Friendship with God

Exodus 33 is our text this morning

Songs Hideth my soul and I’d rather have Jesus we shall behold him

The Golden Calf fallout effects the people, but in a wicked world where even God’s people were acting immoral Moses establishes an intimate relationship with God.

Go to the promised land by yourself.

Exodus 33:1–3 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

The people broke God’s covenant He made with them. God was no longer under any obligation to lead them to the promised land. He wasn’t going to back off of the promises that were unconditional like the fact that the Holy land belonged to the Israelites. It was theirs for the taking, but God didn’t have to go up with them. There are consequences to our actions.

The worst consequence is separation from God.

Exodus 33:4–6 And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’ ” So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The people heard bad news. God’s holiness can not stand in the presence of sin. The people would have been consumed if by His holiness. We don’t give God enough credit. This is why we continually bring up being right with God. That is the most important thing. These people had just left Egypt. God wanted them out of that wicked world. They were better off living under Evil Pharaoh of Egypt with God coming to redeem them to live in paradise and worshipping a golden calf.

Sin separates us from a Holy God.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

Go to the tent of meeting.

Exodus 33:7–9 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.

The tent of meeting is different than the tabernacle it was a place for Moses to meet with God. I believe that this is like church. Can you talk to God any where, any time? SURE you can! But do you have a place that you meet with God? How many times do you go to the tent of meeting to intercede on behalf of the lost and the world. You need a place where you can leave the world behind and speak to God. We have lost the importance of going to church. Oh I can watch this guy on line, why do I need church. Trust me you need church. Am I glad that our services are on the internet, YES! Am I am glad that you can listen to good preaching on TV, YES! But God wants a place where you can meet with him.

The people noticed Moses and God in the tent of meeting!

Exodus 33:10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door.

Your family needs to know, it’s Sunday I’m in church. Your neighbors the same. There is something about getting up and going to church it will effect the people around you. It might not effect them the way you want but it will effect them

The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

Exodus 33:11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

I started typing the headline. I typed it backwards. Moses spoke to the LORD. That’s not what the Bible says is it. NO it says the LORD spoke to Moses you need to let God speak to you.

The second part is the part that I crave. I am working on it. That friendship relationship with God. I’m getting there. A lot closer than I used to be. It’s not God’s fault that Him and I aren’t best friends its mine. I have friends in this life a lot of friends but few close friends. I want God to be that close close intimate friend. If I am being honest God and I are family. I am adopted. We are friends I talk to him every day but I want to be the best of friends. Like Abraham (created to be God’s friend) Like Moses (they spoke face to face) Like David (a man after God’s own heart) Like John both of them (one leaning on his breast) like Lazarus. God and I are getting there. How about you?

I’ve made some significant strides in this area lately. They involve more prayer and acts of faith. God is blessing in my family and in my life. God is Good

Moses pleads God’s name and His grace.

Exodus 33:12 Then 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 grace in My sight.’

There is power in God’s name. Whether it is the name YAHWEH or Jesus Christ there is unmistakable power in that name. It makes me want to shout. Do we look to his name enough.

I have to be honest, this is old testament grace, something much different than the grace that came through Jesus Christ in John 1. You see Moses had to earn that grace on behalf of the people. We get God’s grace credited to ourselves of no merit of our own but because of what Jesus did on the cross

Show me the way I should go.

Exodus 33:13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.

We need God to show us the path.

Isaiah 43:2–3 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

The nation of Israel is God’s people don’t forget that. I am a firm believer that neither the church of America has replaced Israel. That doesn’t mean I don’t love the church, that I am not proud to be an American. We just need these things to be in there proper place.

Moses was pleading for Israel, we need to plead for the bride to be pure. For America to return to it’s roots.

God’s presence, God’s rest!

Exodus 33:14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

What more could you want the indwelling presence of the spirit and the rest that comes from God Almighty. It is so worth it . God is good! Now there is something you need to remember. Days later the Kadesh Barnea event is going to happen. I swear to them you shall not enter my rest. That is important because come the book of Hebrews the writer says enter my rest while you have the opportunity. Tomorrow may be too late.

If God’s not with you, it’s not worth it!

Exodus 33:15–16 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

This is one of my core beliefs all life is vain if Christ isn’t in your life. You can have a million dollars but if Jesus isn’t with you. SO WHAT? Rich car. great home, great land, you can have a boat be a good person, be a free American (there are a lot of American’s that are slaves to sin) but if you don’t know God what is the point.

Worth it - 1 ) God will do it, 2) you have found grace, and 3) God knows you by name!

Exodus 33:17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

God answers prayer, you found grace, and you have a personal relationship with Christ what more do you want? If you have these things in Christ you need nothing else

I would rather have Jesus than anything.

Exodus 33:18 “And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.””

We shall behold Him. I’m going to heaven can’t waith, gonna see Jesus can’t wait!

God is good, He is Sovereign, but no one can see His face.

Exodus 33:19–20 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

A glimpse of Glory!

Exodus 33:21–23 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

This is an amazing passage, we don’t get it. Moses just had a glimpse of the glory of God. Wow that was amazing but to see the face of the Almighty that is something entirely different. We have something better we see clearly the grace of God and He has a face and His name is Jesus the right hand of God the Father.

Jesus is the safe way to see God!

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.