Shining Faces

His face shone

Exodus 34:29 ESV

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

Exodus 33:7–11 ESV

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Exodus 33:12 (ESV)

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’

3 Needs Every Human has: Identity, Belonging, and Purpose.

Purpose - “Bring up this people”

Belonging - “whom will you send with me.”

Identity - “I know you by name, and you have found favor in my sight.”

Moses’ cieling is our floor. Moses received the maximum revelation possible for someone living before Jesus’ sacrifice.

tribe/people/belonging, but also for his people to accomplish their mission as well.

A big part of Moses’ friendship with God was his intercession for God’s his people.

Exodus 33:13 ESV

13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

Knowing God’s purpose for you leads to great humility and dependence on God.

If you’re current mission doesn’t intimidate you, it’s too small.

God’s call on our lives require us to desperately seek Him because we know it’s impossible in our own strength.

“Show me your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.”

God’s missions must be accomplished God’s ways.

“that I may know you”

it’s not about accomplishing the mission as much as it is about Knowing Him Better.

I’m interested in what He does and how He does it and why He does it because I’m passionate to know Him better. Not because I want more information.

Remember, this conversation comes out of a place of friendship.

“in order to find favor in your sight”

The favor needed to accomplish our missions is found in the place of knowing Him. The more I know Him, the more favor there is on my life.

“consider too that this is your people”

Moses had God’s heart for the people.

It wasn’t only important for Moses to find his tribe/people/belonging, but also for his people to accomplish their mission as well.

A big part of Moses’ friendship with God was his intercession for God’s his people.

Exodus 33:14 ESV

14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

REST

Rest is found in the presence of God.

Exodus 33:15 ESV

15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

PRESENCE

Moses understood that the wilderness with the presence of God was better than the promised land without His presence.

Tozer - “The presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His presence.”

Exodus 33:16 ESV

16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

DISTINCT

“So that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth”

All Christians should have a strong conviction that they should known for being different.

While the world runs after empty solutions for the identity needs, purpose needs, and belonging needs, the Christian is secure.

While the world is bound to addictions and coping mechanisms, the Christian is free.

While the world learns to live with hurts and wounds, the Christian is healed.

While the world is bouncing from relative truth to relative truth, the Christian is stable in the absolute truth of God.

However, the great distinction of the Christian, above all other distinctions, is the awareness of the presence of God.

Exodus 33:18 ESV

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

Moses lived for the glory of God. There was nothing more precious to him than that. He structured his life and community around meeting with God.

No measure of blessing will quench the one whose lives for the glory of God.

No amount of answered prayers will stop him from saying, “God, I must have more of you.”