Let us look in our Bibles today to the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 33. I'm going to read a few verses in this chapter and then a few verses in the next chapter. Exodus chapter 33 and verse 18. And he said, that is Moses, 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's 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 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. And then in chapter 34, verse five, And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. There's so much in these verses of scripture that I've just read that we'll only be able to skim across them today. But I want us to answer three questions. Three questions that we see here. First, what does Moses mean by his prayer where we began reading in verse 18 of chapter 33? What does he mean by his prayer? I beseech thee, show me thy glory. What does he mean by that? When we recognize that Moses had already witnessed so much of what we have to refer to as the glory of God, think about when he saw the glory of God at the bush that burned but was not consumed. And then, of course, the pillar of cloud a pillar of fire, rather, and cloud that led Israel, and how that God opened up the Red Sea. Surely, he had seen the glory of God. He had been in the presence of God when God gave the Ten Commandments. He'd gone up on Mount Sinai into the cloud, and only Moses was allowed to enter into that cloud. And then if you look back in chapter 33 to verse 9, when Moses pitched this tent, this tabernacle, now this wasn't the tabernacle where the Holy of Holies was. This was just a tabernacle, a tent that Moses pitched outside the camp of Israel in this particular place. And we read in verse nine, 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. Surely, Moses, surely you've seen the glory of God. And I could name a whole lot more examples here that he had gone through, he had witnessed. But yet his prayer is, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. What does he mean by that? Well, these things that I've mentioned were only tokens of God's glory. But what Moses here asks for is to see God. I know that by the answer that God gave unto him. Moses, he beseeches the Lord that he might see him, not just see demonstrations or examples of his power, but see God himself. No doubt Moses knew that in heaven we may see God. The scripture says, the pure in heart shall see God. That's one of our Lord's Beatitudes. We know that one day we'll be in the presence of God. God's children will. We will see Him face to face. We love to sing that hymn, face to face, with Christ my Savior, face to face. What will it be? No, in this prayer, he asked to see God. He asked to see God. But God tells him that in his present condition, he could not see him. No, the Bible tells us that God is light. God is light. And just as you and I, we cannot look upon the sun at noonday with our naked eye, no man, no man in mortal flesh can look upon absolute God. In 1 Timothy 6 and verse 16, The Apostle said, who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. You know, in Colossians, the Apostle gave thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Now, in heaven, God makes us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. To make us meet means he must give us a glorified body. In this body, and Moses was in a body just like I'm in this morning, he couldn't see God face to face. No man can come into the presence of God. No man as we are, mortal flesh, can walk into the presence of absolute God. Man who drink iniquity like water come into the presence of a holy, thrice holy God? No. That's what he's asking here. I beseech thee, show me thy glory. He wanted to see God. He wanted to see God. Well, my second question is this. How did the Lord answer his prayer? He did answer his prayer. God does answer prayer. And up to this point in the book of Exodus, we have been studying on Wednesday evening, and we have seen how that Moses interceded and prayed for the nation of Israel, and God answered his prayer. At first, God said he would go with them, and then because of their sin, their great sin, and making that golden calf, God said, I'll send an angel with you. And Moses interceded and prayed and asked the Lord, if you don't go with us, don't take us from here. And God heard that prayer and God answered that prayer. And now Moses not praying for the nation, but praying for himself, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And God answered the prayer. But how did he answer the prayer? Well, he answered his prayer by putting him in the cleft of the rock and then showing him his glory as his goodness passed by. His goodness passed before him and He put him in the cliff to the rock and put his hand over him and let Moses just see the back parts as you would see a person just passing by you hurriedly. Not really seeing that person, but just the shadow, so to speak, of that person moving by. Yes, God answered his prayer. How did he answer his prayer? By putting him in the cliff of the rock. Now, he asked to see God's glory. And God said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee. God's glory is his goodness. I will make all my goodness pass before thee. And there are four things that we're going to see here this morning that are included in this goodness. And the first thing is the sovereignty of God. The first thing he told Moses, if you look there in chapter 33 again, 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. This is a fundamental truth about God. This is something that so many churches will not teach, will not preach. But thank God, over 47 years, we've stood firm to the truth that God is sovereign, that he is gracious to whom he will be gracious, and shows mercy to whom he will be merciful, that salvation is in the hand It's not in the free will of man. That's what's been taught in our country for so long, which is certainly a lie of Satan. God declares very clearly here, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy upon whom I will show mercy. What is that but the sovereignty of God? Most people are under the false delusion that God needs us. God doesn't need us. It's us who need God. You need God. I need God. We think we have needs, and we do, physical needs, material needs. But the greatest need that anyone in this building has this morning is God. It's to know God. It's to be in a relationship with God Almighty. What should it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what should a man give in exchange for his soul? God said, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. This is a fundamental truth about God. And many people say the sovereignty of God has been in opposition to his goodness. Well, look at what the scripture says. God said, I will make my goodness pass before thee. And almost the next words, he says, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And some people, when they hear about the sovereignty of God, God's sovereign, unconditional election of those that he would save from before the foundation of the world, they somehow think, well, a good God wouldn't do that. Listen, if God had not chosen a person, no one would have been saved. If you're saved this morning, if you know God, I'm not just talking about having your name on a church roll somewhere, I'm talking about knowing God. This is life eternal to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. You know God. You know you have experienced God's sovereign grace. God's sovereign grace. Grace is not something that's offered. It's something that's given. Some of the hymns we sing have this mixed up. as though you somehow receive God's grace, it's offered to everyone, and you, by your volition, you receive God's grace. No, God's grace is what makes you willing to come to Christ, to believe in Christ. If we deny His sovereignty, then we are denying a very real part of His goodness and of His glory. We're talking about God's glory here, His goodness. Those who deny God's sovereignty, they deny God's glory. I've already quoted the verse in 1 John that tells us God is light. One writer pointed out, now light consists of many different rays, some of a more brilliant and others a more somber aspect. And we can no more detach from it those which are of a darker hue than those which are more bright and vivid. It is in the union and just admixture of all that light consists. this part of His goodness is mentioned first. Before we get to His majesty and His mercy and His justice, the first thing is mentioned is God's sovereignty. And until a person comes to know and yes, to love the truth about God's sovereignty, He'll never, never love and appreciate the salvation that God gives. When you realize you, if you're saved, you are a miracle. You are an object. when you think about object of God's grace. Sometimes I see people and I just wonder, do they ever, do they ever think about God? Do they ever think about eternity? They seem so busy in their life and so unconcerned. And they are. And then I remember the only reason I'm concerned is because of God's grace. That's it. That's true of you. If you're concerned about your soul's relationship to God, because of God's grace. The second thing that is part of God's glory here, God's goodness, is His majesty. When He passed by, He proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God. Now, you read that and you think, well, how does that show His majesty? That name Lord, the Lord, Jehovah, the self-existent one, the eternal one, the all-powerful one, Yes, majesty, he is the majestic one. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. By his power he upholds all things. He is the only blessed and powerful king of kings and lord of lords. His dominion is universal. You ever think about that? That the God of the Bible, His dominion knows no bounds. That no one, no matter where he is, where she is, or what time they've been in this world, or what time they will be in this world, that all men are under His power. that He gives us life. In Him, we live and move and have our being. Without Him, we couldn't raise a finger. His majesty. But we don't stop there. Not only did He proclaim the Lord, the Lord God, but He begins Mercy, God's mercy. Notice it's a long string of things, heaped together. Merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. All these things heaped up together. I wonder why that is, when it comes to His mercy. Wonder why all these things are gathered together. Could it be because the scriptures tell us that God delights in mercy? He delights in mercy. The first thing that is mentioned about his mercy here is his long-suffering. Long-suffering. Some of us have a sharp fuse, don't we? That's not true of God. Remember in the days of Noah, 120 years he waited while Moses, a preacher of righteousness, was building that ark. Yes, it's long-suffering. You look in the Old Testament at the nation of Israel, 40 years in the wilderness. God gave them bread from heaven, water from a rock, shade in that hot desert. What did they do? Time after time after time murmured and complained. God was long-suffering, long-suffering. But you know, we don't need to go back to the days of Noah. We don't need to go back to the days of Israel in the wilderness. What about us? How long-suffering He's been with us. Oh, I can tell you. He's been long-suffering with me. Long-suffering. The patience. How many times have we provoked him to anger? How many times have we said, Lord, if you'll just do this once, if you'll just do this, I won't ever do this again. I won't ever be involved in anything like this again. Lord, if you, no! God delivered you, delivered me. It wasn't any time we were back in some other predicament. And yet God has remained faithful, long-suffering, patient. How many times have we sinned and provoked God to anger, but he has shown himself, as the scripture here says, abundant in goodness and truth. He's done more than this for he gave his son to die for us and send his spirit to teach us and show us our need. Remember when one of his disciples said, the Lord told his disciples he was going to the father and they said, we know not the way or where they're going. And he told him, didn't he, patient, after three years of teaching them, and yet at the very end, right before his crucifixion, they said, we don't know where you're going. We don't know the way. I go to the father. He told him where he was going. I go to the father, and my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. And he told them the way, didn't he? I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. But we see his long-suffering. We see his patience, his goodness. I wonder what is meant here when it says keeping mercy for thousands. Keeping mercy for thousands. Here's some man or woman, rebel, hates God, blasphemes God, has no use for God, and God bears with him. God bears with him. They live years, long life maybe. What does it mean that God keeps mercy for thousands? In that person's seed, in that person, that rebel's posterity, way maybe down the line, two or three generations, there's one of God's elect. There's one that God set his love upon from before the foundation of the world that he's going to save. Keeping mercy for thousands. Yes. And then forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. This completes that list of God's mercy. He forgives sinners. Is there any sin? Is there any sin other than the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost that God hasn't forgiven? You look through the scriptures and you find many different sins, centers that were forgiven. You know, there's in the long list of kings, there was a king of Judah. Now his dad was a good king, Hezekiah. He was a good king, but he had a son who became king. His name was Manasseh and he was a wicked, evil man. And can you believe this? And God said that particular man, that particular son, Manasseh, he did worse than all the kings before him. That's saying a lot, isn't it? That's saying a lot. Many of them had set up idols, many different sins they'd been guilty of, but God said concerning Manasseh, he did worse That's the word that's used. He did worse than all the kings before him. Would you believe God forgave that man? Not only did he forgive him, but he restored him. After he'd been taken a captive and taken into another country, in his cell, I guess, in his prison, he began to seek the Lord. And when he did, he found this word is still true, merciful, gracious, slow to anger. God forgave him. If we could somehow take all the sins of all of us here in this building today, all of God's children who are here today, all of those who are true believers here today, all of our sins, if we could somehow number them or count them, they would be in the millions, if not billions. And yet he forgives them all. He forgives them all through the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. The last thing that's mentioned here is God's justice. So first of all, Moses, I'll cause my goodness to pass before you. You've asked to see my glory. Here it is. I'll cause my goodness to pass before you, my sovereignty, my majesty, my mercy, and last of all, my justice. My justice that will by no means clear the guilty. After proclaiming his mercy, he declares that it will never, his mercy will never be exercised at the expense of his justice. You understand what I'm saying? His mercy will never be dispensed at the expense of his justice. For to do that would make God guilty. No, he will by no means clear the guilty. He will not pardon anyone who will not turn from their sin and trust in Christ Jesus the Lord. Nothing shall ever prevail upon him to clear one guilty person who holds onto his iniquity and will not wash them away in the blood of his dear son. We see that God's goodness is manifested just as much in his justice as in his mercy. Well, let me hurriedly close with this. What is meant by God putting Moses in the cleft of the rock? Well, you know the rock, who that represented. It represented Christ. That rock is Christ. That's what the Apostle Paul writes. Look with me, if you will, in the New Testament to 2 Corinthians 4. Second Corinthians four. Beginning with verse one, therefore, saying we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world have blinded the minds of them which believe not. lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, now notice this, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, that goes back to Genesis, doesn't it? God said, Let there be light. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and the person of Jesus Christ. If God has shined in your heart, You have seen the glory of God, just like Moses did. But you see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. You see how God can be gracious and forgive sinners. It's only through the person and work of his son, Jesus Christ. Think about this. Who put Moses in that rock, in the cleft of that rock? Moses didn't put himself in the cleft of the rock. God did. Who puts a person in Christ? God does. God chose his people in Christ from before the foundation of the world. That's what Ephesians 1 and verse 3 and 4 tells us. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. Who puts a man in Christ, a woman in Christ? God does. Began in eternity past. Who puts a person in Christ? When Christ died on the cross, his people were in union with him. Those he had chosen were in union with him. And their sins were expiated or atoned for. through the death of Jesus Christ, our Lord. When Christ came out of the tomb, they came out of the grave also spiritually. And we're seated now, the scripture says, in heavenly places in glory. To see the glory of God is to behold the glory of God in the face and the person of Jesus Christ. I pray the Lord would bless these thoughts, words to all of us here this morning.