With Unveiled Faces

Thank you. I'm excited to preach for you guys today from God's infallible word as we continue

on in our sermon series in the book of Exodus. So today's passage is going to be from Exodus 34,

chapters, or Exodus 34 verses 29 to 35. 34, 29 to 35. If you don't have a Bible and would like a

Exodus 34:29–35

hard copy, which I definitely recommend using, you could just raise your hand and one of our

members will be happy to get you a Bible. And that's our gift to you. You can keep it and take

it home and you could use it for this time as well. And we are also going to spend some amount

of time in our sermon today in Paul's excursus in a New Testament passage in 2 Corinthians 3,

because it's closely related. So if you just want to bookmark that somehow, if you have that little

ribbon thingy in your Bible or just want to keep your finger there, we're going to spend time there

towards the end of the sermon. So let's bow our heads in humble prayer as we ask for God's help

in understanding and being transformed by his word.

Father, we pray that you would address us by your word and by your spirit's power.

We know that this can only be done by your help.

We pray that like Moses, we would grow in our desire, in our ability to gaze at your glory,

and that we would see that that's everything that we've been looking for in our entire lives.

I pray you would anoint me, help me keep my eyes on you, God, not on myself, not on these people,

but on you, that I would behold, we would all behold your majesty.

You are perfect, you are beautiful, you are more than enough for us, so we want to glorify you.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

If you're able, please stand for the reading of God's infallible, inerrant word.

From Exodus 34, 29 to 35.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand,

as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone,

because he had been talking with God.

Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone,

and they were afraid to come near him.

But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him,

and Moses talked to them.

Afterward, all the people of Israel came near,

and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.

And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him,

he would remove the veil until he came out.

And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,

the people of Israel would see the face of Moses,

that the skin of Moses' face was shining.

And Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went in to speak with him.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

In a film that I've actually haven't seen personally,

but I think it's a fitting introduction,

in Andrei Tarkovsky's dystopian film noir sci-fi film called Stalker,

he presents these two main characters.

One's called the writer,

and he's searching for the next big inspiration for his work.

And the second is called the professor.

He's looking for inspiration for his next big scientific breakthrough.

And these men are led by a character called the Stalker,

and they're trying to get through the barren wasteland

to get to this place called the zone.

And in the zone, there is a particularly special room.

A room where it grants a person's innermost, deepest desires.

So that thing that you've been waiting for your entire life,

that thing that you've been working for,

for years on end,

it's just at your fingertips if you can enter into that room.

Sounds great, right?

But once the professor and writer get there,

they start to slowly question,

what if I don't actually know what I want?

What if the thing that I most deeply want

doesn't match the thing that I say

or the thing that I think I want?

It doesn't matter.

The room only gives you what you most deeply desire.

What about you?

Would you go in?

What do you think you would see in that room?

If we're honest and take a hard look at ourselves,

many of us, me included,

we might be surprised at what we would see in there.

We know all the right answers as Christians,

but we confess that our deepest desires,

they don't match what we say or what we think.

While we are called to be the light of the world,

to be set apart for God,

to love the things that he loves

and hate the things that he hates,

to be a representation of God's glory here on earth,

we struggle, don't we?

We struggle to be conformed to God's image

because instead we are conformed into the world's image.

Because it's a well-known fact

that we human beings,

we're creatures of imitation.

As babies and toddlers,

it's of vital importance

that they mimic and copy the faces,

the words, the sounds of their parents.

As they get a little bit older,

we teach them the importance

of choosing your friends wisely

because we know just how much influence

they have on someone's life.

Even now,

I find myself adapting the way that I talk,

the way that I think.

I feel like I've copied

your little idiosyncrasies

as I build relationships with you.

And I see myself changing

just from the influence

from the people around me.

I've gained new hobbies

and new interests

just because I've seen a friend love this thing.

Seeing someone else love something

makes me want to love it too.

So,

it's really a well-known fact

that you become what you behold.

Or in other words,

what you behold shapes what you love.

And while we may understand

that our deepest loves

don't match what we say,

our passage today in Exodus 34

and that closely related New Testament passage

in 2 Corinthians 3,

it shows us the way,

how to build that bridge

between head and heart.

That is,

to become glorious,

to become more like God,

we must behold the glory of God

by the unveiling of Christ.

That's my main point of the sermon today.

So first,

we're going to see first

how Moses beholds God's glory

and how that transforms him.

Then we're going to compare that

to how Israel responds

to seeing God's glory.

And then finally,

we'll see how we,

as the New Testament church,

as new covenant believers,

how we are able to behold God's glory

truly by the unveiling of Christ alone.

So let's first start with Moses.

Now with the remade tablets

of the Ten Commandments in hand,

Moses returns to the people

from Mount Sinai

after spending 40 days and nights

in the presence of God

without food or drink.

And after spending all that time

in God's presence,

we read that his own face

miraculously starts to shine.

As Paul tells us

in 2 Corinthians 3,

this is remarkable

because this is more than just

physical light emanating

from his face.

But this shining reflected

God's own glory.

His face didn't shine his own light,

but it was God's.

Like the full moon,

you all know this,

the full moon doesn't emanate

its own light,

but it's just reflecting

the light of the sun.

Moses, like this,

Moses mirrors

the blazing hot glory of God.

Many times throughout Scripture,

when the image of God

is shown to man,

it's surrounded

in this amazing glory,

this bright light.

So much so that authors,

if you just read through Ezekiel

and other examples,

they don't even have the words

to accurately describe

what they're seeing.

God is so unlike anything

in all creation

that his image

is utterly indescribable.

And his appearance

is always surrounded

by this amazing,

bright glory.

So consistently

and frequently

throughout Scripture,

whenever this blazing glory

is recorded,

it's directly emanating

from God himself.

Therefore,

in our passage today,

it is quite remarkable

that God would be

so gracious

to let this

initially stumbling,

bumbling man in Moses,

if you've been with us

all the way through Exodus,

that he allows this

weak man

to reflect his glory.

And how does

Moses' face shine?

The text makes it clear

for us.

It's because

Moses

was talking

to God.

Later in Numbers 12,

after Miriam and Aaron,

his siblings,

foolishly oppose Moses,

God speaks

of his interactions

with Moses

in this way.

He says,

If there is a prophet

among you,

I, the Lord,

make myself known

to him in a vision.

Not so with my servant Moses.

With him I speak

mouth to mouth,

clearly,

and not in riddles.

And he beholds

the form of the Lord.

You see,

by interacting

with God

and gazing

at his form,

really like a sponge,

Moses soaks

in God's glory

and becomes glorious

and becomes more

and more like him.

Moses is our prime example

in our text today

that to become like God,

to become glorious,

we must behold

God's glory.

And

you might be wondering,

but why now?

After all,

if you've, again,

followed us throughout Exodus,

God has been speaking

with Moses

for quite a while now.

At the burning bush,

during the plagues,

even throughout

the thunderous,

mighty presence

of Mount Sinai,

Exodus makes no mention

of his shining face before.

So,

why now?

Well,

we'd be wise

to read today's passage

in the context

that God,

or Moses asked of God

just two things

before this.

If you remember

where we've been

in the narrative

of Exodus,

Moses,

while he was up

Mount Sinai,

receiving the law,

the stiff-necked people

led by Aaron,

they made and worshipped

a golden calf.

As Sean has been teaching,

this was a terrible,

heinous thing to do.

It was like a wife

who would cheat

on her husband

on their wedding night

while he was out

preparing their future life

together.

And in response

to their sin,

God justly states

that he would not

go up with them anymore.

but Moses knew,

he knew how critical

it was

for God

to go up with them.

It was the only thing

that would set them apart

as a nation.

Therefore,

he intercedes

on behalf

of his stiff-necked people

that God

would go up

and that God

would pardon

their egregious sin.

And amazingly,

God graciously

accepts

Moses'

pleas.

and truly

as a sign

that he will

go up with them,

Moses' face shines

with God's own glory.

He becomes

a representation,

really a conduit

of God's presence

itself.

God didn't have

to let Moses' face shine,

we all know this,

but as a loving father,

he graciously reassures

Moses and the rest

of Israel

that he is committed

to them,

that he will go up

with them,

that his glory

will dwell among them.

And it's a curious thing,

really,

that Moses writes

in verse 29

that he had no face.

He had no idea

that his face was shining.

He did have a face.

He had no idea

his face was shining.

Given how long

Moses fasted,

perhaps it might not

be surprising

that he had no idea.

Fasted for 40 days

and nights.

Could make sense.

But I think

the more likely reason

that Moses had no idea

was simply because

Moses wasn't paying

attention to himself.

He was completely

lost in God,

enthralled in God's presence.

When you're on the peak

of Mount Everest,

when you're on

one of the cliffs

of the Grand Canyon,

it's the sign

of an arrogant fool

who is more absorbed,

more enthralled

in his own reflection,

in his own image.

when you listen

to a transcendent

musical performance

that deserves

a standing ovation,

it's right and natural

for you to give

all your attention

to the musician,

to the act,

not pay attention

to yourself.

The church has much

to learn from

Moses' example

because,

truly,

if you're anything

like me,

you can struggle

with excessive

self-introspection

and fear of man.

That mode

when you get into

and you're thinking

about me,

me, me,

all you're thinking about,

what you sound like,

what you did,

who you are,

you question,

am I good enough?

I don't like

the way God made me.

I'm such a failure.

I have little use.

Every time

someone more impressive

comes along,

someone who's more loved

than you

comes along,

then you doubt yourself

and wonder,

why did God

make me this way?

You know,

I confess,

when I was younger,

I used to grade

my prayers

when I prayed

in public,

when I felt

like I was eloquent

and I could quote

scripture from this

obscure minor prophet,

I would pat myself

on the back

and say,

Ed,

you got an A today,

good job.

And if I stumbled

and bumbled

and forgot

my train of thought,

it's just a bad prayer,

I don't know,

then it would just be

a big fat F for me.

And I'm pretty sure

I spent

entire prayer meetings,

entire prayer meetings

thinking about myself,

thinking about

what I was going to say,

what I said already,

what people might

think about me.

And simply put,

that's pride.

David Powelson

once explained

that our sinful nature

has a centripetal force

that pulls us inward

rather than

a centrifugal force

that pushes us outward.

Because this is

the harsh truth

that the natural condition

of the human ego

are these four things.

It is empty,

painful,

busy,

and fragile.

Empty,

painful,

busy,

and fragile.

More than this,

the famous theologian,

C.S. Lewis,

astutely observes

in Mere Christianity,

and I think I have

this quote up here,

pride gets no pleasure

out of having something,

only out of having

more of it

than the next person.

We say that people

are proud of being rich

or clever

or good looking,

but we are not.

We are proud

of being richer

or cleverer

or better looking

than others.

If everyone else

became equally rich

or clever

or good looking,

there would be nothing

to be proud about.

So what we're really

beholding then

in unhealthy introspection

is not just ourselves.

We then deeply gaze

and study our fellow man,

our sinful man.

If it's true

that we become

like what we behold,

we'll just become

more like each other,

more like sinful men.

As long as we are

beholding man,

we will never become

like God.

We'll just be spinning

our wheels

on the long,

treacherous path

to heaven,

to the celestial city.

We just become

the blind

following the blind.

To become glorious,

holy,

and happy,

we cannot look

at our fellow peers

alone to think

that'll lead us anywhere.

I'm not denigrating

having mentors

or imitating others even,

but truly,

that only goes so far

as long as they point us

to Christ.

Like Paul,

we should all say,

imitate me,

yes,

as I imitate Christ.

Maybe,

actually,

you're on the other side

of the spectrum

and need to,

in fact,

frankly,

need to examine yourself

more.

Just as Scripture

prescribes in Lamentations 340

and 2 Corinthians 13.5,

because,

indeed,

self-examination

is,

in fact,

good.

It's only when

it detracts away

from our faith

instead of fueling it

does it become unhealthy,

does it become toxic.

If you're on this side

of the spectrum,

you may struggle

with not thinking twice

about your words

or your actions

because you feel

like you're always right.

You may be blind

to your sin

and blind

to your need

for forgiveness.

Your confidence

is not in God,

but it's in yourself

and what you know

and what you believe.

And while these two symptoms

might seem like opposites,

both the disease

and cure

are still the same.

The disease is pride

and the only lasting cure

is gazing deeply

at God's glory.

both persons

look at themselves,

their own image,

too deeply,

too intently,

too frequently.

While one is encouraged

and the other discouraged,

the only cure

is to experience

the freedom

of self-forgetfulness.

The classic quote

by Robert Murray McChain

is famous for a reason,

right?

You guys all know it,

for every look

at yourself,

take ten looks

at Christ.

He helpfully

highlights the contrast

between the number

of looks

that you should take.

But if I could be so bold,

I would add one word

to that quote.

For every look

at yourself,

take ten looks

at Christ

quickly.

Quickly.

Brothers and sisters,

whenever Satan

tempts us

to draw our attentions

away from Christ,

we must learn

to take that thing

that you're distracted by

and truly just flip it

on its head.

Maybe you're discouraged

by your impatience.

Maybe you're puffed up

by your self-perceived

intelligence.

So you keep looking

at yourself.

Let these thoughts

trigger all the ways

that Jesus is better.

when you're discouraged

by your impatience,

reflect on Jesus'

patience and kindness

towards you.

When you're tempted

to be proud

in your intelligence,

humble yourself

by reflecting on

Jesus'

infinite wisdom

that his ways

are higher

than our ways.

Then our hearts

quickly turn

from discouragement,

sullenness,

and pride,

and turns to awe,

wonder,

and worship.

For example,

my own tendency

is to feel discouraged

by what I see

in the mirror.

When I feel like

I fall so short

of being a loving,

patient,

kind husband

to my wife Christine,

my proclivity,

honestly,

is just to stay there

in that sullenness,

just to beat myself up.

But quickly looking

at how faithful

of a husband

Jesus is,

both to me

and to Christine,

that transforms

my marriage,

that transforms

my outlook in life,

that transforms

my ability to love.

We must be people

who have the biggest views

of God

and smallest views

of self.

Would Trinity Cambridge Church

be filled with people

who need truly

the smallest reminders,

the smallest triggers

to think about Jesus,

that we would just be

a hair trigger away

to ponder the beauty

of Christ.

Because,

frankly speaking,

not everybody has

that opportunity

to gaze

at Jesus' beauty.

because now let's observe

the juxtaposition

between Moses

and the rest of Israel

and how they respond

to God's glory.

When Aaron

and the rest of Israel

beheld

Moses' shining face,

they cowered away

in fear.

Verse 30 says,

if you look down,

Aaron and all the people

of Israel

saw Moses

and behold,

the skin of his face

shone

and they were afraid

to come near him.

In some sense,

this is an appropriate

response, right?

This is an appropriate

response of a sinful nation.

Time and time again

throughout Scripture,

when we see

that man is shown

the image of God,

the appropriate response

is fear and trembling.

This happened

just earlier

in Exodus 19.

All the people

in the camp

trembled

at the smoke,

thunder,

roaring,

lightning

of the mountain.

Take Isaiah

in his book

in chapter 6.

Once Isaiah

sees in the vision

the mighty glory

of God,

he understands

how undeserving

he is to be there

and declares,

I am a man

of unclean lips.

Given the biblical

precedent then,

Israel's response

to fear

only makes sense.

Therefore,

Moses needs to call

and coax

first Aaron

and the leaders

and then the rest

of Israel

to come back

to hear the word

of God.

Then after,

to protect Israel,

Moses veiled

himself

to nullify

the effect

of his shining face.

Much like

the fencing off

of Mount Sinai,

the veil was meant

to shield its effects

from sinful people,

namely death.

And while the narrative

is not clear on this,

it seems from

verses 34 to 35

that this cycle

kept continuing

without end.

unveiled,

Moses would commune

with God,

hear from him directly,

and then he would

go out to the people,

still unveiled,

with his face shining,

to share that direct

message from God.

And then he would

veil himself

to protect

the people

from standing

in God's glory

for too long.

But while the initial

reaction of fear

may make sense,

the reality is,

still,

something is not

right here.

In chapter 19,

God reveals

his intentions,

his desires,

that Israel

would be

a kingdom

of priests

and a holy nation.

But here,

it's only Moses

who can speak

to God face to face.

The rest of Israel

can't even bear

to stand

in Moses' presence,

who's just reflecting

a fraction

of God's glory.

Even the high priest,

Aaron,

he is veiled off

from seeing God's glory.

How can you expect

the entire nation

to be full of priests

if Aaron can't even

commune with God

directly?

Brothers and sisters,

we know that

in the beginning,

God created everything

we see and know

in six days

and rested

on the seventh.

From dust,

he created man

in his image

and he breathed

life into him.

There in the Garden

of Eden,

God dwelt with man

without barriers,

without veils.

But once our representative

of Adam,

he fell.

He brought the entire world

in darkness and sin.

And because of our sin,

without his intervention,

our relationship with God

will never be the same.

So this question

has loomed

since the fall.

Will God dwell

with his people again?

Can we get back

to the Garden?

We have read

of God's mercy

and grace

in forgiving

this egregious idolatry

of the golden calf

in weeks past.

And even today,

we heard of God's

graciousness

and his willingness

to go up

with his people.

But in the end,

the picture

in today's passage

falls incredibly short

of the intimacy

shared in the Garden.

We do well

to remember

that this passage

is in the context

of covenant renewal.

After all,

Moses has brought down

the freshly remade tablets

of the old covenant.

And while there may be

hope in the air

that everything

might be picture perfect

and right between God

and his people again,

Moses' veil

is that ominous sign

that something,

something's off.

And if you know

your Old Testament,

you know that

this covenant renewal,

this second try,

this wasn't it.

This wasn't the solution.

This wasn't the way

back to the Garden.

Israel cyclically

and habitually

ends up

in heinous sin.

Not much later

in the book of Deuteronomy,

after yet another

covenant renewal

and a plea for them

to choose righteousness

in life,

Moses declares

that he in fact knows

that they will choose death,

that they will perish,

that they won't last long

in the promised land.

Ever the inspirational speaker,

Moses,

that guy.

But hey,

credit to him,

right?

He was 100% right.

This is exactly

what Paul says

in 2 Corinthians 3, 6,

where he teaches

that the letter

or the old covenant,

it kills.

The letter kills.

But the spirit

gives life.

That life

is given

in the new covenant

alone.

You see,

this is the problem

with second chance-ism.

In my pride,

I used to be

a second chance-ist.

So subscribe

to this theology

of second chance-ism.

And what is that?

What is second chance-ism,

you ask?

Let me demonstrate.

Lord,

I know I just

did that thing

that I said

I would never do again.

I said that thing.

I went to that place.

I watched that thing.

But Lord,

in your grace,

please give me

a second chance.

And if you've been

caught up in that cycle,

you know that

it doesn't stop

at second chances.

Just like the Israelites,

we'll end up

asking for five,

ten,

fifty,

a hundred chances

with no hope

of changing.

What we end up needing

is not more chances,

not more internal willpower,

not more time.

We need

a completely new heart,

an external intervention

in our lives.

Take again

the example

of Isaiah 6.

Yes,

Isaiah's right

to respond

in fear

and trembling

before God's glory.

But what does God

then do?

He cleanses Isaiah

of his sin

so that he can stand

in the presence of God.

Compare that to here.

What happens after

Moses shares

the commands of God?

No cleansing of sin,

but it's a veiling off.

So here,

there is a dual purpose

of Moses

to veil himself.

Yes,

it is Moses'

gracious concession

to protect the nation,

but it's also

an act of judgment

on their unfaithfulness,

on their sin

that caused,

that spawned

that fear.

Take a moment

to flip to 2 Corinthians 3

and hear Paul

explain the motive

of Moses' veiling

in verses 12 to 14.

Verse 12,

Paul is saying that

his ministry is different

because Moses,

he was helpless,

helpless to do anything

about the people's

hardened condition,

whereas Paul's ministry,

through Christ,

veils are removed.

Some have interpreted

verse 13

to read

that Moses wanted

to hide the fact

that his glowing face,

his glow,

was his only temporary,

so he veiled himself

off for whatever reason.

But I actually think

a more compelling

interpretation

is simply confirming

that Moses

had to veil himself

so that Israel

might not gaze

at the outcome,

the telos,

or in other words,

the death-dealing

judgment

of God's glory

on sin

so that

they would not die

and that

the veil

would nullify

that effect.

Therefore,

he veils himself

off to cut off

access to God's glory,

again,

both as a mercy

and as a judgment.

Just like Paul

teaches in Romans 1,

it's really a fearful

thing when God

gives up sinful men

to their sinful desires,

their spiritual blindness,

because he allowed

the veil

over their hearts

to last.

So literally,

the veil was on

Moses' face,

but it was only

because spiritually

it was on their hearts.

Brothers and sisters,

that same veil

was on our hearts,

but praise be to God

that he has done

something new,

something new

in Christ Jesus,

his son.

Now that we are

on this side

of biblical history,

we know that

many times

God foreshadowed

what he was doing.

He foretold of it

most early

after the fall

to Eve

that her son

would crush

the serpent's head.

Most clearly

in Jeremiah 31

and 36,

we also read

that God intends

on stopping

the futile,

endless cycle

of renewing

the old covenant,

but to initiate

to start

a permanent,

more glorious

new covenant.

this is what

he promised

to do

from Jeremiah 31.

I will put

my law

within them

and I will

write it

on their hearts

and I will

be their God

and they

shall be

my people

and no longer

shall each one

teach his neighbor

and each

his brother

saying,

know the Lord

for they shall

all know me

from the least

of them

to the greatest

declares the Lord

for I will

forgive their iniquity

and I will

remember their sin

no more.

However,

being a perfectly

just God,

he couldn't just

have snapped

his fingers

and willed

himself to forgive.

He needed

to send

his eternally

begotten son,

Jesus,

the second person

of the triune

Godhead

with whom he

shared perfect

love and intimacy

for eternity's past

to take on flesh

to die

and to

resurrect

as a substitution

for sinners.

Understand his

great condescension

for you

for it is in

Jesus

we find the

radiance

of the glory

of God

and the exact

imprint of his

nature.

That's what

Hebrews 1 tells us.

In fact,

Moses' earlier

prayer,

that part 2

of his prayer,

to see God's

glory,

it was only

partly answered

in Exodus

because God

only showed

his back,

if you remember.

But it was

answered in

full in Luke 9

where Peter,

John,

and James,

they go up

to the mountain

with Jesus

to see him

transfigured

into full

resplendent glory.

Luke writes

that the appearance

of Jesus' face

was altered

and his clothing

became dazzling

white.

And who is

there next

to Jesus?

It's Moses.

It's Moses

seeing all

of God's glory

in his son.

So we too

find the full

glory of God

when we gaze

upon Jesus'

face.

There is no

greater sight,

no greater beauty

or treasure

than our

glorious

Jesus.

And this

perfect

Jesus

was

beaten,

bruised,

and bloodied

so that we

would be

forgiven of

our iniquity

and that God

would remember

our sins

no more.

He did

for us

what we

could never

ever do

for ourselves.

It's only

by this

far more

glorious

permanent

ministry

of the

spirit

and righteousness

can we

be freed

from this

endless cycle

of second

chances

and step

into glory

as God's

children who

reflect his

image.

How do

we reflect

his image?

Because we

know that

yes,

as Christians

we have been

given new

hearts,

we are born

again,

but desiring

Jesus,

looking like

Jesus,

it isn't

automatic.

So again,

I belabor

the point.

We become

what we

behold,

and what

we behold

shapes

what we

love.

At the

end of

chapter 3

in 2 Corinthians,

Paul affirms

the same

truth in

this way.

Verse 17

says,

Now the

Lord is

the spirit,

and where

the spirit

of the

Lord is,

there is

freedom.

And we

all with

unveiled

face,

beholding

the glory

of the

Lord,

are being

transformed

from the

same image,

from one

degree of

glory to

another,

for this

comes from

the Lord

who is

the spirit.

Man,

I love

these verses.

Compared to

the veiled

Israelites,

we have

full access

to gaze upon

the glory

of God

by Jesus

with unveiled

face.

Like Paul,

the scales

have fallen

off our

eyes,

and God

has lifted

up the

veils of

our hearts

so that

we are

free,

we have

freedom

to behold

God,

and we are

free to

become

glorious

ourselves,

just like

Moses.

Only when

we behold

his glory

are we

then progressively

sanctified,

are we

transformed

from one

degree of

glory to

another.

Friends,

I ask,

do you

know the

amazing

privilege that

you have

now in

the unveiling

of Christ?

Have you

experienced the

intimacy of

the garden

that Jesus

has bought

for you?

Do you

have that

now?

Can you

remember a

time when

you were

just in

awe of

God,

basking

in his

glory?

When that

time when

there were

no distractions,

all that

mattered was

just you

in him?

That time

when your

heart burned

with zeal

and with

passion?

Friends,

if that's

not you

now,

I urge

you to

fight,

to fight

for your

first loves

if you've

lost them.

I'm not

saying that

this is just

about an

emotional

high,

or it's

just about

emotions,

because we

all express

our emotions

differently,

but if your

love for God

is flat,

if it's

lifeless,

then something

has to be

wrong there.

Note that

in our

passage today,

the Israelites,

they still

heard the

word of

God,

but their

access and

willingness to

gaze upon God's

glory was

short and

limited.

Compare that

to the long

40 days and

nights Moses

spent in the

presence of

God.

In the

busyness of

life,

and living in

Boston and

Cambridge,

how often

we're like

the Israelites,

who just for a

moment hear the

word of God,

but are not

transformed.

We're not

transformed from

one degree of

glory to

another.

We're not

transformed in

our loves.

We're not

transformed in

our heart.

Here,

Charles Spurgeon,

the famous

17th century

preacher,

we snatch

a hasty

minute of

prayer,

we afford

a hurried

quarter of

an hour for

Bible reading,

and we think

we have done

well.

But if for

minutes we had

hours, the

gain might

increase in

proportion.

Oh, for

nights of

prayer, oh,

for the

close shutting

of the

closet door,

and a

believing drawing

near to

God.

There is

no limit

to the

power we

might obtain

if such

were the

case.

Though our

faces might

not be lit

up with

splendor,

our lives

would shine,

our characters

would become

more pure

and transparent,

and our

whole spirit

would be so

heavenly that

men would

regard with

wonder the

brightness of

our being.

Because what

else are we

beholding in

place of the

Lord?

What else are

we letting

shape our

loves?

love?

I fear that

we can be

oblivious to

our surroundings,

much like

these fish.

In this

opening of

David Foster

Walls'

commencement

address in

Kenyon

College, it

goes like

this.

There are

these two

young fish

swimming

along, and

they happen

to meet an

older fish,

and the

older fish

says to

them,

says,

morning

boys,

how's the

water?

water.

And the

two fish

swim on

for a

little bit,

and eventually

one of them

looks over to

the other,

and he asks,

what the heck

is water?

Sometimes we

can be so

oblivious to

our surroundings

and its

influence that

it has on

us, because

that's all

we're used

to.

We forget

how much

influence the

things that

we behold

shape our

characters and

our loves.

in what

areas of

your life

do you

find your

loves, your

goals, your

thought patterns

more influenced

by the

world than

by scripture?

Then does

that make you

look, honestly,

more like a

non-believer

than a

believer?

I'd encourage

you to take

some time this

week and

reflect on the

different areas

of your life

where you've

made it a

habit to

turn to the

world, to

turn to

Google, to

turn to

Reddit, whatever

it is, for

advice, rather

than conforming

your life to

scripture.

Because I

recently had a

conversation with

a close brother

who confessed

his idolatry of

money to me.

He shared

how only

until recently

he was so

used to taking

financial advice

from CNBC,

from Nerd

Wallet, that

we'll tell you

all these

benchmarks, right?

Save this

much money by

30, have

four times

that much by

40, your

housing cost

should be only

a fraction of

your total gross

income, all

these different

benchmarks.

But he

confessed that

he let those

pieces of

advice rule

how we thought

about money

rather than

scripture.

That the

blessed are

those who

give, not

those who

saved 5x their

income by

40.

money, that

God knows

what we

need and

he loves

to provide

for us as

a loving

father, not

that we need

to set up

multiple sources

of passive

income to

make sure that

we're okay.

He said that

obsessively checking

his net worth

and looking at

the stock

markets, it

only made his

love for money

grow and

grow.

Because it

boils down to

this one

question.

Christian, what

do you want?

What do you

love?

Going back to

earlier, what

would you see

in that room?

Christian, if

it's anything

less than

Christ, we

must continue

to gaze long

at Jesus'

face until

our hearts

understand what

it should most

want.

After all, this

question is truly

an accurate

stethoscope of

our spiritual

heartbeats.

more than how

many ministries

you serve in,

more than how

many mission

trips you've

been on, even

if you work in

full-time ministry,

the measure of

true spirituality

is love.

Your love for

Jesus and a

desire for him

to be glorified.

We never

graduate from

growing in

that desire

because beholding

Jesus, that

reorders our

faulty loves.

And we begin to

see everything

else as

rubbish.

If you are

here and

you don't know

who Jesus

is, haven't

put your faith

in him, don't

know his

surpassing worth,

I also ask

you, what do

you want?

Because what

you want and

love is really

what you

worship.

Whether you like

it or not,

whether you know

it or not,

we all worship

something.

Hear again from

David Foster Wallace

later on in that

speech.

In the day-to-day

trenches of adult

life, there is no

such thing as

atheism.

There is no such

thing as not

worshiping.

Everybody worships.

The only choice we

get is what to

worship.

Worship your own

body and beauty

and sexual allure

and you will always

feel ugly.

And when time

and age start

showing, you will

die a million

deaths before they

finally plant you.

Worship power.

You will feel weak

and afraid.

Worship your

intellect.

Being seen as

smart, you will

end up feeling