Grace in the Old Testament (07/15/2001)

Turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, please this morning Didn't you enjoy seeing a little bit younger face for announcements this morning?

I did Thank You Jesse Appreciate that that's what keeps a church alive is the young people and We don't want to ever forget that we've got to Got to be examples for them got to We've got to do our part in our generation, so they'll do their part of theirs

Could you give me just a little bit more juice this morning? Not my voice. Maybe just a little a little flat today

Thank you. I think that helped a little it did in it. Very good. Thank you very much It's good to see mrs.

Everman with us this morning. Good to have you with us They are going through some trials in their family and I I have thought much about the faithfulness of Mr.

Mrs. Everman during these days. We're glad you're here Let's let's look at 2nd

Corinthians chapter 3 this morning. We're going to continue Our study on rightly dividing the word of truth

And we've been talking in recent days about a little bit about some of the differences between the

Old Testament times and the New Testament times The last time

I would say what we did was we pointed out that there are some differences but we pointed out also that you don't want to fall into the category of an ultra dispensationalist who is a person who says that When you go into a new dispensation that the things in the old dispensation don't count anymore and they just you just negate them

Usually that's not the case. In fact, most most all the time. It's not the case Last time we ended up with this we we looked at the

New Testament age of grace Paul called it the dispensation of the gospel of grace and We found three interesting points towards the end of the study.

One was in Romans chapter 3 verse 31 It says that these things are done that we may establish the law and then in Romans chapter 7 and verse 6

It said says that we these things are done that we may serve God in newness of spirit not in the oldness of the letter and Then in Romans chapter 8 verse 4

It said that these things came about so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us

So we pointed out that the law is not absent in the New Testament today, we're going to point out that grace was not absent in the

Old Testament and we do this to fight the ultra dispensationalist mindset that would cause one to To get in really more trouble than if he ever even knew about these divisions

The divisions are very real. They're there You have to understand that the cross made a difference

There has to be a difference between the New Testament time and the Old Testament time and that's just one great example so the differences are there and different scholars through the years have divided them up into different numbers of Divisions to me that's not important The important thing is just to understand that when we're interpreting the scriptures

We need to understand who God's talking to we need to understand if there are some dispensational differences we need to know that But that's not to say that the dispensational differences

Make it where you can just say well, I'm in the age of grace today So I don't have to worry about what

God thinks that sort of thing Paul answered that very question in his day He said some were saying to him should we send in so that grace may abound?

They were really mocking Paul because he taught grace and these were legalists who came to him and asked him that question

Trying to trick him and he said he said nay How can we who are dead to sin live any longer in it?

What a great answer. Was that an awesome answer or what? and so he was able to put it all together, but it's difficult sometimes for us and so today

We'll talk a little bit more about grace in the Old Testament And last time we talked about law

God's laws and how they find their way into the New Testament and how it is that God Has worked in this dispensation

To actually fulfill the laws of Christ If you remember we closed last Sunday by pointing out that the

Lord worded it in such a way in the New Testament That it's not what we do. It's what we are.

He has changed our very nature He has written his laws in our hearts if we're born again this morning and that is the function.

That's the economy That's how God works within us to cause us to fulfill his righteousness and it is a different system but it's the same end and we're gonna see that as we go into the

Old Testament in a few moments and Take a look around there a little bit this morning now and 2nd

Corinthians chapter 3 Let's start with Verse 1 kind of follow along with me if you would

Do we begin again to commend ourselves or need we as some others epistles of Commendation to you or letters of commendation from you

You are our epistle written in our hearts Known and read of all men

Paul's talking about his converts and those who he has discipled He said you're the only letter of commendation that I need

I don't need another church to send a letter saying Paul's an okay guy and Paul is saved and Paul's for real

He said you're the proof of it. You're my fruit and He says in verse 3 for as much as you are

Manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us epistle means a letter by the way

Written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God not in tables of stone

But in fleshly tables of the heart and Such trust have we through Christ?

to God were Not that we are sufficient of ourselves To think anything as of ourselves now that he's kind of saying that to the legalist because they do think they're sufficient in themselves

Legalists believe that they can do things to please God that they can go out set a list perhaps have a

New Year's resolution and if they can Come up with a list of things they can do and if they do all these things

God will be more pleased with them than He was before the whole thing started and so they're accomplishing this in the energy of the flesh

Paul says I don't consider myself to be sufficient enough to do that He said if I think what he's getting at is if that's the way it worked.

I'm in trouble Paul is saying because I used to go around and kill Christians Before God saved me and I'm worthless and he said

I'm the least of all And he says I'm not I'm not sufficient He says but our sufficiency is of God now in that small phrase

We see the very difference between the Old Testament Economy and the New Testament gospel of grace that Paul preached and that is that in the

Old Testament God expected them and held him responsible to keep the law in the New Testament time period

He says God is my sufficiency Christ in me is the hope of glory and he's written the law in my heart

And he's placed the Holy Spirit there and so forth These thoughts are all in that little phrase Verse 6 says who also have made made us able ministers of the

New Testament now you're going to start to see some contrast again between the old and the new and So that's important to see the contrast first because when we get into the message, we're going to see the similarities

But look at the contrast between the Old Testament time and the new right here He says who also hath made us able ministers of the

New Testament just the fact that it's new points out There was an old so it shows a contrast not of the letter, but of the

Spirit. So the Old Testament Economy of the law at least from the point of Moses forward into the time of John the

Baptist Was a time of the letter God gave the letter of the law and you were supposed to keep it to the letter

And now he says the word but which means it's changed if this is a contrast Now the

New Testament not of the letter, but of the Spirit for the letter of the law killeth

But the Spirit giveth life There's a contrast here not in God God never changes.

He's immutable. He cannot change You know The only reason change comes about usually the way we think of things is to make something better because it's not perfect to start with So we keep changing things and jockey them around a little bit try this over here

Try that over there see if we can't get better and better But you know what if you're perfect, you don't have to do that. So God is there

God doesn't change but the way that he deals with man has changed in different time periods because God did not reveal himself

Fully to us all at once He did a little by little line upon line So to speak through history and as he revealed certain things about himself that were previously mysteries

Then that generation was responsible for that information and that's why we have dispensations.

It's not that God changes It's just that our understanding of him changes when he gives us more information and then we're responsible

For that information. Well during the time period of from Moses to John the Baptist They were under the law and Paul says right here that we have a

New Testament The truth is the law killeth. It is the Spirit that giveth life He goes on and says but if the ministration of the death of death written and engraven in stones now

What's he talking about? Literally right there. What was it? That was literally engraven in stones the

Ten Commandments If this ministration of death which Paul calls it by the way, why does he call it that?

Why does he call the law the ministration of death? I Think it's because it is the law that shows us how exceedingly

Sinful our sin is we wouldn't even know that if we didn't have the law the law points out

That we have fallen short of the glory of God the law points out that all men have there's not one who hasn't and as we look into the law the letter of the law points out that we have fallen short not only of God but of his heaven of His righteousness of his glory everything that is the state of man man is fallen

It's the duty of the law to show us that and it does a great job of it And that's why Paul says that the letter killeth.

He doesn't mean the Old Testament is bad he means the Old Testament is good because it causes us to see a need

You know if you didn't understand that you think you're just gonna waltz along in life and just you know One day you're gonna die and you're gonna meet

God face to face and you're gonna say I did pretty good Did pretty good on my own.

Did I make it? Guess what? He's gonna say

I never knew you I Never knew you depart from me you workers of iniquity

But if we didn't have the law pointing out this great need Wouldn't it be a dark world?

Because we would just waltz along thinking everything was fine Satan would deceive us into thinking we were just as good as the next guy and really we think we are you know

Probably we are just as good as the next guy, but God doesn't compare us to the next guy God compares us to his son

Jesus Christ and As we study his life.

He said who would Who would point out one sin in my life and the very most religious men who lived in that age could not do it that's who we're compared to and So the law killeth because it points out that we have fallen short now

He says but the Spirit giveth life, but now he says but if the ministration of death

Written and engraven in stones. That's the Ten Commandments in the law if it was glorious So that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses now

We're gonna go see what that's all about here in a moment For the glory of his countenance They could not even look in Moses face

Moses would go up on the mount spend time with God when he would come down the children Of Israel couldn't even look at his face because it scared them to death because his countenance was literally glowing from having been in the presence of God and so he literally took a

Veil and covered his face so that they could not see this glory Lest they be frightened

And that's what this is talking about Steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory or because of the glory of his countenance which glory was to be done away

How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious He's saying if the

Old Testament law was glorious How shall not the New Testament be glorious For if the ministration of condemnation be glory much more doth the ministration of righteousness

Exceed in glory see the comparison and the contrast Between the two time periods the two dispensations for even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth if you take the law and You compare it to grace the gospel of grace

Then the law pales in glory in comparison. That's exactly what Paul says and Paul was a master of the law

For if that which is done away was glorious. That's the Old Testament Specifically the law of Moses much more that which remaineth is glorious.

So see the contrast We live in the best day at least the best day that's occurred so far

Now it says seeing then that we have such hope we use great plainness of Speech and he goes on and talks about Moses and this veil

That was on his face in verse 13 not as Moses which put a veil over his face

He says Paul says I speak with plainness of speech. I'm not like Moses. I'm not trying to cover this truth anymore

In fact, I'm going to bring it out to you is what he's getting at With Moses which put a veil over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that Which is abolished and I want you to underline that little phrase because that's where we're headed this morning

Look to the end of that which is abolished. You know what that tells us It tells us as we go back and we look at the law

That that was a means to an end and that the veil over Moses face kept them from seeing the end in their lifetime because it was held as a mystery and not

Revealed until the time of Paul Jesus and Paul But he said

Steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished We're going to talk about that end in a moment, but their minds were blinded for until this day

Remaineth the same veil Untaken away in the reading of the

Old Testament So as the Jew even today or the legalist today reads the

Old Testament There is still a veil over the face of Moses in the sense. He cannot see the end of it

He can't see the use of it He thinks it's the end in itself and he begins to he begins to labor to keep the law

He begins to strive to be righteous and this is the great weakness of the

Pharisees it's great weakness of most religious people alive today in our churches all over this country and all over the world is

The veil is still not taken away. But look what it says about this veil in verse 14 For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the

Old Testament Which veil is done away in Christ? So in Christ the veil is removed so that we can see the end of the law

Doesn't do away with it. It lets us see the purpose of it in the end of it But even until this day when

Moses is read the veil is upon their heart the legalist the the Pharisee And there are many

Pharisees and Christian churches today that want to put you under their own law. They'll invent all kinds of law That it's not in the scripture.

They'll just say well, you know, this is how we do. We think you should be under it, too Nevertheless when it shall turn to the

Lord, what is the it there? the heart Nevertheless when the heart shall turn to the

Lord the veil Shall be taken away and all of a sudden the person is no longer a legalist

All of a sudden he has a relationship with the God That all of the laws were pointing towards the relationship is no longer with the law

But with the one who gave it the lawgiver Now the Lord is that spirit and where the

Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty But we all with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the

Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory Even as by the

Spirit of the Lord notice some of the difference in Practical application we see this in some of these earlier verses back up in verse 3

Where it talks about not tables of stone, but fleshly tables of the heart difference in the way

God works in the heart Between the two time periods instead of requiring righteousness under the law

God now gives righteousness as a free gift by grace through faith in the finished work and continuing work of Jesus Christ Secondly, we put

Paul we find that Paul said he was a minister of the New Testament not of the letter So we see another difference there in verse 6 the letter killeth the spirit giveth life

We see all these differences the Old Testament ministration of death is said to be of less glory than the

New Testament Another point we saw in the passage one was done away and one remains we find that in verse 11

Or if that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious and then verse 13

Let's take a look at this before we jump in and see what's happened here and Not as Moses which put a veil over his face

That the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which was abolished

I put the word Wow and my margin on that one Do you understand that grace was there

I mean you go back into the Old Testament where the letter of the law was given and grace was there

To the end of that which was abolished the Old Testament the time of that period is done away.

It's abolished but what was the end of it and It's there to be seen now turn with me to Exodus chapter 19

Let's go back into this place where these things happened Where what we're attempting to illustrate this morning is that even though we have many contrasts that the

Apostle Paul gives between the system Or what some theologians call the economy of the

Old Testament law and the New Testament time of grace The or the church age or the age of the gospel of grace as Paul called it, even though we have these many contrasts

God always keeps us in balance That's why my friend Gary Plumlee that discipled me when

I first got saved. He said David Never let your theology make you be unscriptural The Bible itself staying in the

Bible not relying on what you learned ten years ago or five years ago or last week even But staying in it today is what keeps one in balance

Because if you stay in it and you keep studying the scripture will teach you the scripture if you just stay in one little place

Too long you'll overemphasize that one little place. You'll create a whole new denomination That's how most of it happens.

It's it's simply a different emphasis than the last guy had Now if we

Overemphasize the glory of the New Testament and think that what that means is we don't need the

Old Testament I've even seen some people advertise that their church is a New Testament Church Don't go to one of those

Because if what they mean by that is that they don't Love the Old Testament and that they don't see the colors of the meanings of the beautiful truths that are given in the

Old Test In the New Testament and in the Old Testament you go back and you see the type but in that type you see all the different levels of truth but a lot of people don't do that anymore that New Testament Church and That's a problem.

Why because they're out of balance. So can we find grace in the Old Testament last week?

We found law in the new look at Exodus chapter 19 Look at verse 1 and get a little feel for the context of what the story is that we're looking at here in The third month when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt.

They had been taken out of bondage God Miraculously delivered them beautiful picture of salvation and they're headed towards the promised land

Which is a beautiful picture of victorious the victorious Christian life But they're not there yet They're in the wilderness, which is another picture of a beautiful part of the life

Sometimes the Lord puts us through to let us see a need and desire to want to be in the promised land

Which means to live the spirit filled life walking in union with God rather than with this world so if we get too much in touch with the world all of a sudden we find ourselves in our own wilderness and It's not a great place to be but they were in the wilderness when this took place and we see

God here He did not desert them and it says they were gone forth out of the land of Egypt the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai for they were departed from Rephidim and were come to the desert of Sinai and had pitched their tents in the wilderness and There Israel camped before the

Mount this Mount has so much significance for all of us and Moses went up unto

God now don't just read over that Moses went up unto God picture it

Be Moses when you read this imagine what this would be like Imagine the one who created the entire universe

The one who has the power that holds it together every second of our time in time and space

The one who knows all things the one who is all -powerful The one who can speak things into existence

Moses went up to be with that one and The Lord called unto him out of the mountain saying thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel Ye have seen what

I did unto the Egyptians he killed them all didn't he The sea closed upon them and killed them as the enemy was pursuing

God's people. Do you know that there's a way to live? the delivered salvation life

Where God will destroy the enemy before you and behind you You don't have to keep on with the same little sin habits that you've had last year in a year before in the year before that Whether I won't start naming them up because if I did

I always pick on smoking because that's what I don't do So I pick on smoking You know, maybe you've been had a problem with that.

You want to quit but you can't quit you can Look what God does to the enemies here

Closes the water on them and drowns them all he says remember what I did to the Egyptians and how I bear you on Eagles wings don't tell me you can't have victory over sin when

God is bearing you up on his own strong arms I Bear you on Eagles wings and I brought you unto myself.

That's where sin goes away, by the way Whenever you find yourself in oneness with God, you will not sin during that time period

Whether it be a moment whether it be ten minutes an hour a day a week You won't sin during the time you're connected with the

Holy Spirit You cannot in fact now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my commandments

Then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people For all the earth is mine and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests now

Look at what God is offering the Old Testament Saints You shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if you read that anywhere else if you've been studying around over in the

New Testament It's exactly what we are today. If we're born again, we are a kingdom of priests unto

God. He offered this to these people You shall be a kingdom of priests the holy nation these are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel and Moses came and called for the elders of the people and laid before their faces all these words

Which the Lord commanded him and all the people answered together and said all that the

Lord hath spoken. We will do Now that word do is kind of important.

We'll see that and we'll see why in a minute and Moses returned the words of the people Unto the

Lord so we see in these first eight verses that they were offered a priesthood of the believer

Which is exactly what we have now in the age of the gospel of grace That's why you don't need to go sit before a

Roman Catholic priest and confess your sins to him because you are a priest If you're born again, you're a priest

God has made you to be a priest You can come boldly before the throne of grace yourself

You can come why can you do that? Because you have a great high priest the Lord Jesus Christ and when you got saved you were placed into him

And as he goes before the Father you may also because of him and what he's done for us

But in these verses we see they were offered this priesthood the believer We know in the New Testament cases such as Revelation 1 6

It says and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever

That's exactly what we are. This was offered to the Old Testament Saint Now as you go into chapter 20 of Exodus, you'll find the giving of the

Ten Commandments But don't forget what their answer was at in the middle of verse 8 he said all that the

Lord I Might better find brother Russell. I hear water running.

Oh There's brother Russell, okay, I couldn't see him back there. I think that the auditorium is getting baptized this morning

Because he pays too much attention to the sermon I appreciate that in brother Russell Okay In the middle of verse 8 he says all that the

Lord has spoken we will do would you do me a favor and keep Your hand there in Exodus turn over to Romans chapter 10

Romans chapter 10 the Apostle Paul laments The mindset of his brothers the

Jews and he called them brothers from time to time. He didn't mean Christian brothers. He meant He meant the same family

But they said all that you say we will do and you know that from that moment in history the focus of the

Jew was to do he got his focus off the end of it and he focused on the means of Doing and keeping the law and trying to be righteous before God now look at Romans chapter 10 verse 1 brethren

My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God But not according to knowledge

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own

Righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God For Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone that believeth now

You remember a while ago. It said that they They did not see to the end

Remember that phrase he had the veil on his face lest they see to the end. Who is the end?

Christ Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to every one

Who believeth but they couldn't see this they wanted to keep focusing on the tool on the teacher the schoolmaster the

Old Testament Law and they didn't want to focus on God himself What a tragedy and he offered them a priesthood of believer and they said no we will just do we'll do what you say

Now could they? No, can we? No, but they said we will rather prideful.

I think in their heart They wanted to don't we usually want to when we promise God something? Yes But you know what

Jesus said the Spirit is willing but the flesh is what? That's right, so we don't want to dwell in that realm

So we see in chapter 20 the giving of the commandments to Israel in verse 18. You'll see that as Well, you see you'll see the actual

Ten Commandments there in the first chapters first verses in chapter 20 But if you come all the way down to verse 18 while God is giving this look what the people were doing and all of the

People saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking now

You remember why a minute ago? I said don't just read the verse where it says Moses went up to be with God You can't you can't just read over that verse as he walks up on this mountain there are thunderings and lightnings and the noise of a trumpet and the mountain is on fire with the glory of God and When the people saw it look what they did they removed and stood afar off now

God offered them to have a relationship as the priest of the believer a Close relationship, but they stood afar off.

They chose to do the law rather than to be a priest

Well, look what else they did look at verse 19 And they said unto Moses speak thou with us and we will hear but let not

God speak with us lest we die in that sad They wanted they wanted to have

Moses to be their priest in a sense They said we don't want to talk to him. We'll die you go talk to him

You come back and tell us what to do. And so that was the relationship that the people chose

Moses came back in verse 20 and said don't be afraid. God has just come to prove you He proved you look at verse 20 and Moses said unto the people fear not for God has come to prove you and that his fear

May be before your faces that you sin not You ever want to know where the power against sin is stay before the face of God Did you hear me the power against sin is not making a list of them in reading them

The power against sin is not making a list of things bad not to do and things good to do

It's good to know that list God put it in the Old Testament and in the new but that's not where the power is

He says that his fear may be before your faces that you sin not

The person who has a healthy fear of God and by the way, the only way you have that is to be in the presence of God But the one who has a healthy fear of God is the one who sinneth not

The one who is in the face of God standing before his face at that moment is the one who sinneth

Not we see these Interesting aspects as these people did not want to come before God and be in his face.

They just wanted to keep the law That's a very difficult proposition

It's Interesting the phrase that his fear may be before your face that you sin Not you are seated at the throne of God right now.

Remember last week's message The very thing that we need to remember in this side

Is that because of what Jesus did on the cross? If you were born again, and you were in Christ, where is

Christ right now? He's seated at the right hand of God And if you're in Christ, you're there as well spiritually

Spiritually you are right there Now since you are seated at the throne of God in Christ You are gazing into the face of God by faith

And as you gaze into that face you develop a fear of the awesomeness of God because you're gazing at it and you sinneth not

This was what was offered to these people believe it or not But they rejected it they were fearful of it

Ephesians 1 3 says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Well, you go down to verse 21 and The people stood afar off and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was

Moses drew near into the thick darkness. That's because of the clouds Where God was but the people stood afar off.

Do you know that's what a legalist is doing? He has found it much easier in his life to keep a set of rules

He can also judge others by that same set of rules But he's found it much easier to keep a set of rules than to go up into the thick darkness where God is

Because that will change your life and you won't be yours anymore Your body will become a living sacrifice offered to the one in whom whose face you're gazing at This is what was offered

Moses took advantage of it and it's a wonderful wonderful that he did but this place where it says in verse 21 that they stood afar off is a beautiful picture of Old Testament application as Opposed to New Testament in the way it should be now

That's why after all it's called the gospel The good news is that you don't have to live this way

You don't have to stand afar off and try to keep rules to please a God that you won't even go near The good news is that by coming into his presence and living there

Then the laws are written in your hearts Instead of striving to keep a law which

Paul calls The law of which the letter killeth all it will do is show you your failures over and over again

You can be vitally connected to God by the Holy Spirit in your heart connected to your spirit

And in that mode first John says you will not sin What a better way

I mean, this is the end of what the law was all about This is the end of it These people didn't want to gaze into it

Moses would come down from this mountain and his face would be glowing because he'd been in the very presence of the face of God He had to cover that up because the people didn't even want to see that because if they looked at that They'd be there

And they didn't want that They wanted a system where they could just keep some rules keep arms linked from God many

Christians today would prefer that Because really and truly It's not life -changing at all

Now go to chapter 33 of Exodus chapter 33 in verse 7 and Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp and a far off from the camp and called it the

Tabernacle of the congregation and it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation

Which was without the camp? To have a true Religion, I hate to even call it that word, but to have a true relationship with God you got to go outside the camp

You can't just stay in the world. Like everybody else is you can't stay in the religious world of today

Whatever is popular in the religious world. You you might as well understand. That's not where it is. That's not where it's at That's not where God is

There's a popular book that's been written recently. I won't give the name of it It's not my end to go to the to offend anyone, but let's just put it this way

It's supposed to be about prayer and yet it's a best -seller in the world today. That should put a red flag up That book is inside the camp.

It's right in the middle of the religious camp Moses pitched the tent outside the camp

Outside the camp and the people had to go there to be with the Lord Did you know that Jesus was crucified outside of the walls of Jerusalem not within the city

And it came to pass when Moses went out into the tabernacle that all the people rose up and stood every man at his tent

Door, isn't that interesting? Could they be with God at their tent door? Where did where did

God in this dispensation of time? What was the plan the plan was to go out to the tabernacle outside of the camp if you wanted to be with God?

Now all of this is pictures and types for us today, but for them this is the way it was So, what did they do?

They stood in their tent door and looked at it They gazed towards it, but they didn't go to it except for one young man that went with Moses and let's look at this

Says that all the people rose up and stood every man at the tent door and looked after Moses Until he was gone into the tabernacle and it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle the cloudy pillar descended

This is the presence of God and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the

Lord talked with Moses they didn't want him to talk to them and All the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the door of the tabernacle and all the people rose up and worshipped

Every man in his tent door. There's a beautiful picture of religious worship They were doing it without God They were doing it their way in the place they wanted to do it how they wanted to do it and They weren't anywhere close to God Because they didn't go out to the tabernacle to meet the

Lord. They stayed in their tent door But the Lord spoken to Moses face to face as a man speaking unto his friend and he turned again unto the camp

But his servant Joshua the young man the son of none a young man departed not out of the tabernacle.

I love that Here this young man, you know Moses went in spent time with the Lord Got his marching orders and went right on just took right back out went back to the camp

Moses, I mean Joshua didn't want to leave He stayed there We don't know exactly how long but he stayed and Moses said unto the

Lord See thou sayest unto me bring up this people and now has not let me know whom thou wilt send with me

Yet thou has said I know thee by name Now has also found grace.

There's an interesting word for the Old Testament grace in my sight This phrase that he knew them by name is very very

Important do you know that there's a passage in the New Testament? Where there were some people that came before Jesus and they said

Lord we've done many wonderful works in your name We've cast out demons in your name.

We've done miracles in your name Perhaps we fed the poor in your name and Jesus looked at them and said depart from me.

I Never knew you Now it's kind of amazing to think of a

God who is omniscient and knows all things who says I never knew you Roll that one over you don't want to be in that camp.

I Never knew you But in this passage in the Old Testament, he told

Moses. I knew you by name. I Knew you by name That is exactly a beautiful picture of grace.

The grace was in the Old Testament, too People rejected it, but you know what all around us today?

They rejected you can say we live in the age of grace and I really believe that we do But I think people reject it as much or more now than they ever have

Why? They want to kneel down at their tent door and play like they're worshiping

God they want to pretend that they're pleasing God with their worship and church attendance and going on Easter and Christmas and dressing up pretty and being religious

But as they gaze off at a distance to that tabernacle, which is the dwelling place of God They don't want to go in there, you know, why

Because it'll make a change that'll last for all eternity Because as they gaze into the face of God they have a healthy fear of God and they have a relationship with God and that have deliverance from their sin and And they can be holy as their

God is holy and They become truly a peculiar people like God wanted these people to be

Most people don't want that Because the relationship is too personal

Do you want it? Let's stand and have prayer together Father we thank you for your word.

We thank you that you use the lives of these people and Lord We cannot be critical of them and think they're foolish

Because we look at our own lives and we see ourselves doing the same things from time to time

But we thank you that you have offered us the gospel of grace this mystery that was hidden with a veil

You've removed the veil that we might see it clearly And we might see that as we receive the

Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior For all eternity that it changes everything for us

It makes it where we don't have to go after religiosity We don't have to be men pleasers.

We don't have to say words and phrases to sound religious We don't have to do all the things that the world thinks it has to do to appear to be godly

We simply can go into the presence of you and gaze into your face and our faces will glow like Moses did

Others may be afraid of it may not understand it. They may judge us incorrectly But father it changes our lives

And Lord you told us we're supposed to go out and be light in this world We cannot be if we don't have that glow on our faces

So call us this morning to a closer relationship a closer walk. May we be like Joshua Only realizing that we don't have to go out at a distance to a tent or a tabernacle because that tabernacle is our body

Today there is a place within us where you would meet with us Call us to go there help us to be like Joshua and to want to hang around and to remain in this place longer than most others would like to And father then use us in your hand after we're equipped in such a way

To be instruments of light to this world Lord, we ask you to go with us into our fellowship time bless our meal together

Lord as we have these Baptisms this afternoon Would you bless that time and our hearts help us all to remember the time when we were saved and then later baptized?