Encountering God's Transformative Presence in Our Lives

 

Summary

In the wilderness of Midian, Moses encountered the divine in a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames. This moment was pivotal, not only for Moses but for the entire nation of Israel. Similarly, we are called to recognize and respond to the presence of God in our lives. The presence of God is not a mere concept; it is a tangible reality that we can experience. It is like the emotions we feel—love, joy, sadness—which are real and powerful. We are beings of emotion, and just as we can feel these, we can feel the presence of God.

We are instructed to love God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul. However, sometimes we limit our love for God to intellectual understanding, neglecting the soulful connection that comes from truly experiencing His presence. We must not come to church out of habit or obligation, but with a desire to encounter God anew, to feel His presence, and to worship Him with all that we are.

Moses, when he saw the burning bush, chose to draw near. In the same way, God knows each of us by name and calls us to come closer. When we approach Him, He invites us to shed our burdens—the 'sandals' on our feet—so that we may stand on holy ground, cleansed, purified, and transformed. This transformation is not limited by age or social status; God's power to change lives is boundless.

Our lives are meant to be lived in the presence of God, a presence that is alive, unquenchable, and life-giving. To truly enter into this presence, our prayers must be heartfelt, genuine, and spring from a place of honesty and vulnerability. It is in these moments of sincere worship and prayer that we may find ourselves moved to tears, touched by the Holy Spirit, and experiencing the miraculous work of God.

As a church, we are called to live in the presence of God, to love and welcome everyone into this holy community. Our love for one another should be a reflection of God's love, embracing each person with the warmth of genuine fellowship. When we live in God's presence, our lives bear witness to His transformative power, drawing others to seek the same encounter with the divine.

Key Takeaways:

- The encounter with the divine is not a passive experience; it requires our active participation and willingness to draw near to God. Just as Moses made the decision to approach the burning bush, we too must choose to engage with God's presence, allowing it to transform us from the inside out. [06:16]

- God's call is personal and intimate. He knows us by name and invites us to shed our burdens before Him. In His presence, we find relief from our struggles and the weight of sin, emerging renewed and empowered to face life with joy and purpose. [13:57]

- The presence of God is not confined to our understanding; it surpasses knowledge and is felt deeply within our souls. Our worship should be an expression of our entire being, not just our minds, but also our hearts and spirits, fully immersed in God's love and grace. [07:48]

- The church is not merely a building; it is a community of believers living in the presence of God. Our interactions with one another should be characterized by love, acceptance, and the warmth of Christ's love, making the church a beacon of hope and a place of refuge for all. [21:33]

- True worship can move us to tears, not because of the eloquence of the preacher, but because we are in the presence of God. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable before Him, we open the door to miraculous changes in our lives and the lives of those around us. [23:01]

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Exodus 3:1-5 (NIV)
> Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

2. Luke 10:27 (NIV)
> He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

#### Observation Questions
1. What was Moses doing when he encountered the burning bush? (Exodus 3:1)
2. How did Moses react when he saw the burning bush? (Exodus 3:3)
3. What did God instruct Moses to do when he approached the burning bush? (Exodus 3:5)
4. According to the sermon, how should we approach worship and prayer to truly experience God's presence? [09:27]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think God chose to appear to Moses in the form of a burning bush that was not consumed? What might this signify about God's nature? (Exodus 3:2)
2. How does the command to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind challenge our typical approach to faith? (Luke 10:27)
3. In the sermon, it was mentioned that Moses chose to draw near to the burning bush. What does this teach us about our role in seeking God's presence? [06:16]
4. The sermon emphasized the importance of heartfelt and genuine prayer. How does this align with the way Moses responded to God's call? [18:14]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt the presence of God in a tangible way. What were the circumstances, and how did it impact your faith journey? [06:57]
2. The sermon mentioned that we often come to church out of habit rather than a desire to encounter God. How can you change your mindset and approach to worship to make it more meaningful? [12:02]
3. Moses was instructed to take off his sandals as a sign of reverence and purification. What "sandals" or burdens do you need to shed to stand on holy ground and experience God's presence more fully? [13:57]
4. How can you cultivate a more genuine and heartfelt prayer life? What specific steps can you take to ensure your prayers come from a place of honesty and vulnerability? [18:14]
5. The sermon highlighted the importance of loving and welcoming everyone into the church community. How can you personally contribute to making your church a place of genuine fellowship and acceptance? [21:33]
6. Think about a recent worship service where you felt particularly moved. What elements of that service helped you feel closer to God, and how can you seek out or create similar experiences in the future? [23:01]
7. Moses' life was transformed at the age of 80. How does this encourage you regarding the potential for change and growth in your own life, regardless of your age or current circumstances? [16:27]

Devotional

Day 1: Approaching God with Intention
The encounter with the divine is an active pursuit, requiring a conscious decision to draw near to God. It is not enough to passively wait for God's presence to manifest; one must, like Moses, make the choice to step forward and engage. This intentional approach is the first step towards transformation, as it opens the heart to the possibilities of change and growth that come from being in God's presence. The act of drawing near is a personal journey, one that asks for a shedding of distractions and a focus on the divine. It is in this space of closeness that one can truly begin to understand the depth and breadth of God's love and the transformative power it holds. [06:16]

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8 ESV

Reflection: What distractions are currently preventing you from drawing closer to God, and what practical steps can you take to remove them from your daily routine?

Day 2: Personal Invitation to Transformation
God's call to each individual is deeply personal and intimate. He knows everyone by name and invites them to lay down their burdens at His feet. In His presence, there is a promise of relief from life's struggles and the weight of sin. This invitation is not a general broadcast but a specific call to each heart, offering renewal and empowerment. The act of shedding one's burdens is symbolic of the vulnerability required to truly experience God's transformative power. It is a call to authenticity, to come as one is, and to find joy and purpose in the divine embrace. [13:57]

"And he said, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" - Exodus 33:14 ESV

Reflection: What burdens are you carrying that you need to surrender to God, and how can you practice laying them down in your daily prayer life?

Day 3: Worship Beyond Understanding
The presence of God transcends intellectual comprehension and is deeply felt within the soul. Worship is an expression that should encompass the entirety of one's being—heart, mind, spirit—fully immersed in the experience of God's love and grace. It is a call to move beyond the confines of knowledge and to engage with the divine on a more profound, emotional level. This form of worship is not about the precision of doctrine but about the authenticity of one's feelings and the openness to let God's presence fill every aspect of life. [07:48]

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." - John 4:23 ESV

Reflection: How can you incorporate more heartfelt emotion into your worship, and what might be holding you back from fully expressing your love for God?

Day 4: The Church as a Community of Presence
The church is not defined by its physical structure but by the community of believers who live in the presence of God. This community is characterized by love, acceptance, and the warmth of Christ's love. It is a beacon of hope and a place of refuge, where every interaction reflects the divine love that binds the members together. The church's role is to welcome everyone into this holy community, allowing the transformative power of God's presence to be witnessed and shared. It is through this shared experience that the church becomes a living testament to the power of God's love. [21:33]

"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

Reflection: In what ways can you contribute to creating a welcoming and loving atmosphere within your church community, starting today?

Day 5: Vulnerability in Worship
True worship has the power to move one to tears, not because of the words spoken but because of the presence of God. When individuals allow themselves to be vulnerable before God, they open the door to miraculous changes in their lives. This vulnerability is the key to experiencing the Holy Spirit's touch and witnessing the miraculous work of God. It is in these moments of sincere worship and prayer that the heart is most open to transformation, and the soul is most receptive to the divine. [23:01]

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

Reflection: What does being vulnerable before God look like for you, and how can you practice this vulnerability in your personal worship and prayer time?

Quotes

- "The presence of God is something that it can be filled... we're beings of emotions... we can feel the presence of God." [06:57](Download | Download Cropped Video)

- "Sometimes we love our god with only with our brains but not with our soul... there are things that we cannot understand but we can feel them." [07:48](Download | )

- "When we come to the house of the Lord let's raise our hands let's sing with all of our hearts let's get in that presence that presence that we can cannot see and we cannot explain." [09:27](Download | )

- "The presence of God touches us and he makes our hearts like jelly soft like jelly and we start to cry and we don't know why but it's the presence of of God doing miracles in our lives." [10:18](Download | )

- "We have to have that attitude that to get closer to God... let's not come only for uh for habit not only because every Sunday we come." [12:02](Download | )

- "God knew Moses by name he also knows each one of us by name... he knows you and you and you and he calls us when we're open to him." [13:57](Download | )

- "In that Holy place you're clean, you're purified, you're healed, transformed, you a new person and when you leave church you live out with the smile in your face without the burdens you were carrying." [14:48](Download | )

- "God has great things for us all we got to do is to have the disposed heart to get closer to him to get closer to the presence of them the presence of God it's alive and it doesn't die." [18:14](Download | )

- "We need to continue practicing the love of God here... that's the way he supposed to continue when you see someone new receive him with a hug." [21:33](Download | )

- "In the presence of God incredible things happen... when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable before Him, we open the door to miraculous changes in our lives." [23:01](Download | )

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?