A Glimpse of His Glory

Presented to:

Bethel Chapel Pentecostal Church

Auditorium Sunday School Class

Granite City, IL

31 July 2016

Updated: July 27, 2016

By:

Boyce Belt

A Glimpse of His Glory

Opening:

• Prayer

Text:

Exodus 33:12-23 (KJV) 12  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14  And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. 17  And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Introduction:

Much of our knowledge of God is like that of a casual acquaintance.  We recognize them and interact with them to a limited degree socially but do not know them intimately.  We know them better than we might say we know the president but they are not as close as our companions.  We need to seek after this deeper experience with God.

God wants to reveal Himself to His people but very few want to see Him for who He really is.  We would prefer to worship a God of our own making just as the children of Israel worshipped the golden calf.  We are made in the image of God but too often we busy ourselves trying to make God in the image of man.

1. God’s Glory Defined — The word glory in the Old Testament is a derivative of  a word meaning to be heavy.  One possessing glory is laden with:^[1]

1. Riches

1. Genesis 31:1 (KJV)  And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory.

2. Power

1. Isaiah 8:7 (KJV)  Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

3. Position

1. Genesis 45:13 (KJV)  And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

4. A Special Manifestation of the Lord

1. When Moses made the request of God, “Show me your glory,” he was not speaking of the light-cloud,which he had already seen; rather, he was seeking a special manifestation of God that would leave nothing to be desired.^[2]

2. God’s Glory Desired — Philippians 3:10 (KJV)  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

1. A Lifetime Pursuit

1. Moses glimpse of God’s glory was not due to a one time request but the result of a lifetime growing closer to God and getting to know Him more  intimately.
2. Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better.^[3]

2. Motive for Desire

1. Moses asked that he be shown God’s way that he might know Him.  Exodus 33:13 (KJV)  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
2. What motivates our desire to know God’s will?
3. We should  fervently pray to know His ways, that is, His heart, purpose, wisdom, holy principles and even His suffering; in so doing we come to know God Himself.^[4]
4. Moses had a craving to come to grips with God as He was in Himself.^[5]

3. A Personal Revelation — Moses and the Jews had seen God’s glory in the pillar of cloud and fire, as well as in the storm on Mount Sinai, but Moses water to see the intimate glory of God revealed to him personally.^[6]

3. God’s Glory Disclosed — God’s glory is not confined to some outward sign that appeals to the senses, but is that which expresses His inherent majesty.^[7]

1. A Partial View

1. Moses only saw the hinder parts of God’s glory.
2. We can never fully take in all there is to know of God
3. In the case of Moses we find that an emphasis was place on His goodness and mercy.  When God revealed Himself to mankind it was usually in one aspect or another.  As we will consider next week, when Isaiah saw the Lord He revealed to the prophet His holiness.

2. Holy Living Required

1. Matthew 5:8 (KJV)  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
2. Hebrews 12:14 (KJV)  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

3. Through His Word

1. When God revealed His Glory to Moses He also gave to him His written Word.
2. Obedience to the Word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead.  It will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart.^[8]
3. John 14:21-23 (KJV) 21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22  Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 
4. 2 Peter 1:19 (KJV)  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

4. God’s Glory Displayed — Exodus 34:29-35 (KJV) 29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

1. It Could not Be Hid
2. Others Were Affected
3. Flesh Could not be Seen

Conclusion:

Whatever else it embraces, true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God.^[9]

Next Week: A Vision of the Almighty — High and Holy

Prayer