What a difference God makes Ex
What a difference God makes Ex. 33:12-23
EBC 9/6/09
Most times God calls us to a job and it is impossible to do that job without a close relationship with God. Moses had such a call.
Chap. 32 reveals Moses is had gone into the mountain to receive the Law. He actually brought the law down with him written on two tablets. He saw that the people has rebelled and were worshipping false idols (we do that today when we occupy our time with things that aren’t that important). Moses got mad and broke the tablets.
33:12-14- Moses told God if you don’t go I don’t want to go.
Every one of us has been called of God to follow him in this world and as we follow we are to represent him. There are times when this task gets difficult and discouraging. When those times come we need something extra from the Lord. Something that will recharge our batteries and rekindle our flame for his service.
I. The Request of Moses
A. His duties (3:10)
1. Moses had duties that requires faithfulness and dependability
a. Duties of church leaders
b. Duties of Sunday School teachers
c. Duties of all church workers- am I faithfully discharging my duties as a teacher or as a Christian.
1. 1 Cor. 4:1-2- stewards found faithful
B. His discouragement (33:1-3)
a. Deut. 9:1-6- God describes the Israelites
b. Imagine what Moses finds when he gets down from the mount. Imagine the discouragement he felt. There were many times that he just wanted to throw in the towel and quit. But, quitting isn’t in God’s playbook. There may have been times that God may have wanted to quit on you. Just remember we can’t quit.
1. Discouragement is one the tools that Satan uses to get victories.
2. Heb. 3:13-
3. Heb. 10:25-
Some form of the word “exhortation” is found 33 times in the N.T.
c. Heb. 12:2- in our battle never take your eyes off the Lord.
C. His desire-Moses has a heart that wanted to know and experience the Lord in a deeper and more personal way. He knew Israel couldn’t meet his needs, nor could all the training he could ever get meet his needs- God was going to have to do it.
1. 33:13- Moses wanted to better understand the person of God
2. 33:15- Moses wanted a clear manifestation of God’s presence. How many times have we asked God “God make yourself known better to me”
a. Phil. 3:10- Apostle Paul requested
II. The Response of the Lord (33:19-23)
A. The Promise of the Lord (19-20)
1. God tells Moses he will pass by and give Moses an opportunity to catch a glimpse of His glory as He passes by.
2. V.17- why did God do this- Moses had found grace in his sight.
a. We need to understand that whatever God does for us it is because of His grace. We haven’t earned any of it.
b. 1 Cor. 15:10- “But by the grace of God I am what I am”
B. The Place of the Lord (21-23)
1. God tells Moses there is a place where you can see my glory, in the cleft of the rock.
2. There is still a place where we can see God’s glory- it’s in Jesus Christ.
a. 1 Tim. 2:5- if you want a relationship with God it will be thru Jesus
b. John 14:6-
c. (Ill. Rock Of Ages was written by Augustus Toplady after he had been trapped outdoors in a fierce storm. Knowing of a large rock with a cleft in it, he ran there for shelter. As he entered that fissure in the rock, the storm broke upon it with all its fury. Lightning flashed, thundered boomed and the rains fell in a torrential downpour. Toplady, in his shelter, was totally untouched. The storm poured out its fury upon the rock, but he was safe because he was in the rock.
C. The manifestation of the Lord (34:5-7)
1. God did exactly as he had promised and allowed Moses to see his glory.
2. Every now and then we get a manifestation of the presence of the Lord. Moses got a close one. I have been in some services where God manifested himself in a mighty way.
III. The Results of Both (34:8,29-35)
After this mountaintop experience Moses was never again the same. The reason some people never change is because they never meet Jesus. You can’t come face to face with the Lord and remain the same. Remember Jacob’s encounter with God in Gen. 32. After this he was never the same. Remember Isaiah in Isaiah 6, when he saw the Lord he saw himself as he truly was.
A. It produced humility (8,29)
1. When we see the Lord as he is then we will see ourselves as we are. The problem is we have a warped view of ourselves. We think we are much better and more holy than we really are.
2. A good glimpse of God will change that.
a. James 4:10- humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift you up.
B. It produced change (29)
1. The evidence of spending time with God was written all over Moses face. No one could deny that something had happened to Moses.
2. The testimony on his face made a lasting impression to the nation Israel.
3. The same will be in our lives- when we walk with the Lord others will see it.