FBC Morning Light – February 11, 2023

Good Saturday morning, people of faith. We're in Exodus chapters 33 and 34, and I'll be concentrating on chapter 33, verses 12 through the end of the chapter.

And I think what we're going to see here is in a conversation between Moses and the

Lord, we're going to see two things. One, we're going to see Moses make a request that oftentimes as people in the church, we forget to make.

And then we're going to see a request that Moses makes that we tend to make as well that maybe we shouldn't.

Let me explain. Starting in verse 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.

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.

And he, that is the Lord said, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest.

And here's the first thing I want you to see is Moses says back to the

Lord. 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, and all the people who are upon the face of the earth.

So the Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing you have spoken for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by my, or by name, excuse me.

So Paul, or excuse me, Moses is saying here, look, it's not just good enough for us to be in the promised land and for you to deliver us there.

It's so much more than that. You have to go with us, Lord. I think of how often we pray in churches to say,

Lord, fill this place with people. Help us to be a blessing. Help us to do these things, and we want, and it's a good and right desire to want to have a full church, to want to be a blessing to others.

But how much do we miss out when we don't say, Lord, unless it is you that does this, unless it is you that are with us, this is all meaningless.

This is pointless. If we have a full church of 200, 300, 500, 1 ,000 people, and we do it without the presence of the

Lord and the teaching from your word and reliance and dependence upon you for everything we have, it's meaningless.

Let's keep that in mind. Here's the second thing. In verse 18,

Moses says, please, show me your glory, and the

Lord responds, he says, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the

Lord before you, and 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.

How often do you hear in song or people say,

Lord, show me your glory, let me see you, and sometimes I think that's a good thing to say and to pray, but sometimes as the old saying goes, be careful what you hope for.

No man can see the Lord's face and live.

That has meaning. So sometimes I think there's an aspect where we tend to bite off more than we can chew in this regard.

Now the Lord was very gracious to Moses and hit him in the cleft of the rock and so on and so forth, but the point being, be careful what you ask for in this regard.

It is a good thing to seek the Lord, but to somewhat brazenly say, hey,

I can handle what Moses couldn't handle, you don't know that you could unless the

Lord would be gracious to you. Let's ponder these two things that we've learned today and let's have a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you that we have your word and we ask that you would go before us in bringing people here.

Help us to rely and depend upon you for the salvation of souls, for the nurturing and growth and sanctification of your people.

Help us to be wise and prudent in what we ask for, that we might not ask for things that are beyond what we can handle, but help us to again depend and rely upon you.

It's in your son's name, Jesus we pray, amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.