Practicing the Presence of God

Kids

This year, we’ve been doing a lot of meeting people on video through our computers and phones - family, friends, school, even church.

Which do you like better, meeting with people in person or on the computer? Why?

Can we see God? Can we hear His voice just like we hear each other?

So how do we communicate with God?

Right now, our friendship with God is kind of like meeting with people through your computer, where you can talk with someone, but you’re not in the same room together where you can hear each other really well and see each other really well. We can talk to Him, and He can talk to us through the Bible and through His Spirit, but it’s not like we’re in the same room where we can fully hear Him and see Him really well.

But when Jesus comes back and takes us to be with Him, it will be like going from a video call to being in person! We’ll be in God’s presence, we’ll hear Him super well and we’ll see Him super well.

And we’ll never have to say, “God, you’re still on mute. Unmute yourself so we can hear You.”

I can’t wait!

Intro

Grab: LOTR, “No, #$$^%”, we want and expect resolution; cliffhangers are irresistible (“Who shot JR?”); Exodus is part of a larger narrative, but it has its own resolution

RV: Slaves - Moses - Plagues - Red Sea - learning to trust (by failing) - 10Cs - Ark-itecture - Stone Tablets by the finger of God

PV: Building up to a something specific

Making the people truly ready for God’s presence (Exo 32-34)

The Golden Calf: Now finally ready to roll (Exo 32:1-35)

So much here, but RV: Moses had gone up, 40 days, he’s ^coming back, let’s make an idol, Aaron in charge, God tells Moses, M returns angry, smashes, adultery test, “poof!”, return to God to plead or take me out in their place, “I’ll take out who I want”

Options A and B: leave God alone or seek His face (Exo 32:10-11)

Exodus 32:10–11 CSB

Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God: “Lord, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

The changes that happened:

Moses: not at fault but willing to take the punishment, CovH, pre-X

People: some died, others had to kill their bro/friend/nayb in order to choose God, God’s not kidding about idolatry

Now, ready to move from Mt. Sinai

On the road again … without God’s presence? (Exo 33:1-6)

Not leave until after Moses and people made ready

But … Exo 33:3

Exodus 33:3 CSB

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”

Omnipresent, but: not ~ difference between Zoom and in person, but diff between Zoom and no internet (freeze), “are you still online?”; still there but no way to interact; we’re back to the Pony Express to communicate

Huge plot twist! They could lose the most important feature; this becomes the major theme and what we’ll want to resolve by the end of the book

Options A and B: leave things alone or seek God’s face (v. 5, “I will decide what to do with you”)

Promise of Land will be fulfilled, but God’s presence is not to be taken for granted; it’s in danger of being lost permanently for them

The tent of face-to-face meetings (Exo 33:7-11)

Exodus 33:7–11 CSB

Now Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a distance from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.

Wait … God just said He was withdrawing His presence

This seems to be backstory … what they were in danger of losing permanently

The tab is all about the presence of God … w/o His presence, tab is just for religion and rituals; good religion and rituals, but devoid of the star of the show

The glory of God’s presence (Exo 33:12-23)

Exodus 33:12–23 CSB

Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor with me.’ Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.” And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” “If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don’t make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.” The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘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 added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”

Like with the golden calf, God wants Moses to fight hard to represent a very imperfect people

Presence restored

The tabernacle doesn’t need their sin - their sin needs the tabernacle

Moses got to see the greatest manifestation of God’s presence = glory, but even that was veiled and hidden; still gonna change his complexion

It’s the presence of God that turns the story

Yahweh’s Ten Thunderous Words of Covenant, v. 2.0 (Exo 34:1-9)

Moses cut the stones this time

Only when we face the reality of losing God’s presence do we understand what forgiveness is (Exo 34:6-9)

Exodus 34:6–9 CSB

The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped. Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.”

Write the words of the covenant (Exo 34:10-27)

Another 40 days, fasting (~JC)

Moses also did the engraving - and now you know why Hebrew letters are shaped the way that they are - Hebrew descended from a language that had to be carved

Reflecting God’s glory (Exo 34:28-35)

Exodus 34:28–35 CSB

Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets. As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.

What the presence of God does: same would happen to each of us if God allowed it, and if we had been made ready like Moses was

Reflected perfectly in Jesus, Jn 1:14-18

John 1:14–18 CSB

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”) Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

Practicing the presence of God (Exo 35-40)

Almost lost it

It’s precious, and not to be taken for granted

Now, let’s make that tabernacle particularly for the presence of God …

Getting all the construction materials ready (Exo 35:1-36:1)

Capital, blueprints, workers

All ready

Making the Tabernacle (Exo 36:2-38)

Making the Ark of the Covenant (Exo 37:1-9)

Making the Table and the Lampstand (Exo 37:10-25)

Making the Incense Altar and Anointing Oil (Exo 37:26-29)

Making the Bronze Altar and the Basin (Exo 38:1-8)

Making the Courtyard (Exo 38:9-20)

The Amounts of Gold, Silver, and Bronze used (Exo 38:21-31)

Gold - 2193 lbs (over 1 ton)

Silver - 7,544 lbs from the ransom (almost 4 tons!)

Bronze - 5,310 lbs (over 2.5 tons)

Making the Priests’ Garments (Exo 39:1-31)

Pic

Preparations completed just as the Lord commanded (Exo 39:32-43)

Doing otherwise put them at risk of not having God’s presence

Exo 39:43

Exodus 39:43 CSB

Moses inspected all the work they had accomplished. They had done just as the Lord commanded. Then Moses blessed them.

Completing the Tabernacle, and the cloud settles (Exo 40:1-38)

Summarize vv. 1-33:

Exo 40:34-38

Exodus 40:34–38 CSB

The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The Israelites set out whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle throughout all the stages of their journey. If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.

This! This is why the tabernacle, all the nitty-gritty details, the workmanship, the sacrifices for sin, all the blood, the incense, the trouble of tearing down, carrying, and setting it all up again

This is how Exodus ends and where Leviticus will begin

Exodus begins with slavery without God’s presence or even any knowledge of just the name of God and a little sneak peak of God’s presence in a little burning bush, and Exodus ends with God’s presence in the tabernacle that is so strong that not even Moses could handle it

The storyline goes on with Lev, but there’s some resolution for us

Practicing the presence of God

RV of God’s presence in 32-40

The backstory of regular face-to-face meetings

The very real threat of removal

The glory of God’s presence that Moses got to see

Moses reflecting God’s glory as a physical phenomenon

The tabernacle completed, and the cloud settles - filled with God’s intense, glorious presence

Face-to-face meetings

The veil is now torn and we can boldly approach the throne of grace b/c of Jesus our High Priest

When Jesus returns, forget Zoom - we’ll be live and in person

The threat of removal

The HS indwells believers

No one can take the Spirit away from us

Our future of being in God’s presence is guaranteed

But, we can still experience internet outages, especially when we don’t practice His presence - He’s still there, but there are ways we can shut ourselves off from the benefits of access

The glory of God’s presence

1 Cor 13:12

1 Corinthians 13:12 CSB

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

Reflecting God’s glory

Might get that glow

But Acts 4:13

Acts 4:13 CSB

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Practicing God’s presence

Their tab completed / cloud settled:

How will they practice His presence? (We know that hundreds of years later, God will withdraw His presence because the persistence of being primarily a stiff-necked people, not heeding the words of the many prophets God sent)

Now, we are the tabernacle, a kingdom of priests

Eph 2:18-22

Ephesians 2:18–22 CSB

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

1 Pet 2:1-10

1 Peter 2:1–10 CSB

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this one has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

How can we practice the presence of God?

Or, “under what conditions will Jesus reveal Himself to us?”

Through His Word (Jn 5:39)

John 5:39 CSB

You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.

In prayer and worship (Mat 7:7-8)

Matthew 7:7–8 CSB

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Frequent prayer of mine at the beginning of a worship service

In the midst of obedience (Jn 14:21-23)

John 14:21–23 CSB

The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will love him and will reveal myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it you’re going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

By the gathering of those indwelt with His Spirit (Matt 18:20)

Matthew 18:20 CSB

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

Sometimes, He’s right there, but we don’t notice because we don’t give Him space in our lives (2 Kings 6:16-17)

2 Kings 6:16–17 CSB

Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

He can reveal Himself in Creation (Rom 1:19-20)

Romans 1:19–20 CSB

since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Whenever He wants for whatever He wants (Rev 3:20 - to believers)

Revelation 3:20 CSB

See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

His indwelling Spirit is always within you; you are always a temple (1 Cor 6:19)

1 Corinthians 6:19 CSB

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

We might feel jealous of the Israelite b/c of the laser show w/smoke machines - we have His HS and we can experience that more and more by practicing His presence, and we don’t have to go to a place

The greatest revelation of God is Jesus - just look to Him (Heb 1:1-3; Jn 14:8-9)

Hebrews 1:1–3 CSB

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

John 14:8–9 CSB

“Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

[D-Group: Testimonies of when God has manifest His presence to you]

Exodus in a tweet

[Call up worship team]

Getting Moses ready (1-4)

Before release, get the leader ready to lead

Getting the people ready (5-11)

Through Pharaoh’s hard heart —> Passover

Released and reconstituted (12:1-15:21)

Allowed them to be cornered to ??? (cek: wording)

Being God’s people is not easy … but it’s good! (15:22-19:25)

Waterless places to know God is our provider (cek: more?)

Eating and drinking a covenant (20-24)

Yahweh’s Thunderous Ten Words of Covenant —> a meal (something’s gotta bleed and we gotta settle this at the table)

Becoming vested in a covenant (25-31)

Buy-in, payout, becoming vested

Practicing the presence of God (32-40)

Exodus is not primarily about Moses, Pharaoh, plagues, Red Sea, 10C’s, details of the tabernacle and sac’s - it’s primarily about the presence of God that can shake mountains and reflect off of our faces

Not to be taken for granted

We can actually practice His presence in order to notice it more and enjoy it more

Gospel: If you have not yet been been brought into the presence of God by faith in JC, it can begin now. 2020 could be the last year of your life that you don’t have salvation in Christ.

Prayer: GN; thanks for presence that we have access to

D-Groups

Remember to leave time for prayer, or perhaps do prayer first.

Cross references that may come in handy:

2 Kings 6:16-17; Matt 7:7-8; 18:20; John 5:39; 14:8-9, 14:21-23; Rom 1:19-20; 1 Cor 6:19; Eph 2:18-22; Heb 1:1-3; 1 Pet 2:1-10; Rev 3:20

Introduce: Make sure everyone has met

Launch:

Would you be willing to share a story of when God has manifest His presence to you? (It doesn’t have to be phenomenal in order to be an encouraging story.)

Read: Exodus 40:33-38 (in two different translations)

Observe:

What is most prominent in this passage?

How does this passage serve as a fitting conclusion to the book of Exodus?

What is the very next thing that happens in the storyline?

Interpret:

What difference did God’s presence make in this passage?

Why did they need God’s presence in this manner for their situation?

Why was Moses unable to enter the tent of meeting, considering all the special privileges He’s already enjoyed in meeting with God?

Reflect:

The question question today was asking for stories of God manifesting His presence. This is similar, but shorter: in what ways does God manifest Himself to you most readily?

What benefits do modern Christians have over the people in the passage with regard to the presence of God?

Based on Exodus, what do you anticipate about being in God’s unveiled presence one day?

Apply:

What ideas about “practicing God’s presence” do you want to incorporate more into your life?

What specific steps can you take to do so?