OUR GOD IS AWESOME

Exodus 19:16-21:21

Matthew 23:13-39

Psalm 28:1-9

Proverbs 7:1-5

At Disney's California Adventure there used to be a ride called "Soarin' Over California" and they have since changed it to "Soarin' Around the World." You get all buckled into this big contraption that simulates flying and you look down upon the ocean, mountains, elephants hanging out, orange groves, waterfalls. You can smell the dirt, the salt, and sweet trees. It's the rush of flying and the wonder of beauty.

Dr. Erik Thoennes, professor at Biola University, once said that while on that ride if you are attentive it becomes a worship experience.

Look

at the

world

the Lord

has made.

It is so beautiful.

There's a part on the new version of the ride where we fly over the Iguazu Falls in Brazil. Google it. The image search alone is enough to move and bewilder you. I can not imagine what it would be like to see it myself. In the moment on "Soarin' Around the World" the presence, the sound, the magnitude of those falls stun you. In that moment, you are in the presence of beauty. There may be some parts of the ride you need to actively "be attentive" if you will see it as a worship experience...but when you come to the Iguazu Falls it grabs your attention for you.

Our God is an awesome God.

The experience on "Soarin' Around the World" is only a glimpse of what the real Iguazu Falls experience is. The Iguazu Falls though are only a glimpse into the glory of God.

If. Iguazu. Falls. Stuns. You. Try. Being. Moses. On. Mount. Sinai.

The glory of God on Mount Sinai.

"THERE WAS THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

WITH A THICK CLOUD OVER THE MOUNTAIN

AND A VERY LOUD TRUMPET BLAST

MOUNT SINAI WAS COVERED WITH SMOKE

THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN TREMBLED VIOLENTLY"

THIS

NOT

DRILL

Does this not sound like something catastrophic you hear on the news? Does this not sound like something that GRABS YOUR ATTENTION, YOU CANNOT IGNORE, BOW DOWN! OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD.

"Moses, please, do not have God speak to us or we will die."

Whatever fear there is at the foot of Iguazu Falls DOES NOT COMPARE. This is the mother loving fear of God. The God who created Iguazu Falls with basically 0.2% effort as a TINY SLIVER OF A GLIMPSE AT HOW AWESOME HE IS.

It is all more

much more

way, way, way more

than we could ever understand.

God is a type of awesome above all. Above all.

And He lays down the law.

The 10 Commandments.

We take the 10 Commandments out of context all the time, man.

When I ask people who don't believe in God and/or Jesus what teaches them what is right and wrong a lot of the times the answer is the 10 Commandments. And it's confusing because so many of the 10 Commandments REQUIRE the existence of God.

"You shall have no other gods...you shall not misuse the name of the Lord...Love the Lord Your God."

All of those specific commandments make their answer very confusing...but the thing that makes it most confusing is the context. Because I don't know where they heard the 10 Commandments but it can't be from Exodus 19 when the commandments are TRUMPETED, BELLOWED from the thick, glorious, smokey, tangible cloud of the Most Holy God.

God Almighty.

What happened to Mount Sinai being what grabs your attention? Be attentive to the context...you're missing Iguazu Falls! You're missing the worship experience! You're missing that this is the glory of God!

The 10 Commandments are not removed from Him and they are not removed from this event when God chose to meet with Moses on Mount Sinai.

The 10 Commandments are not about distinguishing right from wrong...not in its essence.

This is all about the fear of God.

The fear of a powerful

mighty

GLORIOUS BEYOND COMPREHENSION

God

who loves

loves

you and me.

Our God

is an

AWESOME

God.

Tomorrow:

Exodus 21:22-23:13

Matthew 24:1-28

Psalm 29:1-11

Proverbs 7:6-23