Exodus 33:1-19 | Driven by God's Presence | Rich Jones

go ahead and have a seat everyone let's take our Bibles this morning and we're gonna be in Exodus chapter 33 starting in verse 1 and the title of our message is driven by God's presence driven by his presence in our lives that's pray Lord we do thank you for your word and we just want to open our heart and receive so pour out your spirit of life through your word we ask in Jesus name Amen alright here we are in Exodus chapter 33 and one of the keys to understanding chapter 33 is that it follows chapter 32 I'm telling you this is gonna be deep now actually this is true here's what because of everything that happens in 32 it really must be understood to understand chapter 33 what had happened was this the people of Israel thought Moses had gone too long up on the mountain remember that he was up on Mount Sinai receiving the law and the commandments but they did not know what had become of him so they insisted that Aaron make a god to go before them they had not heard from Jehovah for like 40 days and so they needed a God apparently any God so Aaron told them to tear off the gold the old rings from the ears and from this he fashioned a golden calf out of the the molten gold and then they said and we don't know who that they is here but they said these are your God's o Israel who brought you up from the land of Egypt now that is an interesting phrase and interesting use of the plural in that phrase these are your gods because there was just one calf so to make the story even more interesting and more intriguing Aaron built like an altar before this golden calf obviously for the purpose of worship right and then he made this proclamation but listen to what he said tomorrow he said we shall hold a feast to Jehovah now now the phrase these are your gods comes into focus now we understand a little bit more oh they weren't trying to cast off Jehovah no they wanted to add the golden calf which is to say you can take the people out of Egypt but it's hard to get Egypt out of the people so the Egyptian god APIs which was a sacred bull and it was worshiped in the Memphis region in Egypt actually a very near Cairo today and this sacred bull APIs was the son of hathor who was the mother of the Sun God Allah and this sacred bull was this um the god of fertility and represented the strength and vitality of Pharaoh himself now in other words they wanted Jehovah but they also wanted the calf the golden calf the god of fertility the god of virility and power and I tell you there's a great lesson here because you can't have both many try but you can't have both because you can be sure that God is not pleased so indeed they held this feast and they began to dance before the law are before the the golden calf in a very lewd way which is actually a nice way to say it they had a partay and when Moses and Joshua came down from the mountain Joshua said the sound of war is coming from the camp and Moses said that is not the sound of war that I hear I hear singing that's what I'm hearing and so then Moses when he came in he saw what was happening he became angry and he took the tablets you know that it God had written the law and he took it and he sued him down this whole scene is made famous by Charlton Heston you might know and he threw them down broke them and took the golden calf and grounded into powder and made the people drink it and then he called out to Israel and he said whoever is for jehovah come to me now and I love this part where it says the sons of Levi all came to Moses and he said strap on weapons and purge the camp okay it was a tragic day all of that is the backdrop to chapter 33 for what happens here is very very important so we're gonna start in first one and we're gonna read several verses because I want us to really understand the whole of this story so we begin in verse one so the Lord spoke to Moses and he said now depart from here and go up 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 and I said to them to your descendants I will give this land 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 go up to a land flowing with milk and honey blessings and richness but I will not go up in your midst because you are an obstinate people literally the word is stiff-necked people lest I destroy you on the way we're talking about the near presence of God now when the people heard this sad word they went into mourning and none of them put on his ornaments the the jewelry and expensive things which they had brought from Egypt for the Lord had said to Moses now you say to the sons of Israel you are an obstinate and rebellious 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 will do with you so the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward mat Horeb Mount Sinai the same that you might say where did they even get these things I thought they were slaves this is true but when they were leaving Egypt the Egyptians actually gave to them many of these things of gold and silver take them take them and go and verse seven now is very important to see now Moses he used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp a good distance from the camp and they called it the tent of meeting and it came about that everyone who stopped the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp and they came about that whenever Moses went out to the tent that all the people would arise stand each at the entrance of his tent and they would gaze after Moses until he entered the tent and a came about that whenever Moses entered the tent that pillar of cloud if you remember that pillar of cloud that was with Israel at the time all the time they were in Israel or excuse me in the desert that the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent and all that it says all the people would arise and worship each at the entrance of his tent thus the Lord now listen to this verse thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face-to-face just as a man speaks to his friend that is a beautiful verse when Moses returned to the camp then his servant Joshua the son have done a young man would not depart from the tent that's also interesting more on that later now in starting in chapter 12 verse 12 we see Moses now interceding in behalf of Israel after tens of meeting Moses said to the Lord Jehovah see you say to me bring up these people but you yourself have not let me know who will you send with me like who is this angel moreover you have said I have known you by name and you have found favor in my sight now therefore I ask if I have found favor in your sight let me know your ways that I may know you so that I might find favor in your sight and consider - that this nation is people so the Lord responded listen to this response because the Lord saw that they had were they were mourning over all this to put off all of their ornaments they stood in and the Rose whenever Moses would go out and so the Lord responded verse 14 my presence shall go with you and I will give you rest now this meant so much to Moses that he said in verse 15 to the Lord he said if your presence does not go with us then do not lead us from this place for how then can it be known that I have found favor in your sight I and your people is it not but you're 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 and the Israel is distinct among the nations this is true and so 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 then Moses said he just wanted to ask one more thing and Moses said I asked I pray show me your glory it's a big thing to ask and he said I myself will make all my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion now there are more verses we'll look at them next week I want us to look at these because of how they apply not only to Israel but to us starting with this understanding that God is faithful to his promises you see all that happened in chapter 32 and then you see his faithfulness God had promised this land to Abraham Isaac and Jacob promised to give them to their descendants so he said to Moses go up to a land flowing with milk and honey it's a great the blessing body said he would not go up in their midst he's talking about the near presence of God of course because they're an obstinate and rebellious people less he destroy them on the way now this doesn't interesting part of the story many wonder what is this and I suggest to you that there is a principle that guides our understanding and it's this his mercies are new every morning here's what I mean the mercies of the Lord first of all is something that we all very much appreciate and are very thankful for because everybody in this room has failed at one time or another and therefore we understand hey if God had given us what we deserved we would be in great trouble it's by His mercy that in fact he does not give us what we deserve and you look at what's happening here in Israel and certainly this is the low point very definitely the lowest point so far in their relationship to God they were in fact their rebellious people they were in fact obstinate and stiff necked therefore he said his angel would go before them but he himself would not go in their midst let's see destroy them on the way and I'm convinced that God is saying this for no other reason than mercy he's holy in every way and he knew that freebie if they're gonna continue being stiff-necked and obstinate and rebellious then he would not end well that he couldn't be in their midst or they would be destroyed and he uses this phrase stiff-necked it's a great word because it describes in many ways see the neck in many ways represents the attitude that many of you know our story we raised five kids and now we've adopted our granddaughter so that makes six but as they're growing up I found that the neck is a very comfortable and an easy place for a dad to put his hand right and and is this very comforting thing right if for for a child with a willing heart it's a very comforting thing right because that hand is big and it's strong and and it's like ain't that that power is for me it's very comforting to know that safety that's securing that power that surrounds me and that hand sitting on my neck it's like ah that's good right if the hearts willing but if they resist it right and you can sense it right away it's like you know and then so if they resist it I have a question and my question is this am I for you or am i against you you tell me am i for you or am i against you because if I'm for you then everything I am the power that I represent is for you see the amazing thing is that in spite of everything that happened in chapter 32 God is steadfast to his promises and he told them go up go up to a land flowing with milk and honey place of richness and blessing and I tell you that is a statement about God's faithfulness and His mercy second Timothy chapter 2 verse 13 Paul writes to Timothy if we are faithless he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself or how about Romans chapter 3 verse 3 Paul is writing and he's referring to Israel and he says what then if some did not believe their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God now will it see now many years later in the history of Israel they will again come to a very low point where they want the gods of the world and it will lead to their destruction but even while the soldiers of Babylon are pouring into Jerusalem Jeremiah the Prophet very famously writes these words in fact these words are so famous that one of the greatest hymns of the church actually comes out of these these verses and it speaks to the faithfulness and the kindness of the Lord lamentation limitations chapter 3 verses 21 to 23 even as the Babylonians are pouring into Jerusalem he writes this I recall to my mind therefore I have hope the Lord's loving-kindnesses indeed never cease they fail not for his mercies never felt his Compassion's never fail and here's where we get the words of that famous song they are new every morning new every morning great is your faithfulness Oh Lord it's a testimony to God's heart actually so you go back now to Exodus 33 and here's the thing that we also see out of this that we have an advocate see this is a great thing we can see in Moses interceding being an advocate for Israel but it speaks to our relationship we have an advocate with the father Moses interceded for the nation of Israel but it was because of the relationship that Moses had with God that was the foundation and the reason that he could intercede and in fact that relationship was so amazing you see the depth of it in verse 11 God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to his friend see this this is a powerful thing and should remind us of something that Jesus said to the disciples and this is out of John 15 verse 15 where Jesus said no longer do I call you slaves for the slave does not know what his master is doing but I have called you friends for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you that speaks to the kind of relationship that God wants so when Moses heard that God would not go up in their midst he appealed to God he interceded on behalf of Israel consider he said that this nation is your people and as a result of Moses advocating and interceding God said my presence will go and I will give you rest see this is important because it's a picture for us Moses is a picture in fact of Christ Jesus and if it were not for what Jesus has done as an advocate for us before the father we would all be in big trouble in fact let me just give you a great verse at a Romans chapter 8 verses 33 to 34 listen to these verses I mean Romans 8 is amazing but listen to these verses who will bring a charge against God's elect you tell me he says hey God is the one who justifies who is the one who condemns Christ Jesus is he who died yes rather who was raised and who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes in our behalf for us listen to this one first John chapter 2 verse 1 my little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin okay now that is God's heart right there I'm writing these things to you that you may not sin and if anyone does him we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous for he himself is the propitiation for our sins that's an amazing verse absolutely amazing it's important for us to grasp this because many do not many are convinced that when they blow up they they do something that's trespass against the Lord and they they fail again they're convinced that God cast them off I am done with thee begone but that's not what we read it's an amazing thing to see this verse if anyone doesn't we haven't had the kid Jesus becomes an advocate for you in your behalf with the father that's amazing and then notice this out of Exorcist notice this that his presence the presence of God the near presence of God gives power to purpose notice verse 15 after God said that his presence would go with them this meant so much to Moses that he says this he says and if your presence does not go with us do not lead us from this see it says though Moses is saying it's not your purpose in my life that drives me I'm driven by your presence that's more important than anything else in my life see God promised a land flowing with milk and honey and it says though Moses is essentially saying I don't want the land unless you're in it I don't want the milk or the honey or any other blessing unless you're in the midst of it the presence of the Lord is everything that's what Moses cherished more than the land more than the milk more than the honey or any other blessing and therefore he gives us an example we should cherish the presence of the Lord in our lives as well let me give you Psalm 139 verses 5 to 6 where David writes these great words you Lord have enclosed me behind and before and have laid your hand upon me see like yes lay your hand on my neck you can put your power on my life because you've enclosed me behind in before but notice what he says such knowledge it's still wonderful for me it is too high I cannot attain to it this is so amazing so beautiful so wonderful that you've enclosed me behind him before laid your hand on me this is amazing or how about Psalm 73 verses 25 to 26 and then we add verse 28 whom have I in heaven but you lord and besides you I desire nothing on this earth now my flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and God is my portion forever now as for me as for me the nearness of God is my good I have made the Lord God my refuge it's like that verse that says the name of the Lord is a high tower the righteous run and are saved see going back to X there's 33 what we see is a tremendous example in the heart of Moses a great example because what we see and how we can apply it is this desire more of God in your life see when Moses was interceding on behalf of Israel he asks for something personal something more something for him and he made a request that God was very pleased with why the Moses asked this because Moses was seeking a deeper spiritual life can you just imagine what Moses has seen already what he has seen of the Lord I mean he has seen God destroy Egypt he has seen God part the Red Sea he has seen God bring forth water out of a rock to provide manna for other people he's received the law and the commandments he's spoken to God as a man speaks to a friend and yet he wants more and so he asks for this thing personal he says Lord let me know your ways but he asked for a reason let me know your ways that I might know you and that I might find favor in your sight I tell you this is a very deep spiritual understanding to grasp the significance of what he is saying will bring tremendous maturity I want to know your ways that I can know you Moses wanted to know what God is like he wanted to know his ways he wanted to know God more because he knew that the favor of God the blessing of God would come from knowing God's ways knowing God's heart and then living by those ways you know I I was thinking of an analogy I love following the news and knowing what's happening in our world but then you know the commentaries and various thing you know that people add and it's an interesting thing I see there's a trend that many articles are written about successful people and the way that they live their lives and many people find this very intriguing right articles like 10 habits of Warren Buffett right I mean people are interested what are the habits of Warren Buffett or seven ways to organize your life like Satya Nadella is the CEO of Microsoft yeah I want to know how does he do it how does he live why why do people want to know these things because they want to be like them yeah I would very much like to know how Warren Buffett thinks I very much like to know that why because they want to be like him you see and that's the thing how much more should we desire to know the ways of God because God is greater than any human I want to know his ways I want to know his thoughts let me know your ways Lord that I might know you why don't know your heart that I might live the same I want your ways to be my ways now we've seen kind of a sampling you might say of some of the ways of God Exodus 23 verse 4 where he said now if you meet your enemies ox or his donkey wandering away he's got loose and it's wandering you shall surely return it to it now that's not the way the world is I can tell you that that's not the way the world would be he said but that's my way if you see an ox or a donkey of your enemy and it's gotten out just wandering away you go and get it and you bring it back to him that's the way of God Exodus 22 verses 26 to 27 he said if you take your neighbors cloak as a pledge you know his outer coat you return it to him and you return it to him before the Sun sets because he mini as is phrase for I am gracious yeah that's one of the ways of the Lord right there God is gracious and we love that we love the fact that God's gracious especially when we're the ones receiving it isn't that true which reminds me of a story of the time that I got stopped for speeding 9 sure it's hard to imagine that I would get stopped for speeding but let me give you a back story okay I'm at work and I get a call from my son who's at school and my son calls and he says dad I'm sick can you please come and get me see this is the back story please come and get me so I said of course my son I will come and rescue thee ok not really but that was right that was the idea so I'm on my way to the school I'm driving through this neighborhood and sure enough a sheriff's deputy pulls me over he's a motorcycle police officer so he stops me comes up to the window you know can I have your driver's license and registration so ok and so then he he looks at me and he says so what do you do for a living why does he have to ask that so I tell him I tell him you know I'm a stockbroker ok not really not really now I tell him I tell him ok I'm a pastor yeah uh-huh be right back so he goes right uh boy you know and he's on the radio or whatever and he goes back and he says so I have a question you're a pastor I said yes so you tell me what should I do here so I said well I was speeding I deserve a ticket however grace is a good thing is that I'll be right back so he goes you know when he does whatever and he comes back and he hands me my driver's license and registration and he said you know you have the same birthday that I do I have a policy I never give a ticket to anyone that has the same birthday as me happy birthday and I'm thinking oh lord I love you grace but see here's the thing to know God's ways means that not only do you receive the ways of the Lord but you want to have those ways for yourself in other words it's one thing to say yeah Lord I love to have your grace it's another thing altogether to say Lord teach me to learn to give grace I want to be like you I want to know what it means to give grace to speak grace to live grace that's a whole different thing see God's ways are distinctly different than our ways it says let the wicked forsake his way let the unrighteous man forsake his thoughts and let him return to the Lord Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9 for my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways declares the Lord for us as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts you see some people they receive salvation and that's enough that's enough for them but there are others who want more than that they seek a deeper spiritual life Moses is an example of a man who wants more and is in is an example for us we should want more I want to know your ways and I want your ways to become my way and then Moses dares to ask for yet more because the Lord says to him I will do this thing that you're asking I will do this thing so he says lord please one more thing show me your glory this is a big thing just just one more thing show me your glory now I tell you Moses he has already seen more of God's glory than any human that has ever lived to this point he has seen more of God's glory than Abraham or Isaac or Jacob so much so that he had Moses had been in the presence of the Lord to the point that when he returned from the mountain there was actual light of God's glory that the people of Israel could actually see on his face but Moses knew that was not the fullness of God's glory there was more and he had experience enough to want more and he had the boldness to ask for it now see this is important because if you've ever experienced that the the nearness the presence of God in your life you know that it is a beautiful beautiful thing to the soul because it's like the sweetness of heaven tasted on earth the presence of God the infilling of the Spirit the soul ignited by the presence of the Lord if you've ever experienced that then you know how Wonder how sweet how great it is to the point that you would say I want more of that I want my soul to be filled I want my soul to be ignited I want more and it's interesting because in many ways this should remind us of a conversation that Jesus had with the disciples and Jesus is having this conversation this is John 14 which is an amazing chapter and you'll recognize these words where Jesus at one point says I am the way I am the truth I am the life no one comes to the Father but through me so fill up hearing these words he says to the Lord and it's very much like what Moses said he said show us the father and that's enough for us I want to see the father show me the father so Jesus responds John 14 verse 9 he said to him he who has seen me has seen the father how can you say show us the father but you see the heart behind it it's the same I want to see your glory see in verse 20 it's an interesting thing in Exodus he says no one can see the face of God and live and yet you know what scripture tells us that when we stand that day before the Lord of God in heaven it says we will see him face to face there is a glory that is awaiting us furch first Corinthians 13 verse 12 for now we see in a mirror dimly but then we will see him face to face now I know in part but then I will know fully just as I have been fully known oh there is a glory awaiting us God made himself known to Moses starting with that encounter that Moses had with God in the fiery bush you remember that's the first time that Moses encountered God and interestingly it was on this very same mountain and that was the beginning of a relationship that continued to grow through the trials through the conflicts in Egypt and the leading of the people of Israel back to this very same mountain and that relationship continued to grow to the points where it says in verse 11 thus the Lord used to speak to Moses as a man speaks to his friend I submit to you that we need our own tent to meeting experiences with God no God will not need us in a pillar of cloud and nor will we speak to him face to face but we can have meetings with God now the first meeting that you have with God let's call that the come-to-jesus meeting neither come to Jesus meeting [Music] and if you've not asked Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior that is the beginning of a glorious wonderful beautiful relationship you need to come to Jesus meeting but if that's the only meaning that you ever have with the Lord then you're not gonna grow very much in your relationship to him we need our own tent of meeting experiences we need personal intimate devotional spiritual meetings with God now what happens here in the church what happens in this assembly it's a beautiful thing it's wonderful we're gathered together as an assembly before the presence of the Lord God is in this place it's a beautiful thing in fact the scripture tells us do not neglect the assembling of yourselves together it's beautiful and we need this this is very very good but we need personal intimate devotional spiritual meetings with God you know why many people don't have spiritual meetings with God because they have a golden calf and you can't have both it does not work God will not reside there you cannot have both and so many people they're not growing in their spiritual life Moses says I want that want something deeper we need tent of meeting experiences we need personal intimate devotional spiritual meetings with God and those who are mature in their relationship to the Lord know that the presence of God is more important than anything else it's more important than any program that any church could put together it's more important than any purpose you might have in your life [Music] be driven by his presence let me know your ways I want to know your ways because I want your ways to be mine and I'm gonna be like you but then Laura let me ask one more thing show me your glory we need personal intimate devotional spiritual meetings with God we need that we need father I want to just ask that you poured out your Holy Spirit on this church help us to understand how important the presence of God the near presence of God in the filling of the Spirit the life of God within the soul the sweetness of heaven based on an earth helped us to see God how precious how important the sweet and how beautiful that is church as we're before the Lord this morning if the Lord would stir your spirit the Lord would speak to your heart would you say to the Lord let's have a meeting let's have many meetings Lord we need to talk we need to talk got some business we got to do here Lord I want a deeper relationship with you I want I want the sweetness of heaven we need a meeting we got to talk here Lord we just say that to the Lord I'm gonna ask you that is your heart if God is speaking that and you're so hard as stirred in that I want to say if if that's your prayer that you are will you just raise your hand and say yes Lord that's my prayer right there that's my heart we need a meeting we need a meeting Lord we got some business we're gonna take care of here we need several meetings because I want to have a deeper relationship to you anyone else just raise your hand father thank you for stirring us thank you for pouring your spirit on your church I pray that you truly stir up your church and pour out your spirit God to show us the significance of the presence of God in this place and in our lives and in our heart the nearness of God that's what we want the scripture says you draw near to me and I'll draw near to you Father thank you for what you're doing this morning Jesus name and everyone said here's what we're gonna do this morning

Channel: Calvary Chapel Worship Center - Hillsboro, Oregon

Views: 4,158

Rating: 4.8367348 out of 5

Keywords: The Bible, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Holy, Pastor Rich Jones, Pastor Matthew Dodd, Calvary Chapel, Faith, Grace, Revival, Truth, Prayer, Salvation, Calvary Chapel Hillsboro, Exodus, Matthew

Id: JVqirDiT8gc

Length: 41min 23sec (2483 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 24 2019