The Most Ambitious Request
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Scripture: Exodus 33:1-23
What is the most ambitious request one could make of God? Please show me Your glory. Why? Because what one is saying is that you are so intimate with God that you deserve to see Him in all His splendor and majesty. If Moses was not allowed to see God in all His splendor and majesty, dare we say we are closer to God than Moses ever was? Abraham? David? The Apostle Paul?
Network World reports:
We’re obsessed with our phones, a new study has found. The heaviest smartphone users click, tap or swipe on their phone 5,427 times a day, according to researcher Dscout.
That’s the top 10 percent of phone users, so one would expect it to be excessive. However, the rest of us still touch the addictive things 2,617 times a day on average. No small number.
The research firm, which specializes in consumer reactions to products, recruited 94 Android device users and installed special software on their smartphones. The tool tracked each user’s “interaction” over five days, all day, the company says in a blog post on its website.
“And by every interaction, we mean every tap, type, swipe and click. We’re calling them touches,” it explains.
Averaging out the numbers, the aforementioned figures mean the heaviest users are touching their devices a couple of million times in one year, Dscout says.
... Probably the most interesting thing in all this was that the people surveyed completely underestimated their phone touching. While they were initially shocked by the numbers, 41 percent said “it probably won’t change the way I use my phone.”
APPLICATION
How many taps, types, swipes and clicks take place between you and God in a day?
If the number of times you were in contact with God on a daily basis could be tracked, would you be shocked by the result? Would it be because of how often, or, how infrequently you reached out to Him?
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8).
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:3-5).
Moses was refered to by God as one with whom “God spoke face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend” (v.11). Would, could God say that of us? How many taps, texts, clicks, and swipes do we have with our Friend in the day? Depending upon our intimacy with God, is how apt we are to catch a glimps of His glory. Have we basked in the fire of all-mighty God.
Moses did. Moses just spent forty days and forty nights alone with God in His council chamber on Mount Sinai. He had just spent day after day performing miracle after miracle in order to persuade an Egyptian King to let God’s people go. He has endured grumbling and backtalk, questions about his leadership and challanges to his leadership right to the dead end of being pinned between a sea and an Egyptian army hoard, only to witness a massive parting of waters and the death of same Egyptian hoard, as the waters crashed upon the non-believers of our all-powerful God. This is why Moses felt he was able to ask God to show him His glory, because He was so intimate in his relationship with God. Do we believe we could ask of God the same thing? Are we confident in our level of relationship - our intimacy, faithfulness and trust in God, that we could ask God to grant the same prayer? Why or why not?
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.
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.’
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.”
And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
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?”
And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,
and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
God’s Answer to Moses
God did three things in answer to Moses’ prayer for God to show him His glory.
God gave Moses a gracious manifestation
God said “I will make all my goodness pass before you.” What does God’s goodness have to do with God’s glory? God’s glory is His goodness. In another way, God’s greatest glory is that He is good.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Can you, do you and I, are we able to recognize God’s goodness? Can we tell what it is? Can we tell when we have experienced it? Because good things happen to me. But what about when bad things happen, can they still be good? Jesus says that we will have trouble in this life (John 16:33), is that trouble good? God says in Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Do I believe Him? Do I trust Him? Even when I am experiencing the bad, I am experiencing His good. Paul speaking to the Philippians says these words of encouragement,
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
And Jesus says to all disciples, those who follow and declare Him Lord,
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Has God made His glory pass before us? Do we recognize it in the good and the bad? Is it possible that God allows us to be tested and tried in order that we become molded and fired into His image? If the disciples, apostles, and prophets of the Bible knew anything at all about God they knew that to rejoice in our sufferings, produces endurance, endurance character, and character produces hope, hope in God that puts us to no shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts because of the Holy Spirit He has given to us, to know God, His will, and His ways (Romans 5:3-5). I know the Lord allowed me to experience the childhood I did, to prepare me to lead and persevere for the difficult times of today. It does not mean it is easy, but it means it is good, because God is always good, in the good and the bad, in joy and in difficulty.
But to concentrate on only God’s goodness as being His glory is to have only half a god. God is also gracious and merciful to whom, and with whom He chooses. This is God’s sovereignty - the freedom to do as He pleases.
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
If God’s glory only equaled His sovereignty, we would have a god that would do anything He desires. But we have a God that is all-good as well as all-sovereign, so that means His actions are always good, and He always accomplishes what he sets out to do. Nothing and nobody can, nor will, confound His plans, and His goodness. God’s goodness plus His sovereignty, represents God’s complete nature, His glory.
An illustration of God’s sovereignty is the Bible’s own record of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18:1-12
Paul in Romans remphasizes the sovereignty of God stating what right does that which is molded have to question the molder? Has the potter no right to mold the clay as He desires and wills (Romans 9:14-23). Has the Moulder have no right to have grace upon whom He will have grace, and mercy upon whom He will have mercy?
Do you and I do as we want with our own property and things? Yes. Then does God not have the same right? We are His property, His creation, correct? He made us, He designed us, He keeps us. God has the will and the right to do, to allow, to command good to you and me…and the power to do so because He is sovereign and good.
God’s sovereignty + God’s goodness = God’s glory. God is sovereignly graceful and sovereignly merciful. Do we recognize His sovereignty? Do we rest in His sovereignty? Do we agree that God has the right to do as He pleases with us, for He is always good and has good for us. God always does, and allows what is good and best, to transform us into His glory, His image.
2. God gave Moses a gracious concealment
Even though Moses knew he had a pretty strong and intimate relationship with God, God protected Him with a gracious concealment.
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,
How gracious has God been to us in the things we are not aware of or been aware of until later? How gracious has God been in the thing we have not had to experience? How merciful in the things that we have? What have you been protected from? How would we know what we have been protected from, because we have not experienced it?
There is a point to which God will allow us to go and experience, but no further because God is good and gracious, merciful and sovereign, not to mention all-powerful. God has a line in each experience, in each trial, in each journey and He will not allow you to be taken beyond what you can bear.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
No matter how righteous we think that we are, how close a relationahip we think we have with God, no one, nobody, will ever see God’s face and live. We do not know, what we do not know. We think we do, but we do not. When it comes to heaven and being in God’s presence, when we are finally perfected into the image and glory of Christ, will we see God face to face? Possibly, becauses we will have the same glory, without stain and sin. We look forward to that day when we will hopefully look into our Father’s face.
But we have seen His glory…Jesus. We can now His glory…Holy Spirit. Hebrews 1:3
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.
3. God gave Moses a gracious sheilding
and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
Moses was put in the cleft of the rock as a shielding from the glory, the splendor, the holiness, and righteousness of God. Without God doing so, Moses would have been destroyed. Many lives are destroyed by the holiness of God today because they do not have the divine shield of Jesus Christ. Being hidden in the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus’ holiness and righteousness is seen, instead of our sin and wickedness, our pride and self-righteousness. Do we believe that we are holy and righteous enough to stand before God and look upon His purity? We are a fool to think that we are, and forsake the shield of Christ in thinking so.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Are you hidden in the cleft of the Rock? Is your life build upon the Rock? Each person who would call God friend, needs to have their life build upon and hidden in the Rock of Jesus. Because no man, no women, nobody can stand before God, on their own righteousness, integrity, or merit. One’s salvation depends upon the gracious mercy, sovereignty, and goodness of God found in the only Son Jesus Christ. Are you hidden in the cleft of the rock?
What is the Name proclaimed before all and above all other names? Jesus.
Who is the glory of God that was witnessed and seen by man? Jesus.
Who was all merciful and graceful? Jesus.
Who is the only glory of the Father? Jesus.
Who are we hid in, so that the Father sees only righteousness, holiness, and perfection? Jesus.
May Jesus be our all in all only. Amen.