Our scripture reading this evening is Exodus chapter 33. Exodus chapter 33, that can be found on page 93 of your Pew Bibles. I'm gonna read the whole chapter of Exodus 33, and we'll look at the whole chapter as well. Exodus 33. The Lord said to Moses, Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, to your offspring I will give it. I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up among you. lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, say to the people of Israel, you are a stiff-necked people. If for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments that I may know what to do with you. And therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward. Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up and each would stand at his tent door and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Moses said to the Lord, Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, Please show me now your ways that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people. And he said, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. And he said to him, if your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I in your people? Is it not you're going with us so that we are distinct, I in your people, from every other people on the face of the earth? And the Lord said to Moses, this very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name. And Moses said, please show me your glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you my name, the Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But he said, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. And the Lord said, behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand, on the rock. And while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back, but my face you shall not see. Thus far the reading of God's word. Let's come to Lord in our prayer. Father, we come to you now asking that you would fill each one of us with your spirit, that you would work powerfully through your spirit to show us all that you have to say in your word. Would you cause us to be free of distractions? Would you sharpen our minds and our hearts to comprehend your will for us? Would your word for go forth this evening with power, because your spirit accompanies it. And by this word, would we be encouraged to seek after your face, dwelling securely in your presence. In Jesus name alone we pray, amen. Brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, have you ever had a bad case of buyer's remorse? I'm not talking about that instant regret after buying an as-seen-on-TV gadget that just didn't live up to its hype. I'm talking about something more severe. I'm talking about that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, that feeling that tells you you've made a terrible mistake. Perhaps some of you have experienced something like this. You wake up the next morning wondering if it was all a bad dream. You told yourself beforehand that you wouldn't fall for the sales pitch. You'd only gone to the car dealership to look around, and yet that salesman had made it sound like such a good deal. And so you traded in your perfectly reliable vehicle for one that wasn't needed and that was too expensive, something you couldn't afford. And so now all that you're left with is that sense of regret and the financial consequences of your rash decision. In our passage this evening, the Israelites have a bad case of buyer's remorse. And that's because they've traded in their faithful and trustworthy God for a shiny lump of gold. You see, in the preceding chapters of Exodus, God's only shown himself to be faithful and trustworthy. By leading the Israelites out of Egypt, displaying his power with the 10 plagues, as the Israelites are up against the Red Sea and the Egyptian army is coming bounding down on them, the Lord splits the sea and lets them travel on dry ground. And in the wilderness, the Lord provides for them with manna from heaven, literally bread from heaven, and water from a rock, And finally, he speaks to them at the mountain, Mount Zion. God has been showing the Israelites up until this time how fortunate and blessed they are to be his chosen people out of all the nations of the earth. And yet they become discontent and impatient. When Moses is on the mountain receiving God's will for them, The people turn to Aaron and ask him in the previous chapter, Exodus 32, verse one, to make gods that will go before them. And we know the rest of the story, don't we? Aaron makes for them a golden calf and they worship it. And it's a grand irony that the disastrous word that the Lord proclaims over the Israelites in our passage this morning directly relates to their original request. You see, the Lord's judgment on the Israelites in verses two through three is that he will no longer go with them into the land of promise, but instead will send a generic angel. It's as if God's saying to them, you want something or someone to go before you? That's fine. I'll send an angel. Now, at first glance, it can be tempting to think that this judgment doesn't sound so bad. God doesn't pull a Sodom and Gomorrah, raining down fire and brimstone, wiping the Israelites off the face of the earth. And if we're honest, that's what they deserve for their blatant idolatry. But he doesn't even say that he's done with them. I'm wiping my hands with you all. You can go back to Egypt for all I care. On the contrary, God is still gonna drive out the inhabitants of the land that he promised to them, that land flowing with milk and honey. The Israelites get all the physical blessings that the Lord has promised to them. So we might ask ourselves, why are the Israelites having such an extreme response of remorse in verses five through six? Well, for all of the Israelites' unfaithfulness, they get something right in our passage that many today miss. God's offered to bless them without having a relationship with them. something like an adulterous wife, who in the divorce, the gracious husband, gives her everything. She gets the house, the cars, the dog, the savings accounts, the 401ks. She gets everything but him. And to our modern ears, that sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn't it? The offending party gets everything. And yet, isn't that what many people today would like? See, most people want a God that will help them overcome their obstacles. Most people want God to help them defeat their enemies. Most people want to reach the promised land. See, they'd be happy if God would just remove every obstacle in their path. As one commentator says, many have made a decision for Christ so that they can get to heaven. But they're not living with Him as their Savior and their God. And yet, unlike so many today, the Israelites seem to understand that if God's not with them, if his presence isn't going before them, if he isn't dwelling with them, none of the physical blessings are worth it. So you might ask yourself this evening, are you content with merely the physical blessings from God? See, it can be really easy for us to beat up on the Israelites. From our context, they seem often so foolish. But in the midst of their idolatry, in the midst of their disobedience, they have the eyes to see the truth of their circumstances, and they repent. They're devastated at this judgment, and they mourn. Now, we want to recognize that this judgment is a natural outworking of sin. You see, God and sin are not able to cohabitate. In verse five, God tells the people, if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. Sin separates God's people from his presence. Sin brings with it judgment. And that's a fact that's made clear all the way back in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were removed from the garden and subsequently God's personal presence because of their sin. Because of their sin, God could no longer commune and fellowship with them. In fact, what we've witnessed throughout the whole redemption of Israel from Egypt, it's actually a restoration, a kind of reversal of God's fellowship with his people. The tabernacle was to be situated in the middle of the camp so that in a very real and tangible way, The Lord was dwelling in the midst of his people once more. And our passage takes kind of an interesting diversion at verse seven by describing this tent of meeting. And it's important that we recognize that this is not the same tent of meeting that was to be part of the tabernacle, that was to be in the middle of their camp, but a second tent that Moses would go to meet with God. Now this second tent was situated outside the camp, most likely set up between the mountain and the Israelites. And this was a visible image that they could not approach God and that he could not dwell among them, and all because of their sin. God would physically show the people that he was meeting with Moses via the pillar of cloud descending at the entrance of the tent. And yet God will no longer go with them. God will no longer go before them because of their sin. The Israelites are in need of someone to make intercession for them. They're in need of a mediator. And so in steps Moses. He's the servant that pleased God. The servant whom God talked with face to face. And the servant who pleased God begins to make intercession for them at verse 12. It must have been with a lot of nervousness that the Israelites watched Moses head out to the tent of meeting. Would God hear their leader? Would God even meet with him as he had before? It must have been with relief that they watched that cloudy pillar descend to the entrance of the tent once more as Moses entered. What we see through this whole meeting of Moses is a wonderful example of the perseverance of prayer. Notice first how in verse 12, Moses points to God's own command to him. Now Moses is not only pointing back to God's command given to him earlier in our passage, but he's actually pointing even further back, all the way back to Exodus chapter three. That was the burning bush incident. As you all might recall, Moses was not an entirely willing subject at that time. He needed some convincing from the Lord. Maybe we'll look at that quickly together. Let's turn back in our Bibles if you have it open to Exodus chapter three. Just gonna read a few verses there. Exodus chapter three, page 59, just 30 chapters earlier. We'll read verse 10 through 12 of chapter three. Do you see how God reassured Moses that it would be he himself that would be with him? And we see that this promise of God's presence with Moses is sealed with a promised sign, that Moses would serve God on that very same mountain. And what we're seeing in our passage of this evening is a direct fulfillment of that promised sign. See, God had met Moses on Mount Horeb when he appeared to him in the burning bush. And when we look at our verse six here, it mentions Mount Horeb specifically. Now, Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, perhaps the less popular name. Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb are the same mountain, two names for the same mountain. And so by specifically mentioning Mount Horeb in verse six, I believe that there's a further connecting of these two passages. Because what we see is that the Israelites and Moses are on that very same mountain that God promised Moses would worship him on. It's also possible that Moses is actually near that very same location where God had told him to take off his sandals for he was on holy ground. And so in effect, what Moses is doing here is pointing back to God's own burning bush promise when he says, whom will you send with me? In addition, we see that Moses points to the favor he personally has found with God. By pointing to the favor he knows that God has for him, he seeks to connect that same favor to the rest of Israel. He says in verse 13, consider too that this nation is your people. Now isn't that what a good mediator does? A good mediator is someone who can identify with those whom he's mediating for. And as Moses continues to mediate between God and Israel, it's fascinating to see how he builds his case. He continues to point back to God's promises, appealing to God's own faithfulness, firstly to himself, and then by extension, the rest of Israel. But notice, brothers and sisters, the Lord's response in verse 14. The Lord tells Moses that his presence will go with you, singular, and I will give you, singular, rest. You see, the Lord's still not acknowledging the Israelite people as a whole in this interaction. The Lord continues to make this whole interaction merely about himself and Moses. And yet in each of these interactions, Moses seeks to connect himself to the rest of Israel, seeking to draw that favor that the Lord has for him to the rest of Israel. And Moses makes another beautiful connection as he proceeds. How will others know? What makes Israel distinct from the rest of the people on earth other than that the Lord himself goes with them? See, this is what makes Israel unique. It's not their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, though that's certainly spectacular. It's not the blessings that they've received on the way, such as the manna from heaven, the water from the rock. It isn't the fact that they're to receive a land flowing with milk and honey. No. It's that the Lord himself dwells with them. It's the Lord himself and the favor that he shows toward his people. And that's not changed, even for us today. What makes us distinct from the rest of the world? Is it our church buildings? Is it the physical blessings that so many believers experience? No. It's the Lord himself. It's his presence among his people. Because we too are called, beloved, to be not of this world. We are called to be different because God dwells with us. Now the Lord at this point graciously relents of the disastrous word he had threatened. He tells Moses in verse 17, The interesting thing is that we see from this whole intercession of Moses is that the reason that the Lord primarily relents of this disastrous word is not the repentance of Israel, But the favor that Moses has found with the Lord, it's because of the relationship between the Lord and Moses. And so once again, we see the need that the Israelites had for a mediator, for someone to intercede on their behalf. Sin was separating them from the Lord, their God. And if God was to dwell among them, along with their sin, he would consume them. Sin has no place before the Lord. Sin must be dealt with. And it's this mediation and intercession of another that saved Israel from being divorced from God. Now it doesn't take a talented pastor or even an average seminary student to see how all of this clearly points to Christ and his mediating work for us. We too are like Israel, aren't we? Prone to worship and serve idols. We have this natural propensity towards sin, a natural inclination toward it. Calvin says it this way. The human heart is an idol factory. Now perhaps we're not tempted to make a golden calf and worship it. At least I hope that's not the case. But we all have idols, don't we? We all look to things instead of the Lord to lead and provide for us. So many today look to money. Others look to political leaders, thinking that these things will solve their problems. And yet we're called to look to something else, rather someone else, an even greater mediator than Israel had in Moses. Because while Moses had certainly found favor with the Lord, he was still a sinner. Ultimately, what God's people need was a mediator who was without sin, and yet who could also identify with us in our weaknesses, who can point to himself and be found perfect in every way. And this Jesus of Nazareth came to earth as the perfect mediator to intercede on our behalf. And on the cross, he bore the consequences of your idolatry so that you could be completely reconciled to God and dwell with him. He experienced the complete absence of the presence of the Father so that you don't have to. In his resurrection, he shows that he was victorious over sin. It's finished. We no longer need to worry that God cannot dwell with us because of our sin. Because Jesus, because of Jesus, God dwells not only in our presence, but by his Holy Spirit, he dwells within us. See, we have it so much better than Israel ever did. Not only do we have this perfect Savior and mediator, Jesus Christ, but we also have the Spirit and the Word. We no longer need to rely on Moses to bring us God's will. We can study the very words of God ourself. And what a privilege that is. Brothers and sisters, may we never grow content with merely the physical blessings from God, but ever to be drawn to commune with him, to trust in his mediating work, that through Christ, we can boldly approach the throne of God and trust that we are accepted in Him. By trusting in Christ, mediating work by faith, we are welcomed into God's presence, fully accepted and fully loved. Now, perhaps you know this acceptance and love, and yet you've wondered. Life's become busy, and you're no longer fellowshipping with the Lord as you once had. Perhaps your heart's grown cold. Well, this evening, God calls you. Just as the Israelites were being brought into the rest of the promised land, Jesus welcomes all those who are weary to find their rest in him, whether for the first time or the thousandth time. You see, you were made for fellowship with him, and he did everything to reconcile you to himself. You don't need to shape up before you come to him, because it was while you were yet a sinner that he came to die for you. You do not need to live any longer in loneliness. You don't need to live like a hamster on a wheel, trying to satisfy the cravings of your heart, because Jesus fully satisfies. So come to him today and find your rest. Because Christ doesn't make any mistakes. He didn't make a mistake when he redeemed you. He never has had or will have buyer's remorse. And yet, he was the person who got the worst trade ever. He did it all, though, fully knowing what he was doing. Jesus was never fooled by some slick salesman. We call this trade the great exchange. In theology, it's also called double imputation. You see, Christ trades his perfect righteousness for our sin. He imputes or gives to us his righteousness while our sin is imputed and given to him. Double imputation. And we have to admit that that was a terrible deal for Christ. And yet he tells us that it was for that very reason that he came to earth. It was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. And so as you trust in this work of Christ, as you come to know him and his glorious work, it begins to warm you, doesn't it? And yet don't we all struggle with growing cold? Don't we all need to be encouraged to grow in that warmth? And yet when we spend time with Jesus, when we keep our eyes on him, it begins to give us a craving for more of him. A God who would express that kind of love, fellowship with Him is better than any kind of physical blessings that we could receive from His hand. And while the Israelites had a sense of this truth, it's in the final verses that we see this fully expressed or more fully expressed in Moses. See, Moses is the more ideal representative of Israel and who they should be like. It's Moses who more fully expresses the desire to be in God's presence more and more. Because as God communes with Moses, Moses wants more. He wants to see God more fully, to experience a deeper and deeper presence of God. And while the Israelites understand that physical blessings without relationship, rather relationship, let me say this one more time. While the Israelites understand that relationship without Physical blessings is vain. It's Moses where we see this more fully developed. Because the man who had spoke face to face with God wants to see God more fully. This God of glory. And isn't that what God's presence does to his children? See, as you come to know the Lord better, it naturally develops a stronger desire to be in his presence more and more. And if you're like me, then you're convicted by this fact. Because don't we often find our desires for this world to be so strong? Don't we often find the desires for physical blessings to be above fellowshipping with the Lord at times? And yet I do think it's helpful if we reframe this thinking somewhat. C.S. Lewis makes this helpful observation. It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We're half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We're far too easily pleased. When we begin to see the glory and beauty of Christ, we begin to understand, like Moses, how much better he is over and above anything that this world can offer. And we need to be constantly reminded of this fact, that Jesus is better, that His presence is breader. And how do we deepen our desire for Him? It's by spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. And as you fellowship with and trust in Christ by the Holy Spirit, you will also deepen your desire to fellowship with Him. And this will begin a kind of spiral. As you see God's glory, especially in Jesus Christ, you'll long for more. That's the promise given to us in Psalm 37, verse 3. As you begin to understand, by the Holy Spirit's help, this glorious work, it will instill in you a craving to know Him and His goodness better. Brothers and sisters, would you be encouraged to look at this glorious mediating work of Christ? To spend time with Him in His Word and prayer? To bask in His glory? And would it stir up in each one of us a greater passion to know Him better? Would it stir up in each of us a desire to be with Him in all His glory in that new Jerusalem to come? And until then, would we continue to rest and trust in him and his mediating work. Amen. Our prayer of application this evening is actually a fitting prayer that was written by A.W. Tozer. So let's pray. Oh God, we have tasted thy goodness, and it has both satisfied us and made us thirsty for more. We are painfully conscious of our need for further grace. We're ashamed of our lack of desire, O God, the triune God. We want to want Thee. We long to be filled with longing. We thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show us Thy glory, we pray, so that we may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within us. Say to our soul, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Then give us grace to rise and follow thee up from this misty lowland where we have wandered so long. Amen.