Exodus 33:15

 

33:1
The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ 2 And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”

 

15

Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.

 

The Lord was going to provide:

• the promise, Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.
• the protection, And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
• and the provision, Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey.
  

But He was not going to provide one thing:

• but he was not going to give Him his presence. But I will not travel among you
  

And after delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, dealing with the complaints from the people, the heat, the sweat, the fear of the unknown, the golden calf, and all the struggles of wandering in the desert, Moses is ready to forsake the promise, the protection, and the provision,

 

He was ready to let go of not just what they were desperately desiring - it was prophesied to their fathers - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

All for ONE THING - HIS PRESENCE

 

As I was reading this verse, the Lord started speaking to me because Moses had a revelation of God that I believe we all need during this time.

 

I’m aware that this year has been unlike any year in most of our existence.

 

Because of Covid 19, people don’t feel safe, some have lost their jobs, some have lost loved ones, some fear going outside etc 

 

It can feel like we’re the Israelites in the wilderness right now.

 

Our hearts can be weary, all we want is rest. All we want is the promise that everything will pan out, the protection that we will be okay, and the provisionfor our needs to be met.

 

Some of you may be saying, nah this year wasn’t too bad, but all of us have desires we want fulfilled.

 

We’re hoping for something, like:

 

Hoping to get married

to have a family

for a promotion
for a better career

For more sales

 

Put in the chat, what are you hoping for?

 

And when circumstances keep those hopes from manifesting, when we’re in the waiting, in the in-between space of having a promise, and seeing it fulfilled we can start to feel disappointment, doubt, and even fear.

 

We’ve all felt this way in different areas of our lives.

 

So it blows my mind that although Moses was in the waiting, in the challenges of this in-between space, he was ready to throw out the promise, the protection, the provision!

In His words: Don’t make us leave this place.

 

He discovered that there was more abundance, more life, more satisfaction, more fulfillment, more provision, more protection in the Presence than in the Promise land.

He found the secret to Supernatural Hope.

 

The hope that supersedes the hope that any promise, any provision, and any protection can fulfill.

The hopethat isn’t based on what happens in the future but is living and active in the present.

The hopethat isn’t temporary or fleeting but one that never ends.

The hope that isn’t dependent on external circumstances but anchored in a person.

 

Do you want to know how to access this supernatural hope?

 

Hope deferredmakes the heart sick, but a desirefulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

 

 

Jack’s part:

Psalm 37:4: delight yourself in the LORD and he’ll give you the desires of your heart.

• Delight: root- to be soft or pliable- translation is: keep my heart open, soften, pliable toward the LORD, and He’ll give you the desires of your heart.

 

Are we focused on the outcome or can we enjoy the journey?

How do you know if you’re hope is not anchors in YHVH

• Taking matters in your own hands- creating Ishmael
• Blaming or shaming yourself/others for promises not coming to pass- staying a victim

 

 

 

 

O holy Night

 

In the darkness of night, when people were least expecting it,

Hope was born

 

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fillyou with all joy and peace( asyoutrust in him) (in believing), so that you may overflow with hope bythe power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

How do you hope without your heart getting sick?

 

Proverbs 13:12 gives us the secret:

Desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

 

 

How to access supernatural hope:

 

1. Discover the desire behind what you’re hoping for

Desire wheel image - none of these desires are bad - they’re desires God created in us to be fulfilled in Him

 

I hope to get married:

Belonging, companionship, love

I hope to have kids:

Legacy, purpose, identity

I hope to have a successful business

Significance, achievement, recognition

 

3 questions to help identify desire:

 

a)Ask yourself “What will it give me?”

b)Ask yourself “What am I believing about what I’m hoping for?”

 

c) Ask yourself “What am I afraid of if I don’t receive what I’m hoping for?”

 

 

1. Ask Jesus how He wants to fill that desire

 

Imagine Jesus with you, and bring your desire to him. Ask him to show you how He wants to fill that desire. It could be a feeling, a vision, an experience that you see in your minds eye.

 

Trust that what you see in the spirit is what He’s doing in the flesh.

 

 

1. Manifest what God has spoken over you through declaring it over yourself!

 

Eg - My desire is for recognition and goodness - “I am already good - just by being me” etc

 

If you’re at a place on your journey where you don’t have the capacity, energy, or hope level, or trust to go on this journey, You need people in your life to speak it to you - Invite community to remind you

 

• New narratives of hope ->

 

 

Emory’s video and prayer time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Surrender to the God of hope

 

And the enemy’s tactic - the same one he’s used since the beginning of time with Eve is to seed doubt in our hearts of His goodness.

 

Did He really say? Is He really good?

 

And he has a record to prove that his accusation are valid.

Encountering God in previous disappointments if it gets brought up to create new narratives of hope.

 

Remember when you hoped in this, and God didn’t come through for you then, why would he come through for you now?

 

He comes in with confusion.

 

So surrendering to the joy and peace that’s available for you on this journey of abounding hope looks like being aware of those doubts that come up.

 

And then ask yourself, when I was hoping for that thing, what was I actually desiring?

 

Then ask Jesus how he’s been filling those desires.

 

-> creating strongholds around your heart and mind with joy and peace

 

1. Empowered with supernatural hope

 

And then the Holy Sprit wants to get in on the hope partner and he blasts you with his power so you not only have your desires filled by Jesus, not only having joy and peace but he empowers you to abound in HOPE!

 

Not any kind of hope - the hope that is offensive to people.

 

You know like the hope where when you have a problem instead of getting frustrated, you get excited! Because every problem means there’s a greater promise. The illogical hope, the expectant hope, of God that is otherworldly.

Not of this realm.

 

End with Emory’s

 

Christmas invitation.

 

Notes:

 

 

 

 

Background:

 

 

But we’ve also had the honor of discovering the perseverance, creativity, and tenacity that we have as people to fight, to stand, and to keep moving

 

Hope is a by-product of trust.

- when we don’t get want we hoped for, disappointment eats away at our trust in God so that it becomes riskier for us to have expectations.

 

Mistrust is created.

You can’t have hope if you don’t have trust.

How is this connected to Christmas?

 

If you’ve ever experienced disappointment, loss, doubt and fear expecting good to come out of your hope, the key to abounding hope is Christmas.

 

When Jesus came as man, and was judged for our sin, he didn’t just save us from hell. He gave us access to abounding hope!

 

True life. A life where we are THERMOSTATS not THERMOMETERS - we create the temperature in the room, we don’t just respond to it.

 

When external circumstances are weighing others down, Jesus gives us access to a reality that is outside time or space, that keeps us at a constant high while being able to identify and have compassion.

 

He’s both jubilant with expectation and knows how to mourn with those that have loss.

 

He’s both AND. Not either this or that.

 

And our hope is anchored in our trust in Him.

 

The one who moved heaven and hell, to come in a form of a baby, just so that He could have His family back.

 

The one who gave up his heavenly throne to be ridiculed, chained, and broken because He believed you were worth it.