Illustration: Is there someone, maybe a loved one or a close friend, who you enjoy spending time with? When it comes to that special person, talking on the phone is good, or doing Facetime, but nothing beats being with them in their presence.
In Exodus 33, Moses gets alone with God to be in His presence. His experience with God was special, and yet it’s the same experience which God desires to have with every one of us. But we are often too busy for God. If we were Moses, we would say, “Sorry, God, I don’t have time to get alone with you for 40 days. How about 40 minutes?” God wants to spend some alone time with you every day for the rest of your life. What are we missing?
There are three truths we must understand:
1. God is Present (v. 14-16)
God continually gave His presence to the Children of Israel as He led them through the wilderness. He guided them as a pillar of cloud during the day and as a pillar of fire at night. God was certainly with them.
Moses wanted the personal presence of God in his life (“If thy presence go not with me”). We know that God gives His presence to groups, such as the church, but does He give His presence to individual people? The Bible records that He does.
God said these words to Moses when He called him: “Certainly I will be with thee” (Ex. 3:12). He later told Joshua, “…as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Josh. 1:5). God spoke these powerful words to Gideon: “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour” (Judg. 6:12). When Gideon questioned Him, God responded, “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (v. 16). Later God reminded David with these words: “I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest…” (II Sam. 7:8-9). Upon his call, the prophet Jeremiah received these words from God, “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord” (Jer. 1:8). What about the New Testament? These words were said of Peter and John: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
God’s presence is not a mystical thing; it’s a blessed reality. Today Jesus says these words to you: “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). Hebrews 13:5 gives you this promise: “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
What an awesome privilege to have God’s presence in our lives! But let me ask you this question: How much of God’s presence do you want?
James 4:8—“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw night to you…”
You are as close to God as you want to be. God wants to be close to you, but He’s waiting for you to move first. This means that even a Christian, a child of God, can be far away from the Lord. Just as a father can have a distant, almost non-existent relationship with his son, so you can have a distant relationship with your heavenly Father.
Notice that the presence of God is what set Israel apart. Verse 16b—“so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.” Christians should be distinct for just one reason: the presence of God.
Ex: Church of the Laodiceans; Jesus was outside the church—didn’t have God’s presence
How present is God in your life?
2. God is Personal (v. 17)
God is a very personal God. He not only knows your name, but He has taken steps which prove that He is nothing short of obsessed with you! You have to see these for yourself.
Psalm 139:16, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
Matthew 10:29-30, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Psalm 56:8, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”
Revelation 5:8, “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”
Why would God do all of this? I’ll tell you why: because He loves you. God loves you that much!
—this is surprising. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psa. 8:4).
—this is special. “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psa. 40:5).
You see, God is intensely interested in you! How sad when we are not very interested in Him. But God does not just want to know everything about you, He wants to know you personally. ? The Apostle Paul wanted to know God.
Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”
The Psalmist wanted to know God.
Psalm 73:25,“Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”
Do you desire to know the Lord above anyone and anything else? If you don’t want to know Him, you’ll never make it to this next step. You’ll never see what Moses saw.
3. God is Pure (v. 18-23)
That night on that mountain, Moses saw something that changed his life: he saw the glory of God. He saw the pure essence of God’s majesty and holiness. How is it that Moses was privileged to see this? It’s simple: he asked. “Lord, show me thy glory.”
When was the last time you asked God to display His glory in your life? We have not because we ask not. How much of God’s glory did Moses see? Just a glimpse…but it was enough to change his life.
Think about this: Moses asked God to show His glory, and He did!
But what does it mean to “see” the glory of God? It is not something which can be explained; Moses’ experience of God’s glory is not a cookie-cutter experience. But I believe when you see it, it will be unique to your situation, and it will be unique to you, because our God is that glorious!
Explain: Moses saw God’s back parts. This was probably a great light.
I believe this: if we would get in the presence of God and truly desire to know God personally, we would see the glory of God in our lives! God wants to show you His glory, but are you prepared to ask?
CONCLUSION
When you get a glimpse of God’s glory, it will change you. Notice two individuals who saw God’s glory, and pay attention to their response.
Isaiah 6:1-5.
Job 42:5-6,“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
When you see God for who He really is, you’ll see yourself for who you really you. God is sovereign! I am sinful. God is magnificent! I am a mess. God is glorious! I am good for nothing. It’s all about God. And it’s all because of Him. Ask God to show His glory in your family! Ask Him to show His glory in your ministry! Ask Him to show His glory in your marriage! Ask Him to show His glory in that trial! He wants to!
Moses knew God face to face (His presence) and he saw God’s back (His glory). We need both God’s presence and glory in our lives.
When Moses came down off Mount Sinai, his face was shining because he had seen the glory of God. A little bit of God’s glory rubbed off on him. It was so bright that the Children of Israel asked him to put a veil on.
Ex: when you are exposed to the sun too much, you get sun-burned. People can see it. And when you get alone with God and get exposed to His glory, your life will shine and others will see it.
Is there another person who comes to mind when we think of glowing faces? That’s right, Stephen, the first martyr of the church.
Acts 6:15, “And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”
This means that Stephen’s face was glowing the whole time he was preaching. As he is being stoned after his sermon, he sees Christ standing at the right hand of God, and yet he had already seen the glory of God! His testimony, his message, and his face all gave evidence to this fact.
Has God’s glory rubbed off on your life? Can it be seen in your testimony? Can it be seen in the words you speak or the actions you perform? Can it be seen in the joy on your face? We need to ask God for just a glimpse of His glory in our lives.
