Glory
Show Me Your Glory
Dr. Marty Baker / Exodus 33:12-19 /December 1, 2019
Good morning. Merry Christmas and welcome to Stevens Creek Church. I hope that you have had a good week. The fact that you are here means that you made it through Black Friday.
How many of you went shopping on Black Friday?
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever been tempted to buy something for yourself when you are out shopping for someone else?
(JOKE) The other day Patty came home from Christmas shopping with a beautiful dress and it just happened to be her size. I said, “Patty, I thought that you went out shopping to buy presents for other people, why do you have this dress?” She said, “Marty, I know that I shouldn’t have bought it, but when I tried it on and looked in the mirror, it was like Satan himself said, “Buy this dress…it looks good on you.”
I said, “Patty, you are a pastor’s wife. You know what to do. You should have said, “Satan, get thee behind me.” She said, “Marty, I did. I promise. I did.” Then Satan said, “Oh, it looks good from back here too.”
Today we are starting our new Christmas series called “GLORY.” Glory is a word we see over and over in the Christmas story. It’s also a word that we sing in many of our favorite Christmas carols, but what do really mean when we talk about God's glory? During this series we will see how God shows his glory to us, and how we, in return, can give glory to God. So let’s get started.
Have you ever felt weak, inadequate or in over your head? Have you ever been asked to do something that you felt like it was impossible? For some of you, it was when you took calculus for the first time or maybe when your boss left the company and you were asked to take over her responsibilities. Or maybe it was when you were asked to be quiet when you had words that you wanted to say or maybe be nice when you would rather get even.
All of us at times have been placed in situations where we felt like it was impossible to move forward because we were in “over our heads.”
If you know that feeling, then maybe you can relate to the Bible story that we are going to talk about today.
In Exodus 33, we see Moses in a very difficult situation where he was called to lead a group of people who stiff-necked, arrogant and haughty.
Here’s the backdrop of the story. God raised Moses up to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. The story was filled with miracle events like the parting of the Red Sea, manna from Heaven, water from a rock, led by a pillar of fire at night and a cloud during the day.
In chapter 32, they are camped near Mt. Sinai where God summoned Moses to the top of the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments.
While Moses was on Mt Sinai in the presence of the Lord, the people started to drift. They drifted back into their old habits. They fell right back into their old way of living. At this time, the Lord told Moses to go down because the people had become corrupt.
Moses made his way down the mountain. When he approached the camp, he saw that people had created a golden calf to worship. While they were dancing around it, his anger burned within him. Moses threw the tablets to the ground where they broke into pieces at the foot of the mountain.
Moses was furious. He went to his brother Aaron and said, “How could you allow this to happen?” Aaron quickly made excuses for the people and implied that it just happened.
Exodus 32:30
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
Moses went back to the Lord and asked for forgiveness. Then, the Lord said to Moses.
Exodus 32:34
34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
Have you ever been asked to do something that you felt like it was impossible? Moses felt like this was one of those times. How could he lead this group of people?
Practically speaking, he was tired and worn out. He had just come off of the mountain. He was hungry. He had not eaten in 40 days. He was frustrated with his brother Aaron for allowing things to get out of hand. He was disappointed with the people that he loved. Moses was overwhelmed by the task that he was given to him.
So, what do you do when the job is too big and the obstacles are too great? What do you do when your family and friends have disappointed you? What do you do when you want to quit, but you know that you cannot quit?
Moses did the only thing that he knew to do … he went to his place of prayer. Do you have a place of prayer … a place where you meet with God?
Moses had a special tent outside of the camp where he would go and pray. The Bible says that when Moses went to the tent to pray, a pillar of cloud would come and stay at the entrance of the tent while the Lord spoke with Moses.
Exodus 33:10-11
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent.
11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
What do you say to the Lord when you are given a task that seems impossible?
Moses asked God for four things:
1. Send someone to help me.
Exodus 33:12
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.
Moses knew that this task was bigger than he could handle on his own. He felt the weight of it and he needed help.
God does his best work in teams. If you are faced with something that seems to be impossible, the best way to get through it is to get someone to help you. You will never reach your potential on your own or by yourself. We need each other.
Jesus sent the disciples out in small groups. You read about, Peter, James and John or Paul and Barnabas or Paul and Silas. The Bible says that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Moses knew that he needed help, so his first prayer was for someone to join with him. Here’s the second prayer.
2. Teach me what I need to know.
Moses had never been in this situation before and not only did he need someone to help him, but he needed insight. He wanted to learn from it.
Exodus 33:13
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you …
Every good leader is a learner. There are no exceptions. If you’re teaching in a classroom, caring for kids as a stay-at-home parent, or serving in a customer service role, you’re leading someone. And to do that more effectively, you need to keep learning.
When you stop learning, you start dying. It’s that simple. No matter how old you are and no matter what kind of career you’re in, you need to be learning. Pick up a new skill. Study a fresh topic. Read a new book. Start a new Bible study.
The Bible says in
Proverbs 18:15
“Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights”
One of the most important roles you have in life is as a student. Moses recognized this and prayed, “teach me your ways so that I may know you.”
If you want to lead at the next level, then you need to expand your horizons. Moses did that and then he asked for favor.
3. Give me the strength to do this task.
Exodus 33:13
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.…
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
God, give me favor. God’s favor is when He gives you the ability to do something that is humanly impossible for you to do. It is the force that takes you where you can’t go on your own. Favor is when God opens doors that you cannot open; it is when God takes you from the background to the foreground.
One definition of favor is: to endorse, to bring to prominence, to give notoriety.
Several years ago, Oprah Winfrey started a book club. In the early days, when she endorsed a book, when Oprah would say, “This is a great book, you should read it,” the sales of that book would leap from a few thousand copies to hundreds of thousands of copies.
It’s great to have Oprah’s endorsement, all of us would want it, but God’s endorsement on your life is so much bigger than that. It is bigger than you can imagine.
When God breathes his favor on you, things will happen that you couldn’t make happen; opportunities will open that you did not see coming. The right people will track you down.
You weren't next in line, but you got the promotion. On paper it didn't make sense, but the loan went through. That person that was so against you, for some reason they changed, now they are for you. That wasn't a coincidence, that was the favor of God.
The favor of God on your life will cause the right people to show up. When you honor God, when you keep him first place, you will find favor in the eyes of the Lord. There is a blessing on your life, that will push you up, when others are going down.
Having favor doesn't mean you won't have challenges, but favor is what's going to keep the challenges from defeating you. Sometimes God will put you in a situation, so he can show you his favor.
One touch of God’s favor will change your life forever. People can debate what you say, but they can't debate what they see. When they see you running the company, paying your house off, graduating with honors, when they see you breaking the addiction, beating the cancer, they will see the hand of God on your life.
You've been in the background long enough, serving faithfully, helping others with no recognition, your time is coming. Get ready. Moses knew that he needed help and that is why he was crying out for favor.
Finally, Moses said…
4. Stay with me along the way.
Exodus 33:13
13 ... Remember that this nation is your people.”
Moses prayed this prayer and God answered with these words:
Exodus 33:14
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Moses responds by saying, “Let me be clear. I cannot do this without you. If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:17
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked…”
God is reassuring Moses that he is not alone. Remember that at this point in Moses’ life, he was tired and worn out. He had just come off of the mountain. He was hungry. He had not eaten in 40 days. He was frustrated with his brother Aaron for allowing things to get out of hand. He was disappointed with the people that he loved. Moses was overwhelmed by the task that he was given to him.
God is saying, “Moses, you are not alone. I am going with you.”
Then, Moses concluded this prayer with one of the most unusual requests written in the Bible.
Exodus 33:18
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
What is the glory of the Lord?
Your glory is what you are best at, what you are known for.
Lebron James is known for his basketball skills. That is where he gets glory.
The Georgia Bulldogs are known for football. That’s why they sing: Glory, glory to old Georgia!?Glory, glory to old Georgia! Glory, glory to old Georgia! G-E-O-R-G-I-A. It’s what they are known for.
In sports, we talk about the glory days. If you are a Clemson fan, you need to know that these are the glory days for you. When I was a kid, they talked about Coach Frank Howard or Coach Danny Ford, but no longer. Dabo Swinney is the one you are known for. These are the “glory days.” Moses says, “Show me your glory.” He was saying, “God, show me what you are known for.”
Moses said, “Show me your glory.” When he said this, he was saying, “God, show me what you are known for.”
Exodus 33:19
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.
God says, “I will make my goodness pass before you.” This is what God is known for: His goodness.
God’s glory is His Goodness.
To say that God is good means that God always acts in accordance to what is right, true, and decent. It is his nature. ?God is loving. God is Kind. God is fair. God is just. God is good.
In the church world we often say it like this: God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. But here’s the point.
We experience the glory of God when we recognize the goodness of God.
Have you ever noticed that when a plane goes down, there is inevitably a news story about the people who were supposed to be on the plane but weren’t? You hear that their alarm did not go off or there was a traffic jam or maybe they switched travel plans at the last minute.
When we hear stories like that, we typically say, “Wow! Isn’t God good!?” We say that when we hear reports of people who strangely avoided doom.
A woman has car trouble and avoids the fatal 12-car pile-up on the interstate. Isn’t God good?
Several years ago, my Dad went to the doctor for prostate cancer. While he was being treated, the doctors discovered that he had a rare bone cancer that was in its early stages and could be cured with surgery. Isn’t God good?
But is this WHY God is good? If God hadn’t spared my Dad’s life, would God still be good?
What about the people who died in the interstate pile-up? It may seem crazy to say this, but isn’t God good?
What about the people diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and died weeks later because their cancer was discovered too late. Isn’t Good good?
My instincts say, “No.” It doesn’t make sense to draw attention to God’s goodness in a situation that seems to be the opposite of good.
Here’s the point. The Bible doesn’t just say that God does good things. It says that God IS good. It’s not just what he does; it’s who he is — and who he is never changes.
Psalm 46:1
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.?
God is good… all the time.
In the middle of the storm, God stays closer to us
than the storm ever could.
And THIS is why we can say with absolute confidence that God IS good.
This is why we can say, no matter how bad the storm is, no matter how much pain we experience, no matter how different the outcome is from what we’ve prayed for, that God IS good.
In the hardest moments of life, God comes close to us and he doesn’t change, he doesn’t falter, he doesn’t quit, he doesn’t leave and he doesn’t let go.
God is just as good to the people who died in the car accident as he is to the people who avoided it.
God is just as good to the parents of obedient children as he is to parents of children who have rebelled.
God is just as good to infertile women as he is to women who have as many biological children as they want.
God is just as good to the family who loses their home in a fire as he is to the family whose house doesn’t burn down.
God is just as good to the single person as he is to the person who gets married. God is just as good to the people who lose their jobs in corporate downsizing as he is to the people who earn a promotion.
God’s goodness is not dependent on an outcome or an emotion or a near fatal accident story. God is not good because we avoid danger.
God is good because when the storms of life hit, he comes closer to us than the storm ever could.
God is not good because of what He does. God is good because of who He is.
He holds us in his loving arms. He doesn’t change.
He doesn’t falter. He doesn’t quit. He doesn’t leave. And no matter what, he never lets go.
Moses was at the end of his rope. He was tired. He was worn out. He was frustrated with his brother and disappointed with his people. He went to the “tent of meeting” and cried out to God.
He said, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. He was desperate for the presence of the Lord. Moses said, “I am not going to leave here until I know that you have heard my prayer.
Exodus 33:18
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
He said, “God, show me what you are known for.”
Exodus 33:19
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.
This morning … I believe that God is here to show us His Glory and that his goodness is going to pass in front of you. He is here to proclaim his name, the Lord, in your presence.
Closing Thoughts and Prayer
