PHMBC- They Saw God and Lived

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Climbing the Mountain to See God’s Sapphire Pavement

They saw God standing on pavement like clear sky—not as distant ruler, but as approachable host. Elevation requires leaving the valley’s clutter: old mindsets, Egypt’s chains, Pharaoh’s threats. God delivers not just to free you from bondage, but to invite you into His presence. Those who ascend find fellowship where heaven’s floor meets earthly hunger. The higher you climb, the clearer His glory becomes. [43:43]

“Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.”
(Exodus 24:9-10, NIV)

Reflection: What “valley mindset” still ties you to old struggles, blocking your view of God’s nearness? How might releasing it help you see His feet standing on your situation?

Day 2: Grace Sets a Plate at God’s Table

They ate and drank before Him—not because they earned it, but because blood made a way. Grace isn’t a handout; it’s an invitation to feast where fear says you don’t belong. Your seat isn’t bought by perfection but secured by covenant. Worry shrivels when you realize the Host wants your presence more than your performance. [38:35]

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you still try to “earn” God’s approval instead of resting in His grace? What would change if you believed your seat at His table was permanent?

Day 3: Blood Before the Breakthrough

The altar was drenched before the mountain was climbed. Deliverance starts with sacrifice—not your effort, but Christ’s crimson claim on your life. Every blessing flows from that moment at Calvary where heaven’s door swung open. Don’t beg for crumbs when the blood already bought the banquet. [42:16]

“Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’”
(Exodus 24:8, NIV)

Reflection: How does remembering Christ’s blood shift your perspective when facing delays or battles? What freedom comes from knowing victory starts with His sacrifice, not your strength?

Day 4: Unknotting Anchors to Catch the Wind

Anchors stabilize in storms but strangle movement. God calls you higher, yet you cling to habits, grudges, or lies that tether you to dead places. Elevation demands releasing what drowns your purpose. Let grace cut the ropes so you sail toward horizons where His glory outshines your lack. [14:00]

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
(Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV)

Reflection: What anchor have you mistaken for safety? How might surrendering it create space for God’s wind to fill your sails?

Day 5: Your Ceiling Is God’s Footstool

What looms over you—debt, sickness, betrayal—is under His feet. Perspective flips when you stop measuring God by your crisis and start measuring your crisis by His sovereignty. The same pavement supporting Him holds your trembling steps. Lift your eyes: the weight above you is weightless beneath Him. [33:47]

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
(Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)

Reflection: What situation feels like a crushing ceiling? How would trusting it’s merely God’s footstool change your prayers today?

Sermon Summary

Exodus 24:9-11 shows Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders going up the mountain, seeing the God of Israel, and living to eat and drink in His presence. God did not bring Israel out of Egypt just to leave them out. God brought them out so He could bring them near, so their minds could get free from Egypt, fear, bills, enemies, frustration, and everything keeping them from spending time with Him.

The mountain calls God’s people higher. Moses and the elders could not experience what God was showing on the mountain while refusing to leave the bottom. God’s invitation requires a changed mindset, because old habits, old bitterness, old thinking, old attitudes, and old foolishness cannot keep coming up to every new level. The anchor illustrates the problem: an anchor is good when it holds a boat where it belongs, but it will stop the boat when it is time to move. God calls His people to lift up what has held them back and anchor their souls in Him.

The text shifts Israel’s eyes from God’s hand to God’s face. Israel had seen plagues, the Red Sea, manna, water from a rock, protection, and provision, but God wanted them to know more than what He could do. God Himself is the greatest blessing. Houses, cars, checks, promotions, and open doors can help, but none of that is better than having Him. God’s presence gives what stuff cannot give: fellowship, peace, a clear mind, and enough.

Moses describes sapphire pavement under God’s feet because God’s glory is too great for human eyes and language. The sapphire beneath His feet declares that whatever is over somebody’s head is still under God’s feet. God’s sovereignty puts wayward children, broken relationships, sickness, opposition, and every impossible-looking situation beneath His rule. The problem must be measured by the greatness of God, not God by the size of the problem.

Grace gives the elders a seat at God’s table. Exodus 24:8 places blood before access, blood before fellowship, and blood before the table. Christ fulfills what Sinai pointed toward, because His death, burial, and resurrection bring sinners near to God. Jesus died so that those who deserved distance could see God and live. One day, Christ will bring His people into full fellowship, where suffering, heartache, lack, and death will be no more, and every voice will cry, “Holy, holy, holy.”

Key Takeaways

1. God brought them near, not merely out. God’s deliverance is not just escape from trouble. God frees His people from the things that keep their minds trapped so they can enjoy fellowship with Him. God does not rescue somebody merely to send them back into a life of distraction and fear. [44:29]
2. Higher levels require lower burdens released. God’s call upward cannot be answered while bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, and old habits are being carried along. The anchor that once served a purpose can become the very thing keeping a life stuck. God calls for release, not because the past was imaginary, but because it cannot rule the future. [70:42]
3. God Himself is the greatest blessing. God’s gifts can be good, but God’s presence is better than the gifts. Houses, cars, raises, and open doors cannot replace sitting with Him, hearing Him, and knowing that He is enough. God sometimes gives a person, peace, or fellowship as the very provision a heart needs. [77:58]
4. Every overwhelming thing remains under God’s feet. Moses could only describe what was beneath God, and even that looked like clear sapphire. God’s greatness means no crisis stands above His authority, even when it stands above human understanding. Faith stops measuring God by the trouble and starts measuring trouble by God. [91:10]
5. The blood gives grace a seat. The elders did not earn their place at the table by being flawless. The blood of the covenant made access possible, and Christ’s blood brings that covenant to its full purpose. Grace does more than spare a sinner from judgment; grace brings that sinner into fellowship with God.

## [101:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:47] - Exodus 24: Seeing God and Living
[44:29] - Delivered to Come Near God
[49:19] - God Is Calling You Higher
[50:42] - Seeking God’s Face, Not Just His Hand
[53:00] - Leave the Bottom and Come Up
[57:57] - Growth Requires Elevation
[70:42] - What Cannot Go Higher
[73:21] - The Anchor and the Boat
[77:29] - God Is Better Than the Stuff
[86:46] - Sapphire Beneath God’s Feet
[95:22] - Grace Gives a Seat at the Table
[101:17] - Blood Before Access
[103:33] - Calvary Makes Fellowship Possible
[106:52] - One Day They Will See Him

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 24:9-11
“Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.” [39:47]

Exodus 24:8
“Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” [01:41:17]

Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” [50:14]

Observation questions

Who went up the mountain with Moses, and what are the three main things Exodus 24:9-11 says they experienced there?
What had Israel already seen God do for them before this moment on the mountain—especially in Egypt and in the wilderness? [50:42]
What does Moses describe as being beneath God’s feet, and what does that description show about the limits of human language when speaking about God? [01:30:00]
According to Exodus 24:8-11, what happened before the leaders went up, saw God, and ate and drank in His presence? [01:42:18]

Interpretation questions

Israel was brought out of Egypt so they could come near to God, not merely so they could escape Pharaoh. What does this show about the deeper purpose of God’s deliverance? [44:29]
The elders ate and drank in God’s presence after God did not raise His hand against them. Why does sharing a meal help picture fellowship, peace, and relationship with God? [01:38:28]
The mountain required the leaders to “go up.” In what ways can old mindsets, bitterness, pride, and harmful habits keep a believer from responding to God’s call to grow? [01:10:42]
Exodus 24 places the blood of the covenant before access to God’s presence. How does Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection bring this picture to its full meaning for believers today? [01:42:43]

Application questions

What is most likely to keep your mind trapped right now—money pressure, fear, frustration, an old hurt, a relationship, or something else? What would it look like to bring that burden to God so you can spend real time with Him? [48:31]
God calls His people higher in prayer, forgiveness, discipline, obedience, service, and relationship with Him. Which one of those areas is God inviting you to grow in during this season, and what is one practical next step you can take this week? [01:07:34]
An anchor is useful when it keeps a boat where it belongs, but it becomes a problem when it is time to move. What “anchor” from a lower season—bitterness, shame, unforgiveness, old habits, or old thinking—may be holding you in place? [01:13:37]
It is easy to seek God’s hand for another open door, check, house, healing, or breakthrough while missing God’s face. When have you been more focused on what God can give than on knowing Him? What could help you make room for fellowship with Him this week? [51:41]
Whatever is over your head is still under God’s feet. What situation feels over your head right now, and how would measuring that problem by the greatness of God change the way you pray about it? [01:31:10]
Grace gives a seat at God’s table; that seat is not earned by having a perfect past. Where do you still struggle to believe that God welcomes you because of His grace rather than because you have done enough? [01:39:30]
Hebrews 4:16 calls believers to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence for mercy and help. What specific need do you need to bring before God with confidence instead of carrying it alone?

Sermon Clips

64s

#RelationshipOverRewards

“Because sometimes we're so busy looking for god's hand that we miss god's face. We're so busy looking at what he can do Yeah. Is it just me? No. Man, we we we we we want god to do something. God says, I want you to know somebody. Me. Because the greatest blessing isn't another house. Wow. Alright. I'm trying to break you from this worldly cycle. The greatest blessing isn't another car. The greatest blessing isn't another check. It isn't another promotion. It isn't another open door. The greatest blessing is God himself.”

44s

#GraceAtTheTable

“The text says, god did not stretch out his hands against these leaders. saw god and Leo, But that's not all. It it it says they ate and drank. They didn't really survive his presence. They got the fellowship in God's presence. Listen. They got the fellowship with god in his presence in the ancient covenant setting, eating together, communicated fellowship, peace, and relationship. So don't miss this. Grace didn't just keep them alive. Grace gave them a seat at the tape. Yeah. Alright.”

43s

#CalvaryIsAccess

“The only way we get to sit at the table is because he died. Oh, y'all don't even know what to say. The only way we get to sit at the table is because he died. It ain't know who your mom is. It ain't what part of the country he was born in. It was accepting the death burial and resurrection of of Jesus Christ. See, that that that's why Calvary is so important.”

35s

#ComeHigherInFaith

“get what God had from, they had to go up. And somebody listening to me this morning knows exactly what it feels like. God has been telling you it's time to come higher. Alright. Watch this. Higher in your prayer life. Yeah. Yeah. Higher in your thinking, higher in your forgiveness, higher in your discipline, higher in your commitment, your obedience, your giving, higher in your service, higher in your relationship with god. You you've been where you've been too long. Right.”

36s

#GodBiggerThanProblems

“measuring your god by the size of your problem. And start measuring your problem by the greatness of your God. That's where you hung up at. Your your your size and God are based on your problems. Now you need to start measuring your problem by the greatness of god. And if it's Measure up against god, it really ain't nothing. It's nothing because my ceiling is his foot.”

36s

#StopStayingAtTheBottom

“God is calling you higher. Oh, look. Quit trying to rock with God at the bottom. Alright. Quit trying to experience a new another level of God at the same level you've been at your whole life. You gotta elevate your thinking, your your mindset, your perspe you gotta get up out of that rut. Right. Come on. Then God says he will show you his glory. Yeah. Right. And watch this. Number three, God gives you a seat at his table. How do you get at the table? Through grace.”

40s

#LeaveTheOldYouBehind

“They went what? They didn't stay down there. It's time to go higher in God. Now he done blessed you, but I got some more stuff to show you. Right. And I can't show you down there. You gotta come up to where I oh my god. Some of you mad about going up. Some of you mad because going up means some people can't go with you. Can I tell you the real deal? You your old you can't go with you. Your old thinking can't go, your old mentality, your old perspective, your old habits, it can't go what God trying to tell you. That's That's why you're mad.”

33s

#IdentityInTheBlood

“See, that blood gives you a new identity. And you know what bothers God? I gave you a new identity. I don't gave you a new identity. You're still living like you don't know it. That you are slapping god in the face when he done died and shedded blood, and you're still living like you don't even know it. We're totally disrespectful. done showed you all these miracles, man, and you're still talking about, I ain't got nothing.”

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Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church This sermon · AI assistant

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