"You Have Camped Too Long At Mt Horeb"

Deuteronomy 1:6-8

The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long
enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill
country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in
the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the
Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to
Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have
given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that
the LORD swore he would give to your fathers - to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob - and to their descendants after them."

Introduction

The overwhelming emphasis of the book of Deuteronomy is the covenant

relationship between God and His people. the covenant relationship can be
summed up in these two rhetorical statements:

"Our God" "My People"

The phrase 'our God' appears 27 times in this book. Now that may not sound
like an awful lot to you, but let me tell you that the phrase 'our god' occurs
205 times in the whole of the Bible. If this phrase were used evenly
throughout scripture, it would occur, on average, 3 times per book. But in
Deuteronomy the phrase occurs 27 times, and this shows the importance of
the covenant relationship in this book.

God is still the same today. We have a covenant God, and we are a covenant

1
people. This is His covenant with us today:

"I will never leave you or forsake you."

We can learn a lot about our God, and about His relationship with His
covenant people by studying this passage in Deuteronomy.

THE ISRAELITES STORY

1. Camped At Mt Horeb

So we pick up the story of the Israelites journey to the promised land at the
foot of Mt. Horeb. The Lord had heard the cries of His people (the Israelites),
and had brought them out of their slavery in Egypt. The place that He
brought them to was Horeb. So, where was this Mt. Horeb? Horeb may be
described in a number of ways:

a. It was the place to which God had led them;

b. It was the place of God's presence;

c. It was a place of blessing;

d. It was a place of preparation.

a. The Place To Which God Had Led Them

Horeb was the place that God had led the Israelites to. It is a
mountain somewhere in the Sinai peninsula and the area
around it is desert. Three months after leaving Egypt the
Israelites reached the mountain and set up camp. This then was
their first resting place after leaving Egypt. God brought the
Israelites to Mt. Horeb for a purpose. That was to mould them
into a nation that would be ready to inhabit the land the land

2
that He would give to them.

b. The Place Of God's Presence

Mt. Horeb was known as the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1). Mt

Horeb was the place where God appeared to Moses in the
burning bush. God said to Moses at that time:

"I will be with you. And this will be sign to you that it is I
who have sent you: when you have brought the people out
of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

Exodus 3:12

The Israelites came to Mt Horeb, and worshipped God there.

And the Lord descended upon Mt Horeb with tremendous
thunder and lightning. And God called down from the mountain
for Moses to come up and speak to Him. And the people were
very much afraid. They would not talk to God, lest His glory be
so overwhelming that they die.

Mt Horeb was a place of God's presence.

c. A Place Of Blessing

Horeb was a place of blessing. It was at Horeb that Moses struck

the rock and water gushed out (Ex. 17:6). At Mt Horeb God
drew the people to Himself:

"Assemble the people. I want them to hear what I have to

say, so that they will learn to obey me as long as I live
and so that they will teach their children to do the same."

Deuteronomy 4:10

3
 It was at Horeb that God spoke out of the fire, for the people
could not look upon God and live (Deut. 4:15). At Mt. Horeb
God made a covenant with His people (Deut. 5:2). It was here at
Horeb that Moses talked to God face to face. It was here at Mt.
Horeb that caused His glory to pass before Moses whilst He hid
Moses in the cleft of the rock (Ex. 33:12-23). It was here that
God gave the Israelites the Law (Ex. 20).

We cannot dispute that Horeb was a place of blessing.

d. A Place Of Preparation

It was a place where God prepared them for occupying the

Promised Land. The children of Israel had just been brought out
of Egyptian slavery. They not a real nation. They had simply
known a life of slavery. Before they could take on the Promised
Land they had to gain an identity as a nation. They had to
learn how to organise themselves into a system of government.
They had to establish their own identity and character as a
race. This they did with God's help. It was God that had
appointed Moses over the people. It was God that had directed
Moses to choose seventy leaders to help with the administration
of government, and it was God that provided the law: Firstly by
the giving of the ten commandments, and then the other
levitical laws that followed.

Not all of the lessons were hard. They had to learn to look to
God as their sole provider. This they did not do, and they made
a golden calf, and bowed down and worshipped it. They had to
learn to trust God entirely, and to follow His commands
completely. This was a lesson that they never fully accepted.

2. A Time To Move

4
Horeb was the first place that God took the Israelites to, but it was not their
Promised Land. Horeb was a place of blessing, it was a place of preparation,
it was a place of learning, growing, maturing, but it was not the Promised
Land. Mt. Horeb was not the place that God intended His people to stay. It
was a simply a stop over, a resting place.

3. A Land That Was Given To Them

The land that the Lord was to lead them to was the Promised Land. It was a
land that He had set aside for them. The promised land was a gift to the
Israelites for their home, and for an inheritance.

The Slough Christian Fellowship Story

1. Camped At Mt. Horeb

Now there are lessons for Slough Christian fellowship in this story. I believe
that the Lord is saying to us:

"You have camped too long at Mt Horeb"

But where is our Mt Horeb? We certainly are not at Mt Horeb in the physical
sense, so lets just remind ourselves how we described Mt Horeb earlier.

a. It was the place to which God had led them;

b. It was the place of God's presence;

c. It was a place of blessing;

d. It was a place of preparation.

a. A Place To Which God Has Led Us

5
Horeb was the place that God had led the Israelites to. But He
brought them to Mt. Horeb for only a short season.

Now I believe that Slough Christian Fellowship is a place to

which God has led each one of us. Let us Just look at this a little
more closely. God has led us here:

• from out of the world;

• from different backgrounds;

• from different locations;

• to be together as His family, with Him at the centre of all

things.

Slough Christian Fellowship is camped at Mt Horeb. It is a place

that the Lord has brought us to. He has brought us together for
a purpose. Since the Church was formed we have been moulded
together. We have now gained an identity of our own. We are
Slough Christian Fellowship, a church that's alive is worth the
drive, as our latest adverts say.

b. A Place Of God's Presence

Mt. Horeb was known as the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1). I'll
simply ask you this question. Have you felt God's presence here? I
certainly have felt the presence of the Lord here since the very
first time I walked through the door. We are having a wonderful
time at prayer meetings at the moment.

In our worship there is often a wonderful sense of the presence

of God. that is something that I noticed from the very first time
I came. And its getting better all the time.

6
We have been calling the prayer meeting the Hour of Power. But
if Thursday is anything to go by then we can't really call it an
Hour of Power. Lars tried to close the meeting at least twice,
and it steam rollered through him. We will now have to call it
something else. The Hour-and-a-half of power just doesn't seem
to rhyme. May be we'll call it the hour-and-a -half of power-
and-a-half; because when God is moving, power is too weak a
word.

The house groups have been great. We have had some great
meetings over in Windsor. We've all learnt a lot, and we have
got closer to God and to each other as a result.

c. A Place Of Blessing

Horeb was a place of blessing. It was here that God gave the
Israelites the Law. It was a place of peace. They no longer had to
flee the Egyptians forces. It was a place of preparation.

Slough Christian Fellowship has enjoyed God's blessing. Do you

not agree? God has been good to us. The very fact that we are
still up and running is a testimony to God's grace in itself.

• We have seen some very great things. Let me remind you

of a few.

• Seeing John Waller being ordained was a great

experience. I remember that we were the loudest church
at that service.

• We had the joy of holding two baptismal services.

7
 • Beng Hooey really went on with the Lord, and went back
to Malaysia eager to witness to friends and family.

• We have seen held three weddings, most recently that of

Jane and Andy; going back further there was Danny and
Ranka, and Tony and Linda

• We saw the Lord bless our street evangelism. I remember

once when John Waller didn't arrive until very late on
one occasion. But we got down and got on with it. John,
being the type of chap he his, was always centre stage,
the life and soul, and we weren't too sure that we could
do a great job without him. But even though John didn't
make it, God still showed up. It went well.

• One of the biggest blessings for me has been to see the

love between us grow. Sure we get on each others nerves
at times, but when it comes down to it we really do love
each other. I have been really encouraged by the
enthusiasm that many of you have for God, and I have
seen people growing so much in God.

We have been blessed by God in this place.

d. A Place Of Preparation

Horeb was a place where God prepared the Israelites for

occupying the Promised Land. This is the place where God made
Israel into a nation. At our Mt Horeb, God has made us a
Church. He has brought us together; He has made us a family;

8
 He has given us our own identity. All of these things are for a
purpose. God has laid a foundation, and upon this rock He will
build His Church.

We have grown from nothing into a Church that is able to

support a full time minister. We have built relationships with
each other. We have established prayer meetings, Bible study
groups and outreach programmes. We have a strong children's
work. We have all been taught, through sermons and through
house groups, and now we are ready for the next stage of our
growth. I really believe it. The Lord has prepared us for the land
that he will lead us into. It is a land that we will occupy.

2. A Time To Move

Horeb was the first place that God took the Israelites to, but it was not their
Promised Land. Horeb was a place of blessing, it was a place of preparation,
it was a place of learning, growing, maturing, but it was not the Promised
Land. Mt. Horeb was not the place that God intended His people to stay. It
was a simply a stop over, a resting place.

Last week Max read us that amusing article that highlighted the strange
cliches that we Christians often use. One was about God moving. You'll
remember the new convert had not made it to the service on the Sunday,
and the mature Christian was telling him that he had missed out because
God had really moved. The new convert was gutted and said:

"God has moved? Oh no. I was just getting to know Him. Where
has He moved to?"

Now this is an amusing story. But here in the passage that we read, God
really did move. Horeb was a place of God's presence. It was known as the
mountain of God. But God moved - the cloudy pillar arose from the camp
and led the people on to something new (Nu 10:11). We must be aware
when God is doing something new, and we must be prepared to move with

9
him.

For us here at Slough Christian Fellowship, we must move. The Lord has
blessed, the Lord has prepared us for something new. We must move. In
Lamentations we read:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never
come to an end. They are new every morning,. Great is Thy
faithfulness Oh Lord."

I want to know the mercies that the Lord has for me today. As I look at the
church world wide I see that God is really active in His church. We have
heard of revival in Korea for several years. We here that the church is active
in China. We all know of the fantastic things that have been happening in
Africa. We know that the Lord has moved wonderfully in places such as
Bulgaria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. And now we here of the Toronto
blessing. Is God active in His church? Yes He is.

I believe that we will see things happening here that we have never even
dreamed about. I don't know what God has for us here in Slough Christian
Fellowship, but I do know this - He has planned something great. I've saying
this now for some time, and it is not just me, there are many in this church
who feel the same way. I've even started hearing from people in other
churches in Slough that they think that God is about to do something great
in our church.

Toronto blessing? I don't want any Toronto blessing. Who invented that
phrase? I don't want the Toronto blessing. I don't want some second hand
blessing that has travelled several thousand miles to reach me. What I want
is simply the blessing of knowing the presence of the Lord in my life, and in
my church. The Lord Himself is here. We can receive from Him directly, not
just this morning, but also this evening, tomorrow morning, and any time
that we choose to throw ourselves upon Him.

If God is going to move, we must move with Him.

10
3. A Land That He Has Promised

A Land That is Given To Us

The land that the Lord was to lead them to was the Promised Land. It was a
land that He had set aside for them. The promised land was a gift to the
Israelites for their home, and for an inheritance. I have a tape by an old
Jewish Christian. He tells the story of a Russian Jew that he met in Israel.
The Russian Jew had been allowed to emigrate from Russia after several
years of waiting. But he was not allowed to take anything with him. When
he and his wife arrived in Israel they had all of their belongings in a carrier
bag. The fellow did not complain. He and his wife simply got on and worked
on a farm for low wages.

"And the Lord prospered me" he said "And I was able to buy a
little piece of land of my own. And the Lord prospered me again.
and I bought another piece of land. And so it continued. Now as
far as you can see the land belongs to me, and I have paid for
every inch of that land"

Our friend the Jew took out his Bible and turned to Genesis 17:8;

"The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will
give as an everlasting possession to you and to your descendants
after you..."

When he heard that, the Russian Jew was very sorry that he had paid for it.
This is an amusing story, but the same is true for Slough Christian Fellowship.
God has given us a land of good things. God is going to do something here
amongst us. We cannot buy God's favour, He loves us and He will do His work
here. It is Jesus that will build His Church here, not us. All that He requires of
us is that we love Him and follow His commands. When we do this He will
take responsibility for the consequences.

11
The Lord has given us this land. In the passage the name used for God is
Yahweh. The name 'Yahweh' is the proper noun for God. It means "one who
is", or "one who causes to be", or "I am who I am". This is the Name that is
above every name. The Jews regarded this name as so Holy that it should
even be pronounced, and hence they often replaced it with the word `Adoni'.
'Adoni' is a title which means sovereign or lord. It comes from a root word
which means to rule. Adoni, then is someone who rules.

If God, our God. If Yahweh, the One who causes to be, has promised us a new
land, then surely we can trust Him to provide our every need in order to
take possession of the land.

A Land For The Taking

The Lord has provided, and all it takes from us is to be obedient, and to take
it. So, were was the land that God promised to Israel. Well it's described
here. It was:

- The hill country of the Amorites; hills

- Arabah; desert
- Mountains; mountains
- Foothills; more hills
- The Negev (desert); more desert
- The coast; sea and sand
- Canaan; fertile land
- Lebanon. huge hills

Do you ever feel that life is an uphill struggle. Well it was for the Israelites
too. There are a lot of hills mentioned here. In fact Israel is a very hilly place.
That's a bit like our life isn't it? The fact that the land was hilly did not
mean that it was not what God had planned for His people. Some times
when we are going through hard times we feel that we cannot be in God's
plan, but that is simply not true.

The new land is something that God has given to us. It is something for
which we must fight, sure. But it is God's gift to us, and He will supply all of

12
the strength that we need to possess the land. God had promised the land to
the Israelites, but it would be a land that they would have to fight for. It was
hilly land, it would not be easy to defeat those tribes and people already
living there. But a land that is easy to conquer, is also a land that is easy to
lose.

This was an exciting time for the Israelites. the Lord had made them a new
nation, and all they needed was a land to call their own. Now sometimes the
most exciting times in our lives are also the most terrifying. I was watching a
film on the television recently and three blokes were telling each other about
the best and the worst days in their life. One guy told about an experience
when he was 12. He suddenly realised that his dad was having an affair. He
felt so angry that his dad was cheating on his mum, and on the kids, that
when his father eventually arrived home he stood up to him. He said:

"We don't need you, and we don't want you. From now on I'm
going to look after mum. Get your things and leave."

The father left.

"That was my best day"

A little bemused, his asked what was his worst day. The reply:

"The same day"

Moving on to something new can be both exciting and terrifying. Many of

know old people that fought in the war. It seems that at times they just can
not stop talking about the what they did in the war. You see, it something of
which they are proud. They did their duty for the country. At the time, of
course, they were petrified; but now only proud.

As we move into the next stage of our growth as a church, God may ask us
to do things that we would not choose to do ourselves. Coming to church at
9:15am is probably only the first of these things. It may be that God will ask
us to be more active in street evangelism. May be He has plans for us to do

13
things differently. May be the format of the service will change. I am certain
that more people will be called to be active in the church. New ministries will
be released. That means you, and that means me. You may be afraid to be
on the streets on Saturday mornings; you may feel nervous about standing
at the front of the church; you may feel out of place if you don't quite know
what is going to happen at church on Sundays any more. I'll confess, I feel a
little bit of all of these at times. But I'll tell you something else; I won't be put
off by the way that I feel about it! If God has something for me, I want it.

Our Personal Story

The Church. What is the Church? The Church is not the building. When we
say that we are going to Church we usually think about the Church building.
But that is wrong. The Church is the people of God. When we come to
Church we are not coming to a building; we are coming together; we coming
to fellowship; we are coming to share with each other in the presence of God.

So, the Church is the people. Nothing can happen to the Church unless it first
happens to the people. We all have our own personal Mt. Horeb. It is the
place where the Lord has brought us thus far.

May be the Lord is saying to you this morning:

"You have camped too long at Mt. Horeb."

May be the Lord is calling you into something new. May be the Lord wants
to release you into a new ministry. May be the Lord wants to use you in a
particular way, may be at home, at church or even at work. May be the Lord
simply wants to bless you in richer and a deeper way.

Consequences Of Not Following God

So, what happens if some of us do not want to move? May be we preferred

the way we used to do the Sunday services. May be we will feel that the old

14
way was best, because after all, God blessed us in those days. If we don't
want to change, what will happen?

Well we only need look at what happened to the Israelites. They all wanted a
land that they could call their own. They all wanted the very best that the
Lord had for them. But they knew that they would have to fight for the
land, and many could not stomach that kind of fight. The result was that
the whole nation had to stay in the wilderness for another 40 years.

If we are to go forward as Church then we have to realise that there will be

a fight. But if we go forward together, in the strength that Jesus will
provide, then we will be victorious. When the Israelites followed God's plan
the fighting was easy. At Jericho they simply marched around the place,
blew their horn, shouted, and the walls came down.

What happens if we don't move? Well we lose the blessing that God had
intended for us. We will go into decline. Tozer says that there are three
stages of church decline, we may call them the three R's of church decline:

- There is the rote. That is simply doing the things that

are familiar, simply because we are more comfortable
that way;

- Then there is rut. That is simply not being able to

change the rote;

- Finally there is rot. That is where the church simply

fades and dies.

CONCLUSION

The Lord has given a land of good things, I will press in and make them
mine, I'll know His power, I'll know His glory, and in His kingdom I will shine.

We have camped too long at Mt. Horeb folks. God is moving. We must move

15
with Him. We are in a new chapter in the life of Slough Christian Fellowship.
The Lord will do great things here. All that He asks of us is that we love Him,
trust Him, and do the things that He commands.

16