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• LESSON 1 (January 4) • Awe-Inspiring Encounters with God * Perhaps the most appropriate place to begin a study of this scope and magnitude is by taking a brief look at a few of the documented human encounters with the most awe-inspiring being in the universe. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will give us a good snapshot as to what it was like to have a personal, tangible encounter with God.To get the most out of this introduction:1. Open your Bible.2. Before you read the following passages, pray. As you pray, realize that you are addressing God Almighty. Pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is ready to be shaped by these incredible passages.3. Reverently read the following passages and write in the space provided what they tell us about the nature of God and what you would have been thinking or feeling if you were personally involved in the scene being described.Exodus 19:1-25 • Israel at Mount Sinai What does this tell us about the nature of God? What would you have been thinking or feeling if you were in the scene? Exodus 33:7-34:8 • The glory of the LORD passes by Moses What does this tell us about the nature of God? What would you have been thinking or feeling if you were in the scene?P5Isaiah 6:1-7 • Isaiah’s vision of the LORD What does this tell us about the nature of God? What would you have been thinking or feeling if you were in the scene?Ezekiel 1:1-28 • Ezekiel’s vision of the LORD What does this tell us about the nature of God? What would you have been thinking or feeling if you were in the scene? Revelation 1:9-20 • John’s vision of the glorified Son of God What does this tell us about the nature of God? What would you have been thinking or feeling if you were in the scene? POINTS TO PONDER: Our God is I AM WHO I AM (Exo 3:13-14). He transcends all limitations of space, time, knowledge, and power. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev 4:8) When human beings were given even brief and miniscule glimpses of God’s glory, it was the most terrifying, awe-inspiring, mind-blowing experience of their lives. Jesus, the Son who is at the Father’s side, has made God known in ways that Moses, Isaiah, and Ezekiel could not even fathom (John 1:14-18; 8:48-59; 14:1-11). CLOSING THOUGHT: “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Heb 12:28-29)