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Straight
From the Pulpit
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Pastor
Larry Gatlin, So Oregon
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ENCOUNTERING
GOD
What a concept! That you and I can actually encounter God and know Him in a personal
and intimate way. There were many in the Bible who had an encounter with the
Living God. In this month’s article I want to look at a few of them and
encourage each of you to encounter Him for yourselves.
Let’s look at Adam for a moment. God said, “Let us create man in our image.”
God created Adam and gave him charge over all of creation. Then God said that
it wasn’t good for a man to be alone so he created, Eve, woman to walk beside
Adam.
Gen 2:18 The LORD God said, "It
is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for
him." NIV
Gen 2:20-24 But for Adam no suitable helper
was found. 21
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was
sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from
the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
"This
is now bone of my bones
and
flesh of my flesh;
she
shall be called 'woman,'
for
she was taken out of man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. NIV
I know that there came a time when Adam and Eve committed high treason and
man fell. Sin entered the earth and man has struggled with sin ever since. But
what an encounter! The Great creator of all things came to Adam and gave him a
helpmate. Not just any help mate, but the perfect helpmate.
Now I want us to move on to a man named Enoch. Enoch became so close to
God that one day as he walked with the Lord, God just received Enoch up to
himself and brought him into His direct presence. What an encounter that must
have been, What would it be like to get so close to God that one day you’d
encounter Him as you fellowshipped and He would receive you into His direct
presence. It was a direct result of a man who set His affections on God and
took the time to develop an intimate relationship with Him.
Gen 5:22-24 And after he became the father of
Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more,
because God took him away. NIV
Next let’s look at a man named Abraham. Abraham had such an encounter
with God that God spoke to Him and told Him he would become a mighty nation.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac fathered Jacob and Jacob had twelve
sons.
Gen 17:4-8 No longer will you be called
Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6
I will make you very
fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I
will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and
your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the
God of your descendants after you.
8 The whole land of Canaan, where you
are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your
descendants after you; and I will be their God." NIV
Jacob had an encounter with God and
God changed his name to Israel. All the nations of the world have been blessed.
Gen 32:24-29 So Jacob was left alone, and a
man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25
When
the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's
hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it
is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I
will not let you go unless you bless me."
27 The man asked him, "What is your
name?"
"Jacob,"
he answered.
28 Then the man said, "Your name will no
longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men
and have overcome."
29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your
name."
But
he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. NIV
Gen 28:12-19 He had a dream in which he saw a
stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels
of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he
said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.
I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust
of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north
and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your
offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you
wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you
until I have done what I have promised you."
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought,
"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How
awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the
gate of heaven."
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the
stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on
top of it. 19
He called that place
Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. NIV
From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s
descendants came king David and eventually Jesus the Messiah. Through whom all
nations for all time have been blessed.
I could spend a lot of time going
through various encounters with God in the Bible. But I want to go to one last
encounter. Jesus came and dwelt among man. He grew and gained favor with God
and man. He spent approximately three years ministering. He went to the cross
where He died for the sins of all mankind. He was laid in a tomb and after
three days He rose from the grave, victorious over death, hell and the grave. He
walked on the earth for forty days and nights with infallible evidence that He
was exactly who He claimed to be. He then ascended to the right hand of God
where He forever makes intercession for us. The next step was amazing. He told
His disciples as He left to go to the throne that they should wait in Jerusalem
until they received the ”Promise of the Father.” On the “Day of Pentecost” the
promise fell and the fullness of the Holy Spirit came to us.
Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost came,
they were all together in one place. 2
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled
the whole house where they were sitting. 3
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on
each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem
God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came
together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own
language. 7
Utterly amazed, they
asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears
them in his own native language? 9 Parthians,
Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10
Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own
tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one
another, "What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and
said, "They have had too much wine."
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who
live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you
suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "'In the last days, God says,
I
will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your
sons and daughters will prophesy,
your
young men will see visions,
your
old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and
women,
I
will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and
they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven
above
and
signs on the earth below,
blood
and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and
the moon to blood
before
the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21
And everyone who calls
on
the name of the Lord will be saved.' NIV
What an encounter with the LIVING and
FAITHFUL GOD of heaven and earth. An encounter that is still available to any
who desires to know the Lord in a personal and intimate way today. It requires
that;
1.
WE
WANT TO KNOW MORE!
2.
WE SEEK AFTER HIM.
3.
WE
DEVELOP A GREATER HUNGER FOR HIM.
4.
THAT
WE GO AFTER HIM WITH OUR WHOLE HEART.
When we go after Him, we’ll find Him and have
a powerful and awesome encounter. It will be an encounter that will lead us to
new heights in our walk with Him.
So why not start right now and seek Him out. He is longing to have an
encounter with you!
Pastor Larry
