning bush" encounter?  You say, "God doesn't do that anymore!"   Who says?  Maybe He doesn't, because we don't spend enough time in the "desert!"  If you're alone and you're sad about it; turn that sadness, that aloneness, that "solitary confinement" into an "encounter," a "face to face" that you will never forget  ... Away with God  ...

"Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark in the Tabernacle"

The Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony, represented the presence, or Glory, of God.  The Ark contained several things, the Tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna.  It was said, when the Ark was stolen, "Where is the Glory?"  The Ark was located in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and when Jesus Christ our Lord died on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, thus signifying that because of the price Jesus paid, we all now have access to the presence of God through the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38, Acts 10, Acts 19)  We now can receive the Holy Ghost, speak in tongues, and have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living within us!  Praise Be To The Holy One of Israel, and Glory to God in the Highest!

We, today, have communion with, and sit at the feet of Jesus Christ our Lord through His Spirit; the Ark of the Covenant can live within us.  The more we dwell with Him in the Spirit, the more we come to know Him, sense Him, feel Him, hear Him, "And," He loves it!  We cannot get too much of Him; we cannot overload on our Lord!  

The Lord is looking for some "desert dwellers," some lonely pasture singers, a few lonely heaven gazers, some moon watchers, a few "can'tgetenoughofHim" people, and some who will give their all to see His Glory, some whom God trusts to give His deepest thoughts and secrets, some who will sit with Him   ... "Face To Face"   ...  Are you a Moses?  

                                                        

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)