Living In His Presence
Exodus 33:12-23
September 18, 2005
Morning Service
Introduction
When electricity became available in remote rural areas, one woman went to great trouble and expense to have electricity installed in her home. A few months after the wiring was installed and the power was turned on; the power company noticed that the home didn’t use very much power. Fearing that there was a problem they sent a meter reader to check on the matter. The meter reader saw that the power was indeed working properly and then asked the woman, “Do you use your electricity?” The woman replied, “Of course we do. We turn it on every night to see to light our lamps and then we turn it off.”
Doesn’t that just sound ridiculous? Having all of the power that you need and the ability to tap it all of the time but only using it just enough “get by.” We would never do anything like this at all because it just wouldn’t make sense. However, we do this exact same thing a great deal when we apply the same reasoning to the power and presence of God.
We go out of our way to go to church and to worship but have little relationship with god through the week. We go through difficulties day after day and only when we come to the end of our strength do we ask for God’s help. We have the power of God at our disposal all of the time but yet we attempt to get by on our own strength everyday. We are a lot more like the woman who wouldn’t use her electricity than we would like to admit.
We need to experience the presence of God to experience His power. Just like electricity, when we remove the presence of God from our lives; we also remove the power.
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. You have said, `I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 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." 14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 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. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
I. Living in the Presence of God (12-14)
God created all of humanity to have a deep personal relationship with Him. God literally walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve. They were able to completely enjoy His divine presence. God’s desire for your life is to have that same kind of relationship with Him. He wants you to be able to walk in His presence.
Moses speaks with God here and simply reminds God of His promises. Why does Moses do this? It’s not like God forgot the promises He made. Moses has a genuine concern here. God had removed His presence from the Israelite camp! There was no longer a sense of the divine within the nation of Israel.
How often do we feel the same way about church but are too afraid to say it? How many come into this sanctuary week after week having no experience with God? What is the problem?
We are not seeking more of God. We settle for the status quo and leave our lives there. If we settle with what we have already experienced with God we cannot grow. When we settle for where we are with God, we will never more forward in our walk with Him. The truth is that we cannot simply settle anymore!
When Moses sought God, he did so through fervent prayer. He sought God by going to his knees. One of the biggest problems in the church today is that people want a deep relationship with God but don’t want to pay the price for it. Developing an intimate relationship with God takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen overnight.
Notice what Moses says to God in verse 13. He wants three things from God if his life is pleasing to God.
1.) Teach me your ways - Moses wants to know God’s ways so he can keep following. It is only when we know the ways of God that we can truly follow Him
2.) Let me know you - There is direct connection between knowing the ways of God and knowing God Himself. We cannot say that we know God if we do not know His Word. It is only when we know God personally that we can be called His people.
3.) Let me live in your favor - Once we know God’s ways and know God personally, than the favor of God can rest on our lives. It is impossible for you to have the divine favor of God in your life if you don’t know God.
When we do these things it opens our lives to the presence of God. When we live to know God’s ways and to know God more. He then throws open the floodgates of heaven and pours out His divine favor into our lives.
II. Living in the Pleasure of Grace (15-17)
Moses again speaks with God here and asks God to prove His faithfulness. God’s presence is connected to the reality of His pleasure. If God is not pleased by our actions, He will not be present in our lives. God makes a distinction between His people and the rest of the world by showing His pleasure through His divine presence.
If a church is void of the presence of God, they are not pleasing Him. God proves His faithfulness through extending His divine presence. If God is not present in our lives, we are not pleasing Him. How do we live to please God?
1.) We please God by loving Him (Matthew 22:37-38)
Our first priority is to love God with every fiber of our being. We are called to love God supremely. He desires to have the first and foremost place in our lives.
2.) We please God by believing in Him (Hebrews 11:6)
Without faith it is impossible to please God...
There is no way that we will ever be able to please God if we do not believe in Him. We place our faith in God when we trust Him completely, even when life doesn’t make sense. When life seems the most senseless, that is when we need to trust God the most!
3.) We please God by obeying Him (John 15:14)
Jesus told His disciples that they become friends with God through obedience. Our relationship with God swings on the hinge of obedience. Our obedience determines the depth of our relationship with God.
4.) We please God by praising Him (Psalm 150:1-2)
God deserves our praise for every single blessing He see fit to give us. Praise is simply blessing God back for everything He does for you. Think about that for a moment. Make a quick mental list of 3 things you need to praise God for.
5.) We please God by serving Him
God wants you to live out your life serving Him. This means more than just showing up on Sunday. True service is lived out each and every day. In every area and aspect of your life.
III. Living in the Preeminence of God (18-23)
Preeminence reveals the fact that God has an all surpassing and never ending glory. The glory of God is far beyond anything that we will ever be able to comprehend.
The Hebrew word for glory is kabod, which means to have manifest honor, utmost reputation and the height of reverence. The implications of what Moses is asking is staggering. Moses is literally asking to see God in all of His splendor, all of His majesty, all of His power and all of His being. Moses wanted to see God without any of the barriers. He wanted to see God for all that He was and is. Today, do you want to see the whole majesty of God? Do you want to see God without the barriers? Do you want to see God in all of His glory?
The only part that Moses is not allowed to see is His face. God did not allow His face to be seen because there was still a need for separation between God and humanity. Even the most intimate relationship with God could not bridge the gap. This is why God sent Jesus, so He could be our Immanuel, God with us. The presence of God is with us here today because Jesus lives!
When Jesus died on the cross, remember the temple veil was torn in two. The veil was to separate humanity from the direct presence of God. Jesus torn that separation away and now we can fully experience the divine presence of God.
There are two things that we must do to see the glory of God displayed in our lives.
1.) We need to daily live in His presence. We must seek His presence in our lives and we need to desire to be with God. Are you seeking more of God each day or are you trying to hide like Adam?
2.) We need to daily live to please God. We need to give our every effort to bringing pleasure to God. Are you pleasing God through the way you are living?
Conclusion
1.) Are you living in the presence of God?
2.) Are you living to please God?
3.) Are you living in the glory of God?
This morning, the only thing holding you back from a deeper experience with God is you. God wants you to know Him more and experience more of His presence. If you want more of God’s presence, slip out and come up to the altar and ask Him for it.
