Well, good morning. If you would
care to open your Bibles to the book of Exodus, Exodus chapter
33. Let me tell you again this week
how much I miss seeing all of you and us being able to worship
together. I'm thankful for this means that
the Lord has given us, but I sure do miss you and I long for the
day we can meet together under one roof again soon. You know,
it had been my intention when the last we met in person, I
finished studying the book of Hebrews, to go to another book,
possibly the book of Acts, but the Lord just has not given me
any message or leadership on that. So we'll just keep going
around to the different passages that the Lord leads us to. And
you all pray for me if the Lord will lead me to the message that
He'd have us preach and hear each week. And if there's a book
that the Lord would have us go, He'd show us the way. This morning,
our text will be taken from Exodus chapter 33. So let's read it
together. And the Lord said unto Moses,
depart and go up hence. Thou and the people which thou
hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, under the land which
I swear unto Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, saying unto thy
seed will I give it. And I will send an angel before
thee and I'll drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite and the Hittite and
the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. unto a land flowing
with milk and honey, for I will not go up in the midst of thee,
for thou art a stiff-necked people, lest I consume thee in the way.
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and
no man did put on him his ornaments. For the Lord had said unto Moses,
Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people.
I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment and consume
thee. Therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may
know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped
themselves of their ornaments by the Mount Horeb. And Moses
took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp afar off
from the camp and called it the tabernacle of the congregation.
And it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out
under the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. And
it came to pass when Moses went out under the tabernacle, that
all the people rose up and stood, every man at his tent door, and
looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle. And
it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy
pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and
the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy
pillar stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose
up and worshiped every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake
unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And
he turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son
of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And
Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, bring up
this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou hast sent
with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou
hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore I pray thee, if
I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way. that I may
know thee, that I might find grace in thy sight, and consider
that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall
go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him,
If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein
shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in
thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest
with us? So shall we be separated, I and
thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the
earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also
that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight,
and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee,
show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious. and will show mercy on whom I
will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see
my face, for there shall no man see me and live. And the Lord
said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon
a rock, and it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by,
that I will put thee in a cliff to the rock and will cover thee
with my hand while I pass by. And I will take away mine hand,
and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen."
Oh, thank God for his word. Let's bow together in prayer. Our Father, we bow before you
again this morning, giving thanks that sinful men and women such
as we are can come before your throne of grace accepted in the
person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we come before you
a thankful people. Oh, how thankful we are. for
the Lord Jesus Christ. How thankful we are for a Savior
whose blood atones for the sin of his people. How thankful we
are for a Savior whose righteousness, whose obedience makes his people
righteous. How thankful we are for a Savior
who loves his people and will not let them perish, but by his
sacrifices put away their sin, made them accepted in thy sight.
Father, how thankful we are. How thankful we are for all of
your mercy and grace to us all our time here below. You've been
so merciful and gracious. You provided for us fleshly and
spiritually how you provided for us. You provided the gospel
for this congregation, blessed it with your presence and your
power for so many years. And Father, we're humbled and
thankful knowing that It's not because of any goodness in us
or any faithfulness in us, but it's all because of your goodness
and your faithfulness to your people. Father, we thank you. We would beg your forgiveness
for the many times that we're not as thankful and grateful
as we should be. Forgive us for ever, ever murmuring
and complaining against your good providence to your people. And Father, at this time of this
trouble and difficulty of this virus throughout this whole world.
Father, we pray that you would send healing, that you would
provide a way out, and especially, Father, that you would provide
a way for your people to be able to meet together in person, with
one heart, with one voice, and one accord, and to worship thee. And Father, above all, at this
time, we pray that we might see your glory. Father, show your
people how your power, your word, your gospel is not restricted.
We're restricted, but you're not. We can't go out, but your
word can still go out in power. Father, I pray that even in this
time that you'd give your people a revival, a refreshing of your
word. Cause us to see your glory. We
have no idea what your purpose is in this, but Father, show
us your glory. Show us your glory, we pray. Father, for those who
are hurting and sick and afflicted, and there's so many right now,
Father, we pray that you'd heal and that you'd comfort, that
above all, you'd give them a fulfillment of the promise of your presence,
that you'd be with your people, even as our bodies suffer and
minds suffer, that you'd give us rest. Rest in our Lord Jesus
Christ. For it's in his precious name
that we pray and give thanks. Amen. All right, I've titled
the message this morning, Show Me Your Glory. I know right now
all of us are praying that the Lord would heal our land, our
country, and this world, that he would deliver us somehow from
this virus that's causing so much pain and suffering in the
world. And we should be praying for that because the Lord is
the only one who can deliver us from this thing. We're powerless
against it. But it is a better request, I
believe, that we can make in prayer. It would be better for
us that we would ask the same thing that Moses asked at the
end of his conversation with the Lord here. Lord, show us
your glory. I don't want to just be delivered
from pain and suffering and inconvenience, but Lord, give us a special manifestation
of your glory during this trial. I believe it'd be a better prayer
if we pray, Lord, show us how you still. We're restricted.
But Lord, show us how you still bless your word to the hearts
of your people. Lord, let us see your glory and
how, even though we're restricted, that you'd still call out your
people and save them, that you still reveal Christ to the hearts
of your people. Lord, let us see your power. Let us see your
glory, how you still bless and comfort your people by the preaching
of your word. How you still comfort your people
by still yet bringing us closer to you. We can't go close to
each other, but Lord, let us see your glory and how you draw
your people closer to you. I believe that's a better prayer.
We'd be more blessed to see God's glory than we would if the Lord
suddenly removed this virus. It'd be good. It'd be a good
thing if the Lord suddenly removed this virus, but what would be
better? To be delivered from this virus or to see God's glory? I believe you know which one
would be better, don't you? And that's what I think of when I
think of Exodus chapter 33. I think of the request that Moses
made toward the end of this chapter from which I took my title. Lord,
I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Now that is the greatest request
any son of Adam can make of God. There's no greater request that
we could ask of God. Then God show me your glory.
But Moses actually makes five glorious requests in this chapter
that I want us to look at this morning. And I pray that the
Lord will make these five requests to be the desire of our heart
and the Lord might be pleased to grant us these five requests.
We will be blessed beyond measure if he does. Let's read this chapter
again and see what led up to Moses making these five requests.
Chapter 33 of Exodus verse one. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast
brought up out of the land of Egypt, under the land which I
swear to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Under thy seed
will I give it. And I will send an angel before
thee, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the
Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto
a land flowing with milk and honey. For I will not go up in
the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people, lest I
consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these
evil tidings, they mourned and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the Lord has said unto Moses,
say unto the children of Israel, you're a stiff neck people. I
will come up into the midst of thee in a moment and consume
thee. Therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee that I may
know what to do unto thee. Now the Lord tells Moses, Moses,
I'm going to keep my promise. I made a promise to Abraham,
to Isaac and to Jacob to give the land of Canaan to their descendants
and I'm going to do it. And I'm going to give them the
victory by sending an angel in front of them who will defeat
all of their enemies. They're going to have the land
and live in it because I promised. You just take them and take them
to that land. They can have the land, flowing
with milk and honey. I'm going to give it to them and they're
going to live in it. But, but, I won't be in the midst
of it. The Lord told Moses, I'm going
to give the people this great blessing, which I promised to
Abraham hundreds and hundreds of years ago. And they heard
those tidings, but they mourned because they heard God would
not be dwelling in the midst of them there. They're going
to have the blessing, but they're not going to have the blessor.
And the people mourned. They mourned. Now get a hold
of this. They would rather stay in the desert with God than be
in the land flowing with milk and honey. without God. That's
why they mourn. That's why I said to open the
message. I believe we ought to pray and ask the Lord that he
might give us a special manifestation of his glory in this difficult
time. Not just ask for deliverance
from the virus, but ask to see a special manifestation of God's
glory. Because I would rather be in
this time of trial and difficulty with the Lord that I would be
to have the virus removed and be without the presence of the
Lord. I'd rather be with the Lord,
have His glory, a manifestation of His glory in this trial than
I'd be to have this trial removed but be without Him. I'd a whole
lot rather see God's glory. Now, I know that doesn't come
naturally to our minds, but the reason for that is we're in the
flesh and we are too prone to think of fleshly, material blessings. And when we do that, we always
miss the greatest blessing, which is the presence of God. To have
a place to worship God and to hear from God, to hear, thus
saith the Lord. The greatest curse God could
send upon a city is to give them wild economic wealth and take
his profit from them. So they can't hear, thus saith
the Lord. That's the greatest curse God could give a city.
And we'll see that more clearly. If it looks like the Lord is
going to take his presence from us, if it looks like the Lord
is going to take his gospel from us, if it looks like the Lord
could take his place of worship from us, suddenly we see the
importance of it and we begin to long after it. And when the
people heard, God said, I'll give you the land flowing with
milk and honey. I'll drive out. You're not going to have to fight.
I'm going to drive out all the enemies for you, but I won't be with
you. Instead of celebrating the people more. because suddenly
they saw the importance of having God's presence with them. Read
on verse six. And the children of Israel stripped
themselves of their ornaments by the Mount Horeb. Now this
is a picture of true repentance. The people took off everything
that decorated them and made them look better. Now think what
happened just before this. The people just finished giving
all their gold and jewelry. They broke off all their earrings
and their bracelets and their jewelry and gave it to Aaron
so that Aaron could make them a golden calf, an idol to worship.
And now they took off whatever it is that they had left. They
took off the last bits of idolatry that they had and they stripped
them off of them. And they sought the Lord naked,
bare as they are, without anything trying to make them look better.
Now that's true repentance. When we give up everything about
us that we think we've ever done that's any good, anything we
think might make God happy with us, anything that we think might
make us look better for God, and we give it up and we throw
it away and come to God as we are, naked, full of our sin,
just in full display of the putrid corruption of our sin, and beg
God for mercy for Christ's sake, not for our sake. That's true
repentance. And that's what this is a picture
of. Now, verse seven, Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it
without the camp far off from the camp and called it the tabernacle
of the congregation. And it came to pass that everyone
which sought the Lord went out under the tabernacle of the congregation,
which was without the king. Now this is not the tabernacle
of the Lord. Moses had just received the instructions
for it. And when he was up upon the Mount,
while the children of Israel were making this idol, The tabernacle
had not been constructed as of yet. This was some other tent,
a tent that was used for the public worship of God. And the
key to this tent is it's outside the camp. If you're going to
go commune with God, if you're going to go worship God, you've
got to go outside of the camp. We never find Christ in the camp. We never find Christ in the camp
of man's religion. We never find Christ in the camp
of man's ways, man's thoughts, man's ideas. We always find Christ
outside the camp. You're going to have to go outside
the camp of anything that's got anything to do with man, if you're
going to hear from God. And that's what the people did.
Now verse 8, it came to pass when Moses went out under the
tabernacle of the congregation, that all the people rose up and
stood every man at his tent door and looked after Moses until
he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses
entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and
stood at the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord, Jehovah, talked
with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy
pillar stand at the tabernacle door. And all the people rose
up and worshiped every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake
unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friends. And
he turned again into the camp, but his servant, Joshua, the
son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Now,
what scripture says here, I mean, can you imagine this? What a
moment this was. What a moment. All the people
watching Moses walk out to that tabernacle. A cloudy pillar of
sin, and God, Jehovah, talked with Moses face to face. Now,
scripture says that the Lord talked to Moses face to face.
It means in an intimate way. without holding anything back
in a close way, heart to heart. More than face to face, this
is heart to heart. This time when the Lord talked
to Moses face to face, that is the time that Moses saw the greatest
manifestation of God's glory. Moses had been in the mount with
God. He had been with God and God
gave him the law. He saw God right with his finger
on those tables of stone, the Ten Commandments. There had to
be something else. I mean, when Moses came down
from the mount, his face shone, the glory that he had made his
face shine. There was something else to see
there. But when God gave the law to Moses, you know what Moses
saw? He saw the glory of God's holiness.
He saw the glory of God's justice. He saw the glory of God's strictness,
God's inflexible justice. But he didn't see anything about
grace. He didn't see anything about mercy. He didn't see anything
about forgiveness. He didn't see anything about
life. All he saw was death by the law. Now, God talks to Moses
face to face, heart to heart. Now Moses sees the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ. He sees God's glory and his mercy
and grace for sinners. He sees God's glory and forgiveness
and love for sinners in Christ. And it can't get any better than
that. It would never got any better than that. And after the
Lord talked to Moses in such an intimate way, after the Lord
revealed more of himself to Moses, then Moses was able to pray. Verse 12, Moses said unto the
Lord, see thou sayest unto me, bring up this people and thou
hast not let me know whom thou hast sent with me. Yet thou has
said, I know thee by name and thou has found grace in my sight. Now Moses said, Lord, you told
me to bring this people up out of Egypt. You told me to do that.
You told me to bring them to the land that you promised to
give them. But you haven't shown me how
to do that. You haven't shown me who will go with me. You haven't
shown me who's going to go with me and enable this thing to be
accomplished. How am I going to take three
million people across the desert? How am I going to do that? Lord,
you haven't, this is what, he's not really asking who's going
to go with me. He said, Lord, you didn't show me you're going to
go with me. You haven't shown me you are going to go with me.
And if you don't go with me, I will certainly fail. So I don't
want to go. Lord, you haven't showed me you
are going to go with me. Then Moses makes his first request.
This is what led up to Moses making these five requests. It's his conversation with the
Lord. When the Lord talked to him face to face. When the Lord
told him, I know you by name. And you found grace in my sight.
And that let Moses pray and make these five requests. Here's his
first request. Lord, show me your way. He says in verse 13, now, therefore,
I pray thee, if I found grace in thy sight, show me now thy
way. And Moses was like the rest of
the children of Israel in this way. He'd seen God's acts, but
Moses wanted to know more than God's acts. He wanted to know
his ways. God's ways are different than God's acts. God's acts are
what God does. God's ways are the essential
character of God. God's ways are not just what
God is doing, but why God's doing it. God's ways are God's purposes
and what God is accomplishing in what he does. That's God's
ways. Look over with me at Psalm 103. Psalm 103. To know God's ways is to know
God's purpose. It's to know God's purpose of
mercy and grace and forgiveness for the sin of his people. That's
in everything that God does. Understanding that is understanding
God's ways. Psalm 103, verse seven. He may known his ways unto Moses,
his acts unto the children of Israel. God's acts, like I said,
are just what God does, but his ways he may known unto Moses.
And here's God's ways in the next verses. God's way is the
way of mercy and grace, verse eight. The Lord is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. That's God's way to
save his people in mercy and grace. God's way is not deal
with his people for their sin because he dealt with Christ,
their substitute for their sin. Verse nine, you will not always
chide. Neither will he keep his anger
forever. He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded
us according to our iniquities. God has not rewarded us according
to our iniquities because he rewarded Christ our substitute
for our iniquities. That's God's way of salvation. God's way is
to completely remove the sin of his people so that they are
holy and their sin can never touch them again. Verse 11, for
as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy
toward them that fear him. as far as the East is from the
West. So far hath He removed our transgressions
from us. East and West never touch. As
long as you're going East, you'll never start going West. That's
what He's saying. God's removed the sin of His
people. This is God's way. He's removed it so far from them.
He's made them holy so their sin will never touch them again.
They'll never be unholy again. That's God's way to make His
people holy in Christ. God's way. is to completely remove
the sin of his people by the sacrifice of Christ, because
God knows we can't do it ourselves. By nature, we think we can do
that ourselves, but God knows us a whole lot better than we
do. God knows we cannot take our sin away. So he sent Christ
to do it for his people. Verse 13. Like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth
our frame, he remembereth that we're dust. As for man, His days
are as grass, as a flower of the grass, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it and it's gone, and the place
thereof shall know it no more. That's God's way, is to do for
his people what they cannot do for themselves, to send his son
to take their sin away for them. And God's way is to save his
people because of his covenant mercy, not their works. Verse
17, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto children's
children." Now that's God's way. And that's what Moses said, I
want to know. I want to know God's way. And you know God's
way. You know who God's way is. God's way is not a what, it's
a who. God's way is the Lord Jesus Christ. So our prayer today,
all these years later, is the exact same prayer as Moses. We
still have the same need. Lord, show me your way, your
way of salvation in Christ. Show me your way of righteousness
that's in Christ. Show me Christ, who is my life. He's the way of life because
he is my life. Show me the way that you forgive sin is in the
sacrifice of Christ. Show me Christ. Oh, Lord, show
us Christ. Show us Christ. Show us the way. put us in Christ the way, and
we'll be saved. That's our request more than
anything else. Lord, show me your way. All right, here's the
second request. Back in our text, Exodus 33,
verse 13. Show me your way, Moses says,
that. Here's the reason I want you
to show me your way, that. That. I may know thee. Lord,
let me know thee. That's his second request. Now
the key reason to ask to know God's way is so that we know
Christ. Salvation is knowing Christ. Salvation is having a union with
Christ. It's not simply knowing His name, it's having a union
with Christ. In our Lord's great high priestly
prayer, John 17 verse 3, He said, this is life eternal. You want
to know what life eternal is? Here it is. That they might know
Thee, the only true God, and that they might know Jesus Christ
whom Thou has sent. Knowing Christ is having salvation. Well, then the great cry of our
heart is, Lord, make me know you. Now, knowing Christ, like
I said, just not knowing the name of Jesus. Knowing Christ
is just not knowing some facts, even true facts about Christ.
Knowing Christ is having a union with Christ, like a husband and
a wife know each other in you. That's what it is to know Christ,
like a husband and wife know one another. Knowing Christ is
having a relationship with Christ. It's us knowing Christ and Christ
knowing us. At the end of verse 11, Moses
already said, Lord, you said, you know me by name. You said,
you know me. Now, Lord, make me know you. Make me have a relationship
with you. That's life eternal. And to have
that relationship is life. But to not have that relationship
with Christ is to not have life and to be damned. You remember
Matthew 7 verse 23, the Lord had separated the sheep and the
goats. He put the goats on his left hand, the sheep on his right
hand. And the Lord said to the wicked, he said to the unbeliever,
I never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from
me ye that work iniquity. Now the Lord knows who these
people are and he knows their works. That's how the only way
he can know that their works are works of iniquity is if he
knows them and he knows their works. He knows who they are. What he's saying is, I don't
have a relationship with you. I never knew you in divine election. I never knew you in my sacrifice
for my people. Your name was not on my breastplate.
I never knew you to be in me. I never knew you to believe me.
I never knew you to trust in me. I never knew you to call
on me for mercy or grace or forgiveness. I saw you did a lot of works
trying to make me happy, trying to earn your way into heaven,
but I never knew you to call on me for mercy or grace or forgiveness. I never knew you to trust me.
Then our prayer, the cry of our heart, the desperate cry of our
heart is, Lord, make me to know you. Show me your ways that I
may know you. All right, here's the third request.
Let me find grace in your sight. He says in verse 13, show me
now thy way that I may know thee that I might find grace in thy
sight and consider that this nation is thy people. Now, if
God's going to consider this stiff neck people, the stiff
neck nation as his people, it's going to have to be in grace,
isn't it? Because it's obvious they can't earn it. It's going
to have to be in grace. Lord, let me, let your people
find grace in your sight. But remember we just read Moses
said, I have found grace in your sight. God told Moses, you have
found grace in my sight. Moses said, Lord, you said I
found grace in your sight. He already knew God had been
gracious to him. Has God been gracious to you? Has he? Do you
know? How can you tell if God's been
gracious to you? You can tell by the prayer of your heart.
God told Moses, Moses, I have been gracious to you. If God's
been gracious to you, you'll pray just like Moses did. Lord,
give me more grace. That's what Moses is saying here.
You've been gracious to me. You've given me a taste of your
grace. Oh, it's sweet. Lord, give me more grace. You
notice Moses did not say, Lord, I've done everything you told
me to do. I left my wife and my children. I left a good life. I was just peaceful, calm life,
keeping the sheep of my father, Jethro. It was peaceful and quiet. I didn't have any of that political
backbiting and fighting and fussing and feuding like I had back there
in Egypt. I had a quiet, peaceful life. Moses had the life we all
dream of, quiet and peaceful. And you told me, get up out of
there and go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh, the mightiest man
on earth, with the mightiest army, the richest nation on earth,
to let my people go. And Lord, I did it. And I led
those people out. They've been a stiff-necked people
from the time I came and told them, the Lord sent me. They said, who is it that sent
you? Who do you think you are? And who is it that sent you to
deliver us? He said, it's the Lord. And they argued and fussed
and fought. They fought with me this whole
time. They've been a pain in my neck. But Lord, I let them
out just like you told me to. Lord, I've been faithful to do
everything you told me to do. Lord, I told you I've been keeping
these sheep long. I can't speak anymore. And yet
I still win. And you told me you put the words
in my mouth and I win. That's not what so he's saying.
So, Lord, I've been so faithful. Don't leave me now. Moses didn't
say that, did he? Moses said, Lord, you said you've
been gracious to me. Lord, please continue being gracious
to me. That's what he's saying. Lord,
you've been gracious to me, but Lord, keep giving me grace. Keep
giving me grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. Yes, you've been gracious to
me. I'm thankful, but Lord, don't
leave me now because I'm completely dependent on your grace. I can't
do one thing by myself. That's why Moses said, Lord,
you didn't show me who's going to go with me. I can't do this by myself. I can't take the people to the
land you promised by myself. Lord, keep giving me grace. Oh,
I thank you for your grace, but I still need it. I need more
grace. I need electing grace. I need saving grace. I need calling
grace. I need life giving grace. I need
grace sufficient for every trial. I need keeping grace. I need
directing grace. Lord, continue to be gracious
to me. That is the prayer of the object
of everyone. I've got objects of grace. Lord, give me more grace. Thank
you. Thank you for giving me grace,
but Lord, give me more grace and don't leave me to myself
now. And the Lord granted Moses request for verse 14. And he
said, my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest. God said, all right, Moses, I'll
go with you. My presence will be with you just like I promised
it would. You're right, I told you I'd be with you all the way
to Canaan. My presence will go with you
and I will give you rest just exactly like I promised. I'll
never leave you nor forsake you. For Christ's sake, for the sake
of my covenant, not because this people has been in account, but
for my word's sake, Moses, I'll go with you. You got my presence.
You got what you asked for. Then Moses makes his fourth request.
Lord, if you don't go with me, don't let me go anywhere. Verse
15. He said unto him, if thy presence
go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it
be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy
sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be
separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are
upon the face of the earth. I've told this congregation many
times that this is the prayer of my heart. before I preach.
Lord, if you don't go with me, don't let me go. Don't let me
go. Lord, go with me. Whatever you do, Lord, do not
let me preach by myself. Do not let me preach in my own
intellect, in my own ideas, in my own power. Because Lord, if
you do that, if you let me preach by myself, I'm going to hurt
your reputation. I'm going to hurt the reputation
of the gospel if I preach it by myself. And God, I'll hurt
your sheep. I'll hurt your sheep if you don't
go with me. Lord, if you don't go with me,
don't let me go with you. But this is a lot like Moses'
prayer for grace, isn't it? The Lord just finished Moses
telling him, I'll go with you. Moses, you got my presence. Just
like Moses, when God told Moses, I'll be gracious to you. I've
been gracious to you. Moses prayed for more grace. When God promised
his presence, Moses prayed for more of God's presence. Lord,
don't ever leave me to my own devices. If God, I promise you this, if
God ever gives you his presence, if he ever gives you the sweetness,
the blessedness of his presence, you will never want to be without
it again. If God gives you his presence,
this will be the prayer of your heart. Lord, if your presence
doesn't go with me, don't let me go. Just don't let me go anywhere.
Your presence will not be with me. God's presence in your heart
is the evidence that God saved you. Christ in you, the hope
of glory, that God give me your presence. Don't let me go anywhere
without it. God's presence gives his people the rest that he promised
Moses back here in verse 14. God's presence gives us the rest
of faith. There's no more work left to
do. Christ did it all. God's presence gives us the rest
from the curse of the law. because Christ was made a curse
for us. God's presence in the heart gives us rest from the
fear of death. There's no reason to fear death.
Christ already died for us. He died the death his people
deserved, took the sting out of it so they can't hurt him
anymore. So all that's left for God's people is graduation day. There's no reason to fear death.
Moses here is a picture of Christ and his intercession for his
people. That intercession was completely successful. Verse 17. And the Lord said unto
Moses, I will do this thing also that thou has spoken for thou
has found grace in my sight and I know thee by name. God told
Moses, Moses, I will do everything you ask. I'm going to give you
everything you want. Now in that way, Moses is a picture
of Christ, our intercessor. The father always gives him everything
he asked for because his blood purchased it because it's only
right that the father give it to him. But just considering
Moses, not as a picture of Christ our intercessor, but just as
the man Moses. Moses made these four requests. These are big requests. These
are not small things. Moses asked God, made these four requests,
and God said, all right, Moses, I'm gonna give you everything
you asked for. And you and I would probably think this is a time
to say thank you, Lord, and keep our mouths shut. That crossed
your mind? Now would be a good time to say
thank you, Lord, and keep my mouth shut. God said, I'm gonna give
you anything you ask for. Abraham knew that. Remember that
time Abraham went before the Lord and he asked the Lord, well,
per venture, there's 50 men, righteous men. Would you spare
the city for 50? And he kept lowering and he said, oh, Lord,
I'm but flesh, just dust, but taken upon me to speak unto,
but Lord, would you, he kept, remember how he kept, and he
finally got down and somehow Abraham knew at the time, shut
up. God said, yeah, Moses, I was, and Abraham, he said, yep, I'll
spare the city. Just a few, just five, whatever
the number was. Somehow, Abraham knew to shut
up. God gave him everything he asked for. Abraham knew it was
time to shut up. Thank you, Lord. Shut his mouth. I had a boss
one time. I made a somewhat comical adventure
into selling eyeglasses. He was trying to teach me how
to sell eyeglasses. He gave me this spiel. I wanted to impress
him. I wanted to show him the spiel I had. And he said, now, if somebody
says, okay, when you're trying to sell them these eyeglasses
and somebody says, okay, he says, shut up, go up to the register. As soon as they say, okay, you
shut your mouth and you go up there and ring them in. Don't,
don't keep trying to sell them when they say, okay, now it's time to shut
up. God said, okay, okay, Moses,
I'll give you anything you ask for. It seems like now would
be a good time to say, thank you, Lord. You'd be quiet, wouldn't
you? But not Moses. After God said,
Moses, I'm gonna give you everything you asked for. Now, Moses gets
into deep water and makes his greatest request. Here's his
fifth request. Lord, show me your glory. Verse
18. And he said, I beseech thee,
I beg thee, show me thy glory. Now think about Moses' life.
Moses heard the story how his mother put him in a little old
fast Ark, made of paper and thatch and tar. Tar, paper, ark, and
threw him out into the Nile. And he was found by none other
than Pharaoh's daughter, who took him and raised him as her
own. And she needed help raising him, who did she get? But Moses'
very own mother to nurse him and raise him. She told him,
Moses, you're the deliverer. You're God's promised deliverer. I put you in this paper ark in
the Nile river, an alligator will eat you. Pharaoh's daughter
found him. He heard that story. He'd seen
God's hand making that happen. Moses had talked to God from
the burning bush. He saw a bush that was burning,
but the wood of it was not consumed. God said, Moses, take your shoes
off your feet, Charlie Brown. And God talked to him from that
burning bush. Moses saw that. Moses went down there to Egypt.
He saw the plagues. He saw the water turn to blood.
He saw the fiery hail, the locusts and the lice and the frogs. He
saw the darkness. Moses saw the Passover, when
God passed through the lame and killed every firstborn, not under
the blood. Moses saw that. Moses saw the
Red Sea part, and children of Israel walked through on dry
ground. And then he turned around and watched Pharaoh and his army
drown in the very same place. Moses saw manna from heaven and
quails fall in the camp every day for me. Moses saw water come
from that smitten rock. And he knew that rock was Christ.
Moses received the law and the instructions for the tabernacle
straight from God. Moses had been in that tent talking
to God face to face, the Lord talking face to face. Moses,
Moses, what more do you want? Moses had seen God's acts and
now he wants to see God's glory. Moses has seen God's power. Now
you want to see God's glory. God said, all right, Moses, I'll
show you my glory. Verse 19. And he said, God said,
I'll make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Here's what God says his glory
is. God said this is his greatest glory. It's God's goodness. God is good. God is a contrast
to you and me. We're evil. We're bad. But God
is good. He is good. That's his character
is good. So everything God does is good. This virus we're all being praying
to be delivered from is good. God sending it at this time and
its effect on this earth is good because God is good. God's goodness
is seen in this, how God saves sinners through the obedience
and the sacrifice of his son. God's greatest glory is his sovereign
mercy to sinners. I'll show mercy to who I will,
and I'll withhold it from whom I will. I'll be gracious to whom
I will, and I'll withhold grace from whom I will. God said, I'll
be gracious to whom I will be gracious. Whoever I choose, that
I'll be gracious to. Grace is God giving us what we
do not deserve. We don't deserve forgiveness.
We don't deserve salvation. We don't deserve life. But God
gives that gift to whom he will. Just whoever he decides to give
it to, that's who he gives it to. And he withholds it from
whom he will. And God's good both ways. God
gives his elect what Christ deserves. He gives his elect what Christ
earned as a man under the law for his people. And that's good.
Oh, that's good. Now mercy is God not giving us
what we do deserve. In order for God not to give
his people what they deserve, he had to give Christ our substitute,
everything that our sin and rebellion deserves. In order for God to
be merciful to his people, he had to give Christ all the suffering
and the death that our sin deserves. And he did that. He gave that
to his son so he could not give it to his people. That's good. That is good. God is good when
he shows mercy like that to his people, by giving his son, our
substitute, what we deserve. And God's mercy is sovereign
mercy. He gives it to whom he will.
It's a gift he gives to whom he will, and he withholds it
from whom he will. And he's good both ways. God's
greatest glory. This is what God says. It's him
showing mercy and grace to sinners that he chooses to give it to.
That's God's greatest glory. And that's pictured in the rest
of the verses in our text this morning, verse 20. And he says,
thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and
live. And the Lord said, behold, there's a place by me, and thou
shalt stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass when my
glory passes by, that I'll put thee in a cleft of the rock,
and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by, and I will take
away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face
shall not be seen. Now this, this is a picture of
how God saves his people. This is, this is a picture of
how God has mercy upon his people through the sacrifice of Christ,
because he gave Christ the punishment that we deserve. God's greatest
glory is seen in salvation of sinners in God's son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. God says, I'm going to pass by
and you're going to stand upon a rock. Just like that rock, Moses struck
with his rod. That rock was Christ. This rock
is Christ too. The only place of safety that
there is to be found when God passes by in His glory, His justice,
His judgment against sin, the only place of safety is to hide
in Christ, is to hide in the cleft of the rock. The only place
of safety there is to be found from God's wrath against our
sin is to hide in the cleft of the rock, Christ Jesus. To hide
in that hole, that cleft that was made by that Roman spear
when that Roman soldier pierced the side. of the Savior and out
flowed blood and water, blood to justify, water to sanctify.
The only place of safety a sinner like you and me can find is in
those holes in the hands and feet that those nails made that
nailed Christ to that cursed cross. The only place of safety
we can find is in that hole, in that blood that came from
His hands and His feet and His side. The only place of safety
is in Christ the Savior, in that good. Isn't that good to be found
in Christ? To be able to hide in Him, the
Savior of sinners? Now, no man in the flesh can
see God's face and live. Now, what the Lord is saying
is no man can see the essential glory of God's holiness. No man
in the flesh can see God's justice and live. We're too sinful. That
sight would just utterly consume us. So God made a way to reveal
His greatest glory to sinners. in a way that they could stand,
in a way that would not, not only would it not, not would
not destroy them. God made a way to reveal his
greatest glory to sinners in a way that would save their souls.
God made a way to reveal mercy and grace to his people through
the sacrifice of his son. That's God's greatest glory.
God made a way to reveal it to them so that would save them,
not destroy him. Moses couldn't see God's face,
but he could see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Three things. Moses couldn't see God's face,
but he saw three things. And all three of those things
are a manifestation of salvation in Christ crucified. First, Moses
could see the Lord's nail-pierced hand. He said, Moses, when I
pass by and put you in the cleft of the rock, I'm going to cover
you with my hand. There's Moses hiding in the cleft
of that rock, and that hand came and covered him. That nail-pierced hand. Showing
Moses, you're safe. in the crucified Christ. You're
safe because Christ was sacrificed for you. He was nailed to the
cursed tree for you. He has made a curse for you so
you won't be cursed. He saw that. He saw salvation
in Christ crucified. That nail pierced hand that shielded
Moses from God's wrath is the evidence Christ was crucified
for my sin. I've heard it told the only evidence
of sin and glory will be the holes. in the Savior's body,
in his hands, his feet, and he saw. That's the evidence Christ
was crucified for you. Moses saw the hand of God. And Moses could see God's back
parts. When the Lord took his hand off that clasp and Moses
looked out, you know what he saw? He saw the back. He saw the back that the Savior
gave to the smithers. that was lashed those 39 times
in hatred of God, but also in the justice of God. He saw that
back that the Savior gave to the smiters, that he might be
smited for my sin so I'd never be smitten. Moses saw that. He
saw salvation in Christ suffering what I deserve. And then thirdly,
Moses in the back parts saw the heel of the Savior. You know,
if somebody's walking away from you, what do you see? Their heel. You see their back, you see their
back part, and you see their heel. Moses saw the heel of the
Savior as he passed by. That heel that was bruised as
the Savior crushed Satan's head at Calvary and put Satan out
of business by removing the sin of his people, by being crucified
for them. That's God's greatest glory.
It's seen in his back parts, in his hand, the palm of his
hand. His back given to the smiters on his heel. bruise as he puts
Satan out of business. That's God's greatest glory.
It's salvation by God crucifying his son, putting his son under
God's justice, suffering everything God's elect deserve so he can
show mercy and grace to them. That's God's greatest glory.
It's in Christ crucified. And when that quits being theory
and God ever shows me Christ crucified for my sin, I've seen God's greatest glory.
That's his greatest glory. And my prayer is, Lord, show
me your glory. Show me your greatest glory.
Lord, choose me. Lord, put me in the cleft of
the rock. Let me see Christ crucified for me. And I'll have rest. That's my prayer for me. That's
my prayer for you. May God make it so. By his mercy,
by his sovereign grace for his people. All right, let's bow
together. Our Father, we thank you for
this your word. We thank you for your sovereign
grace, your sovereign mercy to sinners, that you give it to
whom you will and you withhold it from whom you will. And Father,
we beg of thee that you make us objects of your mercy and
your grace. Father, show us your way, show
us your way, your way of salvation in Christ, that we might know
thee. Lord, shower your mercy and your
grace upon us. Don't leave us alone. Continue
being merciful and gracious to your people. Lord, give us your
presence. Lord, in these dark and difficult
days of this particular trial, but in all of our days, this
journey through the veil of tears below, Lord, give us your presence.
Don't let us go anywhere without you. Oh God, show us your glory. Show us your glory in Christ
crucified for our sins. Reveal Christ to our hearts for
your glory, for the glory of your word, for the glory of your
grace, for the glory of your person. God save your people
by your mercy and your grace. Christ Jesus, our Savior, is
in his precious, precious name. We pray and give thanks. Amen.
I hope that will be a blessing to your heart and encouragement
and comfort. we will call you to Christ. Till next time, may
the Lord bless you.