“And when Moses came down from the top of the mountain he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the LORD face to face. Moses put a veil over his face. Whenever he went into the Tabernacle to speak with the LORD, he removed the veil. Afterwards, he would put the veil on again, so he could speak to the people” (Ex. 34:29, 33-35, ELT).
A. WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE MOSES’ FACE SHINE?
1. Search. Be willing to go where God is found. “Moses went up into the midst of the cloud, to the top of the mountain” (Ex. 34:18, ELT).
2. Alone. Separation from people.
3. Experience God’s presence. “If Your presence does not with us” (33: 15).
4. Communicate with God. “The Lord spoke to Moses, face to face” (33:11).
5. Worship God. “Moses . . . bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped” (34:8).
6. Intercession for others. “Lord . . . I pray, we are a stiffnecked people . . . pardon our iniquity and sin” (34:9).
7. Fasting to deny yourself basics. “He was there with the LORD 40 days . . . he neither ate bread nor drank water” (34:28).
Why You Can’t Stay On The Mountain
• Moses came down from the mount (34:29)
• You finish why you went to pray
• Believers need you (34:32)
• Life is relationship, you need them
• You must finish what God sends you to do
B. WHAT A SHINING FACE MEANS
1. Testimony. We shine the glory of Jesus to the world.
2. When we get close to God, He rubs off on us. “We reflect” (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).
We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see . . . all of us have had the veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. As the Spirit of the Lord works within us . . . we reflect His glory even more” (2 Cor. 3:13, 18, NLT).
3. We are reflectors of God’s glory. It’s not our light or brilliance. The word “shine” means to reflect a beam of light, shows light as a mirror. “Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). It is not our light but His light.
4. We don’t know what influence we have. “Moses did not know” (34:29).
5. Our testimony should convict others. “They were afraid to come near him” (34:30).
6. When your face shines, you must take responsibility to explain to contact outsiders what God has done for you. “Moses called to them . . . community leaders . . . to come and talk” (34:31, NLT).
7. Beyond testimony, we must speak. “Moses called to them” (24:31). “Moses gave them all the instructions of the Lord” (34:32, NLT).
8. Our face can grow to shine even brighter. “Make us more and more like Him” (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).
9. We can always get closer to the Lord. “Reflect the glory even more (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).
10. God wants to do a greater work in us. “The Spirit of the Lord works within us” (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).
11. God wants to do a greater work through us. “The Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, NLT).
C. WHAT CAN’T OUTSIDERS SEE?
1. Technically, they are veiled. “A veil covers their mind, so they cannot understand the truth” (2 Cor. 3:14, NLT).
2. The veil blinds. “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe” (2 Cor. 4:4, NLT).
3. They can’t see what the gospel means. “They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Cor. 4:4, NLT).
4. Salvation removes the veil. “This veil can be removed only by believing in Christ” (2 Cor. 3:14, NLT). “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16, NLT).
5. How to pray:
• Lord, remove the blindness from my spiritual eyes.
• Lore, help _________________ to see their sin against God.
• Lord, help __________________ to see and accept the gospel.
• Lord, use my testimony and words to bring _______________ to salvation.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
All PBC lessons are available online at trbc.org/pbc. Go to www.Hopenow.tv for the current program schedule.
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Dr. Towns' email is ELTowns@liberty.edu
Dr. Towns’ web address is www.elmertowns.com
