Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. for tuning us in tonight. Here's Sunday night as we look at the wonderful word of God in the book of Exodus chapter 34, verse 35. Exodus chapter 34, verse 35, amen. I'm glad that the Lord can give us that that we need in the time that we need it, amen. here as we begin to read together in Exodus chapter 34, verse 35. And the Bible said, and the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, and Moses put the veil upon his face again until he went in to speak with him. Just for a little while, I wanna talk to you about the radiance of divine encounter. The radiance of divine encounter. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we come together, may we open our hearts and minds to receive your word as your spirit guides us into a deeper understanding. May we begin to realize what you have in store for us. Help us, Lord, tonight. as we take the book of Exodus. May remember that you love us and that we'll always be victorious as we're your child, that we've been taught to be a winner and a conqueror of all that oppose you. We have victory because of Christ. Help us to believe all that you have give us to live in peace. And Lord, no matter what happens around us in life or in the world, help us to rest completely in your love that we don't have to fear what could happen in the future. You said that in all these things, we're more than conquerors through him who loved us. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name, amen. You know, one of man's greatest needs is to know this one truth. He can start all over again. He can make a new beginning. He can have a brand new life. And no matter how terrible the sin or shame or how horrible the failure or devastation, how tragic the suffering or pain, how helpless or hopeless the situation, no matter what the problem or trial, man can start over again. Amen? And so, he can have a new beginning for one simple reason. God loves him or her and God cares for him or her. God wants to take care of you. and look after you and deliver you through the trials. And so, when we look at the radiance of a divine encounter, the radiance of divine encounter, God called Moses back into his presence for a very special reason, to receive the second copy of God's law, the Ten Commandments. Moses had cast the first copy of tablets to the ground in anger when he was descended the mountain and saw the people committing a terrible sin back in Exodus chapter 32. But Moses and the people had cried out to God for forgiveness and they had repented of their sin. Moses had spent days in intercession begging God to restore the people fully and completely Moses had pleaded for the full manifestation of God's presence among his people. And he had heard, God had heard the prayers and intercession of Moses and the people. God had forgiven their sin, accepted their repentance, but one thing was still lacking, the law of God, the Ten Commandments. You see, the Ten Commandments were very basis of the covenant between man and God. In order to start over, listen to me, the law had to be rewritten and given to the people. So what happened? God told Moses to prepare to receive the second copy of God's law of his Ten Commandments. In Exodus chapter 34 verse 1, God told Moses to chisel out two stone slate tablets. They were thin, they were small for Moses was able to carry them by hand. And God told Moses to climb the mountain in the morning to meet with him in Exodus chapter 34 verse 2. And God told Moses to come alone in Exodus chapter 34 verse 3. No person, not even Joshua, was to reenter God's presence with Moses. Not even an animal was to be anywhere near, not even grazing in front of the mountain. Moses responded and obeyed God's call. He did everything God said. Moses did not selectively obey God, doing only those things that were convenient or easy to do. Moses obeyed God. He obeyed when he prepared himself to receive God's law, His word. He obeyed when he met God early in the morning on Mount Sinai. He obeyed when he met God alone. And I'm telling you, the very first step in starting over, listen to me, sinner friend, Christian in seeking a new beginning with God is seen right here a person must respond to God's call to return to his presence and a person must get into God's presence and seek the Lord. I'm glad that we see Moses because he had gone back to the drawing board again. He goes again to the mount for 40 days and nights, and the presence of God sustained Moses. He did not eat bread. He did not drink water. Moses did not know that his face was shining. What a difference from the first trip. When he went back in Exodus chapter 32, his descent was characterized by anger on his face. Here he had descended with a radiant countenance. countenance, and in chapter 32 of Exodus, the people were adulterous, but here, they're broken and ashamed of their sin. And Moses broke the tablets on the ground, but here, he deposits them into the Ark of the Covenant. I'm glad the writer of Hebrews and Deuteronomy said, I turned myself, came down from the mount, put the tablets in the ark, which I had made, and there they be, as the Lord commanded me. I'm glad that no person can enjoy a real fellowship with the Lord without being affected by that fellowship. Amen? And so, communion with the Lord will conform us to his image. And so, I'm glad, you know what? A man bought a new hunting dog eager to see how that he would perform and he took him out to track this bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail, but suddenly, He stopped. He sniffed the ground. He headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. And a few moments later, he halted again. And this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes, we as Christians are like that dog. We start out with some kind of a high, go get them, keeping Christ first in our lives, but soon after, our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose. The Holy Spirit is the one that keeps us from being sidetracked. And as the Spirit of God fills our life, he has an effect upon our countenance. A happy, radiant face comes from an illuminated spirit that is close to the Lord, amen? Have you wandered away from the Lord, church? Then get back to the drawing board and start again. Amen? And so I'm glad that that real communion with God is we shall be less occupied because I'm glad Dr. James Dobson had spoken at a seminary on the subject of the need for self-esteem among men in the ministry. Many people have the mistaken idea that those preparing for ministry seldom struggle with inferiority. But one young man was brave enough to admit that he found himself paralyzed with fear, even though he sincerely desired to help others as he served God. Dr. Dobson spoke openly of this common predicament that gnaws on one's soul. And here is what he said. Sitting in the audience that same day was another student with the same kind of problems. However, he did not write a letter. He never identified himself in any way. But three weeks later, after he left, he hanged himself in the basement of his apartment. And one of the four men with whom he lived called long distance to inform Dr. Dobson of the tragedy. He stated deeply shaken that the dead student's roommates were so unaware of his problem that he hanged there five days before he was missed. They were so occupied with themselves, they did not realize what was going on around them. How sad. Moses was unaware of himself and his radiance. His mind was so full of God, his attention was drawn away from self-appearance. And God wants us to have the same attitude as the Psalmist and John the Baptist, because the Psalmist said, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. I'm glad John said, he must increase, but I must decrease. And so, each and every one of us. We cannot keep company very long with the Lord without his impression being left upon us. Your life will be a source of conviction to others and their need to walk closer to the Lord. The people were afraid of Moses. Radiance and joy cannot be obtained by trying for it. It comes by losing yourself, walking with the Lord, loving him, selfishness, but on the other hand, listen. Well, you know, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Have you drifted away from the Lord and lost your effectiveness? You need to get back to the drawing board and start over again and walk with God. And so, let me tell you how that you can keep your radiance for the Lord. Number one, it's the splendor of a divine encounter. Because imagine a dark room suddenly flooded with a brilliant light revealing every hidden corner in it. So is the splendor of encountering God's presence illuminating our lives. Because what did the writer tell us in verse 29 of Exodus chapter 34? And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of testimony in Moses' hand, and when he came down from the mount, that Moses with naught that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. Just as Moses' face shone with the glory, the Shekinah glory of God, so too can our countenance radiate His presence when we spend time in His company. Have you kept your radiance for the Lord? Then you need the splendor of a divine encounter. You need to get down in the prayer closet. You need to make time for that divine encounter on a daily basis, amen. Get in the Word of God. Stay in prayer. But secondly, you keep your radiance for the Lord with a veil of humility in his presence. Consider a great king veiling his face before his subjects, a symbol of humility and reverence. And when Moses covered his face with a veil, it symbolized the humility required in the presence of an almighty God. I'm glad that the writer of Exodus 34 verse 33 said, until Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. Just as Moses veiled his face in reverence, we must approach God with humility and acknowledge his sovereignty and our dependence on him. Have you kept your radiance for the Lord? How do you do it? It's the splendor of a divine encounter, meeting with someone on a daily basis. It's the veil of humility in his presence. When we get down and humble ourselves, amen, and we have a radiance of a divine encounter with him. But thirdly, there's a transformation of that divine encounter. Think of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, undergoing a radical change, encountering God, transforms us from the inside out, molding us into the vessels of his grace and love, amen. And so the writer of Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3.18, but we all with open face beholden as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are changed in the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. I'll talk about that in just a minute, because just as Moses' encounter with God transformed him, our encounters with the divine can lead to profound changes in our character, in our attitude, in our action. The book of Exodus opens with Moses seeing God's glory in the burning bush, and it closes with the glory of God descended into the camp and filling the tabernacle. You see, the presence of the glory of God in the camp of Israel was not a luxury. It was a necessity. It identified Israel as the people of God, set them apart from all the other nations, for the tabernacle was consecrated by the glory of God. All the other nations had sacred buildings, but they were empty. But the tabernacle of Israel was blessed with the presence of the almighty glory, Shekinah glory of almighty God, and God's glory was reflected in it. Moses had fasted. Moses had prayed in the presence of God. Listen, for 80 days, because he had to go back the second time for 40 days. And he had seen a glimpse of God's glory, praise God. Boy, I'm going to tell you something. Is it any wonder that he had a shining face? He didn't realize that he had absorbed such of the glory, was reflecting it from the countenance. But this glory, the people were afraid to come near him. But he summoned them to come, and they talked as before, praise God. I'm glad Moses would go into the tent of the meeting to talk with God and the glory, hallelujah, the glory would return, but then he would wear the veil so that the people wouldn't see the glory disappear. I'm glad Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 3 that the glory of the Mosaic legal system was fading away, but that the glory of the gospel of God's grace was getting more glorious. It was his answer. I'm glad that every one of us, is there something vanishing in your life on a daily basis because you haven't stayed in the house of God, in the presence of God, in his word and prayer? Huh? Is it vanishing away? Listen. The veil, Paul said, covered Moses' face to illustrate two great truths. Scripture declared that Moses wore the veil so the Israelites would not see the glory of the law fading away. Amen. And so, I'm glad. The work of Jesus Christ was a far greater, more precious, glorious work than the work of the law. And through the work of Christ, his death and resurrection, we're saved, we're given life eternal, and our sins are forgiven, and we're given the inheritance of living with God forever and ever. Secondly, the veil of Moses symbolizes the blindness of Israel in reading the scriptures. Because when Israel read the scriptures, they were spiritually blind. Even to this very day, They do not see the true glory of God that He's given to the world, that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, because the veil of spiritual blindness that covers their eyes can be removed only through Christ. And the Son of God Himself, the true Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ alone is that light of the world. His light alone can remove the veil of blindness that covers men's eyes today. Oh, the only way to remove that veil was to believe the Word and trust in Jesus Christ. And so, that's why Christians read the Bible. That's why we meditate on it. That's when the child of God looks into the Word of God, sees the Son of God, he or she's transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God for that glory. Amen? And so, I'm glad that we can never underestimate the spiritual power of a dedicated man and woman who knows how to intercede with God. One of our greatest needs in America today, tonight, is for intercessors who can lay hold of God's promises and trust God to work in mighty power. I'm glad every one of us, when we look and realize that when Moses saw to it that every piece of furniture, every utensil was anointed and placed where it ought to be, God could not and would not dwell in the tabernacle unless everything was done according to the pattern that he showed Moses on the mount, a man of Sinai. Too many people have tried to do God's work their own way and then ask God to bless it. But ministry doesn't work that way. We gotta find out what God wants us to do and we do it to glorify Him. If we obey His will, seek His honor, His name, then He'll come and He'll bless the work with a powerful presence. After everything and everybody associated with the tabernacle was dedicated to the Lord, then the glory of God filled the tabernacle and abode there. Hallelujah, amen. I'm glad every one of us, when Solomon dedicated the temple, God's glory once again came to dwell with his people, but once again, their sins drove God's glory away. And the next time the glory of God came to earth was in the person of Jesus Christ. But I'm gonna tell you something. I'm glad that when we look through all of those of the Old Testament and the Septuagint of the translation of abode, that means overshadowed. Mary's virgin womb was a holy of holies where the glory of God dwelt in the person of God's Son. What did the world do with this glory? They nailed it to the cross. Where is God's glory today? The body of every true born-again believer is the temple of God. And so is the local church and the church universal all over the world. When Solomon finished the temple, the glory of God moved in. But when God finishes building His church, listen to me, He will move the church out, and then all of us will share God's glory in heaven for all eternity. God doesn't just live in buildings. Buildings are dedicated to God. They're used as tools for His working workers, but God doesn't dwell in His people. It's our responsibility to glorify God individually and collectively, and I'm glad God does dwell in His people. Don't misunderstand me. He does. We are that glory that can be seen. We are the radiance of a divine encounter is what I'm trying to say. And I'm glad that many people today across the world will have to write Ichabod on their buildings because the glory of God has departed out of that building and it ain't been there for a long time. how much better it would be if like Moses, we did everything according to the heavenly pattern so that God's glory would fill at home in all of our churches and all of our mists as well, amen. I'm glad when Moses went to get the tablets wrote down with the commandments, he had been in the presence of the Lord, but he got ready. because he got on his face and he seeked forgiveness and he sought the presence of God. And I'm glad, inaccessory prayer, spending day after day seeking God obviously led Moses into that deep, intense communion with God. What a glorious lesson to seek God. So much that we have to impart his glory into our very being and his glory radiates upon our very lives every day. And so, I'm glad that I thank God. When Christ came down from the mount, he laid aside that glory. His face did shine. His face did not shine nor radiate the glory of God. He willingly laid aside the glory and made sure that the glory was not radiating through his being. Why? Because it was necessary that believers walk by faith and not by sight. The radiance of a divine encounter. I'm glad God's servant removed the veil when he entered God's presence. The veil was removed from Moses' face only on two occasions, when he was proclaiming the word of God and when he was praying and seeking the face of the Lord. What a picture of a great truth. When a person seeks the face of God or proclaims the word of God, there is to be nothing, no mask, no counterfeit, no deception between him and God. There is to be nothing, absolutely nothing, covering his face or the truth of his heart from God. The person, we approach God with an open face and a heart in truth and spirit. And so, When we proclaimed the Word of God to the people, Moses prepared himself. He sought the face of the Lord every time that he was addressed the people, and God gave him more and more of his glory to radiate upon his face. And when Moses walked before the people to proclaim the Word of God, they saw that his face was radiating the glory, and he had been in the presence and was ready to present God's message to them. As I close out, when you're starting over, when you're making a new beginning, the last step in your journey is to go forth and proclaim God's word to a lost and dying world, a world that is reeling under the heavy weight of terrible need and suffering. And so, have you kept your radiance for the Lord? It's the splendor of a divine encounter, the veil of humility in his presence, and the transformation of a divine encounter. I want to remind you that. the moments of emotion that are out there, but there's opportunities for being transformed, that we can seek His presence, approach Him with humility, allow His glory to reshape us into the vessels of His grace and radiance of divine encounter. be evident in our lives, drawing others to the love and the light of our Heavenly Father. I hope that you've got something from this of looking at the radiance of a divine encounter. As we get ready to go our separate ways, I hope and pray that you learn something about the Lord and the radiance for the Lord. Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege of encountering your glory. And as we get ready to go our separate ways, may your presence continue to shine upon us, transforming us into the reflections of your love, that we will be seen by a lost world that will want what we have, the glory of God. Because Lord, when they see us, they'll know that we've been in the splendor of a divine encounter. and that we will have the veil of humility in our presence and the transformation of that divine encounter through the radiance and the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. you