Encounter! Receive Christ

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Encounter! Receive Christs Freedom

• Session 1
• Encountering God

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Preparation for the Encounter with God

• Exodus 33-34 tells the story of Moses and his
  encounter with God on Mt. Sinai. When looking
  at his story we discover principles for
  encountering God.

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Expectation

• Moses hungered to know God. He didnt want to
  lead Gods people without Gods presence.
  Scripture says in Exodus 3318 Then Moses said,
  Now show me your glory.

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Expectation

• What do you want to happen at this Encounter in
  your own life? In your relationship with God?
• Some desire power to overcome problems and vices.
  
• Others might want a complete change of hearta
  recommitment to God.

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Expectation

• Think of your expectations as prayers offered to
  God. He will surprise you by answering them in a
  far greater way than you expect. Ephesians 3 20
  says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably
  more than all we ask or imagine, according to his
  power that is at work within us.

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Participation

• God asked Moses to get ready for the encounter.
  He said to Moses in Exodus 341-2, Be ready in
  the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.
  Present yourself to me there on top of the
  mountain.

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Participation

• God asks us to get ready to meet Him. He wants us
  to prepare to present ourselves to Him.
• God said to Jeremiah, You will seek me and find
  me when you seek me with all your heart
  (Jeremiah 2913).
• Jesus is willing and desirous to cleanse us and
  heal us. In Matthew 82 says, A man with
  leprosy ?came and knelt before him and said,
  Lord, if you are willing, you can make me
  clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched
  the man. I am willing, he said. Be clean!
  Immediately he was cured ?of his leprosy.

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Participation

• Youll take away from the Encounter as much as
  you allow God to work. He simply wants you to
  seek Him and humble yourself before Him.

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Intimacy and Privacy

• God wants to work in the hidden areas of your
  life. He said to Moses in Exodus 343 No one is
  to come with you or be seen anywhere on the
  mountain not even the flocks and herds may graze
  in front of the mountain

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Intimacy and Privacy

• God already knows everything about you. Hebrews
  413 says, Nothing in all creation is hidden
  from Gods sight. Everything is uncovered and
  laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must
  give account.
• At this encounter, you wont be forced to confess
  anything publicly. The encounter is principally
  between you and God, since you will ultimately
  give an account to Him (1 Corinthians 43-4).

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General Guidelines for the Encounter

• Remain for the entire retreat. Each lesson builds
  on the previous one.
• Minimize contact with the outside world. Dont
  use your cell phone unless its an emergency
  (e.g., children calling, etc.)
• Respect Confidences. Personal information shared
  at this retreat should not be communicated with
  others outside the retreat.
• Avoid Legalism. Dont do or say anything that you
  dont feel comfortable with.

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Building an altar at this Retreat

• God has expectations and objectives for us this
  weekend. Scripture says in Isaiah 559 As the
  heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
  higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
  thoughts.

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The purpose of God

• In Genesis we find the story of a man named Abram
  (Abraham). God gave Abraham two key promises
• To make Abraham a great nation (Genesis 121-3).
  The LORD said to Abram, Leave your country, your
  people and your fathers household and go to the
  land I will show you. I will make you into a
  great nation and I will bless you I will make
  your name great, and you will be a blessing. I
  will bless those who bless you, and whoever
  curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth
  will be blessed through you.

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The Purpose of God

• To prosper Abraham and give him the land (Genesis
  13 14-17)? The LORD said to Abram after Lot had
  parted from him, Lift up your eyes from where
  you are and look north and south, east and west.
  ?All the land that you see I will give to you and
  your offspring ?forever. ?I will make your
  offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if
  anyone could count the dust, then your offspring
  could be counted. ? Go, walk through the length
  and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to
  you.

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The Purpose of God

• Gods ultimate purpose for your own life is
  blessings and prosperity. God says, For I know
  the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
  plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
  to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 2911).
  Like Abraham, God has plans of blessing and peace
  for your life. Since the moment you were
  conceived, God had a plan and purpose for you.

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Sealing Gods promises

• When Abraham heard Gods promises, he reacted by
  building an altar to honor God.
• Genesis 128 says, From there he (Abraham) went
  on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched
  his tent. . . There he built an altar to the Lord
  and called on the name of the Lord

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Sealing Gods promises

• On another occasion, Genesis 1318 says, So
  Abram moved his tents and went to live near the
  great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an
  altar to the Lord.
• The altar was a group of stones that represented
  the response of Abraham to the promises of God.

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Sealing Gods promises

• In our times, we dont pile up stones to build an
  altar, but we should respond to Gods work and
  promises in a special way. To build an altar
  tonight means
• To come with hope and faith to God.
• To respond to His promises and words for your
  life
• To present your expectations before God and
  believe that He will answer

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Ask God to do something special in your life

• God is in the business of changing lives for the
  better. Scripture gives us many examples of God
  transforming people.

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Jacob

• Jacobs life was full of deception and
  disappointment. When he was about to meet his
  brother who he thought wanted to kill him, Jacob
  had an encounter with God. Genesis 3230 So
  Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, It is
  because I saw God face to face, and yet my life
  was spared.
• Jacobs encounter changed his identity (Genesis
  3228) and gave him a new perspective (Genesis
  3310).

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The woman at Samaria

• The woman at Samaria had a sinful past that hung
  over her. At the moment of her encounter with
  Jesus, her life was in disarray (John 417-18).
• Her encounter with Jesus transformed her.
  Scripture says, Many of the Samaritans from that
  town believed in Him because of the womans
  testimony (John 439-42).

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King David

• David, the king of Israel, refused to encounter
  God and suffered for it. In a state of
  unconfessed sin (i.e., adultery and murder), he
  said, When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
  through my groaning all day long. For day and
  night your hand was heavy upon me my strength
  was sapped as in the heat of summer (Psalm
  323,4).
• But David finally did ask God to work deeply in
  his life. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and
  did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will
  confess my transgressions to the Lordand you
  forgave the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32 5).

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King David

• Davids encounter with God was honest and
  transparent, Wash away all my iniquity and
  cleanse me from sin. For I know my
  transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done
  what is evil in your sight. Cleanse me with
  hyssop, and I will be clean wash me, and I will
  be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and
  gladness let the bones you have crushed
  rejoice. (Psalm 511-3,7-8)
• David experienced Gods grace and acceptance. He
  said, The sacrifices of God are a ?broken
  spirit a broken and contrite heart, O God, you
  will not despise(Psalm 5117).

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Everyone needs to have an Encounter with God

• Like Jacob, perhaps you need to leave your past
  behind, change your identity, and transform your
  character
• Like the Samaritan woman, perhaps you need
  healing of wounds, emotional stability, and a
  change of reputation.
• Like David, perhaps you need a new heart, a new
  spirit, and the joy of forgivness.

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God wants to heal you

• God desires to heal your addictions,
  unforgiveness, bondages, curses, negative
  experiences of childhood, and guilt.

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ONLY AS WE ARE FREE FROM THE WEIGHT OF SIN AND
PAST HURTS CAN WE BEGIN TO SOAR LIKE THE EAGLE TO
NEW HEIGHTS OF VICTORY AND POWER
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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. Let us
fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of our faith (Hebrews 12 1-2)
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Getting away to find God

• Its interesting that. . .
• Jacob was outside of his own setting when he
  found God
• The Samaritan woman and her friends found Christ
  outside her own town.
• Abraham, Moses, and Paul encountered God outside
  of their natural environment
• We also have come away to encounter God.

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Getting away to find God

• Here at this retreat is your Peniel
• Its a place to find God
• Its a place where you can confront yourself ,
  your reality, your sin
• Its a place where you can see God face to face
  and receive the blessing of forgiveness and
  healing for your soul

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Ministry time (alone and as group)

• Each person takes a few moments individually to
  write down what they want to receive from this
  Encounter
• Time of worship as a group
• Spend time between songs, waiting on God and
  listening for what He wants you to learn at this
  retreat
• Praise and prayer as a group