Learning the Presence of God

Exodus 33 NASB95

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 “I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’ ” 6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. 7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance 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 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever 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 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. 12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?” 17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

INTRO: We talk about the presence of God, we sing about it—‘You are awesome in this place, Mighty God’—but have we really thought about what that means? Scripture says God is everywhere, but Exodus 33 shows us something deeper: His presence is not just constant—it’s consequential.

The psalmist declares that there is nowhere we can go and escape His presence. Yet, we know, perhaps instinctively, that the topic of God’s presence is more complex than simply data.

ILL: I want you to think back to when you were a teenager… and it may still be true of you today, but when you were a teen, didn’t you seem to act differently when you were in the presence of certain people… like young ladies or guys you might be attracted to? Or, when you started driving, you might be extra attentive to the traffic laws when a sheriff’s officer was present in the area.

But the presence of God isn’t just about behaving when you’re at church or when you are reminded that God sees you. After all, God knows your heart; your motivation and your character. And as overwhelming of a thought this is, I want to point us to several truths revealed in our passage today about the presence of God.

I believe these truths will help us to better understand the God of the Bible and will cause us to evaluate our response to Him. Remember, scripture was given that we might know God and draw near to Him.

Now, there is a lot that we could dwell on in this chapter- I certainly hope that you will spend time this week reviewing and praying through this passage. This morning, I will bring forward 4 truths about the presence of God that are revealed in Exodus 33. If you picked up a bulletin, you can use the enclosed sermon guide to follow along.

Let’s dive in. As we study, ask God to direct your heart. The first truth that we must deal with comes from v. 1-6, and that is:

The Presence of God Clashes with Obstinance (1-6)

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Essentially, after Israel’s idolatrous actions, God warns Moses that the sinfulness of Israel is incompatible with the holiness of God. God called them an obstinate people. (3, 5) Obstinate literally means stiff-necked. This expression describes one who is unwilling to change their ways, unwilling to shift their focus from their own desires, refusing to be led. .

ILL: Have you ever had to wear a neck brace? In severe cases of neck injury, people are put in these collars that prevent them from turning their heads. The only way for them to look at something else is to turn their whole body.

God describes the Israelites as such a people. They want what they want. They want things their way- the way they are familiar with, the way they are comfortable with. For the Israelites, they wanted the land of milk and honey, but they wanted it on their terms, and to this God says, I will not go with you.

Now, here’s the tough reality: There is only ONE King. If we are unwilling to submit to God’s word and His leadership, then we are at odds with Him. There is no room for you to sit on the throne with Him!

This speaks a hard truth. We cannot, in our sinful obstinance, be in the presence of God and not be destroyed by Him for He is absolutely holy. We cannot hang onto the world and insist that we receive the blessings of God’s presence. In so doing, and I want you to listen real close, in so doing we are communicating the reality that what we desire is that God would change instead of us.

Are we not like the obstinate Israelites? We want all of God’s blessings, but we refuse to submit to the leadership and lordship of Jesus Christ.

James 4:6 “... “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”” Friends, the presence of God clashes with obstinance and so I stand before you this morning and plead with you to search your heart. Are you clinging to worldly values while expecting kingdom blessings? Are you stiff-necked, stuck in your ways and refusing to be led?

Repent. Stop pretending that you know better than God. Strip away the lusts of the world that have decorated your life lest God give you over to them. It is by grace that you are able to hear and receive God’s Word this morning, for we are in the presence of Almighty God and in your sin, you are on a collision course with Him.

But if obstinance is a barrier to His presence, then what hope is there for sinners like us? That’s where we need a Mediator. That brings us to the next truth:

The Presence of God Demands Intercession (7-11)

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Before the tabernacle was erected and the priests were ordained, Moses was the mediator between God and Israel. We saw that several chapters ago. And it was the case that those who sought the Lord (7b) needed one who could go to the Lord on their behalf.

God anointed Moses for this role and we see that his practice was to pitch this tent outside the camp- away from the immediate presence of the people where the sign of God’s presence, the pillar of cloud (9b) would descend and God would speak to Moses. Now, Moses was not without sin, but God chose Him in grace and mercy to fulfill this role and to point the people to the necessity of an intercessor.

ILL: When I was a kid, believe it or not, I would get into trouble from time to time. And my dad believed in old-school discipline… I remember on one occasion, I got into trouble while we were out- either at a restaurant or someone’s house. And I was told- “Just wait til we get home.” I knew what was coming, so before we got home, I went to my mom and asked her to talk to him. She had a better rapport with him than I did, and maybe just maybe she would talk him down from his anger.

Israel had sinned, and in their rejection of God’s authority, they could not meet with Him. To meet with God in their sin, as we discussed a minute ago, would result in their absolute destruction. But Moses, the man whom God had anointed and who He invited to the mountain to receive the law was able to intercede.

And listen, God is not some angry, trigger-happy god who needs to be talked down from irrational acts of judgment. God, in His love and sovereignty demonstrated His holiness - there is no imperfection in Him. This intercession showed the Israelites that their life was to be transformed completely and that what God was calling them to (and us to) is a life in harmony with his holiness.

And the picture given here is this: When the Israelites saw that God met with Moses as he interceded for the people, they rejoiced and worshipped- God was not done with them yet! He, while we are yet sinners, made a way of intercession!! This is such a good picture of Jesus. Rom. 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death!

You and I need intercession just like Israel! We cannot stand in the presence of God on our own! But praise God that we have an intercessor - IMMANUEL, which means “God with us” and He has gone on our behalf to the Father- He has offered himself as a sacrifice to satisfy God’s just wrath, and Scriptures tell us that He is right now bridging the gap between His holiness and our sinfulness.

The presence of God demands Intercession, and praise God that Jesus Christ has come to provide everything you and I need to know God and to be in His presence!

The presence of God clashes with obstinance and demands intercession. Next, we see that:

The Presence of God Distinguishes God’s People (12-17)

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As Moses speaks to God, the most significant statement comes in v. 16. The only thing that made Israel special is God’s presence with them. Without God, they would be nothing!

Moses understood that it didn’t matter what the circumstances were, if God were not with them, it all means nothing. If they made it to the promised land, and God was not with them, it would be a waste! You see, it didn’t matter if they had all the food, water, and worldly riches. If God would not be with them, they were poor in everything that mattered!

In fact, in v. 15, Moses essentially says, God, if you are not going to be there, I ain’t going!

ILL: Tomorrow, my wife and I will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. I love her so very much. And in a couple weeks, we are going to take a vacation. But you know what? If my wife were not going to be at that lake house, I wouldn’t want to go. In another 6 months, I’ll (hopefully) celebrate a graduation with my doctorate. It’s exciting, but if my wife were not able to go and be with me, I wouldn’t want to go because all the celebration loses meaning without her.

As Christians, we must recognize that it is the presence of God that makes us different. It’s the presence of God that makes heaven exciting! It’s not the streets of gold or the pearly gates! Folks, without the presence of God, heaven would be hell.

Look, God’s people are not distinguished because we come to a building each week. We are not distinguished simply by a moral code. We are not distinguished by the way we dress or the type of music we sing. We are distinguished because God has given us His presence in the person of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and transforms us! He has sealed us for the day of His return and it is only His presence that separates the sheep from the goats!

So, I have to ask: Do you have God’s presence? Do you have the Holy Spirit in you? If not, you are spiritually bankrupt - you can try all you want to distinguish yourself from those who outright reject God, but without God’s presence, you are not distinguished from them at all.

And if it’s His presence that distinguishes us from the world, then we must ask: Do we truly have it—or are we just religious imitators?

The presence of God clashes with obstinance, demands intercession, and distinguishes God’s people. Finally,

The Presence of God Communicates the Gospel (18-23)

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Perhaps there is more here than I could preach in a whole sermon, but I want you to see the picture that is presented here.

Moses, cries out, “Show me your glory!” And you might be thinking, Moses has actually been on the mountain where God manifested His presence in fire, smoke, thunder, and earthquakes. Moses heard the voice of God speaking as a man does to his friend (11) Moses was at the burning bush, an instrument of God to call down the plagues, witnessed and partook in the miracles of God to provide food and water and victory in battle. How could Moses cry out, “Show me your glory!”

The reality is that the more we see of God’s goodness, the more we crave to see Him perfectly. Now we see dimly, but one day, we will see Him as He is. But Moses could not stand to see God face to face.

Even Moses, the chosen intercessor of Israel was not worthy to see God’s fullness.

This is where I want to you to lean in for a minute. You see, we often hear people, sometimes in the church, talk about how we need God to rescue us from Satan. And yes, God does rescue from temptation and from Satan’s trap. But the true rescue is not from Satan, but rather from God Himself.

You see, the judgment and the destruction of sinful men comes from the presence of God, who is perfectly holy. Remember, God told Moses that the sinful obstinate people would be destroyed in His presence. That’s because He is holy and just. His holiness consumes like a fire all that is impure.

And so the picture here is that God himself would hide Moses in the cleft of the rock so that when He passed by in all His goodness, He could keep Moses from being destroyed. He would only get a glimpse of God’s glory. Why would God do this? Only because of His mercy.

Exodus 33:19 “And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.””

ILL: I teach a class a FBBC. And I have assignment deadlines. Now, I will work with folks who have challenges, but it never fails that I’ll have a student or two who believe that I owe them grace when they are late or when they just do not complete an assignment. I do not owe them grace… and some folks fail.

You see, Grace and mercy are voluntary. God does not owe anyone compassion. Yet He offers it freely.

Friends, this is the Gospel. God is holy and just. We deserve wrath and judgment! As sinful men and women we may cry out for God’s goodness, but we are not fit! We are not worthy! But God, in His mercy sent Jesus to intercede and when we call upon His name, He hides us in the ROCK OF AGES!

He covers us with His perfect righteousness so that we can stand in the presence of God on judgment day and live. And we look ahead to the day when we are without sin; when we will see the fullness of God’s goodness and rejoice for all eternity!

You see, I don’t think we’ll have any problems worshiping God- we won’t be thinking about whether or not we like the song- We will be overcome by His presence perfectly!

This morning as we close, I invite you to ask God to make His presence real in your life through the Holy Spirit.

Discuss: What does it mean to be “stiff-necked” before God? In what ways do we sometimes live that way today?

Discuss: How does Moses' role as intercessor point us to Jesus? How does that deepen your understanding of the Gospel?

Discuss: Moses said, “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Why was God’s presence more important to him than the promised land?

Discuss: The pastor said that God saves us not just from Satan, but from His own just wrath. How does that reshape the way we view salvation?