God Encounters

Canvas Church : San Diego

God Encounters 

"One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” (Exodus 3:1-12 NLT)

This shows us that God can show up whenever, however, & where ever he wants. God does this throughout the bible. This is an invitation. He gets his attention & draws Moses in then he began to reveal some things to him. God doesn't reveal everything right away. 

"Take your shoes off this is holy ground." Moses was just invited in on this intimate relationship. "Come inside, friend." People back then wore sandals or no shoes at all so upon entering someones house it was customary to wash your feet & not trek dirt through someone's house. 

1) It's an invitation to Grace. Moses is a murderer! He didn't earn anything, he is running for his life. AND HE IS OLD (like 80), he wasn't "qualified". "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. "(Ephesians 2:8 NLT) God wants you to know it's not about you? It's about him. He can choose who ever, where ever, when ever!

And the very way we enter into this relationship is the same way it is maintained. BY GRACE.! 

2) Then once your intrigued: An invitation to purpose. No prerequisite necessary. He lays out a plan & a purpose to Moses ..to free his people. 

That plan is still the same today by the way. 

God says here's who you are and I'm going to put purpose behind it. You lead sheep awesomely Moses so now I want you to lead my people. 

3) An invitation to fulfillment. This entire plan had NOTHING to do with Moses personally. It wasn't about him at all. Verse 10 is the moment where Moses finds fulfillment, from the moment he was shoved down the river in the basket God had a plan for him. 

"Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10 NLT)

You often have to confront the things in your past in order to walk through to your future & your fulfillment. 

Verse 12 God made Moses a promise. Come back & stand in this same place & worship me with my people, confirming that IT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED! God never fails. 

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” (Exodus 3:12 NLT)

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10 NLT) 

God Encounters

Canvas Church : San Diego

Mothers Day

God Encounters 

Abraham who has had 7 God encounters, where the Lord appeared to him. Sarah (Abraham's wife) approaching 90 years old & never held her very own child. Waiting for a promise that God made to Abraham. 25 years later & still no baby. Sarah was probably feeling lonely, disappointed, ashamed, & forgotten. How could a woman as old as me have a child?  

"And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:1-15 ESV)

"The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:1-7 ESV)

A God Encounter : us seeing God in a way that we have never seen before.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8 ESV)

God presents himself to us on a daily basis &  he's waiting for us to encounter him. Taste & see! 

1) God encounters require faith but not always YOUR faith! Sarah laughed, she clearly had no faith for it but b/c Abraham did, she had a child. (Mark 2:2-12) "hijacked by God just when you say 'i'm over it'."

2) Reinforce the fact that nothing is too difficult for God. "Is anything to hard for the Lord"..

3) God encounters remind us that his promises do not have an expiration date. We try to take matters into our own hands like Abraham & Hagar. We try to rush things along & create it under our own strength. We can manipulate our ways into a lot of things but sooner or later it ends. Or we forget about the promise & assume that it's not for us. The dreams God gives are huge & sometimes seem outside of us. Is this really for me? "Will this really ever happen?” Remember, He who promised is faithful! Be confident that God can make a way when there seems to be no way. 

What promises have you been sitting on? 

God Encounters

Canvas Church : San Diego

God Encounters 

The first miracle Jesus did: 

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him." (John 2:1-11 ESV)

Jesus didn't come there planning to do a miracle, he even said to his mother what does that have to do with me. Often times we are waiting for God to do something but sometimes God is waiting on you to come to him. Like his mother, she moved the hand of God. 

"Draw nearer to God & he will draw nearer to you", Keep knocking, keep asking, keep seeking. It wasn't just her who activated the miracle, there were servants who put it in place. It took obedience on the servants part as well to activate the hand of God. His mom started the process & got the ball rolling & then said do whatever he tells you to do. 

To have a God encounter you have to walk in obedience & do whatever he tells you to do. 

Most people are all in, once they know what they are getting all into. Jesus requires us to be all in without even knowing what's next. obedience! Don't try to figure out why or interpret, God speaks many languages & he's made many promises. We dont know what the end is going to look like but when we walk in faith supernatural things begin to take place. No matter what it looks like over here in my eyes, I dont know when it changed but somewhere from point "A" & point "B" it was wine! The miracle is never our responsibility. It's just our responsibility to walk in obedience. 

God wants to take us & pour in his spirit just like those jars & something supernatural begins to take place. 

God's ways are not our ways, So when it looks like water just keep walking & watch & see what God does!

God Encounters

Canvas Church : San Diego

(Pastor Caleb)

God Encounters 

"Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." (Genesis 12:1-4 ESV)

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17 ESV)

Faith demands a commitment! We live in a time where people would rather quit because its easier than the struggle. 

God did not explain why to Abraham but he made him promises. God has those same promises for you. 

15 years later, Abraham is discouraged. 

"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:1-6 ESV)

God encouraged Abraham by reminding him who he was. God places you some where for a purpose, do not quit! Don't make it about "you", focus on what God has for you.

"The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted." (Genesis 13:14-16 ESV)

Do not lean on the promise itself, Lean holy on the God that makes the promise! Put your faith in God. 

Abraham was tested, after he received his heir that God promised to give Abraham (descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky) but then he asked him to sacrifice that only heir.

"After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:1-5 ESV)

God tests us to purify our faith. God didn't want his son Isaac to be an idol in Abrahams life; b/c Isaac was a gift and an answer to a promise that God made. (Abraham came from Uz : a city where they worshiped idols. ) So God tested Abrahams faith. Abraham was obedient & put his trust in God's promise. 

and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23 ESV)

Remain faithful!